NHTSA Complaint #10712278 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

WE FIRST TOOK IT TO EDWARDS KIA IN COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA ON 2/11/15. WHEN I ORIGINALLY TOOK IT TO THEM, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT HAD JUST COME ON AND THE CAR HAD JUST STARTED DOING THE LUNGING AND HESITATING WHEN SHIFTING IN LOWER GEARS. IT WAS AS IF THE ACCELERATOR WAS STICKING. THEY DOWNLOADED A COUPLE UPDATES AND TURNED THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT OFF. THEY ADVISED THE LIGHT CAME ON BECAUSE OF THE UPDATE THAT WAS NEEDED AND SAID THAT THE SHIFTING /IDLING ISSUE WAS BETTER. AS SOON AS I DROVE IT, I NOTICED IT WAS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. ON 2/23/15 I TOOK IT BACK IN AND THEY ADVISED THAT THERE WERE TWO PARTS TO THE DOWNLOAD AND THAT THEY HAD PUT THE SECOND PART ON AND THOUGHT IT WAS BETTER. THEY ALSO GAVE ME A KIA TECH SUPPORT SHEET ON HOW TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THIS INCLUDED WARMING THE CAR UP FOR 10-15 MINUTES, DRIVING WITH THE ECO ON THE START OF THE TRIP, AND TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR 10 % MORE. THEY ADVISED THAT WAS THE NATURE OF THE HYBRID VEHICLE IN THE COLD WEATHER BUT IT DIDN'T DO IT THE YEAR BEFORE. WE THEN TOOK THE CAR TO H&H KIA IN OMAHA, NE ON 3/3/15 AND THE CAR IS STILL THERE 7 WEEKS LATER. THEY HAVE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION TWICE WITH REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSIONS. I AM NOT SURE WHY THEY WOULDN'T PUT A NEW ONE IN SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAS $19,663 MILES ON IT. THE HAVE REPLACED THE GENERATOR NOW AND STILL HASN'T FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE CAR STILL ISN'T SHOWING ANY CODES ON THE COMPUTER AND THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE KIA "EXPERTS" TO ARRIVE. I HAVE NOT HAD MY CAR FOR 8 WEEKS AND THEY WANT ME TO TAKE THE CAR HOME UNTIL THE EXPERTS ARRIVE BUT I DO NOT FEEL SAFE WITH IT LUNGING AND SHIFTING ERRATIC LIKE IT IS. *TR