2012 Kia Morning Problems: 6 Known Issues

On the 2011-2013 Kia Morning, in April 2018, Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) recalled 190,562 Kia Morning (TA) and Ray (TAM) vehicles because the fuel hose and fuel-tank leveling hose were made from a defective material that cracks over time. Cracked hoses allow fuel (gasoline or LPG vapor on Bi-Fuel models) to leak, creating a fire hazard. The recall population corresponds to early TA-generation production; affected VINs can be checked on Korea's official recall portal (car.go.kr). This recall applies to the Korea-market Morning; the related Picanto sold in other markets had separate campaigns.

On the 2011-2012 Kia Morning, south Korea's Ministry of Environment states that Kia recalled Morning 1.0 gasoline and Morning 1.0 Bi-Fuel vehicles produced from January 17, 2011 through July 16, 2012 because the plastic needle in the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve could wear. The worn valve can allow engine oil into the intake manifold, where it burns with fuel and can produce white exhaust smoke and increased particulate emissions. The cited total of 196,950 vehicles covers four Morning and Ray variants together, not Morning alone.

On the 2011-2015 Kia Morning, a widely reported chronic problem on the TA Morning: the crankshaft rear oil seal (크랭크 리데나/리테이너) loses tension or walks out of position, letting engine oil leak at the junction between the engine and transmission. Korean repair shops document this as a recurring Morning failure, and owner communities report that Kia quietly issued a one-time free-repair directive to its Auto Q service network for this leak, though application was inconsistent between service centers. Because the seal sits behind the transmission, the gearbox must be removed to replace a cheap part, making the repair disproportionately expensive — roughly 300,000-350,000 KRW out of pocket. On manual cars, leaking oil can contaminate the clutch and cause slip.

On the 2011-2015 Kia Morning, early TA Morning vehicles built between January 15, 2011 and March 28, 2012 suffer intermittent hard starting after a long cold soak (typically winter mornings): the engine cranks, almost catches, then dies or refuses to start. Kia identified the cause as excessive fuel-injection quantity at cold start producing unstable combustion, and issued a free-repair campaign (무상수리) consisting of an ECU software upgrade. Korean owner forums also document residual cold-start delay on later TA cars (e.g., 2015 models) that was ultimately resolved by replacing the fuel pump assembly when the ECU update alone did not cure it.

On the 2011-2013 Kia Morning, 2011 to late-2012 production Morning (TA) and Ray cars with the early 1.0 Kappa engine are notorious in Korea for a chirping/squealing 'cricket noise' (귀뚜라미 소리) from the accessory belt, worst on cold mornings and when the A/C compressor engages. The root cause is the solid (fixed) alternator pulley, which cannot absorb rapid crankshaft speed fluctuations of the 3-cylinder engine, so the belt repeatedly slips. Kia revised production from the 2013 model year, fitting an OAP (overrunning alternator pulley) and changing the belt from 5 to 6 ribs; replacing the solid pulley with the OAP type is the accepted permanent fix. Simply replacing the belt does not cure it — the noise returns.

On the 2011-2018 Kia Morning, manual-gearbox Morning/Picanto cars show two related, well-documented clutch complaints. First, cold/damp-morning clutch judder: a pronounced shudder when pulling away in 1st or 2nd gear that fades after a few miles, attributed to condensation on the friction surfaces and addressed by revised clutch part numbers — repeatedly discussed across Kia Owners Club threads for the Picanto (the Morning's twin, same platform and drivetrain family). Second, Korean owner communities document low durability of the clutch and flywheel on the TA Morning: habitual half-clutch driving can glaze or burn the friction plate in remarkably low mileage, and uneven flywheel wear then perpetuates judder even after a new clutch. Korea-market evidence is the Morning TA; the judder threads are from the EU-market Picanto with shared running gear.