NHTSA Complaint #11229677 — 2014 KIA SORENTO

LAST FALL 2018 I RECEIVED A LETTER AND HAD A KSDS SENSOR INSTALLED 28 DEC TO DETECT AND PREVENT ENGINE FAILURE. 22 MAR 2019 THE KSDS KICKED IN AND THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. IT COMPLETELY STALLS THEN LETS YOU ACCELERATE A LITTLE AND DRIVE REALLY SLOW. IF YOU ACCELERATE TOO MUCH IT AGAIN STALLS FOR A FEW SECONDS. LUCKILY MY WIFE WAS ONLY 2 MILES FROM HOME TRAVELING ~40 ON A SIDE ROAD (NOT HIGHWAY). IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY SEEMS LIKE A MAJOR HAZARD. HAVING THE ENGINE SEIZE WITH THE REAL ISSUE IS PROBABLY WORSE. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER, WHO GAVE US A LOANER, THEN CALLED US BACK THE NEXT DAY TO SAY THE VEHICLE WAS COVERED FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THE ENGINE WOULD NEED REPLACED. COUPLE WEEKS LATER WE CHECKED ON AND WE WERE TOLD THEY WERE DONE WITH OUR VEHICLE. THEY DID SOMETHING TO THE WIRE HARNESS AND A TEST ON THE ENGINE TO SAY THE VEHICLE WAS OK. I ASKED THE DEALER AND KIA CA FOR THE FOLLOWING EXPLANATION: 1.WHY DID THE KSDS KICK IN AND WHY IS MY VEHICLE OK NOW? 2.DID THEY DO SOMETHING (DISABLE) TO PREVENT THE KSDS FROM KICKING IN AGAIN? 3.DID THEY ENHANCE IT TO BETTER DETECT A MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM? WHAT EXACTLY DID THEY DO WITH THE WIRE HARNESS/KSDS? 4.HOW QUICKLY CAN THE REAL ISSUE HAPPEN? 5.WILL MY CAR STILL BE COVERED BY THE LIFETIME WARRANTY? 6.IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY? GOT A RUN AROUND AND NO ANSWER. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK. I WON'T DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY, ESPECIALLY THE WIFE, KIDS, GRANDKIDS. I FOUND THE TSB 1802W/X AND 1803W/X AND IT INDICATES INTERFERENCE ON THE W/H AND WAS REPLACED. SO DID MY KSDS KICK IN BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE AND NOT THE REAL PROBLEM? REGARDLESS IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THIS KSDS? WHATEVER HELP YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE APPRECIATED, THANKS.