NHTSA Complaint #10749549 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN TRAVELING 30 MPH. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN THEY WERE INITIALLY WORKING AND I WAS REDUCING SPEED, HOWEVER SUDDENLY I HEARD A VERY LOUD CRUNCHING/GRINDING NOISE AND I LOST ALL BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY. TO STOP THE VEHICLE I HAD TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN PARK. IF A CAR WAS IN FRONT OF ME I WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO IT. ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE I LOST BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY I WENT INTO THE INTERSECTION. IF CARS WERE CROSSING THE INTERSECTION OR IF A PERSON WAS CROSSING THE STREET I WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO THEM. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND GOT OUT AND CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SINCE I WAS IN THE INTERSECTION I TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON AND THE BRAKES SEEMD TO BE WORKING AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE KIA DEALER. THE KIA DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR THREE DAYS. PER THE KIA TECHNICIAN THEY INSPECTED THE BRAKES AND THE HYBRID REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS OR RECREATE THE ISSUE. PER THE KIA TECHNICIAN THEY EXHAUSTED ALL OF THEIR OPTIONS AND WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANY ISSUES AND RETURNED THE CAR TO ME. ADDITIONALLY, I CONTACTED KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY STATED THAT IF THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM THERE IS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. WHILE RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE I FOUND THAT TWO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM TO THE NHTSA (NHTSA ID 10638311, 10650553). ONE PERSON CRASHED BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE AND THEY REPORTED THAT THE ISSUES HAVE SPORADICALLY HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM THAT CAUSES THE DRIVER TO SPORADICALLY LOSE ALL BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND FEAR THAT AT ANY POINT IN TIME I CAN LOSE ALL BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY AND CRASH, CAUSING AN INJURY OR DEATH TO MYSELF OR ANOTHER PERSON.