NHTSA Complaint #10483901 — 2011 KIA SORENTO

ATTEMPTED TO PARK CAR WHILE WAITING FOR A RELATIVE TO GET OFF WORK. CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT TO REVERSE OR PARK- NO FURTHER THAN NEUTRAL. WAS ABLE TO PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND BRAKE TO STOP CAR. AFTER DROPPING RELATIVE OFF AT HOME (HAD TO STOP CAR IN SAME MANNER AS ABOVE), HAD TO STOP IN A NEAR EMPTY PARKING LOT, AS I STILL WAS UNABLE TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE OR PARK. CONTACTED KIA DEALERSHIP BY PHONE AND WAS TOLD BY REPRESENTATIVE TO PUMP THE BREAK SEVERAL TIMES IN ORDER TO SHIFT THE CAR TO NEUTRAL/PARK. DID NOT WORK. WAS TOLD BY REP THAT THE BRAKING "SOLENOID" ? (SPELLING?) HAS MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT I SHOULD USE SOMETHING LIKE A SMALL SCREWDRIVER TO PUSH DOWN A BUTTON IN A SMALL BOX AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THE SHIFTER. FURTHER STATED THAT THIS WOULD RELEASE THE BREAK SO THAT THE CAR COULD BE PUT IN PARK. WAS TOLD THAT CAR WOULD NOW BE UNABLE TO BE TAKEN OUT OF PARK UNLESS THE SAME PROCESS WAS REPEATED. I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE JUST OVER 3 MONTHS. CERTIFIED PER-OWED. LESS THAN 34000 MILES. WILL ATTEMPT TO TAKE TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. UNAWARE IF SERVICE CENTER WILL REPAIR ON SATURDAY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, BUT IT WAS QUICKLY REMEDIED WHEN I CUT THE CAR OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE. THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE UNTIL TODAY. SHOULD HAVE KEPT MY 2006. THIS IS MY 3RD KIA. 1ST VEHICLE WITH AN ISSUE LIKE THIS. *TR