NHTSA Complaint #745715 — 1999 KIA SEPHIA

SINCE EARNHARDT KIA RE-GROUND TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS AND WORKED ON FUEL PUMP (ANOTHER RECALL), CAR HAS STILL STUCK IN GEAR, DRAGGED, MADE GRINDING SOUND AND SHAKES FROM 45 TO ESP. 55-75 MPH, PARTIC WHEN RUNNING HOT (OVER 15 MINUTES). IT ALSO STILL RANDOMLY STALLS ON COLD START OR WHEN RAINY/WET. KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS CALLED AND REQUESTED I NOT TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO EARNHARDT OR TO THOMAS MOTORS AUTHORIZED KIA DEALERSHIPS AND TO PLEASE TAKE IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP AND THEY WOULD CALL BACK TO CONFIRM A LOANER VEHICLE....WHICH THEY DID NOT. SURE ENOUGH, THIS MORNING, ON THE WAY TO WORK, IT WAS DOING IT'S USUAL DRAGGING, GRINDING, AND SHAKING WHILE I DROVE EXCEPT, THIS TIME, IT STUCK IN 1-2 GEAR ALL THE WAY UP TO 45MPH, THEN JUMPED, AND THEN WHEN IT WENT UP TO 65MPH (FREEWAY) RIGHT AFTERWARDS, I SMELLED A STRANGE SMOKEY CHEMICAL SMELL AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I WAS TWO EXITS FROM WORK SO WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO WORK AND CALLED KIA AND ANOTHER DEALERSHIP (CHILDRESS KIA) RIGHT AWAY. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 28,800 MILES AND KESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, I TWICE HAD TO CALL KIA BACK WHEN ONE OF THEIR REPRESENTATIVES AND THEN THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER THEY HAD ARRANGED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE INDICATED THAT KIA HAD PLACED A NOTE IN MY FILE THAT MY WARRANTY WAS "PRE-EXPIRED." IT TOOK CALLING BACK, BEING PUT ON HOLD NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE THEY FINALLY INDICATED THAT THEY HAD MADE AN ADMINISTRATIVE MISTAKE AND, OF COURSE, STILL WARRANTIED. THIS MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTHING LESS THAN UNRESPONSIVE AND INCOMPETENT MECHANICALLY AND ADMINISTRATIVELY IN RESOLVING THIS VEHICLES MAJOR POWERTRAIN DEFECTS (PAST AND CURRENT) AND REQUEST INVESTIGATION REMAIN OPEN UNTIL VEHICLE RECALLED AND RETURNED.*AK