NHTSA complaint #11451980

Owner complaint summary

I reported a suspected defect on my vehicle 1/26/22. With 44,000 miles, the car began stalling and having difficulty accelerating from a stop at busy intersections. Germain Kia Dealership on Georgesville Rd in Columbus, OH where I purchased the vehicle new has refused to adequately investigate this issue, and has refused to make any repair for the open recall on this vehicle involving taillights and the trailer hitch. Dealership stated it would only make repairs if I bought a $15,000 new engine from them, and they stated that Kia would not honor my manufacturer's warranty, nor would Kia honor my extended warranty sold to me for $2,000 at time of purchase. Dealership was acting as an agent of Kia when taking this action. I filed a complaint to Kia headquarters, but this scheme to defraud was endorsed by Kia through a lack of action. I was assigned case number 14636950 by Kia, but the automaker took no action. My recall item was not repaired, and the suspected defect that involves stalling on my two-year old engine was not addressed at all. My records show 5 oil changes since buying this car, but Kia's Columbus, OH dealership says only oil changes done by their own dealership count. None of my oil changes done by other ASE certified repair facilities will be recognized. Dealership says Kia will not honor any warranty due to lack of maintenance. I can prove vehicle was maintained properly. When I escalated this matter to the dealership sales manager, service manager, and general manager, they took no action. I was denied repair on the recall item, as dealership and Kia tried to trick me into buying a new engine, they breached my warranty and my extended warranty, and they did not investigate the new potential defect involving power train. Please do not allow Kia and its dealers to defraud other customers and keep unsafe cars on the road in this fashion.