Consumer Complaint Detail

KIA / OPTIMA / 2001

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 002098390 Incident Date: Jun, 30 2002
Consumer's City: HUNTINGBURG Consumer's State: IN
Vehicle Transmission Type: Manufacturers Name: Kia Motors America
Model Name: OPTIMA Model Year: 2001
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Vehicle speed control
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: KNAGD126815 Date added to File: May, 25 2021
Date Complaint Received: Aug, 22 2002 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Jun, 30 2001
Was Original Owner: Yes Anti-lock Brakes: No
Number of Cylinders: 0 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: During spring/2002 noticed hesitation of car during attempts to pass other cars on the highway. hesitation/delay worsened over the next few weeks. it then developed hesitation after starting the car and would at times stall or suddenly "lunge" as accelerator depressed. this became a fairly common problem when starting the engine when cold. after a few minutes with the engine warmed-up it seems to run fairly well with exception of the hesitation/stalling sensation when passing. the car was returned to the dealer to fix the problem on july 18. initially, they believed it was the computer, an air sensor or fuel delivery problem. however, kia now states the problem is a software problem linked to spring/summer gas formulation. their solution is to make sure the car warms up several minutes before driving and that the problem will go away in the fall. obviously, it will recur next spring. the dealership has provided us a rental car at no charge d/t the warranty. they have been exceptionally polite. kia has been somewhat slow on their end communicating with us but polite and cordial. however, the concern remains with the problem of knowing how long to wait to warm the engine and then when you depress the accelerator adapting to the speed that is somewhat erratic. the car is often parked in parking garage and this erratic behavior represents some concern with pedestrians and other vehicles moving in a confined space.*ak