NHTSA Complaint #11080087 — 2015 KIA OPTIMA

ENGINE FAILED ON MY 2015 KIA OPTIMA WHILE EXITING THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE, STARTED SMOKING, STARTED TO LOSE POWER, AND STALLED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED INTO A KIA DEALERSHIP. KIA ISSUED RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM ON SEVERAL MODELS THROUGH THE 2014 MODELS. THEY FAILED TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR 2015 MODELS. THEY INITIALLY REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND WANTED CLOSE TO $6,000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. FINANCIALLY, THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR ME AND I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR VOLUNTARILY REPOSSESSED. I FILED A FORMAL, WRITTEN COMPLAINT AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR REPOSSESSED. AT THAT POINT, THEY RESPONDED WITH A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT STATING THEY WOULD HONOR THE WARRANTY, IF I RELEASED THEM FROM FURTHER RESPONSIBILTY. THIS OFFER WAS NOT FEASIBLE, AS I NO LONGER HAD THE VEHICLE. AT THIS POINT, THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO FOR ME. I ASKED FOR A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO MY COMPLAINT AND WAS TOLD THEY CANNOT DO THAT.