NHTSA Complaint #11267541 — 2011 KIA OPTIMA

WHILE PARKED IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS (ON STREET, AT GAS PUMP, IN PARKING LOTS), AND ON ABOUT 8-10 OCCASIONS, I WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CAR TO START AFTER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE AND START BUTTON ON MY CAR. ALL THE LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE RADIO WENT ON AS WELL - THE REST OF THE CAR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WORKED FINE. THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY STIFF AND WAS HARD TO DEPRESS. I PUT MY KEY FOB INTO THE BYPASS IN THE TRUNK AND IT STILL WOULD NOT START. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE CAR TO START WAS TO DEPRESS THE STIFF BRAKE PEDAL, THEN SHIFT FROM P TO D AND BACK AGAIN. THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO LOOSEN UP AND I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR SUCCESSFULLY. I HAD RESEARCHED THE REMEDY THROUGH YOU TUBE. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS OCTOBER 2, 2018 AND IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 8-10 TIMES SINCE THEN. I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM, BUT NOT OF THE SOLUTION THAT I FOUND ONLINE, THEREFORE I AM UNABLE TO ATTACH ANY DOCUMENTATION. I NOTICED THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKE SWITCH WAS "VOLUNTARY" NHTSA # 13V-114, BUT FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY FIX INSTEAD SINCE IT HAS HAPPENED SO OFTEN TO ME. JUST LAST WEEK WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN, I REMEMBERED WHAT TO DO QUICKLY AS I WAS STUCK IN A LONG LINE AT THE GAS STATION JUST LAST WEEK, WITH CARS HONKING AT ME TO MOVE WHEN I COULD NOT. IT HAPPENED TO ME THE LAST TIME JUST YESTERDAY 10/8/2019 INSIDE MY GARAGE. PLEASE LOOK INTO MAKING THIS A MANDATORY RECALL. I WILL BE CONTACTING MY LOCAL DEALER THIS WEEK AS WELL. THANK YOU.