NHTSA Complaint #11286431 — 2019 KIA FORTE

ON 11/27, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2019 KIA FORTE S WITH ABOUT 5,000 MILES ON IT AND SAID IT WAS DOING SOMETHING REALLY STRANGE. SHE WOULD PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL LIKE NORMAL, BUT THE RPMS WOULD SOAR AND THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP BUT THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE. WE DROVE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN SHE GOT BACK AND I NOTICED THE SAME THING. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP IN THE AREA THAT NIGHT TO BRING IT IN ON FRIDAY, 11/29. THERE WERE NO ISSUES ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT MORNING WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MINUTES AWAY. WE LET THEM KNOW WE HAVE A LONG TRIP BACK THE NEXT DAY AND WANTED TO BE SURE THERE WASN'T A BIG ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT SINCE THERE WASN'T AN ENGINE LIGHT ON, THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY CODES TO TROUBLESHOOT THE ISSUE AND WE WERE SENT ON OUR WAY. AN HOUR INTO OUR TRIP ON 11/30, WE WERE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 70 MPH AND THE CAR STARTED HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. IT WOULD REV UP DRAMATICALLY WHEN TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL AND WE SOON LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. NO ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GOT IT TOWED TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. THEY COULDN'T LOOK AT IT THEN SO WE GOT A RENTAL CAR TO GET BACK HOME. I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THEM THE FOLLOWING MONDAY AND THEY SAID THEY WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND THAT THEY WILL COVER THE RENTAL CAR EXPENSE AS WELL. I'M HOPEFUL THE NEW TRANSMISSION WILL FIX THIS ISSUE AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL REOCCUR AFTER ANOTHER 5,000 MILES.