Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition, DP21-002

This notice sets forth the reasons for the denial of a petition, DP21-002, submitted by Mr. Gerald James to the Administrator of NHTSA by a letter dated September 30, 2021. The petition requests that NHTSA initiate an investigation into "severe oil leaks" from the oil pressure switch that could lead to engine failures experienced by operators of Model Year (MY) 2015-2017 Kia Sorento vehicles equipped with 3.3L V6 engines. After conducting a technical review of: customer complaints submitted by the petitioner; an inspection of petitioner's vehicle; consumer complaint information in NHTSA's database; information provided by Kia North America (Kia) in response to our requests regarding vehicle design and complaints/claims received by Kia; and component testing performed by NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has concluded that it is unlikely that any investigation opened by granting this petition would result in an order concerning the notification and remedy of a safety-related defect. Therefore, upon full consideration of the information presented in the petition and the potential risks to safety, the petition is denied.