NHTSA Complaint #10481453 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25MPH I HEARD A LOUD 'BANG'. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, MY OPTIMA WOULD PERIODICALLY SHIFT GEARS VERY ROUGHLY ON DOWNSHIFTS. THERE WAS ALSO A 'CLANKING' NOISE PRESENT ON THE ROUGH DOWNSHIFTS OR WHEN THE OPTIMA WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. UPSHIFTS WHILE ACCELERATING SEEMED TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED A BOLT HAD SNAPPED ON THE TRANSMISSION MOUNT CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO KNOCK INTO THE ENGINE WHEN IT SHIFTED. IT WAS THE BELIEF OF THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE BOLT HAD BEEN UNDER TORQUED WHEN IT WAS ASSEMBLED IN THE FACTORY. THE SUBFRAME AND A DENTED PIECE OF THE EXHAUST HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS TO ME, ESPECIALLY HAD IT OCCURRED ON AN EXPRESSWAY AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. *TR