NHTSA Complaint #11140608 — 2016 KIA OPTIMA

IN AUGUST 2018 I NOTICED THAT THE CAMERA ON THE FRONT GRILLE OF MY 2016 KIA OPTIMA WAS PRODUCING A BLURRY IMAGE. IT DID NOT DO THIS THE NIGHT PRIOR WHEN I USED THE CAMERA TO PARK IN MY GARAGE (WHERE I DID NOT HIT OR BUMP ANYTHING, I WAS NOT EVEN NEAR THE WALL AT THE FRONT OF THE GARAGE). THE LENS HAD A CRACK. SOME CONTEXT: THIS HAPPENED BEFORE IN 2017 AND THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN MCDONOUGH, GA REPAIRED IT AS A WARRANT ITEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE NAMED JOSE CAMACHO SAID THEY THEY WOULD COVER IT AS A WARRANT TIME AND THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. THEY JUST NEEDED TO ORDER THE PART AND WOULD CALL ME WHEN IT ARRIVED. I NEVER RECEIVED A CALL, SO WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP IN SEPTEMBER 2018 I WAS TOLD THAT THE CLAIM WAS DENIED AS A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR PROBLEM AND THAT THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE REPLACED IT THE FIRST TIME. I WAS TOLD THAT IF I WANTED TO DISPUTED IT, I WOULD NEED TO CALL KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS. KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD CHECK WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND AFTER A FEW WEEKS, I CALLED THEM BACK AND THEY SAID THE DEALERSHIP WANTED MY TO COME BACK. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ASKED FOR ME TO BRING THE CAR IN SO THEY COULD TAKE PICTURES. WHILE I WAS THERE I ASK WHAT THE ODDS WHERE THAT THE CAMERA LENS WOULD CRACK TWICE WITH NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE CAMERA UNIT, THE GRILLE OR THE BUMPER, THE SERVICE MANAGER JUSTIN, TOLD ME IT WASN'T LIKELY. I NOTIFIED THEM THAT THERE WAS A 3 PAGE FORUM ON THE INTERNET WHERE OTHER KIA OPTIMA OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM, IN FACT, IF YOU DO A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH FOR KIA OPTIMA CRACKED LENS, IT IS THE FIRST SEARCH RESULT. I ASKED WHY THIS IS NOT A RECALL ITEM, AND THEY SHRUGGED THERE SHOULDERS AND SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHY. THEY THEN SAID THEY WOULD SUBMIT THE PICTURES AND I WOULD GET A CALL BACK FROM KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS. IT WAS DENIED, NO REASON.