NHTSA Complaint #10406848 — 2011 KIA SORENTO

WE PURCHASED/LEASED A NEW 2011 SORENTO V6 AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY STARTED EXPERIENCING THE OCCASIONAL HESITATION PROBLEM WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP. ON A COUPLE OCCASIONS IT PUT US IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS WE WERE CROSSING 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO COURTESY KIA IN BRANDON FL. 4 TIMES, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. FINALLY THEY GOT US A 2012 NEAR IDENTICAL SORENTO V6, AND ON THE 3RD DAY HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE W/50 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WE NOW HAVE 500+ ON IT AND HAVE HAD A TOTAL OF 7 SIMILAR SITUATIONS. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS I'M THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS AND THAT THEY AREN'T AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH I TALKED W/A CUSTOMER OF THEIRS W/A 2011 SORENTO AND HE SAID HE AND HIS WIFE HAVE THE SAME ISSUES W/THEIRS. WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS SITUATION, BUT OTHER THAN THAT WE LIKE THE VEHICLE & GET LOTS OF COMPLIMENTS ON IT, BUT I AM ALSO LETTING OTHERS KNOW OF OUR EXPERIENCES. ITS OUR FIRST VENTURE FROM GM, AND IT WILL LIKELY BE OUR LAST. ADDITIONALLY, THE 2011 WAS GETTING THE ADVERTISED FUEL MILEAGE, THE 2012 HAS NOT GOTTEN ANY BETTER THAN 17.5 ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN TOWN. WHEN WE TURNED IN THE 2011 THEY CHARGED ME $2,500 (MONEY THAT WE WERE TO GET BACK FROM KIA IN THE DEAL) WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY OUT OF LINE. I ADMIT WE PUT 5,000 MILES ON IT BUT $.50 PER MILE IS A BIT MUCH, PLUS I HAD ADDED HEAT & LUMBAR IN THE SEATS AND TINTED WINDOWS. THIS IS TRULY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND VERY DISAPPOINTING. I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT KIA & THE DEALERSHIPS WILL DO WHEN SOME IS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY CAN'T FIND OR EVEN ADMIT IS HAPPENING.!? JJ (NOTE: THE VIN PROVIDED IS FOR THE 2012 KIA SORENTO). *TR