NHTSA Complaint #10555839 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

ON 11/3, MY WIFE WAS IN ACCIDENT IN OUR OPTIMA, WHEREIN SHE WAS T-BONED. SHE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH, WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER DROVE THROUGH A STOP SIGN AND, PRESUMABLY, ACCELERATED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVER SIDE OF OUR CAR. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND WE'RE CONVINCED THAT ONE SHOULD HAVE. AFTER SPEAKING TO THE BODY SHOP, THEY TELL ME THAT "THE SENSORS ARE DESIGNED TO DEPLOY ONLY WHEN THE CAR IS HIT JUST THE RIGHT WAY." LIKEWISE, KIA RESPONDED THAT, "IT'S OUR OPINION (BASED ON A PHOTOGRAPH I PROVIDED) THAT THE LOCATION OF THE IMPACT AND ITS FORCE WOULDN'T HAVE TRIGGERED THE DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS." IN RESPONSE TO THAT, I ASKED, "CLEARLY, YOU KNOW WHAT DOESN'T CONSTITUTE THE DEPLOYMENT, BUT WHAT CRITERIA WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY." EVERY TIME I ASK, THEY SAY THERE IS NO HARD-AND-FAST ANSWER. I'VE ALSO ASKED IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR KIA TO SEE THE VEHICLE OR ASK THE BODY SHOP FOR THE RESULTS OF THEIR SENSOR-TESTING BEFORE MAKING AN OPINION. TO THAT, THE KIA REP SAID, "NO, WE WOULDN'T DO THAT. OUR AIRBAG-SPECIALIST'S OPINION IS CONCLUSIVE." *TR