NHTSA Complaint #11143397 — 2011 KIA SPORTAGE

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, SMELLED SMOKE, AND THOUGHT I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT FROM WHERE THE ENGINE IS LOCATED, THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. I WAS ON MY WAY TO GROCERY STORE. I CAME OUT OF STORE TO LEAVE AND CAR WOULD NOT START. CAR WILL NOT STAY RUNNING UNLESS YOU USE GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 WEEKS AGO! IT IS STILL IN THE SHOP. I HAVE GOTTEN THE RUN AROUND AS TO EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, THEY SAID THE TIMING CHAIN WAS WAY OFF, AND THEY ALSO ORDERED OTHER PARTS KIA "APPROVED" BUT TRIED TO ORDER MORE PARTS THAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD HELP MY CAR SO THE MAN SAID BUT KIA DENIED THE REQUEST FOR THOSE. I DO NOT HAVE AN ITEMIZED LIST YET OF SPECIFICS. THE CAR ONLY HAD 67,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS HAPPENED. YES, I HAVE THE 100,000 MILE LIMITED WARRANTY AND WILL FIGHT THEM TOOTH AND NAIL IF THEY ATTEMPT TO CHARGE ME A DIME FOR AN ENGINE PROBLEM. IT WAS ALWAYS IN THE SHOP FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WHEN NEEDED. I AM CONCERNED THIS IS ONE OF THE VEHICLES EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT ON YOUR LIST OF DANGEROUS KIA'S. DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY THE TIMING CHAIN THAT GAVE OFF THE "FIRE" SMELL AND THERE WOULD BE A BIT OF SMOKE. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO REACH OUT TO KIA AND GET SOME ANSWERS BUT I AM GETTING THE RUNAROUND THERE AS WELL. I WANTED TO START THIS EARLY JUST IN CASE. I WILL FIND OUT ON MONDAY IF THE CAR IS FIXED, AND AT THAT TIME I SHOULD HAVE PAPERWORK TO SEND TO YOU. HELP! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF THIS IS ONE OF THE OLD ENGINE RECALLS I SAW HAPPENED A FEW YEARS BACK THAT I WAS NOT INFORMED ABOUT? OR IF THE 2011 LX SPORTAGE IS A FIRE HAZARD VEHICLE AS WELL?