NHTSA Complaint #11337517 — 2014 KIA SOUL

MY 2014 KIA SOUL, VIN# [XXX], BROKE DOWN ON 12/26/2019, ONLY HAD 33,766 MILES ON IT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE DOWNSTREAM CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS CLOGGED, FOR AN INTERNAL MELT DOWN DUE TO HIGH EXHAUST TEMPERATURE. DEALERSHIP SAID THE DOWNSTREAM CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS VEHICLE HAD THE RECALL SC176 FOR ECU CATALYTIC OVERHEATING PROTECTION (COP) LOGIC UPDATE DONE ON 05/08/2019 AT 32,461 MILES, INVOICE # K1CS806584, THE RECALL SAYS 'THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MAY BECOME DAMAGED DUE TO OVERHEATING CAUSED BY AN EXCESSIVE INCREASE OF EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES'. THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD HAVE DETECTED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS FAILING AND REPLACED IT WHEN THEY DID THE RECALL INSPECTION BUT THEY DIDN'T. NOW ONLY 1300 MILES AFTER, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED. CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHOULD LAST 100K+ MILES. LESS THAN A WEEK AND 130 MILES AFTER THE REAR CONVERTER REPAIR, I HAD FRONT CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AT 33892 MILES. (INVOICE # K1CS829713, 1/23/2020, IT IS REPAIRED UNDER EMISSION WARRANTY. I FILED A CLAIM AT THE KIA RECALL DEPARTMENT FOR A REIMBURSEMENT OF $1485.58 FOR THE REPAIR I PAID, CASE#13505076, BUT THE CLAIM WAS DENIED ON 2/8 SAID THEY CAN ONLY REIMBURSE IF THE REPAIR IS DONE BEFORE THE RECALL. WHEN THEY DID THE RECALL INSPECTION, THEY SHOULD HAVE DISCOVERED THE DAMAGE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED UNDER RECALL, BUT THEY FAILED TO DO SO AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT ONLY 1300 MILES AFTER. THE RECALL IS A FRAUD, ALL THEY DID IS FLASH THE ECU. REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC