NHTSA Complaint #10678236 — 2007 KIA RONDO

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT THE INDICATED SPEED LIMIT OF 35 MILES PER HOUR, THERE WAS A LOUD THUMP AND THEN MY CAR STOPPED. IMMEDIATELY, I WAS TERRIFIED. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. SOMEONE PULLED OVER TO HELP ME AND I EASED MY CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH PERSONS MANUALLY PUSHING THE CAR BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP. I CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE AND WAS TOWED HOME. UPON GETTING THE CAR HOME, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE IS DEAD. I WAS SHOCKED. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD END UP HAVING TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND THAT COULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE. MY PROBLEM IS THAT I WAS GETTING REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE TO INCLUDE OIL CHANGES. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW A ENGINE JUST BLOWS LIKE THAT WITHOUT NO WARNING LIGHT (ELECTRICAL PROBLEM) COMING ON OR ANYTHING. I JUST COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS. I STARTED TO DO SOME RESEARCH. I FOUND SEVERAL REPORTS THAT THE ENGINE DIED IN KIA RONDO MODELS. I CONTACTED KIA TO ASK THEM IF THEY HAD LOOKED INTO THIS SINCE SO MANY REPORTS HAVE BEEN MADE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THE NHTSA HAS NOT TOLD THEM THEY HAD TO. I THEN ASKED WHAT ABOUT SAFETY. I ALSO SAID THAT THIS CAN CAUSE FATALITIES BECAUSE HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR JUST STOPPED LIKE THAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS ISSUE IS OCCURRING TOO OFTEN IN THIS MODEL OF VEHICLE. AND TO BE HONEST I THINK KIA IS AWARE OF THIS BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY STOPPED MAKING THIS MODEL. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. WHAT AM I TO DO ABOUT MY TRANSPORTATION NOW THAT THIS ENGINE IS DEAD??? KIA NEEDS TO ANSWER FOR THIS. *TR