Automatic Transmission problems of the 2010 Kia Motor Forte

My 2010 kia Forte ex sedan, 5 speed automatic has a transmission problem that could definitely lead to injuries or death. This is a recurring problem that can happen any time, but mostly occurs during or after going up a significant hill, but may happen on level ground. There's 23,000 miles on my kia and it's under full warranty. I took this to the dealer, they could not find a problem or duplicate the problem; they suggested flushing the transmission for $150, so I did that. It did not help. It stopped for about a week, then it started seizing up again, today (3/10/2011) it seized twice on my wife. What it does is not actually stop the car, but "freeze" you at one speed, typically either 20mph or 45-50mph it takes up to 30 seconds to shift, and if you are pulling out in front of traffic and it seizes and won't let you go beyond 10-20mph it's very dangerous. The dealer says they won't have a replacement loaner until next week, so we'll wait. I'm in northern ut. It's happening in dry warm (50-60 degree) weather. We have not driven the car severely, this should definitely not happen. The kia owner's manual says to inspect the transmission fluid at 40,000 and only change then if needed, so the very expensive fluid should be good. This is some unique fluid you have to buy from the dealer, normal auto parts stores don't have it. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2010 kia Forte sedan. While driving approximately 45 mph, the transmission suddenly shifted. The contact stated the gear would switch from one gear to another and the tires would skid. The contact stated after five minutes of driving, he could smell rubber burning. Also, the speedodometer worked erratically. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 800.