NHTSA Complaint #10418873 — 2012 KIA SORENTO

THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS INTERMITTENT. WHEN I PUSH THE START BUTTON SOMETIMES THE CAR THE LUNGES BACKWARDS WHILE THE CAR IS STILL IN PARK IT ONLY DOES THIS WHEN I AM STARTING THE CAR. IT ALSO MAKES AN AUDIBLE NOISE AT THE SAME TIME IT IS " BUCK JUMPING". I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AN ON THE FIRST VISIT THEY HEARD THE NOISE AND FIGURED IT WAS THE STARTER. THEY PUT IN A NEW STARTER AND I AM STILL HAVING THIS PROBLEM. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO SEEMS TO SLIP DURING CITY DRIVING BUT IT IS VERY SUBTLE. NOW AFTER ABOUT THE FIFTH TIME BEING IN THE SHOP EVERY TIME THEY SAY THEY CAN'T REPRODUCE MY DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS SO THEY CAN'T FIX IT. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE ALREADY HEARD THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY PUT IN A NEW STARTER AND TOLD ME IF THE PROBLEM PERSISTS TO BRING IT BACK. ON ONE OF THE VISITS THEY REWIRED THE ELECTRICAL PARTS TO SEE IF IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AND IT WAS NOT. I AM AFRAID THAT ONE OF THESE DAYS THE CAR IS ACTUALLY GOING TO MOVE OUT OF PARK AND HIT SOMETHING. EVERY TIME I PUSH THE START BUTTON I HOLD MY BREATH AND GO STIFF BECAUSE WHEN IT "ACTS" UP THE WHOLE CAR JUMPS BACKWARDS AS IF IT IS TRYING TO SHIFT ITSELF IN REVERSE AND THE NOISE WAS DESCRIBED AS THE STARTER IS HITTING THE FLYWHEEL OR SOME OTHER TERMINOLOGY I CAN'T RECALL. I ALWAYS PICK MY CAR UP FROM THEM WITHOUT IT BEING REPAIRED BECAUSE THEY CONTINUE TO SAY THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, BUT HOW IS IT THAT AS SOON AS THE SAME DAY OF PICKING MY CAR UP OR WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS MY CAR STARTS JUMPING WHEN I PUSH THE START BUTTON. THE DEALERSHIP HAS KEPT MY CAR A FULL WEEK ON MORE THAN ONE VISIT AND THE MECHANIC HAS PUT AS MANY AS 85 MILES ON IT STARTING IT FREQUENTLY AND YOU GUESSED IT - HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM!!!!! SOMEBODY IS NOT FORTHCOMING WITH THE TRUTH.