NHTSA Complaint #11217144 — 2016 KIA OPTIMA

ON THE EVENING OF MAY 17, I NEEDED A JUMP AFTER WORK. I WENT HOME, TURNED OFF MY CAR BUT WAS UNABLE TO START IT AGAIN SO I REPLACED THE BATTERY. I THOUGHT I HAD FIXED THE PROBLEM UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN I WAS DRIVING 65MPH ON A LOCAL INTERSTATE WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR, ALL MY DASH LIGHTS CAME ON, I LOST NAVIGATION & RADIO AND MY POWER STEERING LOCKED UP. I WENT TO TURN ON MY HAZARDS AND THOSE DID NOT WORK EITHER. I CHECKED MY MIRRORS TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WAS GOING TO HIT ME AND I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AND PULL ONTO THE SHOULDER. I WAS EXTREMELY FEARFUL AS I HAD MINIMAL STEERING CAPABILITY & WAS UNABLE TO NOTIFY OTHER MOTORISTS OF MY DISABLED VEHICLE AS MY HAZARD LIGHTS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW ALTERNATOR FOR MY 3 YEAR OLD CAR. WHILE MY MILEAGE WAS AT 66,500 MILES, I DEFINITELY HAD NOT ANTICIPATED NEED TO REPLACE THAT PART OF A WHILE. DESPITE THAT, I WAS MORE UPSET THAT I LOST FUNCTION OF MY CAR AND WAS NOT ABLE TO WARN OTHER CARS WITH WORKING HAZARD LIGHTS.