NHTSA Complaint #11154089 — 2006 KIA SEDONA

AFTER STOPPING AT STOP SIGN DRIVING ON A CITY STREET (SPEED LIMIT 30), I, MADE A RIGHT TURN AND THE LEFT (DRIVER) SIDE, REAR SLIDING DOOR UNLATCHED AND SLID WIDE OPEN. MY DOG ALMOST SLID OUT BUT HAD HIS LEASH ON AND I MANAGED TO GRAB IT BEFORE HE WENT OUT THE DOOR. I GOT OUT AND SLAMMED THE DOOR MANUALLY, TOOK OFF AND MADE ANOTHER RIGHT TURN WHEN AGAIN THE SAME DOOR SLID WIDE OPEN AGAIN. PARKED SAFELY AND TRIED CLOSING DOOR BUT IT WOULD NOT STAY SHUT EVERY TIME I TRIED TO CLOSE THE DOOR IT WOULD OPEN ON ITS OWN AT LEAST 6 INCHES REMAINING LOOSE IN ITS TRACK (SO WHILE DRIVING IT WOULD SLIDE BACK AND FORWARD. I THEN TIED IT CLOSED/SHUT BUT IT WAS CLEARLY VERY DANGEROUS SO I CONTACTED MY LOCAL KIA THE NEXT MORNING AND TOOK IT IN. KIA COMPLETED 2 OTHER RECALLS BUT THOSE DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE. KIA REPORTED THAT THEY TRACED THE ISSUE BACK TO THE REAR DOOR CONTROLLER WHICH WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALLS BUT WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM SO THEY RE-TIED THE DOOR (SIMILAR TO HOW I HAD) USING MY STRAP. I DECLINED TO PAY TO HAVE THIS FIXED AS KIA HAS ALREADY ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS SO IT IS HAPPENING FREQUENTLY - HAD A PASSENGER BEEN IN THAT SEAT ON THE HIGHWAY THEY COULD HAVE LITERALLY BLOWN OUT THE DOOR ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I THINK THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. MY KIA DOOR HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET AND IS AVAILABLE TO BE LOOKED AT IN DETAIL AS NEEDED. AT THE VERY LEAST OTHER KIA OWNERS NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF THIS SO THAT CHILDREN (AND ANYONE SITTING IN THE REAR SEAT) ARE NOT HARMED OR KILLED. I DO HOPE THAT KIA DOES ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE.