NHTSA Complaint #11141365 — 2011 KIA OPTIMA

VEHICLE WILL NOT START. ENGINE AND IGNITION REPLACED DUE TO BEARING WEAR RECALL. TRANSMISSION REPLACED 2 WEEKS AGO FOR REBUILT ONE, AND NOW CAR WON'T START. IT'S BEEN 2 DAYS AND KIA HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT. THE REASON I WANTED TO SUBMIT THIS COMPLAINT IS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON TRANSMISSIONS INSTALLED IN THESE VEHICLES. KIA WANTED ME TO WAIT FROM 10 SEP TO MID DEC BECAUSE THESE TRANSMISSIONS ARE ON BACK ORDER. WHICH MEANS THERE'S SO MUCH DEMAND THAT DEC IS THE EARLIEST THEY COULD RECEIVE IT. THEIR SHOP IS FULL, MOSTLY OF THESE CARS (OPTIMA). THEY EXPECTED ME TO WAIT 3 MONTHS WITHOUT A CAR IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM TIME. IT JUST BOGGLES MY MIND THAT THEY COULD DO THIS. THE CRAZIEST THING IS THAT EXPECT EVERYONE TO WAIT THIS LONG. I TALKED TO 3 DIFFERENT COSTUMERS WHO ARE ALL HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WITH THE SAME CARS, AND THEY WERE TOLD THE SAME THING. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 2014 USED, ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER, NEVER HAD ANY ACCIDENTS, NOW HAS 111,000+ MILES. ALWAYS DID ALL MAINTENANCE CHECKS, OIL & FILTER CHANGES, TUNE UPS, FLUIDS CHANGE AND YEARLY INSPECTIONS. ONLY USED FOR GOING TO WORK AND COMING HOME 5 DAYS A WEEK (APPROX. 54 MILES PER DAY). I DECIDED TO REPAIR TRANSMISSION AT OTHER PLACE & ENDED UP SAVING $1100. KIA WANTED TO CHARGE $2,700 FOR REBUILD TRANSMISSION & FOUND A GUY THAT CHARGED ME $1,600 FOR REBUILD ONE. KIA NEVER GAVE ME QUOTE COPY. JUST TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE. HOW CONVENIENT! GUY TOLD ME THE WAY THESE TRANSMISSIONS WERE BUILT IT'S SIMPLY BAD ENGINEERING. AND SHOWED ME THE PART OF THE TRANSMISSION THAT BROKE. WOULD UPLOAD THE DOCUMENTS , BUT I LEFT IN MY CAR! CAN STILL PROVIDE THEM THOUGH! THE SAFETY ISSUE WAS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH ON A BUSY HIGHWAY IN HOUSTON! THE CAR SIMPLY DIED ON THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. SO I CAN ONLY ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE!