NHTSA Complaint #10525911 — 2008 KIA SEDONA

THE FIRST TIME THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 KIA SEDONA VAN ON A LEVEL STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. THE VAN STARTED ACCELERATING AT A FAST SPEED AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO CARS COMING THE OTHER WAY AND NO PEOPLE OUT WALKING. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP AT THE STOP SIGN AND I PUT ON MY EMERGENCY BRAKE AND TURNED OFF THE VAN. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING UP A HILL. THE VAN STARTED ACCELERATING AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO USE MY BRAKES. THIS TIME I PUT THE VAN IN NEUTRAL AND WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VAN. I TOOK THE VAN TO MY MECHANIC AND THEY DID NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES OR ANYTHING ELSE. MY FRIEND ALSO EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR INCIDENT WITH HER NEWER MODEL KIA SEDONA AND USES MY SAME MECHANIC AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. HER INCIDENT HAPPENED BEFORE MY FIRST EPISODE IN JUNE. TODAY, I WAS DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO WORK AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS I WAS DRIVING UP A SLIGHT ELEVATED STREET. I WAS NOT ABLE TO USE THE BRAKES AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE ENGINE AND GET HER TO WORK. I HAVE FIVE CHILDREN AND I HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE OF THEM WITH ME WHEN EACH OF THESE INCIDENCES HAS OCCURRED. I CALLED THE KIA DEALER TODAY AND THEY TOLD ME TO CALL MONDAY. THIS IS A VERY SCARY SITUATION AND I FEAR SERIOUS INJURY MAY OCCUR. I WAS ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS WHEN ALL THREE EPISODES OCCURRED AND DID NOT HAVE MY CRUISE CONTROL ON AS NOTED FROM OTHER KIA OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR