NHTSA Complaint #11210065 — 2013 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

HYBRID WARNING LIGHT SUDDENLY CAME ON INDICATING THAT I SHOULD PULL OVER WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I IMMEDIATELY VEERED TO MY LEFT TO GET TO THE SHOULDER, AS THE CAR HAD ALREADY DIED, AND I WAS MOVING ONLY ON MOMENTUM. I WAS ALMOST HIT BY A CAR BEHIND ME. I WAITED A WHILE, AND THE CAR RESTARTED. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WENT AWAY LATER THAT DAY. THIS WAS A SATURDAY, AND I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST OCCURRENCE. THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED THE SAME SCENARIO AND ALSO ALMOST GOT HIT BY A CAR AS I WAS TRYING TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. MY CAR DID NOT START IN THAT INCIDENT, AND I HAD TO GET IT TOWED. THE SECOND TIME WAS AGAIN THE SAME SCENARIO, AND IT DID RESTART. EACH TIME I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. EACH TIME THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, AND THEY MADE ANCILLARY UPDATES, WHICH DIDN'T HELP. THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED, I WAS ADAMANT THAT THEY FIX IT BECAUSE THEY WERE AT RISK OF SERIOUS LIABILITY BECAUSE I WAS BEING PLACED IN EXTREME DANGER. FURTHER, IT BROUGHT ABOUT MUCH ANXIETY KNOWING THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN WITHOUT WARNING AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING. MY CAR IS STILL WITHIN THE 100K WARRANTY. THE FIRST TIME, THEY REFUSED TO ADDRESS IT UNDER WARRANTY, AND THEY ARGUED WITH ME ABOUT IT ONLY TO CONCEDE LATER THAT, IN FACT, IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.