2017 Kia Niro Engine Problems

“I received a warning indication that the engine temperature is too hot while driving the vehicle to work. I opened the hood of my vehicle and discovered the vehicle’s coolant reservoir was empty which led me to believe there was a coolant leak. I took the vehicle to be inspected and diagnosed by an independent repair shop (non-dealership) and it was explained that there was in fact a coolant leak and it’s because the exhaust heater exchanger is failing. …”

“On 12/03/2021 I noticed white steam coming from the exhaust of my vehicle. Very shortly after noticing this issue I lost all heat and the engine temperature began to rise. I immediately checked the engine coolant level and noticed the reservoir was empty. On 12/04/2021 an authorized dealer diagnosed the issue as a cracked catalytic converter/heat recovery unit. This assembly allows exhaust gases to heat up engine coolant to improve gas efficiency. …”

“I was driving my car as usual and it began overheating. I took it to the mechanic and they could not find a coolant leak, even though the coolant was all gone. We added more coolant and I was on my way. A few weeks later, the same thing happened. The mechanic said to take it to the dealer because they would need to run a diagnostic. I took it to the dealer and they said there were some new recalls that needed to be repaired that could fix the issue. They did the recalls, I topped off my coolant, and I was on my way. …”

“When I was driving, a propulsion system warning went off. Then a malfunction in the vehicle’s powertrain/propulsion system lit up on the GPS screen. Shortly afterward, the engine began smoking, and a loud popping sound occurred simultaneously. The vehicle then experienced a sudden loss of propulsion, requiring me to pull over immediately to avoid a hazardous situation. An authorized Kia dealer subsequently diagnosed a blown head gasket with internal coolant intrusion, confirming an internal powertrain failure consistent with propulsion system malfunction, and the vehicle became inoperable. …”

“I was driving and the car was stuttering. Then after I stopped for a bit it resumed normal operations. Then the warning light came on, then it went off again. This happened for a couple of weeks until finally, while on a road trip at the end of July 2023, the car seemed to just lose power in 4th gear and I would have to really rev the engine just to keep it moving, that happened while on a road trip. I called the dealership several times during the trip and they said I’d already had the computer recall reset so they didn’t think it made any sense. …”