NHTSA Complaint #11690621 — 2022 KIA EV6

Prior to midnight on 9/25/2025 I stopped at a Sheetz in Stephen"s City , Va to charge my 2022 Kia EV6. Upon pulling into the charging area I discovered construction fencing around the area with the chargers removed. I then drove to the other side of the store and parked next to the building to take advantage of the lighting as I scanned my phone app for alternative chargers in the area. SUDDENLY, within the blink of an eye, my car lunged forward at MAXIMUM speed. It came to a sudden stop , prior to hitting the glass and brick wall of the building. I was stunned. My first reaction was to try to go into reverse to back away from the building and then I noticed people coming toward me. I rolled the window down and heard them ask if I was ok , if I needed help calling 911, and then they began to insist that I climb down out of the car as they feared it would catch on fire. I did not understand what they meant initially, until I realized I was LOOKING DOWN at them. With assistance, I got out of my car and realized it was impaled upon the metal barrier post located in the middle , front of the parking space. The local sheriff dept responded and after putting me through all the DUI tests/exercises realized that I , indeed , was sober and not responsible for the incident. The deputy called Clem's Garage/Towing who arrived 30-45 min latter with a standard tow truck - I tried to explain that tugging at my car from the rear would not release it from the pole ( the rear of the car pointed toward the pavement while the front pointed toward the sky) and that continuing to tug would only do more damage (I wanted to prevent my car further damage). He eventually called another company who arrived with a large crane-like vehicle that lifted my car off the pole. The top portion of the pole was missing and apparently stuck in my car . My car was then towed to Clem's holding yard.