NHTSA Complaint #10876772 — 2013 KIA RIO

AT APPROXIMATELY 40K MILES THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED AN ANNOYING PING & POWER LOSS, (DEAD SPOT), WHEN ACCELERATING UP A HILL OR INTO A CORNER. DEALER 1ST TOLD ME THAT AFTER AN EXTENSIVE TEST DRIVE NO TROUBLE WAS FOUND, HOWEVER THE MILEAGE WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHEN I BROUGHT CAR INTO SHOP, OBVIOUSLY TEST DRIVE WAS NOT PERFORMED, HAD THE MECHANIC COME FOR A RIDE WITH ME, NOISE WAS APPARENT IMMEDIATELY ALTHOUGH MECHANIC DID HIS BEST NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT UNTIL I TOOK A TURN ONTO A STEEP INCLINE WHERE NOISE BECAME QUITE PREVALENT & MECHANIC DID ACKNOWLEDGE IT & STATED THAT IT WAS THE GDI PUMP WHICH WE THEN SCHEDULED TO HAVE REPLACED. SHORTLY BEFORE MY SCHEDULED REPLACEMENT THE DEALERSHIP CHANGED THEIR MIND & NOW SAID THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO A CARBON BUILD UP & SUGGESTED THAT I USE TOP TIER GAS & A FUEL ADDITIVE @ 7,500 MILE INTERVALS, (TECHRON WAS RECOMMENDED), HOWEVER I'VE ALWAYS USED TOP TIER GAS, MOSTLY PURCHASED @ SHELL. DEALERSHIP THEN DECIDED THAT A FUEL SYSTEM FLUSH WAS THE WAY TO GO, WHICH THEY PERFORMED @ NO CHARGE IN AUGUST LAST YEAR. FLUS DIDN'T HELP & I CALLED DEALERSHIP AFTER TRAVELING LESS THAN 2 MILES AFTER THE FLUSH, THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD TAKE A WHILE FOR THE NOISE TO GO AWAY & THE POWER LOSS TO WORK ITSELF OUT & RECOMMENDED TO CONTINUE USING THE TOP TIER GAS, AS I ALWAYS HAD & TO ADD THE TECHRON @ PRESCRIBED INTERVALS WHICH I DID. NOISE HAS NEVER GONE AWAY & POWER LOSS, (DEAD SPOT) IS STILL PREVALENT, MORE SO WHEN WARM. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN IN MAY OF THIS YEAR AS IT IS GETTING WORSE, ALSO OPENED A CASE WITH KIA CONSUMER CARE DEPT, WHICH I SHOULD'VE DONE RIGHT AT THE ONSET LAST YEAR. I'VE BEEN TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM & THAT NOTHING IS GOING TO FIX IT BUT THEY STILL WANT TO DO ANOTHER FUEL SYSTEM FLUSH WHICH THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR. CCD HAS ONLY GIVING ME LIP SERVICE & TO DATE NOTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED.