Radiator problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Sportage

2012 kia Sportage ex purchased June 2019 with 69,974 miles. The engine seized up September 2019 with 72466 while driving 60 mph with no warning at all; no dash lights, no temperature gauge rising - nothing. All that was heard was a couple rapping sounds and then a big thud coming from the engine compartment followed by a total loss of power steering and brakes. After we struggled to get the car off the road without getting rear-ended, we tried to restart it and smoke started coming from under the hood. No fire started. Fluid levels fine (radiator full; oil full - the car has only been driven 2492 miles since we bought it. Diagnosis of a seized engine was confirmed by a mechanic. The kia dealership quoted me a price of $6700 for a used replacement engine with 109,000 miles. Another local mechanic quoted roughly the same for another high mileage engine. This solution is a tough pill to swallow considering my engine only had 72466 miles on it when it died. Whose to say that the older engine wouldn't fail in the near future. My understanding is that for various Hyundai/kia vehicles with the same base engine as mine (2. 4 l) made in the 2010-2014 time frame had a recall due to premature engine failure/seized bearings. The difference between the recalled vehicles and mine is simply the fuel/air injection system (gdi versus my naturally aspirated mpi). Since the seizing issue involves the core mechanical components of the engine and not the peripheral plumbing, and given the high number of reported incidents to the NHTSA along with several new class action lawsuits, I feel it is only a matter of time before my engine is covered under the umbrella of the first recalls of the gdi engine. However that doesn't help pay my current monthly car payment while the car sits in the driveway.

August 2019, I took my vehicle into my dealership after having driven the car for only four months for them to tell me that the radiator overheated and the engine blew and that I would have to pay $4000+ to get it fixed. I purchased my vehicle late March - early April 2019 and was not notified of any sort of recall concerning this issue. When I took my vehicle in early August the recall was still not brought to my attention and they were going to charge me for maintenance for an issue that was clearly common for my particular vehicle.

Went out to get in my car and come home and it wouldn't start. It would roll over but nothing. Had to call a tow truck to come tow it to a repair shop. Thought it was just the radiator with a hole in it but with further investigation into it the head gasket had blown. No worning signs that anything was wrong . The heat gauge never moved while I was driving it. No lights nothing before leaving it sit for about 30 min and coming out to a car that wouldn't start.