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Rattle in engine when accelerating

392K views 251 replies 84 participants last post by  telepizza 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have a 2012 Kia Rio. I started to hear what I refer to as a "rattle can" noise from the engine compartment about a month ago. It is a constant rattle during acceleration at any speed. When I put it in park and rev up the engine there is no noise.

The first time I took it in I was told it was most likely a "spark knock" and I probably got bad gas. I was told to run it out of that gas and run another tank through.
After two more tanks, I still get the same rattle so I take it back in. They had the car for a week and could still not fix it. I've now been turned over to the engineering department. They now say it most likely needs a software update between the engine and transmission. They say that it's fine to drive and I am driving it.

I am so upset and am thinking about looking into the lemon law in my state to see if there is anything I can do on that front.

Has anyone heard about this issue before?
 
#2 ·
If you search and read through these forums you'll see that you're not the only one with this issue as many others have it too; it is an engine knock. I've given up on finding a solution and have just learned to live with it. Let us know if you ever figure out how to get rid of it.
 
#3 ·
I too have this issue. I took it to the dealer and was told it was because I have my oil changed somewhere other then the dealer. I had them change the oil. They then told me it was fixed. Of course it wasn't. I took it back and the tech went for a ride with me. He then told me it was "combustion echo" and was common in 4 cylinder engines. I didn't buy it but argueing would have been useless. What really got me was when he told me "what do you care if something does go bad, you have a 100000 mile warranty"

Keep us posted as to wbat they determine, please.
 
#4 ·
I have a 2012 Kia Rio. I started to hear what I refer to as a "rattle can" noise from the engine compartment about a month ago. It is a constant rattle during acceleration at any speed. When I put it in park and rev up the engine there is no noise.
The first time I took it in I was told it was most likely a "spark knock" and I probably got bad gas. I was told to run it out of that gas and run another tank through.
After two more tanks I still get the same rattle so I take it back in. They had the car for a week and could still not fix it. I've now been turned over to the engineering department. They now say it most likely needs a software update between the engine and transmission. They say that it's fine to drive and I am driving it.
I am so upset and am thinking about looking into the lemon law in my state to see if there is anything I can do on that front.
Has anyone heard about this issue before?
Same over here. It comes and goes when pressing or releasing the throttle. I have been told that it is normal which I don't agree.. It is definitely annoying
 
#5 ·
kmay0417, do you drive the 1.4 Model EX Hatchback? Based from the Kiatechinfo.com, there is technical bulletin about SERVICE ACTION: INSPECTION FOR NOISE FROM ENGINE UNDER SPECIFIC CONDITIONS (SA 134) which says:

This bulletin provides information relating to certain RIO (UB) 2013MY vehicles which may
experience “rattling” or “chattering” engine noises under specific conditions. Only a very smallnumber of vehicles within the identified Production Date range will actually be affected; make sureto follow the detailed instructions in this bulletin to prevent unnecessary engine replacements.This procedure applies to vehicles produced from August 09, 2012 to October 09, 2012. Kia is requesting the completion of this Service Action on all affected vehicles in dealer stock prior todelivery. Before conducting the procedure, verify the vehicle is included in the list of affected VINs.

This is published by Kia America so you might want to check it out.


colin15, learning to live with it too! But still hoping that they find the right solution. If that rattling sound goes away, owners would be totally satisfied.

I've been figuring this since March. Not really an issue as confirmed by my dealer but an annoyance. After fueling with high octane gas, the noise still exists occasionally. The very recent updates I have is when few weeks back, I had it checked up with my dealer. A Korean Engineer confirmed that the sound is tolerable.

By now, I know when the sound will come out. The noise goes away when
1. Rev 2000 RPM
2. Make careful turns
3. Maintain a constant speed
 
#6 ·
Kia uses their so called fantastic warranty to sell the car, any car manufacturer can give years of warranty if they choose not to honor it . I also have ticking noise , very annoying and have given up, they say this is common to all kio rio cars, after several attempts to to get it fixed , i just had to give up as they also said if anything goes wrong with the vehicle they will honor the warranty so turn on the radio and you wont hear the ticking noise . Will never touch a kia car again.
 
#241 · (Edited)
im with you there, this is my first and last kia, back to honda for me or even try toyota but no more kia. it is a shame really as the car is nice enough apart from the pulley/belt chirp that wont go away. the after sales is by far the worst i have ever had and i have had volkswagen so we are talking dog shit bad. they just dont want to do anything, they cant hear anything and they never want to replace anything. i have had this chirp noise from day 1 and do i get an apollogy? nope do i get straight into the service bay and fixed? nope it is we are full we can fit you in next week. total crap service, it is like night and day from honda
 
#7 ·
if the rattle you people are describing is in fact pre-ignition (worse) or detonation then you may want to try to find a fix sooner than later. Serious damage can ensue when you have one controlled burn and one out-of-control detonation going off inside the combustion chamber. Mine was pinging in warmer temps when using 91RON unleaded, and now never makes a sound running on 95 or 98RON. I shouldn't HAVE to run it on premium but i choose to as i'd prefer to keep my valves/rods/pistons in one piece.
 
#9 ·
Well I'm having the same issues as well as the swishing noise behind the glove compartment. I added the Chevron cleaner after my first oil change and that doesn't affect anything. I just added premium gas on my last fill up to see if that would help, but don't seem like it is.

Now I've been noticing when I first start the car, the engines starts a little rough and not as smooth when I first purchased it.

I really like my car...but all these noises, etc. don't settle well with me when driving, especially when driving my kids to school every morning. I'm just waiting for my next oil change before taking it to the dealer and bringing all of this up b/c from what I'm hearing from everyone that's already spoken to their dealers...they're just giving the "It's normal" routine.
 
#11 ·
the 'swishing' noise you describe is probably to do with the aircon, as ours does it on the drivers side which is obviously your glovebox side. It's common and no big deal. As far as the engine starting rough, need more specifics, do you mean it hard-starts? as in shakes the whole car sharply when it starts? or just idles a little rough? It's normal to be a tiny bit rough in the morning, ours does it, all my cars have. But is it hunting, or missing, or? The idle will be up around 1000rpm or more on a cold start, and run rich for a while. The ticking you hear can be the direct-injection pump.
 
#17 ·
I cannot belive anything as poor as 87 octane actually exists. in the UK all we can get is 95 and 98/99. Only rich idiots buy 98, its totally unecessary unless you drive sone expensive exotica since most cars are set up to use 95. Most cars also have knock sensors to prevent detonation should you get a tank of bad fuel.

At over $2 a litre we should get good fuel.
 
#30 ·
Dropped my car off this morning at the dealer for the rattling/ticking sound, and they handed me a TSB about using aftermarket or non-OEM oil filters. Apparently there is a valve inside the OEM Kia filter that does something to prevent valve train noise, the difficult part is that the TSB also states that any damage to the engine resulting from not using an OEM filter is not covered under warranty, and that any diagnostic service to diagnose the issue is not covered, and that not having the oil changed by the dealer voids the engine warranty. It’s going to be a long, difficult legal battle if Kia decides to not honor the warranty regarding this issue, because I’m pretty sure it’s against the law for them to require you to have your oil changes at their dealership without providing them for free, and that as long as you can prove you maintained the car at the proper intervals with receipts they can’t void your warranty. We’ll see if the oil filter solves this problem, and if I’m going to have to get into a legal battle with them to maintain my warranty.

How they handle this situation will determine whether or not I ever purchase a Kia vehicle again, if I was required to use a specific Kia oil filter and oil they should have expressly stated that in the manual and at the time of purchase. The manual just says to use the correct viscosity and an OEM style filter, it doesn't say anything about buying a specific Kia part number for either one.
 
#47 ·
My theory is now- that if you buy a kia , only blame yourself, I bought many different cars in my lifetime. First kia rio i bought and my last, dealer aftercare rubbish, answer i got for ticking noise in engine was , turn up radio and you won't hear it. Paid $26000 for 1.4 petrol ex hatch (new)in New Zealand and now i am stuck with a car i don't want anymore, after several visits to dealership to try and fix. Kia rep. admit they hear the noise and now they say its normal on all kia rio
 
#32 ·
United States, I'll post back what they say.

The dealer was rude, but he said that it's possible that just replacing the oil filter will solve the problem. I asked them to do that first, since it would be a $25 fix. I've been having the oil changed by a national chain place, using the correct oil viscosity and whatever brand filter they use. If the problem persists even with the correct filter, I guess I'll keep pressuring them to solve it, because it's getting progressively worse.
 
#35 ·
Picked up the car last night, heard exactly what I expected: "Couldn't reproduce the noise." They burned up a quarter tank of gas, so I'm guessing they just ran the engine at different RPMs without driving it, since the fuel economy gauge went from mid 30's to under 10 when I picked it up.

So, they changed the oil ($40 for a conventional oil change? Robbery.) and said the car sounded fine. I pulled out of the dealer, drove about 30 feet and "ting ting ting ting" again.

Going to go back to the dealer on Friday and put a technician in the car while I reproduce the sound. I don't think it has anything to do with the oil/filter, because the noise only happens under certain load conditions. If there was internal engine damage, it would happen all the time, rather than only under certain conditions. It's also possible that it's the transmission, the noise varies in pitch from a soft ticking/thunking noise to a higher pitched metallic sounding pinging sound.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Picked up the car last night, heard exactly what I expected: "Couldn't reproduce the noise." They burned up a quarter tank of gas, so I'm guessing they just. an the engine at different RPMs without driving it, since the fuel economy gauge went from mid 30's to under 10 when I picked it up.

So, they changed the oil ($40 for a conventional oil change? Robbery.) and said the car sounded fine. I pulled out of the dealer, drove about 30 feet and "ting ting ting ting" again.

Going to go back to the dealer on Friday and put a technician in the car while I reproduce the sound. I don't think it has anything to do with the oil/filter, because the noise only happens under certain load conditions. If there was internal engine damage, it would happen all the time, rather than only under certain conditions. It's also possible that it's the transmission, the noise varies in pitch from a soft ticking/thunking noise to a higher pitched metallic sounding pinging sound.
You just described my experiance with my dealer to a tee except I returned right away and had a tech ride with me. I was able to reproduce the sound within about 50 feet. He told me it was probably "combustion echo" that it was common in 4 cylinder engines and "what do you care anyway, you have a 100, 000 mile warranty".

Not a satisfactory response but I also knew I had gone as far as I could with this avenue.

Heres hoping you have better luck.
 
#39 ·
OzSLS, I know we have discussed this in other threads. I did take your advise as well as the "champion of a mechanic" as to running premium fuel. After three tanks, there was little to no difference so I switched back to regular. I dont see any reason to spend the extra money and not achieve any results.

To me it just seems to be one thing after another with Kia. Fuel economy, fuel grade and oh yeah you can only use our oil filters in your car but we aren't going to tell you that until after the the purchase and you possably do damage to your engine.

Honestly unless things turn around big time and quickly, this will be my last Kia!!!
 
#41 ·
OzSLS, I know we have discussed this in other threads. I did take your advise as well as the "champion of a mechanic" as to running premium fuel. After three tanks, there was little to no difference so I switched back to regular. I dont see any reason to spend the extra money and not achieve any results.
well yours may be due to a faulty spark plug, it's happened to another user here, so get the dealer to check them, and check the timing is correct.
 
#43 ·
So far with over 3600 miles on my 2013, 87 octane is still working fine in my Rio. I hope I don't have to go to 93 as 89 is the highest sold in my town. I'd hate to drive out of town to fill up as that would be counter-productive to the fuel-savings reasoning for purchasing it.
 
#45 ·
I reviewed my previous posts, and know I remember: initially when I filled up with the premium gas (93) the pinging went away on the trip back from the station to work, however on the ride home, it was back. I think I spoke too soon, as I only drove about 1-2 miles between the time I put in the 93 and made that post. To clarify, I've used both 93 and 94 full fill ups, and during those tanks, the noise was still present.
 
#46 ·
Took a short audio clip on the way home from work.

Link to the video:

(Don't mind the dog picture, youtube doesn't let you upload just audio and a sleeping dog sure will keep my blood pressure low as I deal with this.)

The chatter/pinging can be heard at 0:20 and 1:06 and 1:18, the last one is pretty long at least 5-6 seconds.

During the video, I was driving on a residential road making a few turns and driving no more than 40ish mph. The long pinging at the end was me going up the hill near my house, I accelerated away from a stop sign normally, got up to the speed limit (35) coasted for a bit, got to the hill and pressed on the gas slightly, the car pinged for the time that it did, the car upshifted and accelerated to get up the hill, I let off the gas and came to a stop.

Letting off the gas, flooring it or changing gears makes the pinging stop instantly.
 
#48 · (Edited)
Letting off the gas, flooring it or changing gears makes the pinging stop instantly.
yeah ours would not ping under full throttle, only 'every-day' throttle lol which is weird when it comes to engine knocking. I've listened to yours a few times and it is an odd type of pinging if that's what it is. It's almost rhythmic when it did the long one toward the end, like 1, 1 thousand, 2 1 thousand, 3 1 thousand if you get my drift. It almost sounds like the valve train making noise. They're variable valve timing so differences in throttle application will bring that out if there's an issue in the valve train.

So if you run 98RON fuel which i think is AKI 93 over there, the problem is still 100% identical?

when you got on the throttle fairly hard at 20sec, the hesitation was very evident, before it pinged like buggery.
 
#51 ·
that's because the US/CA and south america in general uses AKI which is 'anti-knock index' while most of the rest of the world use RON or 'research octane number'. Anti knock indexes are lower than their RON ratings. Your 87 AKI is about 91RON which is our regular unleaded here. It's what my Rio pings on.

Dropped the car off at the dealer again this morning and had them listen to the audio, they are going to have me leave the car with them on Monday so they can investigate further. Had to get copies of my maintenance records and we'll go from there. I'll keep everyone posted.
get them to chec:

  • fuel injectors/system in general
  • spark plugs/coilpacks
  • timing

you should get your issue sorted soon enough.

After hearing your recording, it's obvious your pinging starts after severe hesitation.
 
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