NHTSA Complaint #11110139 — 2013 KIA OPTIMA

MY CAR WAS OCCASIONALLY MAKING A LOUD NOISE WHEN DRIVING. WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THE CAR THEN SUDDENLY STARTED SHAKING WHILE IDLING AND BECAME SLUGGISH AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 20 MPH. I HAD TO SLOWLY DRIVE MY CAR BACK HOME, WITH VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION. I THEN TOWED IT TO A MECHANIC WHO HAD TOLD ME THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH A TURBO, AND IT WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY THE LEFTOVER DEBRIS IN THE ENGINE, WHICH WAS COVERED BY THE RECALL. I CALLED KIA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE, AND I WAS TOLD MY CAR PASSED THE RECALL INSPECTION A YEAR AGO, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT SHOULD BE COVERED NOW CONSIDERING I CAN NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD LOOK OVER THE CAR, BUT NOT WITHOUT IMMEDIATELY SAYING THAT THERE'S A CHANCE IT 'WON'T BE COVERED' AS IF THEY WERE ANTICIPATING TELLING ME THEY WON'T DO IT. ON SATURDAY I WAS TOLD I WOULD GET A CALL THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, WHICH I NEVER DID. I FINALLY HAD TO CALL THURSDAY, JUST TO BE ON HOLD FOR 30 MINUTES TELLING ME ITS ONLY THE TURBO AFFECTED, NOT THE ENGINE OR TURBO LINE, AND THEREFORE IT'S NOT UNDER RECALL. NOT ONLY DID THEY TELL ME SOMETHING I ALREADY KNEW, THAT THE TURBO WAS BLOWN, BUT I'M CHARGED $110 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC FEE THAT I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT BEFOREHAND, TO CHECK SOMETHING THAT'S ON RECALL, NOT TO MENTION THE TOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR. I CALLED KIAS CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO JUST GAVE ME AN OH WELL THAT'S TOO BAD SORRY NO ONE TOLD YOU, I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO HELP. I'M NOT EVEN CONVINCED THAT THEY DID ANY TESTS ON MY ENGINE, OR LOOKED INTO THE CAUSE OF THE TURBO FAILURE. MY ONLY EXPLANATION WHEN ASKING ABOUT THE CAR WAS, 'IT NEEDS A TURBO'. WHILE READING OTHER PEOPLE'S STORIES ABOUT THE RECALL, EVERYONE ELSE'S DEALER SAW THAT THE CAR COULDN'T DRIVE, REPLACED THE ENGINE AND TURBO, AND CALLED IT A DAY. I THOUGHT IF THERES A RECALL EVERY CAR GETS FIXED REGARDLESS IF IT NEEDS IT.