NHTSA Complaint #11080235 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

BOUGHT A USED 2012 KIA OPTIMA FROM A KIA DEALERSHIP ON 1/12/18. I DID NOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE FROM 1/13/2018 - 1/19/18. STARTED DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND 5 (FIVE) DAYS LATER, ON 1/23/18 THE VEHICLE BLEW A ROD IN THE ENGINE. AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS AT HAVING THE DEALERSHIP FIX THE ISSUE AT THEIR EXPENSE, I WAS GETTING NOWHERE. I CONTACTED KIA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY ASSISTED ME WITH COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND GETTING THE ENGINE REBUILT (AS A GOODWILL BY THE DEALERSHIP). HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 1/25/18; THEY HAD MY VEHICLE FOR EXACTLY 1 (ONE) MONTH WHILE THE DEALERSHIP REBUILT THE ENGINE. I RECEIVED THE CAR BACK FROM DEALERSHIP ON 2/23/18. ON 3/6/18 AS I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY, THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING. I WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON FREEWAY, AND CAR JUST STARTED LOSING POWER. THE CAR SLOWED DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND ENGINE OIL LIGHT TURNED ON & OFF SPORADICALLY. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 40 MPH. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS AS I WAS SCARED THAT I WOULD GET REAR-ENDED ON THE FREEWAY. I SLOWLY MOVED OVER THE SHOULDER AND TURNED OFF THE CAR; I WAITED APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES BEFORE TURNING THE CAR BACK ON AND PROCEEDING TO MY PERSONAL MECHANIC (NOT KIA DEALERSHIP). MY MECHANIC SAID NOT TO TURN CAR OFF; HE INSPECTED CAR & SCANNED IT. NO ERROR CODES WERE DETECTED. HE SAID MAYBE IT WAS A FLUKE AND TO JUST CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT. ON 3/12/18 THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP AND LEFT IT. AFTER A SCAN & TEST DRIVE, THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. MECHANIC DROVE IT THE NEXT DAY OVER 80 MILES AND THIS TIME HE DID EXPERIENCE THE SAME REDUCTION OF POWER. HE SCANNED VEHICLE AGAIN BUT NO ERROR CODES SHOW. IT'S STILL AT DEALERSHIP 3/19/18.