Your Junk Kia, Picked Up Anywhere in Chicago

Kia models we get calls about

Model	Years	What matters for the offer
Optima	2011 to 2015	Engine bearing recall on 2011 to 2014; the Kia engine settlement reaches through the 2019 model year.
Sorento	2011 to 2014	SUV weight and available all-wheel drive; same engine recall on 2012 to 2014.
Sportage	2011 to 2013	Engine recall and settlement; Kia wrote to Sportage owners about turn-key theft attempts.
Soul	2012 to 2016	1.6L direct-injection cars were recalled for overheated catalytic converters that can damage pistons.
Forte	2010 to 2015	Compact; engine fire recall on 2012 to 2015 and an HECU fuse recall on 2010 to 2013.
Rio	2012 to 2017	Light subcompact under the HECU fire recall, so store it outside.
Optima Hybrid and Niro	2011 to 2018	The hybrid battery counts; the 2017 and 2018 Niro had a power relay recall.

A Sportage with a smashed rear window and a cracked steering column. An Optima that seized on the Stevenson. A Soul whose engine started knocking a week after the check engine light came on. All three are cars we buy, and each gets priced a little differently, because Kia’s recent history touches theft, engines and fire in ways that change what’s left to sell.

Turn-key Kias and the theft wave

Kia’s 2023 owner letters said social media “challenges” were targeting Kia vehicles with a steel key and a turn-to-start ignition. The letters offered a free software upgrade, with window decals, that restricts the ignition when a locked car is broken into without the key, and they set a deadline of August 1, 2024 (Kia owner letter, July 2023). The multistate immobilizer settlement lists the Kia models that qualify, including 2011 to 2020 Optimas, 2011 to 2022 Sorentos and Sportages, and 2014 to 2021 Fortes (Hyundai and Kia multistate immobilizer settlement).

A theft-damaged Kia sells to us like any other car. We look at what the thieves broke or took and price the rest. No key is fine, and so is a punched ignition; selling without keys explains the details. If the car came back after an insurance payout, the title may already belong to the insurer or carry a brand, and our salvage and rebuilt titles guide covers that side.

The Optima, Sorento and Sportage engine story

Kia recalled 2011 to 2014 Optimas, 2012 to 2014 Sorentos and 2011 to 2013 Sportages in 2017 because machining errors could cause early bearing wear and seize the engine (NHTSA 17V224). A class settlement went wider. The Kia Engine Settlement site covers 2011 to 2019 Optimas, 2012 to 2019 Sorentos and 2011 to 2019 Sportages with the 2.0L or 2.4L direct-injection engine, over claims of engine seizure, stalling, failure and fire, with no finding of liability against Kia (Kia Engine Settlement).

For you, the practical question is whether that engine still turns over. A seized engine takes the engine’s own value off the table. The transmission, the all-wheel-drive hardware on many Sorentos, the body and the seats are still worth pricing.

The Soul’s converter problem

Here’s one that belongs to Kia alone. On 2012 to 2016 Souls with the 1.6L direct-injection engine, high exhaust temperatures can damage the catalytic converter, which can lead to abnormal combustion, piston damage and a broken connecting rod that punctures the block and lets oil out. Kia’s remedy was new engine software, a new converter if the old one was damaged, and a new engine where needed (NHTSA 19V120).

That matters to a junk offer, because the converter is one of the parts we price. A Soul with its original converter in place is a different car from one with an empty pipe underneath. Our catalytic converter guide explains why.

Fire recalls while the car waits

Two Kia fire recalls affect where a junk car should sit. The 2020 campaign covers engine compartment fires while driving on 2012 and 2013 Sorentos, 2012 to 2015 Fortes, 2011 to 2013 Optima Hybrids, 2014 and 2015 Souls and the 2012 Sportage (NHTSA 20V750). The 2023 HECU recall covers a long list, including 2011 to 2015 Optimas, 2012 to 2017 Rios and 2010 to 2013 Fortes, Sportages and Souls, and tells owners to park outside and away from structures until the fuse is replaced (NHTSA 23V652). A Kia on either list shouldn’t wait for us inside an attached garage.

West Englewood is about two miles from our base, and we go as far out as Justice, roughly 12 miles southwest. A Kia that won’t run is a normal pickup (non-running cars), and a missing title is something we talk through on the call (cars without a title).