NHTSA Complaint #10703965 — 2014 KIA OPTIMA

THE PROBLEM IS SPORADIC BUT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. IF I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL TO INCREASE MY SPEED, WHETHER FROM A STOPPED POSITION, OR TO PULL INTO A BUSY ROADWAY, OR TO INCREASE MY SPEED TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE CAR WILL START TO GO THEN CHOKE, SO THAT NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL, THE RPM STAY THE SAME AND THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND WILL NOT SPEED UP. IF KIA DOESN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IS CAUSING THIS - BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT OPTIMA VEHICLE YEARS COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS - SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS NEAR MISSES BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO SEE MANY PEOPLE SAYING KIA IS TELLING THEM THIS IS THE WAY THE VEHICLE IS SUPPOSED TO BEHAVE - REALLY??? MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER TO HOPEFULLY HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AND FIXED. THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR, WHICH IS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA, AND GUESS WHAT? PULLING OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP IN THE LOANER I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BECAUSE THE LOANER ALSO HAS THIS PROBLEM, BUT 10 TIMES WORSE THAN MY CAR. IT HAPPENED AT LEAST 30 TIMES BETWEEN THE DEALER AND WHERE I WORK - ABOUT A 30 MINUTE DRIVE. ALWAYS WHEN SPEED NEEDS TO BE INCREASED BY WAY OF THE GEARS NEEDING TO UPSHIFT. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS - I HOPE KIA ISN'T WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GET KILLED BEFORE THEY LOOK INTO THIS FAILURE THAT IS HAPPENING THAT THEIR DEALERSHIPS ARE WRITING OFF AS NORMAL FUNCTION! JUST AS I WAS READY TO SUBMIT THIS COMPLAINT, MY DEALERSHIP CALLED ME BACK AND SURPRISE: "WE ARE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM" AND "NO PROBLEM CODES WERE DETECTED." PLEASE KIA, TAKE NOTICE OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!!! *TR