Table 1 shows one common vehicle speed control related problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Forte.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control problems |
There are significant idle issues (rpm’s shoot up & drop down irregularly while in park) and the car shut off while in park following irregular rpm movement, but was not exhibiting this behavior while previously parked elsewhere. I sent it in to be checked but nothing could be reproduced. A few weeks later the car began doing what felt like engine braking (in a manual vehicle) while I was letting the car roll forward in a traffic jam (foot off of pedals for short moment). A friend witnessed a the rpm’s rising and falling dramatically while sitting in the parked car. Later the car began shutting off at low speeds while my foot was on the gas pedal. All of the lights on the dash appeared to be on and the car wouldn’t crank again until the 2nd attempt and only stayed on when pushing the gas pedal. I sent it back again but it could not be reproduced so nothing was done. A few days ago I noticed it was idling weird again(up and down dramatically). Today when pulling into my neighborhood my car began to accelerate on its own. - I pushed the gas lightly to make the turn from a stop and took my foot off of both pedals in a slow transition to the brake. While my foot was up in transition the car accelerated moderately quickly before I immediately pressed the brake my foot was already over. The rpm’s went up drastically (you could hear them). I let go of the brake and the car began to rev high again followed by my braking once more. I turned the car onto my street and pressed the gas as lightly as possible and the car jolted forward before I braked hard out of fear of the children in front of me darting in front of my car as they often do on my residential street. I let the car roll to my driveway (a very short distance) before needing to push the gas again to get into the short driveway. The car jolted again almost hitting the closed garage door. I genuinely feel as though had this happened anywhere outside of my neighborhood my life would have been in danger if not lost.
Car took off. Zoomed. Out of control, my safety was put at risk since car speeded off. No one else safety was at risk since no one was around. The car is currently at a collision shop. Car has been inspected by insurance and being fixed. No warning signs and air bags did not come out.
While I am driving it is hard shifting and idling high, sometimes it doesn't want to pick up speed when starting from a stop. The wheels locked up going down a off ramp. There are no warning lights or anything on the dash. I will have it checked Monday but this started out of the blue. I have had regular maintenance on the vehicle and have all my receipts for proof. This is a serious issue especially with the wheels not functioning right and speed control is fluctuating.
Tl- the contact owns a 2020 kia Forte. The contact stated that while attempting to get out of the garage the contact placed the vehicle in park and removed themselves to the vehicle in order to open their garage door when the vehicle began to reverse hitting the contact and the garage door. The contact received injuries to their left shoulder, face, elbow, left knee, right leg, and right foot. Medical attention was not needed. A police report was not filed. The vehicle had not been towed. The contact was able to get into the vehicle and turn on the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (merchant logo spitzer kia cleveland service center 3414 brookpark rd, cleveland, OH 44134; (216) 259-7080) who were unable to duplicate the failure and referred them to speak to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case regarding the matter. The approximate failure mileage was 2553. Gl.
My 18 year old daughter was the driver. The car was parked on a residential street, facing the direction she wanted to go. The street went downhill in front of her. She started the car. When she began to drive, the steering felt very stiff, she could barely steer. She started driving anyway. Then the brakes did not work. In fact, she said that pressing the brake seemed to make the car go faster (or this could have just been the effect of the hill). So she accelerated down a substantial hill with no braking power. At the bottom of the street (approx. 1/4 mile) is a t-intersection. She crossed the street, the car went up onto the curb opposite, proceeded through some bushes, knocked down a fence as it went between a tree and a brick wall, ran into a bird bath, and then came to a stop in someone's yard. Fortunately the car stopped before it got to the house itself. Damage included: both bumpers, both driver-side tires/wheels/hubcaps, and extensive damage underneath including transmission. Driver and passenger were (amazingly) not injured.
While vehicle is in motion on a city street, several warning lights popped up on the dashboard: electronic pwr steering, electronic stability indicator, tpms tire pressure, malfunction indicator lamp, autonomus emergency brake, adaptive front lighting , and low tire pressure warning lights. At the same time that all those lights turned on (while in motion) the odometer and speedometer needle stopped registering speed and dropped to zero on both gauges along with the temperature gauge as well. I proceeded to put the hazard lights on and pull over safely. Once stationary I placed the car in park, then the gear shift locked up and would not unlock. After about 20 minutes of being stationary on the side of the road, I was able to engage the gear shift, place it in drive and proceed down the road. While the vehicle was in motion the warning lights proceeded to stay on and the speedometer/odometer were not registering speed throughout the remainder of my trip.