NHTSA Complaint #10416730 — 2008 KIA OPTIMA

2008 KIA OPTIMA 4CYL AUTOMATIC. I LIVE IN FLORIDA, HOT ALL THE TIME, USE AIR ALMOST ALL YEAR. CAR WILL STALL OUT WHILE IN MOTION WITHIN FIRST FEW MINUTES WHILE AC IS ON WHEN I AM SLOWING DOWN TO STOP SIGNS OR WHEN CROSSING INTERSECTIONS WHERE I HAVE TO GET ACROSS QUICKLY THEN LET OFF GAS TO MAKE TURN. CAR BECOMES HARD TO STEER WHEN ENGINE CUTS OFF, WORSE THAN A CAR WITHOUT POWER STEERING, SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT WONT MAKE IT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION TO THE MEDIAN SAFELY. CAN START THE CAR AGAIN, BUT IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO THROW CAR INTO NEUTRAL, TURN IGNITION, AND PUT BACK INTO DRIVE. AS I SAID THIS HAPPENS A LOT WHILE GOING THROUGH THE TURN OF INTERSECTION/ DIVIDED HIGHWAY AND THOSE FEW SECONDS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SAFELY TIMED TURN AND A POTENTIAL COLLISION. PROBLEM OCCURS FREQUENLTY FOR A WEEK OR TWO, THEN GOES AWAY FOR A WHILE AND COMES BACK. ONCE THE ENGINE HAS WARMED UP AND HAS BEEN MOVING FOR 5 MINUTES OR SO, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. TOOK IT TO KIA DEALERSHIP SINCE THIS VEHICLE HAS 45000 MILES ON IT AND IS STILL UNDER MANUFACTURES BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY, DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THE ISSUE WITH THAT GENERATION OF OPTIMAS AND THAT IT WAS ONLY WITH THE 4CYL MOTORS, THE V6'S WERE FINE. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID AT THIS TIME THERE IS NOT A FIX FOR IT AND WOULD NOT REPLACE ANY PARTS SINCE THEY DON'T KNOW WHICH PART(S) ARE CAUSING THE MALFUNCTION. WAS TOLD TO LET MY CAR WARM UP LONGER AND TO HOPE THAT KIA/HYUNDAI COMES UP WITH A RECALL ON IT SOON. *KB