NHTSA Complaint #10852501 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED DOWNSHIFTING. AS IT WENT THROUGH EACH GEAR THERE WAS A SHORT PAUSE FOLLOWED BY A JERKING CAR MOTION. ACCELERATING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, THE ENGINE STARTED TO REV LIKE THE CLUTCH WAS OUT ON THE TRANSMISSION. AS I WAS ON A BUSY STATE HIGHWAY, THIS PUT ME IN DANGER OF BEING HIT. I MANAGED TO PULL MY CAR ONTO A SIDE STREET, AND THE TRANSMISSION CONTINUED TO BEHAVE IN THIS MANNER. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH, OR ANY SORT OF INDICATION THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I PUT THE SHIFTER INTO MANUAL MODE, AND FOUND THAT I COULD CONTROL THE GEAR SHIFTS WELL ENOUGH TO GET THE CAR TO THE DEALER. AFTER 3 DAYS AT THE DEALER, THEY TRIED A RESET TO THE RELEARN SYSTEM AND UPDATES TO THE ECM/ECU AS SUGGESTED BY KIA. THE PROBLEM REMAINED. NOW THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION, BUT KIA CANNOT TELL THEM WHEN THE TRANSMISSIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE. THE DEALER HAS ANOTHER CAR THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN WAITING FOR MORE THAN 3 WEEKS TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. FAILING TRANSMISSIONS ARE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, AND WHEN DRIVERS HAVE NO WARNING THAT THE SYSTEM IS FAILING IT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE. THE LACK OF AVAILABLE TRANSMISSIONS WOULD INDICATE TO ME THAT THEY HAVE A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.