2023 Kia Sorento

Incident #1: [XXX] The vehicle would not accelerate after coming to a stop at an intersection. The vehicle would not exceed 20 MPH with oncoming traffic from both the East and West as I was turning West from a North Bound Road. On coming traffic was traveling between 45 and 50 MPH. I was clearly nearly broadsided. The car displayed flashing lights on the dash as I was attempting to accelerate. Depressing the accelerator did not increase my speed. The car kept at a 20 MPH speed for the 1/2 mile I traveled to pull off the road in a safe location, causing traffic to be disrupted until I could pull off the highway I had the car towed to the Kia of Round Rock dealership November 17th. The car remained at Kia until December 3rd where they were unable to duplicate the problem. I requested the problem be referred to Kia in California. Kia of CA was totally unresponsive when the problem could not be duplicated. Incident #2 [XXX] Vehicle failed to respond to accelerate after stopping before attempting to enter a four lane highway. (No traffic was visible.) The car would not accelerate more than 20 MPR, the speed limit was 55 MPH. For the 1.5 mile trip home, I turned on my hazard lights, kept to the right and flagged traffic around me. The car never exceeded 20 MPH. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I had just entered the highway and reached highway speed of 70 mph. Without any warning, the engine died, all of the dashboard lights came on, and I was unable to accelerate. Thankfully I was in the right-hand lane and there was an exit ramp a short distance ahead. The car decelerated as it had no power, and cars behind me were honking. I was able to exit the highway and coast into a parking lot just off the frontage road. Had I not been able to get off the highway, the vehicle would have been stalled in fast-moving traffic, and a pile-up could have easily occurred. I turned the car off using the push button start/stop, waited several minutes, and restarted the car. The check engine light was on and the car diagnostics system reported an issue with the "engine management system." Upon clicking the details link, the diagnostics system further stated "A possible condition with your Engine Control System has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done soon. Please contact your local dealership to schedule an appointment." I took the car to a local Kia dealership, and they stated they could not recreate the problem. They reported they "inspected the vehicle for DTC's and found code PO65312 in history." They cleared the code and reported, in writing, that "no issues found during test drive, vehicle currently operating properly, no further action taken" and gave the car back to me without fixing anything. They stated it may need to be diagnosed for longer ext diag time. The vehicle is available for inspection, and I would appreciate any help I can get as I got no help at the dealership.

The vehicle was purchased new. From day one, there were issues. When it was delivered from the factory, it was discovered to be partly unpainted. This raised quality concerns. So far, the most serious has been that the motor blower failed at approximately 29,700 miles. This resulted in the vehicle filling with noxious fumes. It then had to be abandoned on the side of the highway. This led to a fire dispatch and later urgent care visits. Prior to towing, it was discovered that the AC was not working and the engine coolant reservoir was at ~ 1/4 of the minimum line. Ultimately, the vehicle was towed to King KIA. They held the vehicle for 2 weeks. They drove the vehicle 16 miles. However, they did not diagnose the problem. The only action that they took was to refill the engine coolant reservoir. Prior to pick-up, we notified the KIA Customer Service Escalation Case Manager in writing that the vehicle had not been fixed and continued to represent a safety risk to our family. They took no further action. After pick-up, the vehicle was driven approximately 35 miles before the smoke started to fill the engine cabin. It was taken to two independent mechanics along the side of the highway. One was Vienna Auto Care and the other was Jiffy Lube Auto Care. Both identified that the motor blower resistor had likely failed. The JLAC manager also identified white material on the engine manifold believed to be engine coolant. All was documented in writing. The vehicle was towed back to King KIA. Prior to towing, the JLAC manager told us that melted motor blower casing was highly toxic. (Later, the KIA Case Manager informed us that he would admit that our family was put at risk by being told to pick-up the unfixed vehicle.) He also told us that if the motor blower failed then it likely was not an isolated case. This time, the motor blower failure was reproduced. However, the engine coolant issue has yet to be resolved. We are now being instructed to pick-up the car again.

This was an alarming situation. I was taking my wife for a cancer treatment in our 2023 KIA Sorrento with 2600 miles on it. The instrument panel showed a A with a circle around it, blinking continuously. I was going up a grade in a town and the car would not accelerate. All of a sudden the engine SURGED the brakes would not stop the car, I put it into neutral and went into a parking lot. If there would have ben a car in front of me or no place to pull over there would have been a serious accident. I called the KIA dealership and took it in for a diagnostic test. Nothing wrong with car was their answer. In the mean time I am afraid to drive the car. I am [XXX] and reflexes are not as good as they were [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Twice while driving on the highway the engine power went off and all the safety lights flash and I could not accelerate. I was able to pull Over in neutral and restart the engine. When taken in for inspection, no problems were found. It happened again in June after the 7500 mile inspection on May 9th. This issue is life threatening as it could easily cause a fatal crash if I was not in the right lane, on flat ground, with a shoulder. There was no warning light.

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the engine START/STOP feature was malfunctioning. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the engine START/STOP system caused the vehicle to restart, and then to stall, nearly causing a crash. The battery warning light was illuminated and the message "Shift to Park to Start Vehicle" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.