NHTSA Complaint #10366470 — 2007 KIA SORENTO

I AM AN OWNER OF A 07 KIA SORENTO EX. A FEW MONTHS AGO I NOTICED THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE AT RANDOM INSTANCES AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF UNTIL THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN RESTARTED AGAIN. THIS ISSUE IS OF CONCERN TO MYSELF AS WELL AS OTHER KIA OWNERS I HAVE COME ACROSS. REASON BEING, WHEN THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT ENGAGES AND STAYS ON, THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE HAD TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY. WHILE CHANGING LANES AND TRYING TO ACCELERATE, I WAS STUCK AT A SPEED OF 50MPH WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AT 65MPH OR FASTER. ASSUMING THAT I WAS GOING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME HAD TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES INSTEAD. WHEN I TOOK MY KIA TO THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM I WAS INFORMED THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN POSTED REGARDING THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT ILLUMINATING AND VEHICLE THROTTLE LOSS. THE DIAGNOSTIC CHECK READ, THAT THERE IS A TRANSFER CASE DECODER MOTOR FAULT. I WAS TOLD KIA WAS OFFERING TO COVER THE REPAIRS UNDER 60000MI WARRANTY BUT THAT I CAME IN AT 62000 AND DID NOT COMPLY WITH RECOMMENDED TRANSFER CASE SERVICES LISTED IN THE MANUAL, THEY WOULD NOT COVER UNDER ANY WARRANTY. KIA BELIEVES THAT MY LACK OF TRANSFER CASE SERVICE TO MY VEHICLE IS THE REASON FOR THIS PROBLEM. I CAN'T HELP BUT TO THINK, THAT BASED ON HOW MANY KIA SORENTO CONSUMERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM THERE MAY BE A DEFECT IN KIA'S "ESC" SYSTEM. IN MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ISSUE I CAN SAY THAT I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD WHILE DRIVING. *TR