NHTSA Complaint #10018897 — 2003 KIA RIO

I HOPE THAT I AM WRITING THE CORRECT PEOPLE ABOUT THIS HUGE PROBLEM. ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO I PURCHASED A 2003 KIA RIO IN MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER I OWNED THE CAR I RAN INTO PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT SEEMED LIKE EVERY MORNING OR ANY TIME THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING FOR MORE THEN FOUR HOURS IT WOULD NOT START UP. IT WAS LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS WHEN I HAD A FULL TANK. IT WOULD TAKE ME ABOUT TWO TO FOUR TRIES BEFORE IT WOULD START. ALSO IT WAS GOING THROUGH MORE GAS THEN WHAT WAS DISCLOSED AS FAR AS MPG. AT THAT POINT I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. AT FIRST THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT BRAND AND MODEL OF CAR AND IT WOULD BE REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY. THE NEXT DAY I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TELLING ME THAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND THEY NEEDED TO ORDER A REPLACEMENT THAT WOULD TAKE ABOUT SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS. THEY TOLD ME THAT I COULD PICK UP THE CAR BUT IT WILL START HARD AND GIVE ME POOR FUEL ECONOMY UNTIL IT WAS REPAIRED. I WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT SO I CALLED KIA, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD CALL THE DEALERSHIP AND FIND OUT WHY THIS COMPUTER WOULD TAKE SO LONG. TWO DAYS LATER I GOT A CALL FROM THE SERVICE MANGER WHO TOLD ME THAT THEY CAN NOT REPAIR THE CAR'S COMPUTER AT THIS TIME BECAUSE KIA DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR IT YET. HE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE I LIVE IN MILWAUKEE I USE REFORMULATED GAS AND THE COMPUTER CAN NOT UNDERSTAND THAT KIND OF FUEL AND UNTIL KIA HAS A FIX FOR THAT THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO. I THEN ASKED HIM IS THE CAR SAFE, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE FINE TO DRIVE I JUST HAVE TO START THE CAR AND WAIT 5 TO 10 SEC AND TRY AGAIN TILL IT STARTS. *JB