NHTSA Complaint #10070176 — 1998 KIA SEPHIA

I BOUGHT A 1998 KIA SEPHIA FROM TOYOTA CARLSBAD 2 YEARS AGO IN MAY, 2001 THAT I PAID CASH FOR. RIGHT AFTER I BOUGHT THE KIA SEPHIA THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT BACK TO TOYOTA CARLSBAD AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I DIDN'T PUT THE GAS CAP BACK ON CORRECTLY. AUGUST, 2002 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AT FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE IN RANCHO BERNARDO AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE SENT THE CAR TO MIKE'S TRANSMISSION IN POWAY. MIKE WORKED AND WORKED ON THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS IN HIS SHOP FOUR TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE KIA SEPHIA WAS IN THE SHOP, IT WAS THERE FOR THREE WEEKS. TOYOTA CARLSBAD TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, BUT THEY WOULD GLADLY SELL ME ANOTHER CAR. WHEN I TOLD THEM I COULDN'T AFFORD THAT, TOYOTA CARLSBAD TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT HELP ME WITH MY PROBLEM. BOTH TIMES THE BBB TRIED TO HELP ME, KIA STATED THE FIRST TIME THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE SECOND TIME, KIA STATED THAT THEY WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE YOUR VEHICLE EXCEEDS THE AGE REQUIREMENTS SET OUT IN THE MANUFACTURER'S PROGRAM SUMMARY. LIGHT COMES ON. I WAS INFORMED THAT I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO TOYOTA CARLSBAD OR ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. WHEN I STATED THAT I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA CARLSBAD TO TAKE IT TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THE DVM FRAUD UNIT. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WOULDN?T SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR, I HAD IT TOWED TO NORTH COUNTY GMC JEEP KIA IN ESCONDIDO. MY KIA WAS AT NORTH COUNTY GMC JEEP KIA FOR SIX WEEKS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN. MY CAR HAS HAD THREE TRANSMISSIONS PUT IN THE CAR. THE KIA TECH SPECIALIST WORKED ON MY CAR SEVERAL TIMES DURING THAT TIME. IN ORDER TO GET THE TRANSMISSION WORK CORRECTLY, I REPLACED THE POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER, A NEW FUEL FILTER AND A WHOLE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I ONLY NEEDED A SMALL PART REPLACED IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, BUT I HAD TO BUY THE WHOLE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.