2019 kia ceed - stuttering when flooring the pedal

[murfilein]

hey

so i test drove this absolutely beautiful 2019 kia ceed, k4 trim, 1L petrol engine with 40000km on it.

at the beginning everything seemed perfectly fine.

then on the road, on second gear i floor the pedal to test the acceleration. and it started stuttering or jerking. like jerking forward without being able to pick up speed properly. super slow acceleration. this setting after a couple seconds, or get less intense rather, but still wouldnt pick up speed properly. also the check engine light came on.

i was driving alone, but then i returned and asked the sales guy to go on another drive with me, to show what i mean. interestingly, as returned to the parking lot, the light went out again, so when i got out and told him, he looks at the gauge cluster and doesnt see a check engine light.

so anyway, i drive with him and it happens again.

the car is under warranty, so he says they will get this fixed under warranty by kia. i will be doing another test drive next tuesday before i decide if i want to buy it or not.

he called a couple days ago telling me that their guys who drove it to kia notices this too. and kia apparently said that the spark plugs were the issue, and they will replace them.

what could this be? really the spark plugs? if so, why wouldnt it stutter when driving normally is what i wonder?

is this a common issue? easy to fix? can i rely on kia to actually fix it? i dont want to buy the car and then the issue comes up again days or even weeks later. warranty is fine and all, but i'd rather not have to claim warranty all the time and have the car in the garage for days all the time.

[Stealthee]

It could absolutely be the plugs. It sounds like a misfire. As for why it doesn't stutter regular driving is because it's all about engine load.

[murfilein]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

It could absolutely be the plugs. It sounds like a misfire. As for why it doesn't stutter regular driving is because it's all about engine load.

ah ok, so even if its the plugs it might not be noticeable when i drive slowly?

so would you say if they replace the plugs it would be reasonable to call it fixed? and if i test drive it again and it doesnt stutter and accelerated properly (i drove a 2018 ceed the same day with nice acceleration the same day for reference), would it be reasonable enough to continue with the purchase?

[maxwedge]

Not to cut in here, at that mileage a plug failure would be rare. A full scan for pending codes is the way to go to eliminate guesswork, other things can cause your issue. Stealthee's advice on ignition problems occurring under load are correct. Either way it is up to the dealer, if the car has to pass an emissions test it would most likely fail.

[murfilein]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Not to cut in here, at that mileage a plug failure would be rare. A full scan for pending codes is the way to go to eliminate guesswork, other things can cause your issue. Stealthee's advice on ignition problems occurring under load are correct. Either way it is up to the dealer, if the car has to pass an emissions test it would most likely fail.

huh.... so if it comes back and they say they replaced the plugs and it then actually drives as expected...? what should i do then? or what would you do in such a situation?

[maxwedge]

You are saying they replace the plugs, then it is not fixed, but they gave the car back claiming it is repaired. Did you pay for this car yet, don't til it passes a driveability test.

[murfilein]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

You are saying they replace the plugs, then it is not fixed, but they gave the car back claiming it is repaired. Did you pay for this car yet, don't til it passes a driveability test.

oh what i meant was that they have said that its the spark plugs and they will replace them.

if the dealer has it back by then, i will drive it coming tuesday. i am expecting a call from the dealer today to update me on the status.

i have only paid a refundable deposit so they keep the car for me until they get it fixed and i drive it again, and then i will decide if i want it or not.