NHTSA Complaint #10188041 — 2004 KIA OPTIMA

I BOUGHT MY CAR IN AUGUST 2004, A 2004 KIA OPTIMA, AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL ABOUT APRIL 2006. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND I NOTICED WHEN I LEFT MY HOUSE THAT THE CAR SOUNDED A LITTLE FUNNY AND THE CLUTCH WAS GIVING ME PROBLEMS. I WAS STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST DIED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INSURED ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND IT WOULD ONLY COST $50 AT THE MOST. THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR AND I WENT TO WORK. THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER TO INFORM ME THAT THE CLUTCH WASN'T UNDER WARRANTY AND IT WAS GOING TO COST ME $1500.00 TO FIX MY CAR. THEY FIXED IT AND I PAID. UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S NOT THE END OF THE STORY, A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER MY CAR BROKE DOWN AGAIN AND I HAD IT TOWED TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP, THEY INSTANTLY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR AND I WENT TO WORK. THEY CALLED ME A FEW HOURS LATER AT WORK TO TELL ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS BAD AGAIN AND TRIED TO TELL ME IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS RIDING THE CLUTCH. I TOLD THEM THAT THIS WASN'T THE ONLY MANUAL TRANSMISSION I HAD OWNED. I'VE OWNED 4 MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS SOME NEW SOME MUCH OLDER AND I'VE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A CLUTCH. THEY DID TELL ME THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING BECAUSE THE NEW CLUTCH WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. ABOUT A WEEK LATER THEY CALLED TO TELL ME THAT THEY HAD INSTALLED THE CLUTCH BUT THEY FOUND THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I ASKED THEM IF IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND CAUSED BOTH CLUTCHES TO GO BAD BUT THEY INSURED ME THAT IT WASN'T POSSIBLE. THEY PAID FOR THE CLUTCH AND THE TRANSMISSION. *JB