NHTSA Complaint #10417070 — 2008 KIA SORENTO

WE HAVE A 2008 SORENTO, PURCHASED IN MARCH 2009 (NEW). APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, ONLY APPROX 15,000MILES, WE HAD OUR FIRST INCIDENT THAT THE ESC OFF LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH, AT THE SAME TIME, POWER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED TO THE ENGINE. THANKFULLY, I WAS DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOT ON THE HIGHWAY. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND THE ESC OFF LIGHT WAS NOW OFF, BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. WE DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN, ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS LATER. THIS TIME WE TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY INSISTED THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT AND THAT THERE WAS NO RECORD IN THE "COMPUTER" OF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON. WE WERE BASICALLY DISMISSED BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT EVEN TELL THAT IT HAPPENED. THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, TURNING ONTO THE ENTRANCE RAMP OF I-95, I LOST POWER AND COULD NOT ACCELERATE TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I WAS FURIOUS AND FRIGHTENED OF THE POSSIBLE DANGER OF THE SITUATION, AND CALLED TO MAKE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT, THIS WAS THE 2ND TIME, WHICH BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO "NORMAL" AND NO RECORD IN THE COMPUTER. I HAD PRINTED OUT RESEARCH FOR MY HUSBAND TO TAKE WITH HIM TO SHOW THEM THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THE TCM WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY DISMISSED HIM AND DID SOMETHING ELSE. IT WAS FINE FOR A WHILE, THEN HAPPENED AGAIN (APPROX DEC. 2010) WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING DOWN I-95, WE LOST POWER WHILE GOING 65 MPH AND THE ESC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THIS TIME, MY DAD (WHO USED TO BE A SERVICE MANAGER) WAS AVAILABLE AND WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD A STERN CONVERSATION WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER EXPRESSING HIS CONCERN FOR OUR SAFETY. THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED THE PROBLEM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY DID, AND IT HAS BEEN FINE FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS, UNTIL THE PAST 2 WEEKS, THE SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWICE. WE ALSO HAD THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF WHEN I AM SITTING IN THE SEAT AS WELL. *TR