NHTSA Complaint #10619370 — 2008 KIA SORENTO

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PUMP GAS INTO THE TANK, IT FORCEFULLY SPEWED OUT ALL UP MY ARM AND ON MY FEET BEFORE I COULD JUMP BACK OUT IF THE WAY. I TRIED AGAIN, THIS TIME VERY SLOWLY BUT IT SPEWED OUT AGAIN. HAVING ENOUGH GAS TO GET HOME, I LEFT THE CAP LOOSE. BY THE NEXT DAY, IT HELD THE GASOLINE JUST FINE. SO I CONTINUED TO LEAVE THE CAP LOOSE, WHICH WAS WORKING UNTIL YESTERDAY. I WAS OUT OF TOWN SHOPPING. THE LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON, SO I ATTEMPTED TO GET GAS BUT IT SPEWED OUT ALL OVER MY ARM AND FEET AGAIN. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A KIA DEALERSHIP NEARBY AND I HAD ENOUGH GAS TO GET THERE. AS OF TODAY, THEY TELL ME THAT TWO VALVES ARE CLOGGED AND REPAIRS WILL BE AROUND $500 ASSUMING THE CHARCOAL FILTER IS OKAY, WHICH THEY HADN'T YET CHECKED WHEN THEY CALLED ME. IN RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT 2003-04 KIA SORENTOS WERE RECALLED FOR FAULTY FUEL VALVES THAT RESULTED IN THE EXACT SPEWING PROBLEMS I EXPERIENCED. MINE IS A 2008 BUT SEEMS TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT DUE TO NEGLECT OF MAINTENANCE OR TO ROUTINE WEAR AND TEAR. I DON'T FEEL THAT I'M FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. I DO FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT I WASN'T BURNED. I AM STILL LEERY OF DRIVING IT AFTER REPAIR THOUGH IN FEAR OF A GAS TANK EXPLOSION. *TR