Take it to an Independent shop that specializes or has experience in engine repair. I assume you bought it used, so power-train warranty in USA is only 60K miles or 5 years. An independent shop can install inserts into the stripped threads in the block for the head bolts. Should be a much lower cost, your decision would be to just do the problem side (head threads) or do both sides. Your are still looking at cost in the low thousand(s) as its mostly all labor. If you had any overheating then insure inspection of the failing side head for damage or warping is included in the estimate.

 

Yes, the brand Heli-Coil comes to mind about now.

To the OP:
Can you say that the only symptom you noted was antifreeze backflowing into the tank? Any issues with engine temperature? Anything funny looking about the oil when you pull the dip stick?

 

Nothing in oil and the we even purchased a new thermostat just to make sure the one we had was bad. The temp never rose.

 

I have the exact same problem, reservoir overflows. I am doing a radiator test this weekend but after what Ive been reading, this stripped head bolt problem is common on these engines. Before you buy a new engine, check this out:

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I had the same problem. I ended up taking it to the dealer and was told it was a recall item. They fixed it for free. It was no longer under warranty at that time.

 

This is the first I have heard of the 3.3 striped thread issue being addressed by Kia. I doubt a recall as it would mean replacing/repairing blocks on all 3.3 vehicles. Maybe an extended warranty on failing vehicles.. I have been unable to find any data on line. Seeing numerous failures on different forums this would make me feel a lot better if verifiable..

 

I looked up the ticket. It's from 2020 and I had 80K miles on it. I had a coolant leak somewhere and couldn't find it. It says, "short block retaining bolts for cylinder head was stripped causing engine to burn coolant". "Replaced short block assembly". I will take back my wording of the word Recall. I was told though that this was a defect/problem identified by Kia, they knew all about it, and they would replace the engine block free of charge. They did and my coolant problems were done. So clearly if the OP has a dealer look into it, they should find info from Kia detailing this. If it was a mistake, I'm sure the dealer would have called me by now asking for money.

Edit: I just realized that my warranty was expired by that time, which just emphasizes that it was covered by Kia fully because they knew it was their mistake.

 

Original owner in USA is 120 months or 100K miles whichever comes first , subsequent USA owners 60 months or 60K miles . I'm a second owner so SOL if my bolts threads go... Over on the 2014-2015 forum there are some 2nd owners crying the blues over this problem..

 

That would make sense. I don't remember him ever talking about the warranty, nor is it mentioned on the ticket, but I forgot the warranty is that long.

 

I checked my oil the other day, for level and condition, looking to see if any indication of coolant and all apears normal on my 2015 w/3.3L at approx 100k km now. My old SF and newer Sorento do generate a good vapour cloud when cold for several minutes driving. Must be the nature of these engines and exhaust as neither has any problems. I looked even from the side at the back corner and see what appears to be the oil sensor. The area is all dry as well.

Fingers crossed, on them both. Anyone know if engine bolts are torqued my a Robot or hand assembled and manually done? Wondering how its happening to some blocks without a current pattern.

 

Fingers crossed, on them both. Anyone know if engine bolts are torqued my a Robot or hand assembled and manually done? Wondering how its happening to some blocks without a current pattern.

If you notice, it appears to be mostly 2016 vehicles that are having the problem so they made some adjustment to the construction for the following model years. Could be as simple as a change in torque specifications to a change in the head gasket. The first two years of the Toyota 4.0L V6 is suffering from failed head gaskets but then Toyota changed the gasket itself and presto, problem gone. And, FWIW, Toyota isn't fixing those early cars either (yet anyway).

 

No sign as above post of mine and no yellow goop under the oil cap as I'd see from some engines where it don't get hot enough often condensing there. It has occurred even on the Highlander V6 I had as well as an older Sante Fe all with V6 3.x engines. Maybe attributed to ethanol as well in the gas. I am not concerned but do notice this sort of thing and take note.

 

Doesn’t KIA have a 10 year engine and tranny warrantee?

 

In the USA, for the original owner, yes.
In Canada (watch the flags under everyone's avatar), only 5 years 100,000KM.

https://www.kia.ca/en/owners/kia-ownership/warranty

 

My Sorento LX has 131k and now has the blown head gasket issue.
Local mechanic was a former Kia technician and says its related to bolt(s) stripping on firewall side.
Coolant levels seem fine, but intermittent overheat, and bubbles into the coolant overflow tank.
Oil in dipstick looks OK, slight milky under cap.
Second owner, out of warranty.

So...
It does not look like this has been a recall (yet).
If I get a KIA service department to work with me and verify that this is a 2016 manufacturing defect, will KIA cover cost of repairs?
I'd like to know if anyone has success with this, willing to share case number?
Is a helicoil fix worth the investment, or will it just happen to a different part of the block over time?

Thanks All, this is a real bummer and looks like I'm not alone.

 

I would call Kia directly and file a complaint and case. You normally get a case number. Good for you later if there is a resolution from them. Can't hurt... and having a dealer work order stating that as well. Then decide what you'll do and if your mechanic know someone who can do that repair. Many don't or won't take it on.

 

Yes, I did call Kia and I have a Case #. If I can get a Kia service dept. to attest it is a defect then Kia can work with them to repair. These are speculatives at this point as to if Kia will take ownership of the problem.

 

Second owner, way out of warranty for even a first owner, don't hold your breath. Kia has no legal obligation to fix it and while they might offer some loyalty consideration to an original owner (maybe half the labor or something), they aren't going to for a second owner.

What I'm curious about is what changed from 2016 to 2017? Not one reported 2017 failure on here so they either changed the torque spec or some treatment of the block. I suspect it was a torque change made either mid year or while switching tooling over to 2017. Perhaps you could get some engineer at Kia to at least share this information with you.

If it was a torque spec change, then you could have the one side fixed with inserts like helicoil and the other side fitted with new head bolts and have them torqued to the proper spec. Then I think you'd be good to go.

If you cannot locate the reason (i.e. no one at Kia will share), then you could always have the independent shop drill out the other side to accept the inserts and proactively have them installed - they are not pulling out as they are often stronger than the original setup. Would cost more money but really not that much more since they'd still have to remove the head bolts and replace them under any retorque scenario. I would think a highly competent shop could do all this for $3,000-$3,500, assuming no other heat related damage like a warped head. A dealership is highly unlikely to even give it a try.

Or you could try and source a 2017+ V6 from a boneyard where the vehicle was totaled from the rear. I have no idea what a used engine for one of these would cost but if it was low mileage and verified that there was no damage, I wouldn't be surprised at a $4,500 price tag and another $2,500 to swap motors but then you have a fresh(er) engine.

There are very few cars I would buy second hand and Kia and Hyundai are not in that group. I want the whole 10/100 powertrain warranty on cars that are deliberately built to appeal to a price conscious market. Doesn't mean they are bad, just not as good as something I would own second hand like a Toyota or Honda.

 

That all makes perfect sense to me and perhaps someone knows about the torque spec. But will Kia consider that a defect and be willing to help? Does seem like a far shot. At this point I'm debating the cost to fix (agree prob 3-4k for gasket work) vs. trading it out for what I can get for it (hopefully 7k) and moving into something else.

 

Well in Canada 5 years is the longest of any name brands for warranty to 100k Km in which both factors are much less than the USA even for these same Kia/Hyundai brands. All others are pretty much 3 years with 60k km warranty. Paying that much for any new vehicle for 60k is a joke. Pretty much anything poorly maintained would last that long. The last two Sorento's I bought had approx 2 years left on the warranty. For that comfort buying early in life at higher prices is the only way. Even Toyoto is out of warranty although they offer very cheap extended warranty, which I bought with my previous Highlander 4WD. For Sorento the extended is 3 times their price. Absurd pricing I find.

 

I did not know that toyata offered very cheap extended warranty . How much are we talking for a new highlander.

 

I bought a 2012 Highlander 4WD out of warranty and it was around $1400 CND, FWD was $200 less. Something like that for their best coverage of 3 years 60,000km. Kia Sorento's all north of $5000. Outrages!!

 

I had a new 2007 rav4 limited and extended warranty was not cheap. don't remember cost but I'll bet they are much more expensive nowadays. Cheap anything is pretty much long gone. Hope for reasonable.

 

This is from my 2015 3.3 SM in US format (ft lb. and degrees) .....Cylinder head bolts (LH/RH) 16 bolts [27.5~30.4] + [118~122°]+ [88~92°]

procedure.
1- torque (in correct sequence) to 27.5-30.4 ft lbs. , 2- then re-torque in sequence 118-122 degrees, 3- finally re-torque 88-92 degrees. So basically they are torqued to 30 ft lbs. then re-torqued twice 120 degrees then 90 degrees or a little over 1/2 turn.
If someone has a 2017-2020 manual we could compare the torque info... Since it's the aluminum block threads stripping, they could of changed the bolt length, thread pattern or similar for a better bite. I have not researched the bolt part numbers to see if that happened. Seems it would also be possible to alter the block hardness, but that's a pretty drastic change.

 

Thanks All for your help and insight - I'm not going to bang my head against the wall anymore... Have bought a Toyota Highlander, hybrid.
FYI talked to my mechanic and his wife had a 2016 Sorento. Same engine, same issue, and it went to shit really quickly. They tried to no avail to get help from Kia.

 

HL are good power train. Their ergonomics and interior features are way out dated. I had a 2012 and got rid of it. My son snagged it before I could sell it as I bought a 2019 Sorento.

The hybrid engine in the HL has a timing belt. Hence it'll need swapping depending on mileage.

 

Looks to me like the newer HL Hybrids with V4's are timing chain. I'll confirm.
Agreed though that Toyota needs to tweak ergonomics and features. Meh.
Already miss that about the 3rd Gen Sorento. Extremely well thought out interior space.
I drove a 4th Gen (2023) Sorento and not as impressed with the inside ergonomics.

 

I'll chime in here. My 2016 3.3 had the head bolts fail this past January at 87.5k miles. I am the 2nd owner. I bought the vehicle in December of 2019 at just under 60k miles. I purchased the vehicle from a Chrysler dealership and purchased an extended warranty through MOPAR. This warranty got me an additional 4 years or additional 50k miles of powertrain coverage.

My initial symptoms were intermittent lack of warm air from the climate system during the winter, and ultimately overheating. I also had bubbles coming from the radiator into the coolant overflow reservoir. I would also have random jumps of the temp gauge. I took it to my dealership in early January. They did a pressure test, topped the coolant off and said everything was ok. Fast forward 3 weeks and I was back in the same boat. I took it back to the dealership and they found the bolts had pulled away from the block. Exhaust gasses were getting past the head gasket into the cooling system. Dealer said they had previously seen issues where chunks of aluminum would come out from the threads when removing the bolts for replacement. This is exactly what happened. The only fix was to replace the short block.

I waited just under 3 months for the dealer to receive the new short block from Korea. Dealer had my car for 99 days. The total cost of repair was $8,300. I paid $100 which was my deductible for the extended warranty. I saw that ecanderson has started a thread asking for the date codes to hopefully track this and see if it's a persistent issue. I'll be sharing my code there when I get a chance.

 

A quick check of the Sedona forums indicates this issue is limited to the Sorento...

 

The Sedona has never been manufactured in the Georgia plant as was the Sorento. Engines possibly sourced out of two different Asian factories, a different one being used to supply the Georgia plant.