NHTSA Complaint #10354626 — 2007 KIA OPTIMA

MY 2007 KIA OPTIMA SEEMS TO BE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG AND RANDOMLY WITH THE RADIO/CRUISE CONTROL SETTING ON THE STEERING WHEEL. MY PROBLEMS DID NOT APPEAR TO START UNTIL AFTER THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED BACK IN OCTOBER OF 2009 DUE TO THE NOISES THAT WAS COMING FROM IT. THE AIR BAG LIGHT HAS RECENTLY COME ON AND STAYS ON. ONE DEALER SAID THAT THE CODE THAT THEY WERE GETTING IS THAT CLOCK SPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED. ANOTHER DEALER STATES THAT THEY ARE NOT GETTING ANY CODES AND THE AIR BAG WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT $1200.00. THE NOISE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN CAN STILL BE HEARD AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT IS THE BEARING IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO ABOUT THAT. THE ISSUES WITH THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL IS RANDOM AND THE DEALER STATES THAT IT NEVER DUPLICATES FOR THEM. NOW THAT THE WARRANTY PERIOD IS OVER I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE ISSUES STARTED BEFORE THE WARRANTY WAS OUT AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE NOTED IN THEIR SYSTEM. KIA HEADQUARTERS OPEN UP A CASE WITH NO RESOLUTION OTHER THAN NO OF THE DEALERS CALLED THEIR HELPDESK FOR HELP OR MADE ANY CLAIMS OF MY ISSUES. THEY SUGGESTED THEY I TAKE THE CAR BACK AND HAVE THE DEALER CALL THEM AND REFERENCE THE CASE NUMBER. I HAVE CHECK TO SEE IF THERE HAS BEEN IN RECALLS ON MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE NOT BEEN ANY. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER KIA OWNERS TO POST THIS SAME ISSUES ON THE INTERNET AND BASICALLY HAVE THE SAME RESULTS THERE ARE STILL NO RECALLS. JUST THE DEALERS TRY THIS AND THAT. THE OWNERS PAYING FOR WHAT SUPPOSED TO BE THE RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND IT REALLY IS NOT. THE PROBLEM MAY GO AWAY FOR A WHILE AND THEN SHORTLY RETURN. IT IS MORE LIKE GETTING THE RUN AROUND WITH WASTED TIME AND MONEY. *TR