NHTSA Complaint #10456300 — 2007 KIA SORENTO

SUNDAY MORNING, I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE AT A SPEED OF LESS THAN 45 MPH. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND "ESC OFF" LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. AT THE SAME TIME, MY VEHICLE LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT CHANGE OUT OF 2ND GEAR. I PULLED INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT, TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, AND WAITED FOR ONE MINUTE. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT CRANKED JUST FINE. I PULLED OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND WENT NO MORE THAN 30 YARDS WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND MY VEHICLE LOST POWER COMPLETELY - NO RESPONSE WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. I COASTED INTO A LOADING AREA WHERE I WAS FORCED TO CALL AAA TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST CAR REPAIR CENTER. I COMMUNICATED WITH THEM THROUGHOUT THE DAY MONDAY, AND THE END RESULT WAS THIS: MY VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE CHARLOTTE KIA DEALERSHIP AND A TEST WAS DONE TO READ AND DETERMINE THE ERROR. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAULTY "TRANSFER CASE DECODER MOTOR", SOMETHING I HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF. THE REPAIR IS GOING TO COST APPROXIMATELY $1,000 BECAUSE OF ASSOCIATED DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND THE PART ITSELF COSTING $570. ACCORDING TO WHAT I READ ON THE INTERNET, THERE IS A "SERVICE" FOR THIS COMPONENT THAT IS TO BE DONE AROUND 45,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE SAME KIA DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND THIS COMPONENT HAS NEVER BEEN ADDRESSED. NOT ONCE WAS THE "SERVICE" MENTIONED TO ME BY THE SERVICE TEAM. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH IF IT OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE OR IN AN INTERSECTION. THANKFULLY, I WAS IN A SAFE AREA AND NO ONE WAS AT RISK OF ACCIDENT OR INJURY. THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG KIA VEHICLES - THE SERVICE MANAGER AT AAA STATED HE HAS A 2007 KIA SEDAN IN THERE RIGHT NOW WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I FEEL KIA IS AT FAULT AND NEGLIGENT FOR THIS MALFUNCTION. *TR