NHTSA Complaint #10458183 — 2009 KIA OPTIMA

THE FIRST SIGNS OF ANY TROUBLE WITH THE VEHICLE STARTED IN FEBRUARY/MARCH OF 2011 WHEN THE SHIFTING ON THE VEHICLE WAS ERRATIC ON TAKEOFF AND ESPECIALLY BAD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN, ROUGHLY SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF GEAR. IT TOOK TWO OCCASIONS TO "FIX" THE ISSUE EVEN THOUGH A FEW WEEKS LATER THE SHIFTING APPEARED TO SUBSIDE IT STILL HAD THE OCCASIONAL ISSUE ON TAKE-OFF. THE ISSUE PROGRESSIVELY GOT TO THE POINT WHEN I LOST TOTAL ENGINE POWER WHILE CROSSING LANES OF TRAFFIC, ALMOST GETTING HIT. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT NO MATTER WHAT I DID I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLES RPM??S ABOVE 1500 (ABOUT 5MPH). TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY STATED THEY "FIXED THE PROBLEM". RETURNED TO DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL MY WIFE HAD THE SAME ISSUE HAPPEN TO HER ABOUT 9 DAYS LATER COMING WITHIN INCHES OF GETTING HIT WHILE TURNING INTO A BUSINESS. TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK AGAIN AND WAS TOLD IT WAS "FIXED" TWO DAYS LATER. STARTED IT UP THE DAY AFTER IT WAS RETURNED AND HAD THE LOSS OF POWER ISSUE AGAIN. BESIDE THE POWER LOSS EVEN THE SHIFTING CONTINUED TO BE ROUGH AND ERRATIC. RETURNED IT YET AGAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS FIXED. CUSTOMER SERVICE DID NOT TAKE MY SAFETY CONCERNS SERIOUSLY. I AM STILL UNSURE OF THE STATUS OF THE VEHICLE AND I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE. I WILL FIND OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION UNTIL THIS VEHICLE IS RETURNED. BEWARE THAT THE POWER LOSS CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME CREATING VERY SERIOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS THAT COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT OR INJURY. *TR