NHTSA Complaint #10616129 — 2014 KIA OPTIMA

I RECENTLY LEASED A 2014 KIA OPTIMA LX AND WHEN DRIVING HOME ON THE HIGHWAY EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWED HAZARDS WITH THIS VEHICLE: - DRIFTING - PULLING TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT - DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING STRAIGHT COURSE AND FEELING LIKE THE CAR WAS "ALL OVER THE ROAD" - INSTABILITY WHEN DRIVING IN WINDY CONDITIONS - EXTREMELY SENSITIVE STEERING WHEEL THE CAR PULLED TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT CONSTANTLY AND WAS WORSE AT HIGHER SPEEDS. THE CAR WOULD DRIFT IN LANES AND IT WAS CONSTANT WORK TO GET IT TO GO STRAIGHT WHICH SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE. HIGH GUST WINDS MADE IT SEEM LIKE MY WAR WAS GOING TO MOVE INTO THE OTHER LANE. I CONTACTED DEALERSHIP AND AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH BY THEM, THEY SAID THEY COULD ELECTRONICALLY CHANGE THE MODE OF THE POWER STEERING. THERE SEEM TO BE 2 MODES AVAILABLE AND ONE OF THEM MAKES THE STEERING FLIMSY AND HARD TO HANDLE AND THE OTHER MAKES IT FEEL MORE STABLE LIKE A STEERING WHEEL SHOULD BE. I WOULD SUGGEST ANYONE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM TO CONTACT THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND ASK FOR THE MODE CHANGE. MOST DEALERSHIP STAFF DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS OPTION EXISTS AND SOME SERVICE DEPARTMENTS AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH IT EITHER BUT APPARENTLY IT DOES EXIST. I WOULD NOT HAVE KEPT THIS VEHICLE IF THEY COULDN'T HAVE CHANGED THE POWER STEERING MODE BECAUSE IT IS SIMPLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A MODE FEATURE ON THE DASHBOARD OR A DISPLAY FUNCTION THAT SOME OF THE OTHER KIA MODELS HAVE. THIS IS SPECIFICALLY SOMETHING THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO DO ELECTRONICALLY AND THEY CAN DO THIS ON THE LX MODEL. ONE OTHER FEATURE I JUST DISCOVERED THAT I DON'T LIKE AND THINK MAY BE AN ADDITIONAL PROBLEM IS THE RIDICULOUSLY LOW PASSENGER SEAT. THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO ME AT ALL AND I WILL BE INQUIRING WITH SERVICE ABOUT IT. *TR