NHTSA Complaint #11164204 — 2013 KIA SORENTO

MY VEHICLE HAS GONE INTO "LIMP" MODE TWICE ON THE INTERSTATE AND TWICE IN LOCAL TRAFFIC WITHOUT WARNING. THE LAST TIME WAS YESTERDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2018. THAT MEANS THAT I LOSE ALL POWER TO ACCELERATE BEYOND A LOW LIMIT. IF I PULL OVER AND RESTART THE MOTOR, IT RUNS NORMALLY FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES AND THE MIL LIGHT GOES OFF. ACCORDING TO THE DTC CODES, I HAVE A FAULTY THROTTLE BODY AND THROTTLE ACTUATOR SENSOR, HOWEVER THEY WERE CHECKED AND SHOWN TO BE WORKING NORMALLY. I SEARCHED FOR VEHICLES WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM LIES WITHIN THE COMPUTER. THERE WAS EVEN A KIA ECU UPGRADE PART NUMBER SUPPLIED AS THE FIX. WHEN I CONTACTED SEVERAL KIA SERVICE DEPARTMENTS, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PART NUMBER. I ALSO CONTACTED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT KIA HEADQUARTERS. THEIR RESPONSE WAS TO TAKE MY VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM - TO SUDDENLY LOSE POWER WHILE TRAVELING ON A CONGESTED HIGHWAY. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CAR. IT HAS ABOUT 22,000 MILES, WITH OIL CHANGES EVERY FOUR MONTHS. *DT *JB