NHTSA Complaint #11243794 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA

ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2012 KIA OPTIMA SX STARTING GETTING DIM. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED BULBS WHICH MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I TOOK IT IN AGAIN ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO BECAUSE IT WAS BECOMING DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. THEY HAD MY CAR OVERNIGHT SO THE SERVICE TECH DROVE IT THAT EVENING TO SEE HOW BAD IT WAS. HE TOLD ME THAT HE TURNED UP A DARK ROAD, TURNED THE CAR AROUND, FLIPPED THE HIGH BEAMS ON SO HE COULD FIND HIS WAY BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. HE TOLD ME THAT IT SCARED THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT OUT OF HIM AND HE WAS SORRY BUT ALL HE COULD DO IS REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES AND IT WOULD COST ME $2500.00! I WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF OTHERS WERE HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND I SEE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHT AND HAVE TO RELY ON MY HUSBAND FOR TRANSPORTATION AFTER DARK. I MIGHT TRY TO TRADE THE CAR IN FOR SOMETHING WITH REAL HEADLIGHTS BUT I'M AFRAID THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO TRADE IT IN THIS CONDITION. I DID FIND A TBS #ELE181 THAT SAYS IT'S PART OF A WARRANTY EXTENTION WTY014 THAT REPLACES THE HEADLIGHTS FOR THIS VERY CONDITION ON MY CAR MODEL AND YEAR BUT WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT ONLY APPLIES TO KOREAN MADE VEHICLES. MINE IS AN AMERICAN MADE KIA THAT, OBVIOUSLY, HAS THE SAME ISSUE. WHY WOULDN'T ALL KIA OPTIMAS WITH THIS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS PROBLEM BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION? HELP! I'M AT MY WITS END!