| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 006068961 | Incident Date: Jun, 20 2006 |
| Consumer's City: | Consumer's State: OK |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: Kia Motors America |
| Model Name: OPTIMA | Model Year: 2001 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Air bags |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: KNAGD126015 | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Jun, 21 2006 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Apr, 18 2003 |
| Was Original Owner: No | Anti-lock Brakes: No |
| Number of Cylinders: 4 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Air bag light came on while driving & would go out repeatedly. when i called the kia 800 number was told probably nothing. but you might want to schedule it in with your local dealer. i asked "do i need to be concerned that it might deploy unexpectedly". he said probably not, if you are concerned that it might deploy you are better off not driving it. i told him i don't know anything about airbags, he repeated,"if i believe there is reason to be concerned, you should probably just park it." i took it to a local repair center that is near my home & was told that the "clock spring" in the steering column had broken & the vehicle is not safe to drive, that the airbag could deploy at anytime without cause or in a collision it may not deploy at all. i called the 800 number back & asked if there was any recalls on the airbag for a 2001 kia optima le & was told they will not discuss recalls with me at all without the vin #. i asked specifically about airbag problems for the optima 2001& told him i didn't have the vin# because it was in the shop. he stated they would not discuss any recalls without my name, address and/or the vin#, i said i would fix it then submit charges if recalled the 800# said that if it is recalled after i repair it i may not get reimbursed if it wasn't diagnosed by a dealership. i called the local dealership to schedule it, they said to bring it in. i told them i would be towing it in & they wanted to know why towed in. i told them the repair center said that the airbag could deploy without notice, they said it could but not necessarily. i believe that kia have no concern for the fact a person could die or be seriously injured if the driver's air bag deployed at highway speeds. this problem arose without any indication & i addressed the problem immediately. i believe this is a serious life threatening problem & needs to be investigated, i hope the nhtsa will. *nm |
