NHTSA Complaint #10703548 — 2012 KIA SEDONA

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD TWINS IN MY 2012 KIA SEDONA THE PASSENGER POWER SLIDING DOOR REPEATEDLY OPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE FIRST TIME I WAS ACTUALLY ENTERING THE EXPRESSWAY ON THE ON-RAMP - NOT CERTAIN OF MY EXACT SPEED BUT I WAS ACCELERATING TO ALLOW ME TO YIELD INTO TRAFFIC. I OBVIOUSLY PULLED THE VAN OVER IMMEDIATELY - MY DAUGHTERS AND I BOTH FRANTIC. THIS WAS THE SECOND ISSUE WITH THE POWER DOORS THAT PARTICULAR EVENING. THE FIRST ISSUE OCCURRED APPROX. 10 MINUTES EARLIER WHEN I WAS UNABLE TO GET EITHER DOOR TO OPEN AT ALL. I TRIED TO OPEN THEM WITH THE REMOTE; THE OVERHEAD CONSOLE OPEN/CLOSE; THE INTERIOR OPEN/CLOSE ON BOTH DOORS; I TURNED OFF THE POWER TO THE DOORS AND TRIED TO OPEN THEM MANUALLY - THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN. THEY CONTINUED TO SET OFF THE INTERIOR LIGHTS/ALARM AS IF THEY WERE TRYING TO OPEN BUT WERE NOT. THINKING IT MAY BE RELATED TO OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE (WHICH IS WHAT KIA HAD SUGGESTED TO ME PREVIOUSLY WHEN I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT ISSUES WITH THE DOORS STICKING) I PROCEEDED TOWARDS MY HOME. THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR OPENED TWICE MORE. I NEVER IMAGINED ANYTHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN - WHEN YOU PURCHASE A VEHICLE SHOULDN'T IT BE SAFE TO ASSUME THAT DOORS (SUCH AS POWER SLIDING DOORS) WILL REMAIN CLOSED WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. THERE IS MOST DEFINITELY SOME KIND OF MECHANICAL FAILURE THAT IS ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN. KIA SUGGESTING THAT THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. I UNDERSTAND THE DESIRE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUES AS I HAVE DESCRIBED TO THEM BUT UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT MAKE THAT HAPPEN ANY MORE THAN THEY CAN. THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM IS NOT CROSS YOUR FINGERS AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. THE VEHICLE DOORS ARE RANDOMLY LATCHING AND UNLATCHING. THERE IS SIGNIFICANT RISK TO MY CHILDREN THAT ARE PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THE DOORS OPEN DURING OPERATION. *TR