NHTSA Complaint #10905623 — 2006 KIA OPTIMA

"FIRST" TIME PROBLEM HAPPENED WAS JULY 3, 2016 WITH MY 2006 KIA OPTIMA. I WAS SB ON HWY I25 IN CS, CO. SPEEDOMETER READ 25MPH AS I WAS COMING OFF THE ON-RAMP. I ACCELERATED TO 40MPH INTO FLOW OF TRAFFIC. I FELT A LURCH & THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY ACCELERATED. SPEED WENT FROM 40MPH TO ABOUT 60 MPH WITHOUT DEPRESSING ACCELERATOR. BREAKING DID NOT SLOW IT DOWN. I FELT CAR WAS GOING OUT OF CONTROL. MY PASSENGER REACHED OVER & TURNED IGNITION SWITCH OFF & ON QUICKLY, TO DECELERATE & ACCELERATE. THIS HELPED CAR SLOW DOWN WHEN KEY WAS TURNED OFF TO THE FIRST CLICK & HELPED MAINTAIN AN ADJUSTED SPEED AS TRAFFIC WAS IN-FRONT & IN-BACK. WE KEPT DOING THIS UNTIL CAR SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH TO PULL OVER TO RIGHT SHOULDER. KEY WAS COMPLETELY TURNED OFF & CAR WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP. CAR WAS TOWED TO MECHANICS. DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED USING ENGINE ANALYZER. IT WAS ROAD TESTED MULTIPLE TIMES & DIDN'T IT DUPLICATE MY EXPERIENCE. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN SEPT.10, 2016 AS I, AGAIN, ENTERED HWY I25 SO.I WAS DRIVING ALONE. MY SPEEDOMETER WAS 40 MPH, IN HEAVY HWY TRAFFIC. I ONCE AGAIN "FELT" LURCH OF CAR. THIS TIME IT "STUCK" AT 40 MPH. IT DIDN'T SLOW DOWN WHEN I BRAKED, IT CONTINUED AT 40 MPH. I CONTINUED TO BRAKE & SPEED DID SLOW A BIT. MY FOOT WAS TOTALLY DOWN ON BREAK WHEN IT WAS STILL AUTO ACCELERATING AT THE HWY EXIT RAMP; NOW SLOWED TO 26 MPH AS I CONTINUED HOLDING BRAKE DOWN. FINALLY SPEED WAS DOWN TO 23MPH AS I DROVE INTO A PARKING LOT (NO CARS WERE MOVING IN & OUT AT THE TIME). I TURNED THE KEY OFF COMPLETELY; MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE & THE CAR CAME TO A LURCHING HAUL AT THAT TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT. I WAITED ABOUT A MINUTE & THEN STARTED THE ENGINE AGAIN WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A PARKING SLOT. I STARTED IT & VERY SLOWLY DROVE HOME, BUT NOT ON THE HWY. I MAINTAINED SPEED OF 25-30MPH. IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 1K BETWEEN THE 2 INCIDENTS.