NHTSA Complaint #11562185 — 2015 KIA OPTIMA

I bought a 2015 Kia optima in February of 2023. In October the engine completely seized with zero warning. The vehicle was always properly serviced while in my possession. The engine seized and the car went into limp mode during the first snow storm of the year on one of the deadliest mountain passes of North Idaho. I, a young woman, was stranded almost an hour outside of town on the side of a freeway on a mountain during a snow storm. The power in my car shut off so I was unable to use the heat system. I waited approximately 3 hours in these conditions for a family member to arrive. I then had the vehicle towed 40 miles back to town and have been without a vehicle since. Kia USA has only offered $40 a day in rental reimbursement to assist with the situation. However, due to my age I am unable to rent a vehicle. My personal dealership where I purchased the vehicle from has denied letting me rent a vehicle from them. The Local Kia dealership has not provided me with a loaner vehicle despite being on the list for over two months. Since dealing with all of this, I have learned that there is not only 1 but 2 recalls on my vehicle and one is not even going to be fixed due to Kia not having the replacement parts ready, meaning my vehicle can explode at any given time.