NHTSA Complaint #11118626 — 2017 KIA OPTIMA

WHILE ON AN HOUR'S DRIVE THE BSD (BLING SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM) CEASED TO OPERATE. THE ACTUATOR SWITCH WAS ILLUMINATED, BUT AN ERROR EXCLAMATION POINT APPEARED ON THE DASH NOTING THE BSD FAILURE. I DROVE ON FURTHER UNTIL I CAME TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THIS HAD HAPPENED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, ALSO. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND PULLED THE KEY. I WAITED 30 SECONDS AND RESTARTED THE CAR. THEY SYSTEM CAME BACK ONLINE. FURTHER ALONG ON THE DRIVE IT HAPPENED AGAIN, AS I WAS DRIVING ON A HILLY ROAD. WHEN I WENT TO GIVE THE CAR MORE GAS, THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. I FLOORED THE ACCELERATOR, AND THE CAR STILL DID NOT RESPOND, WHILE THE BSD MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN. IT WAS SIMULTANEOUS. ADDITIONALLY, THE SYSTEM ON THE DASHBOARD THAT INDICATES WHERE THE SHIFTER IS WENT DARK AND THE EXACT SAME TIME AS THE FAILURE IN BOTH CASES ON THIS DAY. OF COURSE I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THEY COULD NOT RE-CREATE THE ISSUE. THEY CALLED KIA CORPORATE TO SEE IF THERE WERE SIMILAR REPORTS WITH A FIX THEY MIGHT KNOW OF. THE FACTORY SENT A CYA RESPONSE TO THE DEALER STATING THAT KNEW NOTHING OF THIS ISSUE. I HAD GONE ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SCORES OF SIMILAR BSD FAILURES IN BOTH KIA AND HYUNDAI WHICH ARE SISTER COMPANIES. I HAVE TO BELIEVE THE BSD MODULE IS MADE BY THE SAME MANUFACTURER FOR BOTH COMPANIES. I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE I WAS IN THE AREA OF THE DEALERSHIP I WOULD DRIVE THE CAR THERE SO THEY COULD SEE AND POSSIBLY COME UP WITH A DIAGNOSTIC CODE WHILE THE FAILURE WAS IN PROGRESS. THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR THE ASSOCIATED LOSS OF POWER...