Kia – Page 6 – California Lemon Law blog

Toyota’s unintended acceleration problem has been flooding the media lately causing fear in anyone who drives on the roads. You hear stories of how someone’s car started speeding uncontrollably and the deaths and injuries that resulted. Drivers of these vehicles said they pressed the brakes, but the vehicle just didn’t respond.

You may be surprised to learn that this is a problem that has been around for quite a while, and is not limited to only Toyota vehicles. ConsumerAffairs.com has received sudden acceleration complaints over the years from a wide range of makes, including Kia, Jaguar, BMW and Ford. Ford coming in second after Toyota. In fact, during the 80’s, Audi went through the same legal and media problems that Toyota experiences now for unintended acceleration.

In 2005 there was an estimated 20,000 consumers who complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of sudden unintended acceleration. Some complaints as far back as the late 1980’s when vehicle first started to be controlled with electronic controls. The problem is difficult to recreate without tampering with the vehicles electronics, so in most cases there is no indication that the vehicle has malfunctioned.

According to engineers familiar with electronic technology any electronic interference could cause the accelerator to surge out of control. In these type of systems there are fail-safes that will reset the computer and will store an error code which can be read by a technician when brought in for repairs. So far, any vehicle that has experienced unintended acceleration has not brought up an error code indicating anything went wrong.

After all the news we have been hearing about Toyota and their problems, Consumer Reports still ranks Toyota vehicles as number three. (The same ranking as last year.) The rankings are based on performance, comfort, utility and reliability of over 280 different vehicles.

“Toyota builds extremely good, reliable cars”, said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “I think once they get through all the recalls you will see that they are a very reliable manufacturer.” The magazine ended up dropping a couple of Toyota models from the Top Picks after the company suspended sales because of the recall. Since the vehicles were not for sale at the time, they could not make the list.

Honda (which includes Acura models) and Subaru were tied for first place, the fourth year that Honda was the leading manufacturer. They were followed by Toyota, and Hyundai (including Kia) which was ranked fourth, up from ninth last year. American manufacturers fared poorly. Ford was ranked eleventh, moving up one place from last year. General Motors and Chrysler occupied the bottom two slots, respectively.

Even after all the talk about distracted drivers and products developed to make less distractions, Intel and Google are hoping to bring your desktop to the dashboard. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, they displayed 10 inch screens above the gearshift displaying high definition videos, 3-D maps and web pages. These “infotainment systems” will hit the market this year and are likely to become standard equipment in a wide range of auto’s before long. They prevent drivers from watching video and using some other functions while the car is moving, but they can still pull up content as varied as restaurant reviews and the covers of music albums with the tap of a finger.

Nicholas A. Ashford, a professor of technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says “This is irresponsible at best and pernicious at worst. Unfortunately and sadly, it is a continuation of the pursuit of profit over safety — for both drivers and pedestrians.” The technology and car companies say that safety remains a priority.

Earlier I talked about Fords new hands free infotainment service, ‘Sync’, and how it is going to make our roads a little safer by giving drivers less distractions. Next week, Kia Motors Corp. will introduce ‘UVO’, a North American competitor to Ford Motor’s Sync. Ford’s exclusive contract with Microsoft expired at the end of 2008 and in May of that year, Microsoft announced that Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group would develop a voice-controlled infotainment system for the North American market. Fiat Auto Group also uses Microsoft technology to power its infotainment service, called Blue&Me.

Like Sync, UVO is based on the Microsoft Auto software platform, known as the Windows Embedded Auto Software Platform. Spokesmen for Kia and Microsoft say the Kia version will have features unique to the South Korean automaker. UVO will debut on an unnamed Kia vehicle sometime in 2010. The automaker will not release specifics until it formally introduces UVO at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Even though the 2009 auto industry has been a bleak one, three automakers sold more vehicles in 2009 than they did in 2008. Hyundai and Kia, which are affiliated, and Subaru.

In 2009, Subaru sold 216,652 vehicles, a 15 percent jump from 2008 and more than the automaker’s previous record of 200,703, in 2006. This may have been due to the introduction of two new models, the Legacy and Outback, which recorded sales leaps of 37 percent and 24 percent over the previous year. Their strongest performer, the Forester, recorded sales of 77,781 units.

Kia Motors America announced its 14th consecutive year of record sales with 305,473 units sold, a 3.8-percent year-over-year increase. Kia saw nine months of record sales in 2007. Leading the way for the brand in 2007 were Rio, Optima and Sportage.

Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea’s largest automaker, posted a 61.3 percent rise in September global sales compared to a year earlier helped by the launch of two new models, Tucson ix and Sonata.

So what are these auto makers doing different? The improvement in quality over the last few years and the smaller more fuel efficient designs seem to be what the consumer is looking for.

2005 Kia Sportage – Suspension Automatic Stability Control – On some SUV’s equipped with ESP (Electronic Stability program) a sensor may become too sensitive and can recalibrate incorrectly. The ESP program may cause the engine to reduce power and could cause a brake at one of the wheels. This brake application could cause loss of control and a crash. Please call your dealership and make an appointment.

Repeat problems with your Kia and the dealer is unable to fix it. You may be driving a lemon. Call the California Lemon Law Firm of Delsack and Associates for a Free Lemon Review. Their toll free number is 888-395-3666.

2005 Kia Sportage – Parking brake problem – On some SUV’s the parking brake was not properly manufactured and in turn it may not fully engage or it may release after it has become engaged. This could result in your vehicle rolling and may result in a crash. Please call you Kia dealership immediately and schedule an appointment.

Are you concerned that your Kia may be a lemon? Call the California Lemon Law Firm, Delsack and Associates for a Free review. Call 888-395-3666 (888-Ex-Lemon) for answers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently rated the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, and Kia Soul the top rating of Good (on a scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor), in testing for side and rear crash testing. In order to achieve this rating a vehicle has to earn good ratings in three tests and must have electronic stability control.

Having problems with you vehicle and you think it may be a lemon? In California, call the Law Offices of Delsack and Associates and receive a Free Review regarding the California Lemon Law. 888-Ex-Lemon (888-395-3666). They are specialists in the field with over 21 years experience.

Category Archives: Kia

The History OF Unintended Acceleration

Toyota Ranks Well In Consumer Reports

Desktop On The Dashboard

Ford Sync’s New Rival Kia UVO

Good Auto Sales in 2009

Kia Sportage Recalls

Kia Sportage Recall

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Ratings