2017 Kia Niro

My car slowed, smelled hot, and then transmission overheat light came on approximately 130 miles from my home. I had it towed to nearest Kia service due to my warranty, Lehighton Kia dealer by AAA (Kia roadside wanted $293). Dealer claimed it was Clutch Actuator (said nothing about recall) and claim to be attempting to confirm warranty with Zurich for days with no success, I had no issue calling Zurich to confirm warranty would cover it. They said parts were unavailable in US, some in Korea, no guarantee where they would be distributed to and could not be ordered yet, so timeline of at least a month that I would be without a car. They could not offer me a loaner or rental. Last night I received Recall notice SC276 for the exact issue I am dealing with. In 4 calls to Lehighton Kia this recall was never mentioned. I bought my car in March with 31,000 with the best extended warranty I could buy to protect myself as a recent widow with a daughter in college. My car now has 52,000 and is not usable indefinitely, I cannot afford a rental and I work 35 miles away and feel that the Lehighton Kia has been less than helpful in dealing with this issue.

I was driving and the car was stuttering. Then after I stopped for a bit it resumed normal operations. Then the warning light came on, then it went off again. This happened for a couple of weeks until finally, while on a road trip at the end of July 2023, the car seemed to just lose power in 4th gear and I would have to really rev the engine just to keep it moving, that happened while on a road trip. I called the dealership several times during the trip and they said I’d already had the computer recall reset so they didn’t think it made any sense. I took it to my neighborhood repair shop when I got back and they said two spark plugs are shot, they replaced them and it ran fine. But now it’s stuttering again, just a few months later. I called the dealership again and they said I could bring it it for a diagnostic (not free) and then I got a letter about a recall. Not sure if it’s related to my issue because the dealer said probably not and said they’d call me when they knew more and my car had the computer issue not this one. No one has called and the car is still stuttering. I took it to the mechanic again and he said spark plugs look fine, but again, it is losing power in 4th gear, just around 45 mph only when I’ve been driving for more than two hours. I would just like the dealership to take a look and fix it.

During first recall 18V-666, Kia stated that I received a new PRA in September 2019 per recall instructions. July 2023, my car would not turn on and was sent to same Kia dealership. Recall 22V-836 applies to my car, and my PRA shows sign of thermal damage yet again. Both main relays that were replaced in 2019 were of Panasonic, yet, the PRA was melted to the point that the wire harness also needs replacing. This is 2 fire incidences in my 2017 Kia Niro in less than 3.5 years, on the same part.

I called my local Dealer Nationwide Kia in Timonium Maryland to get an appointment for the required recall. They have so far have been unresponsive, so I called Kia in California. I got a case # of [XXX] after waiting 1:30 mins on the phone. Called back the next week and they said they called the dealer and got no answer but left a message and they sent an email. Called back the next week and they said the dealer never responded and they sent another email. Called back today and sat on the phone with Kia California for another hour and they never answered. I'm very upset that i can't seem to get an appointment for a safety recall, what good does a recall do if the dealer won't answer me and the Kia Zone office can't force them into action. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Back seat got warm & later that morning car engine would not start but lights in vehicle came on. Appt made w/dealer who after a week hadn't done diagnostics nor checked battery & main hybrid fuse as I had requested. I towed to a service garage who upon starting to open the box covering battery, found battery had kindof exploded & bulged. I searched online for recalls on 12/7/22 and found a recall 11/10/22 -22V836000 (KIAs # is SC256) which is "Main Relay within Power Relay Assembly (PRA) may have inadequate connections between its contacts, causing increased electrical resistance, which can overheat the rear seats." "This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 18V-666. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed" I have receipt showing I had did the 1st recall but the recall is not showing up when I search my VIN#. Kia has found some dealers lied & never replaced the part they said they did. My car will be towed tomorrow to a KIA dealer who will look into this issue & what my battery looks like. No warning lights came on prior to the engine not starting. I called KIA cust service for recalls this morning 12/7 and they were no help to me at all seeing the recall isnt showing under my VIN number.

Intermittent failure of multifunction switch in steering column that controls lights, leading to loss of left-hand turn signal. Dealer checked bulb, socket, and wiring harness and could not reproduce the issue. This is a safety issue as it occurs without warning, lasts for days, and could cause an accident through inability to signal lane change or turn at intersection.

I HAVE TRIED ON THREE OCCASIONS TO HAVE THIS RECALL FIXED. EACH TIME, I LEFT THE CAR WITH THE DEALER, WAITED ALL DAY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WORK WASN'T DONE BECAUSE THAT THEY HAS TO ORDER THE PART. THE FIRST TIME, COVINA KIA, SENT ME AN E-MAIL TELLING ME THAT I HAD CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT, WHEN THEY CANCELLED IT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET THE PART. THE SECOND TIME, THE PART WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN STOCK BUT WAS AGAIN NOT AVAILABLE. THE LAST TIME WAS WITH CITRUS KIA. I CALLED KIA CUSTOMER CARE, REPORTED THE PROBLEM AND WAS PROMISED THAT IT WOULD BE RESOLVED. AS OF THIS DATE IT HASN'T. I BELIEVE, KIA IS STALLING THIS RECALL BECAUSE THEY DON'T KEEP PARTS IN STOCK. CURRENTLY, I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL FEB. 6, TO HAVE THE WORK DONE. THIS IS LOS ANGELES WITH THOUSANDS OF CARS. I AM ESPECIALLY SUSPICIOUS OF THE E-MAIL AS IT MADE ME LOOK LIKE I HAD CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT.

THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP 8 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN FEBRUARY 2017. THE AIRBAG SENSORS WERE DEFECTIVE AND REPAIRED. THE CAR MALFUNCTIONS OVER A BRIDGE CONSTANTLY ON MY WAY TO WORK. KIA DOESN'T KNOW WHY IT DOES THIS. THE LATEST ISSUE IS THE TRANSMISSION FAILING IN TRAFFIC AND THERE BEING NO ACCELERATION. I'VE BEEN IN A LOT OF UNSAFE SITUATIONS BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES. KIA CORPORATION HAS BEEN INVOLVED AND A TECH HAS BEEN FLOWN OUT TO INVESTIGATE MY CAR. I'M CURRENTLY SUING THEM TO REPURCHASE IT AS A LEMON. THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL. THEY HAVE HAD AIRBAG AND ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH SEVERAL OTHER MODELS HISTORICALLY. NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHY MY CAR KEEPS BREAKING DOWN. I HAVE SEVERAL INVOICES AND PICTURES.