NHTSA complaint #11755247

Owner complaint summary

In August 2025, my Kia dealership serviced my 2021 Kia Telluride and billed me for 7 quarts of oil as part of the repair. Approximately four months later, in December 2025, the vehicle developed severe engine problems and became inoperable. The dealership diagnosed the failure as a collapsed timing tensioner and stated the engine required complete replacement. Kia Techline agreed with that diagnosis and used it as the basis for recommending a new engine. Despite acknowledging that engine replacement was necessary, Kia denied warranty coverage, leaving me responsible for an estimated $11,000 repair. I then obtained a second opinion from an independent, reputable repair facility. After inspecting the vehicle, the shop concluded the engine failure was not caused by a timing system failure. Instead, they found the engine contained only about one quart of oil and determined the damage resulted from oil starvation. They further stated that, in their professional opinion, the dealership had misdiagnosed the vehicle and that the low oil level was consistent with the possibility that the dealership failed to add the oil for which I was charged during the August 2025 service. What is especially concerning is that the dealership never documented or informed me that the engine was critically low on oil. Because the timing components rely on engine oil for lubrication, I believe it would have been impossible to properly inspect and diagnose a timing tensioner failure without recognizing and documenting the severely low oil level. Based on the independent inspection and the dealership's failure to identify or disclose the lack of oil, I believe the dealership either failed to perform the service as billed or failed to correctly diagnose the true cause of the engine failure. I am concerned that this incorrect diagnosis diverted attention from possible negligent workmanship during the prior service and led to an unnecessary recommendation for an $11,000 engine replacement.