NHTSA Complaint #10416500 — 2008 KIA RONDO

ACCELERATOR IS "DRIVE BY WIRE". THE ENGINE EXPERIENCES HESITATION, WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP, ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME, WHEN THE AC IS ON. SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO ACCELERATE, THEN THE ENGINE DROPS TO IDLE SPEED, EVEN WHEN YOU DEPRESS THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THIS CAN CAUSE YOU TO BE STRUCK BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC, WHEN YOU ARE ENTERING A HIGHWAY OR ROADWAY. USUALLY THE VEHICLE WILL THEN TAKE OFF UNEXPECTEDLY SCREECHING THE TIRES, WHEN THIS OCCURS. BUT, SOMETIMES, WHEN IT DOES BEGIN TO ACCELERATE AFTER ONE OF THESE OCCURRENCES, IT WILL VERY SLOWLY BEGIN TO PICK UP SPEED, AS IF IT IS STARVING FOR GAS. THIS COULD ALSO PUT YOU IN DANGER OF BEING STRUCK FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THESE OCCURRENCES ARE WORSE, WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON. SOMETIMES, WHEN YOU ARE TAKING OFF FROM A STOP AND PUTTING VERY LITTLE PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE CAR TAKES OFF ABRUPTLY, SQUEALING THE TIRES AS IF YOU HAD DEPRESSED THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR SUDDENLY. WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET, THIS WILL CAUSE THE TIRES TO SPIN AND THEN THE ENGINE WILL DROP TO AN IDLE, LEAVING YOU SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING STRUCK FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, EVEN AFTER THE "MECHANIC" RODE WITH ME AND SAID HE COULD FEEL IT ACCELERATING IN STEPS. THESE OCCURRENCES OF DROPPING TO IDLE SPEED, UNEXPECTEDLY, MAY OCCUR ONLY ONCE IN TWO MONTHS OR THEY MAY OCCUR TWO OR THREE TIMES IN ONE WEEK. HOTTER OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE SEEMS TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM TO WORSEN. *KB