NHTSA Complaint #11351062 — 2014 KIA SOUL

MY WIFE AND I ARE THE FORMERLY PROUD OWNERS OF A 2014 KIA SOUL 2.0 OUR FIRST KIA WAS A 1996 SPORTAGE, WE BOUGHT IT NEW AT ONE OF THE FIRST FOUR KIA DEALERS IN THE US, BOB LANPHERE IN BEAVERTON OR. WE HAVE BEEN KIA EVANGELISTS FOR MANY YEARS. HOWEVER, OVER SOME TIME, OUR 2014 SOUL SEEMED TO BE SLOWLY LOSING POWER, AND ALSO LOSING SOME OIL BETWEEN CHANGES. WE USED IT IN TOWN, RARELY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I GUESS IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF SLOWLY TURNING UP THE HEAT ON THE POT OF WATER FOR THE FROG; BUT WE JUST DIDN'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION. WE HAPPENED TO TAKE IT TO OUR MECHANIC TO HAVE THE BRAKES DONE, HE CALLED UP, SAID THE BRAKES WERE READY BUT THAT THE CAR HAD LITTLE POWER AND ASKED 'HOW DID WE DRIVE IT LIKE THAT?' HE FURTHER VOLUNTEERED THAT THE EXHAUST EMITTED A METALLIC ODOR HE ASSOCIATED WITH A DYING CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND THAT A CLOGGED CONVERTER CAN SIGNIFICANTLY HAMPER THE POWER. WE WERE SURPRISED TO HEAR THE NEWS BUT THE GENTLEMAN HAS PROVED HIS ACUITY AND INTEGRITY A NUMBER OF TIMES OVER THE YEARS WITH OTHER VEHICLES. WE SUBSEQUENTLY HAD THE ENTIRE CONVERTER REPLACED WITH AN AFTERMARKET PRODUCT FOR A "MERE" 900 DOLLARS. AFTER THE FACT, WE THOUGHT THERE WAS STILL SOME HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATION WAS REQUIRED, BUT IT CLEARLY RAN MUCH BETTER. THEN WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE 1.6 RECALL, AND A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR THE 2.0! NOW WE WORRY THAT IF THERE IS A PROGRAMMING ISSUE IT COULD DAMAGE ANOTHER CONVERTER AND EVEN WORSE IF THE CONVERTER IS NOT THE INSTIGATOR THEN THE CAR MIGHT STOP DEAD AND/OR CATCH ON FIRE AT ANY TIME REGARDLESS OF A NEW CONVERTER. IT RUNS VERY HOT, AND HAS LESS POWER THAN IT SHOULD. NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN WHY THE BAD ECU PROGRAMMING WOULD NOT EFFECT THE 2.0 ENGINE'S CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WE HAVE ASKED THE DEALERSHIP AND THE KIA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER TO EXPLAIN THE DISTINCTION BOTH VERBALLY AND IN WRITING WITH NO REAL ANSWER.