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Child Item

Kia Sportage clutch worn out?

D13exile

Hi

My wife's Sportage broke down last Monday (wouldn't change gear for her). I managed to get it home using 2nd and 4th only. The dealer towed it in and later rang me to say that the clutch was worn out. The car is a 142 reg with 110,000kms on it. It gets a straight run from our place to her job every day which is on a good country road, ie no city driving or country lanes. Kia are saying its her "driving style" that caused the clutch to wear out so quickly. I told them she also drives my Qashqai and that has no clutch issues and it is a 2011 car with 240,000kms on it. She also drove every other car we've owned over the past 25 years and never worn a clutch out even though some of those cars had 200,000+Kms on them like my current car.

Kia Ireland are saying its a wear and tear item and they won't cover it. While I accept that is the case with clutches, the fact that this has worn out so quickly on a three and a half year old car is strange.

Any ideas or suggestions as the dealer wants €950 to replace the clutch.

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bazz26

Seems to be common on certain Hyundai and Kia models. My brother in law had a clutch go on a 171 Optima after about 6 months. He also had a battle with Kia to cover it and the dealer eventually covered the cost themselves as the BIL's company is a good customer of the dealer. Cannot help you around getting Kia or the dealer to change their minds and offer goodwill. If you are paying to have it replaced yourself then my advise is price the job from an independent garage to see if it's cheaper.

Vicxas

I think there's been a few threads on these flimsy Kia clutches with no goodwill from Kia.

My best advice would be get a quote from an Indy garage, as the main dealer would rub their hands together seeing you come in with a busted clutch.

George Dalton

The clutches are a weak point on those Kias. Your best bet would be to bring it to an independent garage, you'll get it sorted a lot cheaper that way.

JohnBoy26

While im not disputing that clutches might be a weak point on kia's, the op's car still has 68000 miles up which is mileage that is not out of the ordinary to see a clutch gone at.

D13exile

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

While im not disputing that clutches might be a weak point on kia's, the op's car still has 68000 miles up which is mileage that is not out of the ordinary to see a clutch gone at.

My Qashqai has 142,000 miles on it.....with the original clutch. Our last car had 160,000 miles on it when we sold it, again on the original clutch. I’ve had 12 cars in my lifetime and never had any clutch issues or replacements before.

JohnBoy26

D13exile wrote: »

My Qashqai has 142,000 miles on it.....with the original clutch. Our last car had 160,000 miles on it when we sold it, again on the original clutch. I’ve had 12 cars in my lifetime and never had any clutch issues or replacements before.

Doesn't matter, 68000 miles still isn't out of the ordinary.

Clutches are a wearable part and will wear out at some point.

If your car only had something like 20k miles when the clutch went and it wasn't down to driving style then I'd agree but 68k is a lot of miles, even if it's considered small mileage in the overall life of a vehicle.

mikeecho

i drove a 1990 carina II to 160,000 Miles on the original clutch

then sold the car.. dont know how much latest, but it was perfectly when i sold it.

My advice to OP .. next time, opt for an Auto

D13exile

mikeecho wrote: »

i drove a 1990 carina II to 160,000 Miles on the original clutch

then sold the car.. dont know how much latest, but it was perfectly when i sold it.

My advice to OP .. next time, opt for an Auto

Next time it won’t be a bloody Kia. This is the second time in two months that it’s broken down (electrical fault in February) and now this clutch prematurely dying. We’ll be getting rid of it as soon as we can.

_Brian

How insulting for them to blame her driving style when they know nothing about it at all. Bloody chancers.

We had our Mondeo in with a garage considering a trade and the guy told my wife it was a bit smokey because she didn’t drive it much and too slowly. She blew a fuse, she does >30k a year and it gets regular long motorway runs at 120kph. He was being a knob and she told him so - we didn’t get much of a deal after that

selectamatic

_Brian wrote: »

How insulting for them to blame her driving style when they know nothing about it at all. Bloody chancers.

Even more so when they know full well that their clutches are sh1te and have been for a good while at this stage.

SCOOP 64

i have 98 Astra G with 201000 miles , i know the clutch hasn't been changed because car as been in family since new, would this be out of the ordinary ?

[Deleted User]

D13exile wrote: »

Hi

My wife's Sportage broke down last Monday (wouldn't change gear for her). I managed to get it home using 2nd and 4th only. The dealer towed it in and later rang me to say that the clutch was worn out. The car is a 142 reg with 110,000kms on it. It gets a straight run from our place to her job every day which is on a good country road, ie no city driving or country lanes. Kia are saying its her "driving style" that caused the clutch to wear out so quickly. I told them she also drives my Qashqai and that has no clutch issues and it is a 2011 car with 240,000kms on it. She also drove every other car we've owned over the past 25 years and never worn a clutch out even though some of those cars had 200,000+Kms on them like my current car.

Kia Ireland are saying its a wear and tear item and they won't cover it. While I accept that is the case with clutches, the fact that this has worn out so quickly on a three and a half year old car is strange.

Any ideas or suggestions as the dealer wants €950 to replace the clutch.

It's quite serendipitous that I see this thread this evening. My OH has just had the very same experience with her Sportage and has spent today trying to sort it with Kia. She only bought this SUV last month. Same as with your wife, Kia are saying if it's clutch then it will be out of her pocket because it's related to her driving style.

Really...5 weeks after buying the car it's her driving style suddenly killing the clutch?! She drives 100km per day for work, 5 days a week on a motorway. Her 'driving style' has absolutely nothing to do with this current problem, yet I'm pretty sure it will allow Kia cover their asses here and this ends with my OH paying for the damage. Just 5 weeks after she gave the garage €15,000 for a relatively new Sportage, with both Kia and garage warranty, and both of them will likely be useless to her here.

Since she got the Sportage about 5 weeks ago the gear box has felt stiff to both me and her in that time. Thinking that this might be just both of us not being used to the gears in a different SUV, we didn't give it too much thought.

That changed yesterday though when...

- The car made a buzz/humming anytime the clutch was depressed.

- The gears got stiffer as the day went on, becoming temporarily stuck a few times.

- When the OH got home and parked in the driveway (thankfully it got her home) a screeching started coming from the car. In my very limited mechanical knowledge, it reminded me of a fan/timing belt dying. I'm not saying the Sportage has belts, just that this is the sound it reminded me of.

- Without moving the car and just leaving it running, the screeching stopped but was very soon replaced by a clicking/rattle. This was without pressing the clutch or any pedals. We immediately turned off the ignition.

- The car won't even start since then. Turn the key in the ignition, the electronics come on but the engine won't turn. It won't even attempt to turn.

I feel quite frustrated for my OH and think the original KIA garage could have been a bit more helpful to her today. The difference in attitude from them between them looking for her money, and them having her money is startling.

D13exile

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

i have 98 Astra G with 201000 miles , i know the clutch hasn't been changed because car as been in family since new, would this be out of the ordinary ?

I’d a Megane for 9 years that I sold on after 160,000 miles with all the original bits, including clutch and battery. Never had a clutch issue before, nor has my wife. As a previous poster said, they’ve a bloody cheek suggesting it’s her driving style. Kia and their 7 year warranty can take a run and jump.

D13exile

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It's quite serendipitous that I see this thread this evening. My OH has just had the very same experience with her Sportage and has spent today trying to sort it with Kia. She only bought this SUV last month. Same as with your wife, Kia are saying if it's clutch then it will be out of her pocket because it's related to her driving style.

Really...5 weeks after buying the car it's her driving style suddenly killing the clutch?! She drives 100km per day for work, 5 days a week on a motorway. Her 'driving style' has absolutely nothing to do with this current problem, yet I'm pretty sure it will allow Kia cover their asses here and this ends with my OH paying for the damage. Just 5 weeks after she gave the garage €15,000 for a relatively new Sportage, with both Kia and garage warranty, and both of them will likely be useless to her here.

Since she got the Sportage about 5 weeks ago the gear box has felt stiff to both me and her in that time. Thinking that this might be just both of us not being used to the gears in a different SUV, we didn't give it too much thought.

That changed yesterday though when...

- The car made a buzz/humming anytime the clutch was depressed.

- The gears got stiffer as the day went on, becoming temporarily stuck a few times.

- When the OH got home and parked in the driveway (thankfully it got her home) a screeching started coming from the car. In my very limited mechanical knowledge, it reminded me of a fan/timing belt dying. I'm not saying the Sportage has belts, just that this is the sound it reminded me of.

- Without moving the car and just leaving it running, the screeching stopped but was very soon replaced by a clicking/rattle. This was without pressing the clutch or any pedals. We immediately turned off the ignition.

- The car won't even start since then. Turn the key in the ignition, the electronics come on but the engine won't turn. It won't even attempt to turn.

I feel quite frustrated for my OH and think the original KIA garage could have been a bit more helpful to her today. The difference in attitude from them between them looking for her money, and them having her money is startling.

I’m not overly sensitive by nature but Kia Ireland were obnoxious today. The guy on the phone talked down to me like I know nothing about cars. I finally told him that I’ve probably been driving longer than he’s been alive. Like the poster above, Kia’s after sales service is a joke. In contrast, Windsor Nissan can’t do enough for me when I need my car serviced or repaired, giving me a courtesy car on each occasion. When we get the funds together, the Sportage is going and we’ll get another Nissan.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Deleted User wrote: »

It's quite serendipitous that I see this thread this evening. My OH has just had the very same experience with her Sportage and has spent today trying to sort it with Kia. She only bought this SUV last month. Same as with your wife, Kia are saying if it's clutch then it will be out of her pocket because it's related to her driving style.

- The car made a buzz/humming anytime the clutch was depressed.

- The gears got stiffer as the day went on, becoming temporarily stuck a few times.

- Without moving the car and just leaving it running, the screeching stopped but was very soon replaced by a clicking/rattle. This was without pressing the clutch or any pedals. We immediately turned off the ignition.

- The car won't even start since then. Turn the key in the ignition, the electronics come on but the engine won't turn. It won't even attempt to turn.

I hope for your sake it os only the clutch but it sounds like something much more serious to me. A worn or even broken clutch should prevent a car from starting.

JohnBoy26

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I hope for your sake it os only the clutch but it sounds like something much more serious to me. A worn or even broken clutch should prevent a car from starting.

It can if something fell off the clutch or dmf and damaged the starter or jammed the ring gear.

[Deleted User]

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I hope for your sake it os only the clutch but it sounds like something much more serious to me. A worn or even broken clutch should prevent a car from starting.

Her regular mechanic called around since I made that last post just to observe what was happening. It seems that the clutch and flywheel are gone and we're looking at €950 for both to be replaced.

Tomorrow is when my OH tries to ask the original garage if there is anything they can do to lessen the financial hit, but looking at the terms of their warranty it specifically says 'no clutch or flywheel included' so I think it will be a dead end.

It'll be the guts of another €1k spent on a car which was bought a month ago for 15 times that. I know that mechanics and sales people cannot predict the future, but I do feel this problem would have been known about while we were told 'Yep it's a great car, sign here please'.

It's possible that the previous owners sensed the gearbox/clutch was reaching the end of its lifespan and decided to change the vehicle, which is completely fair enough. The garage and KIA both have their ends well covered in the terms of the warranties.

Very unlucky for my OH, having just had 5 faultless, relaible years and 150,000+ miles with a Toyota Auris.

JohnBoy26

So you only have the car a month?

[Deleted User]

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

So you only have the car a month?

Since the second week in March, suppose that's about 6 weeks now.

JohnBoy26

Deleted User wrote: »

Since the second week in March, suppose that's about 6 weeks now.

So really it could be the driving style of the previous owner or it could be just wear and tear.

I know a clutch can be burned out very quickly with a bad driving style but i'd say in this case it didn't happen while your wife was driving it and more than likely it was on the way out when you purchased it. They really shouldn't be blaming your wife tbh.

I know of something similar happening to someone who purchased a vw that was only a couple of years old and the flywheel went within a few weeks. The garage(non main dealer) wouldn't cover it which was bad form imo even though it was excluded from warranty.

[Deleted User]

D13exile wrote: »

I’m not overly sensitive by nature but Kia Ireland were obnoxious today. The guy on the phone talked down to me like I know nothing about cars. I finally told him that I’ve probably been driving longer than he’s been alive. Like the poster above, Kia’s after sales service is a joke. In contrast, Windsor Nissan can’t do enough for me when I need my car serviced or repaired, giving me a courtesy car on each occasion. When we get the funds together, the Sportage is going and we’ll get another Nissan.

It's unfortunate that you had that experience, it'll probably be something similar on the phone for me or my OH tomorrow. That kind of after-sales service you describe with Windsor Nissan, that would be very much appreciated in this situation.

I'm not expecting the garage to put themselves out too much financially, but maybe treat this with some empathy and a human touch. So far, all my OH got from the KIA garage was 'Sure if you manage to get it to us, we'll see what we can do'. They, a busy renowned garage, couldn't even suggest a tow company for her to use to get the car there. It's like now that they have her money and the deal is history, they don't want to know.

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

So really it could be the driving style of the previous owner or it could be just wear and tear.

I know a clutch can be burned out very quickly with a bad driving style but i'd say in this case it didn't happen while your wife was driving it and more than likely it was on the way out when you purchased it. They really shouldn't be blaming your wife tbh.

I know of something similar happening to someone who purchased a vw that was only a couple of years old and the flywheel went within a few weeks. The garage(non main dealer) wouldn't cover it which was bad form imo even though it was excluded from warranty.

Thanks for your input Johnboy. It's likely that the previous owner could have lived on the clutch.

Just to clarify, the OP of this thread D13exile seems to have gotten a more obnoxious time from the KIA garage where they laid the blame directly on his wife's driving. On the phone to my OH today, the garage (possibly a different one from OP) simply mentioned if it's the gearbox, it's covered by warranty, if it's clutch it isn't covered because of wear and tear and could be related to driving style.

I'm just expressing frustration with the fact that although the garage are technically right about 'wear and tear' with clutches and have themselves covered legally here, there's no way my OH did that damage in 5 weeks. It will be poor form if she has to pay the full cost of replacement and a very poor reflection on the KIA warranty.

In fairness to my OH, she is a decent driver who doesn't rest her foot on the clutch when it's not in use. She has had about 5 cars in the time I know her and never burnt out a clutch before.

Dia1988

Can I ask if theses KIAs with the burnt out clutches were purchased through a Main KIA dealer or an independent car dealer?
Either way, the KIA that was purchased only in March but now has a burnt out clutch have a very slim case in recourse.
As I say a very slim chance but worth a shot, I would put a case forward through the small claims court. However, this is a tricky case to prove, but a vehicle especially with a value of 15k should be of merchantable quality for a reasonable amount of time after purchase, even if the failed component is a wear and tear item. Your research and evidence will be the success of your case. I advise of the following:
-Record the mileage at purchase time and mileage at clutch/flywheel failure
-Try get a good qualified mechanic to state in writing that there is a strong chance that the clutch/flywheel was faulty prior to purchase given the timeframe/mileage and driving style of your OH, also prior car ownership.
-Collect as much data as possible of cases where clutches /flywheel went prematurely in KIAs. Go onto KIA forums, discussion forums, reports, consumer surveys etc. The more cases you have of KIA premature clutch/flywheel failure the stronger the case.
-Pay 25 euro to the Small Claims court online, print out your receipt.
-Then post your Small claims court receipt together with all the evidence you have gathered to the car dealership and also to KIA Ireland. Attach a letter stating that you will be going to court to resolve this matter.
-Continue with the small claims court process until there is a resolution.

Like I say it's a slim chance but if you present your case logically with thorough evidence it would be difficult to dismiss the case.

[Deleted User]

Dia1988 wrote: »

Can I ask if theses KIAs with the burnt out clutches were purchased through a Main KIA dealer or an independent car dealer?
Either way, the KIA that was purchased only in March but now has a burnt out clutch have a very slim case in recourse.
As I say a very slim chance but worth a shot, I would put a case forward through the small claims court. However, this is a tricky case to prove, but a vehicle especially with a value of 15k should be of merchantable quality for a reasonable amount of time after purchase, even if the failed component is a wear and tear item. Your research and evidence will be the success of your case. I advise of the following:
-Record the mileage at purchase time and mileage at clutch/flywheel failure
-Try get a good qualified mechanic to state in writing that there is a strong chance that the clutch/flywheel was faulty prior to purchase given the timeframe/mileage and driving style of your OH, also prior car ownership.
-Collect as much data as possible of cases where clutches /flywheel went prematurely in KIAs. Go onto KIA forums, discussion forums, reports, consumer surveys etc. The more cases you have of KIA premature clutch/flywheel failure the stronger the case.
-Pay 25 euro to the Small Claims court online, print out your receipt.
-Then post your Small claims court receipt together with all the evidence you have gathered to the car dealership and also to KIA Ireland. Attach a letter stating that you will be going to court to resolve this matter.
-Continue with the small claims court process until there is a resolution.

Like I say it's a slim chance but if you present your case logically with thorough evidence it would be difficult to dismiss the case.

In our case, it was a main KIA dealer who has an apparently good reputation in the business.

Thank you very much for this, I'll know later today just how accommodating the dealership will be with our situation. If we arrive at a negative outcome with them, your post may prove very helpful. We would be able to gather all of the above information easily.

Much appreciated.

D13exile

In our case, we bought it new from a Kia main dealer. The car broke down two months ago with an electrical fault when I was out of the country in business. My wife called the garage and they told her to get it towed in, despite them having their own tow truck. She managed to drive the 30kms to the garage in “limp home mode” at 30kph with other drivers blasting their horns at her. Her sister drove her home. The garage fixed it but she had to get a lift back down to collect the car. When the clutch went, she rang the garage and once again they told her to get it towed down. This time I was here and I rang them back and after a few “words”, they sent their tow truck out and gave us a replacement car (but it was an ordeal getting this much despite this being the second time the car had broken down in two months).

Tbh while I’m amazed and pissed that a clutch had failed on a relatively young car, I’d have accepted a partial contribution from Kia towards the cost of a new clutch but when they started insinuating that it was down to my wife’s driving style (when they know nothing about her), it set up the confrontation. There’s a world of difference between Kia Ireland (and their dealers) and the service I’ve gotten from Nissan. We’re now referring to Kia as the Ryanair of car dealers, ie you pay your money and you take your chances (and I won’t even mention the “f-off” customer service.

Zubeneschamali

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm pretty sure it will allow Kia cover their asses here and this ends with my OH paying for the damage.

Home of the 7 year warranty!

theteal

Dia1988 wrote: »

Can I ask if theses KIAs with the burnt out clutches were purchased through a Main KIA dealer or an independent car dealer?
Either way, the KIA that was purchased only in March but now has a burnt out clutch have a very slim case in recourse.
As I say a very slim chance but worth a shot, I would put a case forward through the small claims court. However, this is a tricky case to prove, but a vehicle especially with a value of 15k should be of merchantable quality for a reasonable amount of time after purchase, even if the failed component is a wear and tear item. Your research and evidence will be the success of your case. I advise of the following:
-Record the mileage at purchase time and mileage at clutch/flywheel failure
-Try get a good qualified mechanic to state in writing that there is a strong chance that the clutch/flywheel was faulty prior to purchase given the timeframe/mileage and driving style of your OH, also prior car ownership.
-Collect as much data as possible of cases where clutches /flywheel went prematurely in KIAs. Go onto KIA forums, discussion forums, reports, consumer surveys etc. The more cases you have of KIA premature clutch/flywheel failure the stronger the case.
-Pay 25 euro to the Small Claims court online, print out your receipt.
-Then post your Small claims court receipt together with all the evidence you have gathered to the car dealership and also to KIA Ireland. Attach a letter stating that you will be going to court to resolve this matter.
-Continue with the small claims court process until there is a resolution.

Like I say it's a slim chance but if you present your case logically with thorough evidence it would be difficult to dismiss the case.

What's the value limit of a SCC case these days, €2000/€2500?
With that in mind I assume you're only claiming for the the part itself but how the hell does that work?

Toyotafanboi

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

So really it could be the driving style of the previous owner or it could be just wear and tear.

I know a clutch can be burned out very quickly with a bad driving style but i'd say in this case it didn't happen while your wife was driving it and more than likely it was on the way out when you purchased it. They really shouldn't be blaming your wife tbh.

I know of something similar happening to someone who purchased a vw that was only a couple of years old and the flywheel went within a few weeks. The garage(non main dealer) wouldn't cover it which was bad form imo even though it was excluded from warranty.

It can also be the alter opposite of that.

We've had people trade in perfectly good 10 year old cars here that they've been driving for years and the clutch is perfectly fine, only to take back in their brand new car after a few weeks for a non drive issue which turns out to be a burnt out clutch where the owner just couldn't take to the bite position of the new clutch or the new car doesn't have a clutch rest and they had been resting their foot on the pedal etc.

The issue with the dodgy Hyundai clutches that keep getting mentioned was defective pressure plates giving a heavy pedal, eventually making it almost impossible to select gear and in some cases slave cylinder failure as collateral iirc. In those cases though Hyundai always covered them under their warranty without questioning it.

That has a lot to do with this and I'm aware the thread is actually about two owners now and not one but the key to getting a resolution here is to find out whether the clutch disc is burnt out, which would be driver error or whether it is a defective pressure plate which is not likely to be caused by driver error. I'd get a Kia garage to do the diagnostic, confirm that It's a "clutch fault", allow them to proceed with repair (potentially at my cost) based on what is found.

If they don't play ball, ask them for the removed clutch kit as you want to get a second opinion on it. If the disc is worn, you're at nothing but if the disc is in good shape you should be on good grounds to dispute the repair with Kia.

Zubeneschamali

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

If the disc is worn, you're at nothing

pardon me, but if a Kia garage sells me a 2nd hand Kia and the clutch goes a month later, I do not give a rats ass if it is a manufacturing defect or the previous drivers fault.

The garage sold me a faulty car.

[Deleted User]

Are the 2015 on Kia Sorento known for chocolate clutches can anyone tell me?
Wouldn't be towing anything.

Toyotafanboi

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

pardon me, but if a Kia garage sells me a 2nd hand Kia and the clutch goes a month later, I do not give a rats ass if it is a manufacturing defect or the previous drivers fault.

The garage sold me a faulty car.

The issue that you've missed is that if the disc is burnt out it's probably your fault. If you drove it away when you bought it, that confirms that the disc was ok at that point, so if it's not driving now and the disc is worn, it was you.