Transmission just blew up.

[Tobstertx3]

I'd be calling Kia direct on this one as well - let the dealership know, and that it's not about you going around/above them (as they're doing the right things), but I'd be absolutely demanding (with legal backing if that's feasible for you) a replacement car.

I totally agree. I’d be mentioning legal backing at the very beginning (without doing anything) just so they know how serious you are and a brand new car is the only option here that will stop this from going any further. I’d also be calling the VIP line to reiterate the same and to make sure they are looking into the issue too.

 

[AV8R]

So much for the thought it was the diff oil that caused it. Doesn’t Kia have quality control on stuff like this? How could they miss not torquing the bolts?

 

[Manaz]

So much for the thought it was the diff oil that caused it. Doesn’t Kia have quality control on stuff like this? How could they miss not torquing the bolts?

Sadly, to quote a former Australian PM, "Shit happens", particularly when you have human labour involved.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I agree with @Manaz. Do you have a case number? If not, call client services and get one: (855) 454-2847. They'll need your VIN #.

This is supposedly the Premium "hotline" number for Stinger owners, but I've never used it, so I'm just repeating what I've "learned" on here: 855.542.7733

 

[SteveCo]

@RogerB

Any more details on what initially broke, and how the other parts were damaged?

 

[WildBill]

From the description of something letting loose and damaging the frame my bet is driveshaft bolts. Tranny to the engine is a lot of bolts to miss.
A flopping around driveshaft will make a mess of things in a hurry.

 

[Devin]

With a quality escape like this, Kia really needs to take the car back and find out what all went wrong to produce this. I would be extremely surprised if they allow this car to be repaired without finding what else is out of spec.

 

[RogerB]

Update. I have a case with Kia Premier Services. Interesting that when you call the number you first get a message asking if you are a current or potential Cadenza owner. No mention or asking if you are a Stinger owner. Anyway, I spoke to the dealer again a short while ago. They are still working on getting me a loaner car. They mentioned a rental car is a courtesy and only being done because I will have no use of my car for awhile. They said they sent pictures of the underside of my car to Kia engineers. They have been told not to touch my car anymore and that an inspection engineer is being sent to look at it to determine what happened and why. They have no time frame on this of course. I asked the person for a more detailed explanation of what exactly happened to my car. He said the bolts that hold the front drive train assembly together came out and this allowed the drive shaft to flail about and destroy my transmission, drive shaft, and do damage the underside of the car and the frame. I am wondering what else is out of spec in my car. I am going to insist on a replacement Stinger but I have a feeling that is going to be a battle.

 

[Kyle_Gates]

Wow, quite the story. Yeah I would echo the "be nice but be firm" about a replacement. I mean, if they are sending specialists in to look at what horrors happened to yours, seems like a full replace makes a lot of sense.

 

[SteveCo]

He said the bolts that hold the front drive train assembly together came out and this allowed the drive shaft to flail about and destroy my transmission, drive shaft, and do damage the underside of the car and the frame.

Thanks for the update. Yes, if the front U-joint disconnected the rear end would keep spinning the driveshaft until you came to a stop, flapping around and bouncing off the underside of the car. Hard to see how it could have damaged the as far forward as the transmission pan if it was still attached to the rear end, but if the front yoke dropped/pulled out as well after the shaft broke free that would definitely bleed transmission fluid.

Hope they have a speedy resolution for you - sounds like you were the unlucky recipient of a one in a million assembly line error.

 

[Manaz]

Absolutely chase this through Kia themselves, they should be falling over themselves to get out of this without legal or media attention.

I would also be telling the dealership that you're coming to inspect the car (it's your car, remember) and I'd be taking lots of photos.

 

[TwiceStung]

Update. I have a case with Kia Premier Services. Interesting that when you call the number you first get a message asking if you are a current or potential Cadenza owner. No mention or asking if you are a Stinger owner. Anyway, I spoke to the dealer again a short while ago. They are still working on getting me a loaner car. They mentioned a rental car is a courtesy and only being done because I will have no use of my car for awhile. They said they sent pictures of the underside of my car to Kia engineers. They have been told not to touch my car anymore and that an inspection engineer is being sent to look at it to determine what happened and why. They have no time frame on this of course. I asked the person for a more detailed explanation of what exactly happened to my car. He said the bolts that hold the front drive train assembly together came out and this allowed the drive shaft to flail about and destroy my transmission, drive shaft, and do damage the underside of the car and the frame. I am wondering what else is out of spec in my car. I am going to insist on a replacement Stinger but I have a feeling that is going to be a battle.

Be nice and be firm.......but then unleash holy hell on them if they don’t replace the car immediately. A letter from an attorney for something that could have killed you would be well worth the $500. I’m quite certain Kia does not want this type of careless assembly to become a bigger story. Hint hint.

 

[SteveCo]

While I'm sure it was an alarming experience, and I hope that there is a speedy and satisfactory resolution for the OP, I don't think losing the front U joint is anywhere near a life threatening experience.

Yes, the loose front end of the driveshaft is going to flail about, smack into the sheet metal, gouge and dent things, and make awful noises until the car comes to a stop. The released bolts may have caused damage under the car, but I don't think they'd reach a velocity so they would punch through the under-body and cause human carnage - certainly not as 'red hot shrapnel'.

If the transmission actually 'exploded' for some unknown reason and fractured the outer case into shards like a hand grenade, then yes that would be very alarming (and pretty much inexplicable). Or if this was a manual transmission race car launching at maximum RPM and the clutch/pressure plate exploded violently, then I could see the potential for real danger - that's why full-on race cars have clutch and transmission blankets and scatter shields. But a passenger car automatic transmission is not operating anywhere near those extremes.

A poorly fastened/broken/failed/seized u-joint just isn't in the same class of peril. U-joints fail in service regularly, just not normally on an almost brand new car.

Again, I hope that everything is resolved to the owner's satisfaction. It would be most interesting to hear what eventually comes of KIA's investigation - it could be other things beside improper assembly, including mechanical failure of the u-joint due to bearing seizure, bad machining, fractured castings, etc., as provided by the supplier to KIA.

 

[oddball]

Like most modern RWD cars, our driveshaft is a multi-piece unit with a bearing in the middle and giubos on the front and back. The middle joint uses a u-joint.
Good news with the middle bearings is it reduces the chance of the front of the driveshaft dropping and pole-vaulting the vehicle. It happens.
My expectation is the middle bearing holder wasn't fastened properly, came loose, and allowed the driveshaft to wobble. The output shafts on auto transmissions aren't held in very strongly - they rely on the driveshaft to hold them aligned properly. So once the driveshaft starts shaking, the transmission tears itself apart. This would be relatively minor from the driver's point of view, probably some moderate tapping or banging on the floor.
If the rear giubo came loose then the car would immediately stop moving and there'd be major banging as the driveshaft flailed around, with similar results.

 

[RogerB]

My incident was very loud and violent and shook the car and I was only going 25 mph. I believe had this happened while turning in front of traffic in a busy intersection or at speed on a multi lane freeway there would have been an accident. The GM at the dealership said he has been in the business 20 years, including 10 years in Service, and has never seen anything similar to what happened to my car or the damage that was done. Not something that should happen on a newer car, especially one that costs $50,000 and only has 3100 miles on it.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Welcome to the 3000-mile, broken car club.

 

[RogerB]

Update. Went down to the dealer today to get some stuff out of my Stinger and to look at the car. Sad to see it all shiny and blue sitting in the back dealer lot. I was speaking to the Service person and the Stinger tech came to the desk and started to speak with me. He said there is a whole in the floor of my car under my wife's seat. He took me out to his desk out in the shop and showed me the photos of the damage. It was the front drive shaft that did the damage. 3 of the 4 bolts came off. I could see the gashes in the transmission housing and pan and the hole in the floor board. Given the extent of the damage, he was surprised that I was only going 25 mph. He said at highway speed it would have been a disaster. He and I both feel I should have been provided a Stinger loaner car instead of sending me to Enterprise to rent a Forte or Sol. The district manager is supposed to be coming to look at it but no date for that. Also, no date for when the Kia Engineer will show up.

I called customer affairs again. They said my case has been escalated above them due to what happened. Unfortunately, they can't tell me when it will be looked at or resolved. I stated again, that given the damage, the low miles on the car, and price I would not accept the car back. I told them either a new one or my money back and they added that to my notes. They said things are moving along fast on their side but will be next week before there is an update.

 

[eljay]

It's hard to feel like you're lucky when something horrifying like this happens to your car, but DANG, you were so lucky this happened just when it did! So far it sounds like you're also lucky in having the dealer you do. I wish you the best, and thank you for keeping us updated.

 

[Jeaddi]

I had a catastrophic failure with my Stinger a few months back. I tried to request a buy back or settlement, but customer affairs wasn’t hearing it. I got in contact with a lawyer when my car was returned after 56 days in service and that’s when they offered a settlement or buyback. I took the buyback. In total it took almost 6 months to resolve everything.

Good luck and PM me if you need any help or advice.

 

[RogerB]

Thank you jeaddi for telling your experience. I may contact you sometime.