NHTSA Complaint #725041 — 2000 KIA SEPHIA

UPON TEST DRIVING A DIFFERENT KIA SEPHIA ON THE EVENING OF OUR PURCHASE,I NOTICED THE ROUGH SHIFT OF THE VEHICLE.I WAS TOLD BY THE SALES PERSON THAT IT WAS A VERY NEW CAR AND THAT IT SHIFTED HARD BECAUSE IT HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN.I ACCEPTED THAT EXPLAINATION AND WE PROCEEDED TO PURCHASE A DIFFERENT KIA SEPHIA THAT EVENING. MY WIFE DROVE THE CAR TO WORK AND NOTICED THAT THIS VEHICLE SHIFTED VERY HARD ALSO,ESPECIALLY WHEN COLD. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND MENTIONED THIS TO THE SALESPRESON GREG,AND HE SAID THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WOULD CHECK IT OUT LATER THAT WEEK WHEN THEY REPAIRED A SCRATCH WE SAW ON THE SPOILER AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. THEY SAID A 200 MILE TRIP WE WERE PLANNING WOULD HELP SMOOTH EVERYTHING OUT. IT DIDN'T. AFTER ANOTHER WEEK WE COMPLAINED AGAIN AND WERE TOLD THE CAR NEEDED 10,000 MILES ON IT BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SMOOTH OUT. WHEN WE MENTIONED THAT SEEMED STRANGE THEY THEN DROPPED THE MILIAGE ESTIMATE TO BETWEEN 3000-5000 MILES. WE FEEL THE DESIGN OF THIS CAR'S TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY AND UNCOMFORTABLE TO DRIVE. WE WERE BASICALLY TOLD "TOO BAD...WE DON'T THINK SO". THEY EVEN WENT AS FAR AS TO TELL US THAT ALL NEW VEHICLES SHIFT VERY HARD. IN ADDITION TO THE VERY HARD SHIFT, OUR GAS MILIAGE IS WELL BELOW THE ADVERTISED FUEL ECONOMY INFORMATION. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THIS WILL IMPROVE IN 7000-10,000 MILES. WE ARE VERY UNHAPPY WITH THIS CAR AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE US.*AK