Engine Oil Pressure Switch Leak

In a letter dated September 30, 2021, Mr. Gerald James (the petitioner) requested that NHTSA conduct an investigation of the Model Year (MY) 2015-2017 Kia Sorento equipped with 3.3L V6 “Lambda” engines for “severe oil leaks” from the oil pressure switch (OPS) that could “lead to engine failure” with little warning to the driver. Mr. James based this request on his own experience and data found in NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) database. NHTSA reviewed the material cited by the petitioner, information submitted by Kia, NHTSA’s testing, and other pertinent information in NHTSA databases. On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-002 to evaluate the petitioner’s request. ODI performed an analysis that included evaluation of the petitioner’s vehicle, searches of ODI complaints from vehicle owners, non-dealer field reports, manufacturers’ supplemental information relating to design of the component, and component testing performed by ODI. On December 16, 2021, ODI and Kia North America performed a joint inspection on the petitioner’s vehicle. ODI and Kia agreed the OPS was leaking oil and observed oil in the crevices atop the engine block. The vehicle received a new replacement OPS and was delivered back to the petitioner. The original part that was removed from the subject vehicle was retained by ODI for further analysis. As of December 30, 2022, for the MY 2015-2017 Kia Sorento population of 161,519 vehicles with 3.3L engine, NHTSA reviewed internal data and has identified no consumer complaints or field reports in its database, with unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), citing engine failure or stalling related to the petition’s allegation of defective OPS. When combined with the supplemental warranty and technical analysis from the manufacturer, field report and customer complaint data in response to the Information Request letter sent, NHTSA identified no unique VINs alleging engine failure or stalls caused by OPS leaking on the subject