NHTSA Complaint #11258678 — 2005 KIA AMANTI

BOUGHT THIS CAR USED IN DECEMBER 2017 AND WITHIN THE FIRST WEEKS OF DRIVING IT NOTICED ERRATIC PROBLEMS WHEN DRIVING OVER 40MPH. ON THE HIGHWAY IT HAS PROBLEMS FREQUENTLY WITH INCREASING SPEED WHEN ACCELERATED, ESPECIALLY ON AN UPHILL INCLINE, AND WHEN I'M STOPPED/ SITTING STILL, IT TRIES TO BACKFIRE. IF I'M DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT AND HAVE TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO SPEED LIMIT CHANGE OR SLOWED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, WHEN I TRY TO PICK UP SPEED AGAIN THE RPMS WON'T GO UP ENOUGH TO DO SO; I CAN BE DOING 40 MPH AND FLOOR THE ACCELERATOR AND RPM STAYS AT 2000 UNTIL I THE CAR SUDDENLY DECIDES IT WANTS TO DRIVE, THEN RPM JUMPS UP TO AROUND 3200 RPM AND THE CAR PICKS UP SPEED AGAIN AND RPMS DROP BACK TO NORMAL AT 2500. ON UPHILL INCLINES, THE CAR STARTS LOSING SPEED WITHOUT BREAKING AND ACCELERATING DOESN'T INCREASE THAT SPEED. I'VE HAD IT IN TWO DIFFERENT SHIPS; ON REPLACED THE PLUGS (SAYING IT WAS MISSING), AND THE OTHER FOUND A BAD COIL THEY REPLACED. OOD THING IS THAT AFTER EACH REPAIR, THE CAR BEHAVES AND DRIVES GOOD FOR A WEEK OR SO, THEN THE SAME PROBLEMS OCCUR AGAIN. ENGINE LIGHT HASN'T COME ON AT ALL, AND I QUESTION IF IT EVEN WORKS AS I DON'T EVEN SEE THE SYMBOL LIGHT UP WHEN I START THE CAR; I ONLY KNOW IT HAS ONE FROM SEEING THE SYMBOL WHEN THE SUNLIGHT SHINES DIRECTLY ONTO THAT GAUGE. MAYBE THAT'S BROKEN SO IT DOESN'T INDICATE THERE'S A PROBLEM; HECK IF I KNOW. THE SAFETY ISSUE HERE IS THAT HIGHWAY MINIMUM SPEED IS 45 MPH, SO WHEN VEHICLE LOSSES SPEED OR WON'T SPEED UP, OTHERS COULD RUN INTO ME NOR REALIZING HOW SLOW I'M GOING. REALLY STRANGE THAT EVEN THE REPAIR SHOPS DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. I'VE KEPT CHECKING FOR A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM, BUT NONE HAD BEEN ISSUED. I'VE ALREADY SPENT $700 TRYING TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM AND TRULY CANNOT AFFORD TO CONTINUE TO POUR MONEY INTO THE CAR TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM JUST TO HAVE IT BE REOCCURRING/MISBEHAVING.