NHTSA Complaint #11018769 — 2013 KIA SOUL

AS MY WIFE WAS ENTERING EASTBOUND US EXPRESSWAY 83 (INTERSTATE 2) JUST WEST OF MINNESOTA ROAD (APPROXIMATE TIME 5:15 PM) THE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND DAMAGED THE WINDSHIELD AND HOOD. THE CAR WAS SAFELY PULLED OVER BUT THE HOOD WAS SO DAMAGED THAT IT HAD TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME. THE CAR HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES FROM THE HOUSE ON THE FRONTAGE ROAD BEFORE GETTING ONTO THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. SPEED WAS ACCELERATING TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 60 MPH BUT NOT YET AT 60 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS JUST GETTING ON THE OVERPASS AFTER ENTERING THE EXPRESSWAY AND WAS TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT PATH ON THE ENTRY LANE BARELY MERGING INTO TRAFFIC BEFORE NEEDING TO PULL OVER ON THE BENTSEN PALM ROAD OVERPASS.. THE HOOD HAD NOT BEEN OPENED FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS WHEN I LAST FILLED THE WINDSHIELD WASHER RESERVOIR. IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN ON THE EXPRESSWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS ON A DAILY BASIS. IT APPEARS THAT THE HOOD LATCH IS BROKEN. THE LATCH IS TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT AND DOESN'T MOVE BACK INTO A POSITION TO ALLOW THE HOOD TO CLOSE.