2007 Kia AMANTI: complaints, problems and recalls

I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 AMANTI ON THE I-10 WHEN THE SUN ROOF SUDDENLY SHATTERED. THERE WAS NO EVENT THAT LEAD TO THIS OCCURRENCE. THE GLASS SIMPLY EXPLODED OR IMPLODED. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS CAR WAS LESS THAN 3 MONTHS OLD AND WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP FOR AN EXPLANATION. OF COURSE, THERE WAS NONE. KIA WAS FILING THIS WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY, BUT THIS WAS A DEFECT OF SOME SORT THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS SO NEW THEY WOULD HAVE TO ORDER THE REPLACEMENT PARTS TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS. I…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10187279 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA AMANTI. THE DASHBOARD TRIM IS ALUMINUM AND REFLECTS THE SUNLIGHT ONTO THE SIDE MIRRORS OF THE VEHICLE. THE REFLECTION FAILURE HAS ALMOST CAUSED THE CONTACT TO CRASH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HIM TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE HE PURCHASED IT SO THEY CAN CHANGE THE TRIM. HE HAS NOT YET BEEN TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 600 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500. THE CONSUMER STATED THE KIA AGREED TO PAY TO HAVE THE REFLECTIVE ALUMINUM STRIP PAINTED BLACK. UPDATED 09/05/07. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10196609 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA AMANTI. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE DRIVER SIDE FLOORMAT WAS SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE THROUGH A HOLE BENEATH THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS. ONCE HALF OF THE FLOORMAT BECAME STUCK IN THE ENGINE, IT CAUSED THE BRAKES TO STOP WORKING AND THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND MANAGED TO REACH UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL AND PULL THE FLOORMAT OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 15,000. UPDATED 6/9/08 …

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10228552 at NHTSA ↗

THE DATE BELOW REFERS TO MOST RECENT EVENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED AROUND 10 TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE (2007 KIA AMANTI PURCHASED NEW). IN THE MOST RECENT EVENT I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR FROM RUNNING A RED LIGHT, ENTERING AN INTERSECTION AND NEARLY HAD A COLLISION IN THE PROCESS. THE PROBLEM IS THIS: EVERY NOW AND THEN APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES--WHICH OF COURSE IS SUPPOSED TO STOP THE CAR--ACTUALLY CAUSES THE CAR TO ACCELERATE DRAMATICALLY--TO JACKRABBIT I THINK IT IS CALLED--WITH SUCH FORCE THAT EVEN FULL PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE…

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10264763 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA AMANTI. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONSISTENTLY ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, WHICH INDICATED THAT THE PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAG WAS INOPERATIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE AIRBAG SYSTEM WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 10106. UPDATED 1/4/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT HIS WIFE CARRY EXTRA WEIGHT IN HER LAP OR RIDE IN THE BACK SEAT. UPDATED 01/06/10.*JB

Owner-reported narrative. 10,106 miles reported. Look up ODI 10294980 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA AMANTI. SHE STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE CHECK TIRE SENSORS WERE ILLUMINATED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED; HOWEVER, AN HOUR AFTER THE REPAIR WAS MADE THE TIRE SENSOR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE CLOSEST REPAIR FACILITY WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A RECALL DESCRIBING THE IDENTICAL FAILURE, NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 09V130000, HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. REPAIRS WERE SCHEDULED PER HER EXTENDED WAR…

Owner-reported narrative. 60,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10299762 at NHTSA ↗

BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE VIEW MIRRORS FAIL TO STAY IN MEMORY POSTION. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN TO THE CAR DEALER EIGHT TIMES AND HAD SWITCH CONTORL, MODUAL UNDER STEAT REPLACED. STILL HAVING PROBLEMS. DEALER TELLS ME HAVE TRIED HELP FORM KIA VERY LITTLE. THIS PROBLEM STARTED AT 60K MILES AND KIA TELL ME PROBLEM IS PASSED 60K NOT THEIR PROBLEM. PROBLEM GOING ON FORM JULY OF THIS YEAR. *TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10427534 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA AMANTI. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT FUNCTION. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V130000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING: BRAKE LIGHTS: SWITCH) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 54,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10434264 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2009-04-17 (April 17, 2009)

HUYNDAI-KIA IS RECALLING 139,844 MY 2006-2007- SEDONA, SPORTAGE, SORENTO AND MY RONDO AND AMANTI VEHICLES. THE STOP LAMP SWITCH IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A STOP LAMP SWITCH MALFUNCTION MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.

Consequence: ANY OF THESE MALFUNCTIONS, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION, MAY LEAD TO A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 17, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA'S CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.

Reported: 2013-04-01 (April 1, 2013)

Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.