Yep...

Worst car I have ever had? Tie between the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2017 Chrysler Pacifica

 

KIAs and Hyundais are not the worst cars out there . But there is absolutely no denying they are made with defects to the engines. I know of there’s people who’ve had to have their engines replaced. From that aspect, not good

But seriously….the Palisade had to have its towing hitch recalled because the hitch might catch fire.

 

Had a 15 Kia Optima SXL, a 16 Optima SX, and a 20 Optima SX. All 2.0T engines. Wife and Daughters. Kia sent a letter to update the ECU for protection and gave a Lifetime warranty on the 15 & 16 engines. I always changed the oil with Pennzoil Platinum, and used only the Kia Factory filter as I only do factory filters on all my cars. Changed oil at 6.5k - 7k. Zero engine problems. The 15 was hit and totaled with 97K.

Back at the recall on the Hyundai/Kia Owners forums, it was noted that on complains originally from owners about engine problems to Hyundai/Kia. About 71% of owners could not provide documents of 7.5k oil change service receipts. It was very obvious that they were not doing oil and filter services as they were suppose to. Yes I am likely more aware of the crank shavings problems in detail than most they had also.

With that, I am about to sooner or later, (sooner), buy a Genesis G70 3.3T Sport that is recording 0-60 Times at 4.4 - 4.5secs Stock. Don't know if I will keep my GS as a daily or sell it. I will put a very long warranty on the G70, as I always do with everything I buy. Just waiting on the over-inflated car prices to come down so more. Point is.... the Hyundai cars bashing is just unrealistic, and bothers me none to buy a new one. Lexus unfortunately does not make a car I want right now.

 

Did your JGC have that ****-ed up shifter that killed Anton Yelchin? I don't remember.

 

It’s good to informed both good and bad. My sister and brother have one each, they love their Palisade and Telluride. My other brother lost both his cars. And a friend had her KIA engine replaced. Word of mouth. Best car at the Toronto Auto show was by far the KIA Telluirde

 

What makes you give it the award? You simply liked it the best? Or you felt it was the most significant vehicle there? Or it drew the biggest crowds?

Also, did you get any shots of the new Encore GX while you were there? I'm waiting for a chance to see it myself when it is released later this spring.

 

exactly. out of date lazy assessments are easy for people to spout to 'justify' their choices.

we live in a time of unprecedented abundance, variety, quality and safety. the whole "not as good as the old days" is ridiculous.

nice!

would not be surprised if you're right that lack of maintenance is what's killed a lot of hyundai engines, just like the toyota/lexus v6 'sludge' problem was clearly due to not changing the oil.

awesome, GREAT car.

hyperbole much? i had a jgc with that shifter and loved it. the only way it could 'kill someone' is if they weren't paying attention to make sure it showed the car is in park before getting out. not that hard!

yelchin must have been in a rush or just not paying attention. very unfortunate but the car or shifter didn't kill him.

interesting... although obviously not your opinion.

perhaps you think they should come with free fire extinguishers.

 

It depends on the engine. They make SOME engines that have those issues, and others don't.

I have had numerous recalls of vehicles I have owned because something "might start a fire", Toyotas, Fords, Lexuses, etc.

The 2011 was a regular shifter, but my 2014 which was a much better car did.

I also had a Jeep with that shifter and I 100% understand how it killed him, it was absolutely a design flaw. The issue is you could shift it into Park (or any gear) and have it not engage, and it would default to neutral. So, shove up and maybe not hold it there long enough or something and not realize it didn't engage park and its in neutral. Happened to me when driving the Jeep all the time.

On top of that, when the door was opened there was no failsafe which engaged park. So, I 100% see how he quickly threw it in park, park did not engage and it went to neutral, he got out of the car and there was no failsafe which put it in park when the door was opened in neutral, and the mass held it there for a second enough so he had no idea anything was wrong, and it let go once he was behind it, and he was killed.

If that Jeep had the ordinary shifter my 2011 Jeep had or the new shifter Jeep replaced it with, or if it had a failsafe that would put it in park when a door was opened in neutral, Anton would still be alive.

Its just a poor design, with a n electronic shifter like that its much safer to have a park button or something, and thats what almost all other manufacturers use.

A lot of the confusion comes from not driving the vehicle every day. My wife had no issues with the shifter because thats all she drove, likely same with you. For me I fuddled with it all the time because I only drove the Jeep so often. Anton likely had multiple cars and it was a similar thing.

 

My daughter has a 2016 KIA Soul. It has been almost trouble-free during the 7 years (one small repair, brake pedal switch $23 in parts, she replaced it herself). I help her with maintenance such as spark plugs change or intake valves cleaning (to remove carbon deposits from direct injection).
My take on KIA/Hyundai is that they are simple, value-oriented vehicles, designed to offer a good balance between cost, performance, practicality, features, reliability and attractive design. They do not excel in any category. They are not intended to beat VW in performance and driving experience. They are not designed to beat Toyota or Honda in reliability or fuel efficiency. They are designed to offer an acceptable compromise in all areas for an attractive cost of ownership and good build quality.
They could be designed to be more reliable, faster or more fuel efficient. But all these things would invariably drive cost higher. Hyundai/KIA doesn't want to be another Toyota or Honda. They want to be a more affordable alternative but with better quality and reliability than Nissan or American brands. And this, combined with outstanding warranty, is exactly what many people want and need.
They built a successful business model based on this balanced approach, and if you are a new car buyer on a budget, Hyundai/KIA are hard to beat.

 

makes sense, and sure, we have to have signs saying "don't eat the [poisonous substance]" warning labels too.

i've learned both my cars automatically go into park if i just hit the start/stop button so i often just do that and don't even bother with the shifter!

 

I haven't notice this with the Korean vehicles, but I'll pay more attention. On the other hand, I've noticed the phenomenon on Chevy/GM products. It's likely they are simply sourcing cheaper bulbs. However, shouldn't they have a "bulb out" light on the dash to warn the driver? Do Chevy/GM drivers just not care?

 

90% huh?

 

The recent Buicks I've owned do have a warning-light on the dash for inoperative bulbs.

 

You think kia is going to give you a bulb out warning for the taillights when they can't even fuse them properly?

 

On my brother's 2017 Kia Sportage, it does tell you.....but not directly. If a bulb burns out, it triggers a Master Warning Light, which covers several different functions.