Kia's US and Canadian divisions have issued separate recalls concerning the 2018 through 2023 model year Stinger and 2019 through 2020 model year K900. The problem is exclusive to vehicles equipped with the 3.3L twin-turbocharged V6.
Over in Canada, no fewer than 5,526 vehicles have been recalled. The NHTSA lists 36,248 units in the United States, bringing the grand total to 41,774 sedans. According to the South Korean automaker, the left turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly are prone to deteriorating, therefore leading to an oil leak. If said oil gets on a hot component (think exhaust manifold), that would greatly increase the risk of an underhood fire.
Sambo Motors of South Korea is the supplier of the left-hand turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly, which bears part number 28240-3L100 in the parts system. Vehicles equipped with suspect assemblies were produced between and September 21, 2017 and June 29, 2022. The Stinger and K900 for North America came from the Sohari plant.
Kia Corporation became aware of the aforementioned condition in June 2023, when it also informed Kia North America of a report involving a Korean market K900 that experienced smoke from the engine compartment. In December 2023, the automaker's North American division received a dealer techline report for a Stinger involving an oil leak and engine compartment fire while driving.
Said vehicle was analyzed in January 2024, with Kia identifying localized melting in the area surrounding the driver-side exhaust manifold. The investigation further indicated that the underhood fire had started due to oil leaking at the left-hand oil feed pipe and hose assembly. Given these findings, Kia Corporation decided to analyze a number of assemblies from both the US and Korean markets.
Photo: Kia
Two of five collected assemblies exhibited fine surface cracking, whereas the subsequent duplication testing identified a deteriorated hose and signs of leaking. Before deciding on a safety recall, Kia North America singled out 25 vehicles that experienced an oil leak from the left turbocharged oil feed pipe and hose assembly. The incidents were reported in the period between January 24, 2018 and February 7, 2024. By model, said vehicles are split between 14 units of the Stinger and 11 K900s.
All owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than April 26, with dealers to be instructed on April 24 about the recall condition. Dealer technicians are required to replace the assembly with an improved one. The new assembly features a different material that makes it less susceptible to deterioration. Kia introduced the improved assembly in vehicle production on September 16, 2021, yet a single 2023 Stinger was equipped with a V6 engine produced before the cut-off date.
As you're well aware, both the Stinger and K900 were dropped from the North American lineup, beginning with the K900 due to poor sales. From the standpoint of a numbers man, the Stinger wasn't exactly hot stuff either. The rear-drive liftback sedan's best year in the United States was 2018, when Kia moved 16,806 units. By comparison, Dodge sold 80,226 examples of the Charger.
Similar to the all-electric Charger for the 2024 model year, the Stinger will be replaced by an electric sedan. Kia's codename for the newcomer is GT1. Allegedly based on the upcoming eM platform, the GT1 reportedly packs a 113.2-kWh battery and up to 450 kW (603 horsepower) from a dual-motor setup. Hearsay further suggests between 700 and 800 kilometers (435 and 497 miles) of range, presumably in the WLTP.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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