NHTSA Complaint #10245624 — 2006 KIA SORENTO

I OWN A 2006 KIA SORENTO. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO WE NOTICED AN ISSUE WITH GAS SPRAYING BACK WHEN TRYING TO FILL THE TANK. WE WENT TO THE KIA DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT OUR VEHICLE TO LEARN THE DEALERSHIP HAD BEEN SOLD. WE NOTIFIED THE NEW DEALER OF OUR NEED TO HAVE WARRANTY WORK DONE, EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT NO WARRANTY WORK COULD BE DONE UNTIL THEY WERE GIVEN "CODES" FROM THE PARENT COMPANY. WE MADE MANY CALLS OVER SEVERAL MONTHS AND WAS FINALLY TOLD NOT TO CALL THE DEALER, THEY HAD OUR INFORMATION AND WOULD CALL US. THE SITUATION WITH THE GAS TANK SEEMED TO SETTLE UNTIL TWO WEEK AGO WHEN THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED ONLY TO A GREATER DEGREE, THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF SPRAY BACK, AND THE TANK CANNOT BE FILLED. WE RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS A VAPOR VALVE ISSUE AND SINCE OUR CAR NOW HAD 70000 MILES THE WARRANTY WOULD NOT APPLY. THERE IS NO RECORD OF OUR CALLS NOR IS THERE ANY RECORD OF THE "CODES". I HAVE INITIATED A COMPLAINT WITH THE PARENT COMPANY, TO NO AVAIL. AFTER REVIEWING SOME OF THE LITERATURE I HAVE NOTED THAT KIA HAS HAD ISSUES SIMILAR TO THIS SINCE 1999 WITH A NHTSA INVESTIGATION OF GAS TANK LEAKS IN MAY 2006. I BELIEVE THAT THE SAME DEFECT THAT WAS IN THE KIA SPORTAGE IS IN THE KIA SORENTO. THERE SEEMS TO BE A GROWING POPULATION OF KIA OWNERS WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. SINCE MY ISSUE SEEMS TO BE THE SAME AS MANY OTHER KIA OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD GAS TANK PROBLEMS, I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY IN EXCESS OF 500 DOLLARS TO CORRECT A PROBLEM THAT KIA KNEW THEY HAD. BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND THE PARENT COMPANY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DOCUMENTATION OF THIS EXACT ISSUE BEING INVESTIGATED OVER TIME. THANK YOU PAUL LEBLANC *TR