Complaint Review: Capital Kia Austin Texas

To Whom It May Concern,   Tuesday, March 29, 2016

I wish to report; Round Rock Kia and Capital Kia owner of Round Rock Kia.

Car Vin # 5XYKT3A1XBG158285

Round Rock KIA 600 Jeffrey Way Round Rock, Texas 78665 Phone: 512-617-5000 Fax 512-617-5031

Service Manager: Kenneth Strain, III

On December 7, 2015 I took my KIA Sorento (2011) into this dealership to check into a recall letter I had received. There was nothing wrong with my car at the time. But, the letter they sent scared me into thinking I should at least have the issue looked at. The recall was for SC124 Transmission Gear Shift Lever

When I took my car in there was nothing wrong with it. I just was not sure if I needed to have it replaced anyway or not. They replaced at that time. (See RR KIA Invoice Number K1Cs56146)

I noticed at the time when I went to leave the dealership I was not able to move the car out of park. I thought I must have started the car incorrectly so I turned everything off and tried it again and it shifted. I drove it home and parked it.

I am retired 68 year old woman living strictly on SSI 750.00 per month. No IRAs or other funds available. I only drive the car a few times per month to go to the grocery store and occasionally the hardware store. So it had been sitting in the drive for several days before we began to find other things wrong that were working fine before I went to the dealership.

Then suddenly just before New Year’s Eve. The shifter would not come out of park. I contacted the KIA dealership again to tell them I could no longer shift my car from park to drive it.

KIA service rep told me where to find the by-pass for the shifter so I can stick a screw driver in this little hole on the console and get the car to change gears. I have to do it again to park it and turn off the key. We agreed to drive it this way until after New Years as everyone was leaving for holidays etc. So, on January 4^th 2016 I took it back to them they looked at it told us that it was not their fault.

The recall was to replace parts that were freezing the shifter in park but they could not see that maybe they replaced my good part with a broken one. That I now have the problem the recall was about instead of getting rid of the problem their parts have created a problem. But, the dealership does not believe this has anything to do with my issue???

As for the electrical issues they did kind a sort of say it was the brain of my car that was faulty and the first thing they say if you call them about it that my car warranty is out by 8K miles.

The truth of the matter is even if I had a warranty in good standing it

DOES NOT COVER THE BRAIN!!!   

They know that too and their previous statement about the warranty was just a way to get me off the phone. They assume you do not know it was not ever covered.

Just about the only thing the car warranty would not cover is the brain. (I bet it’s because KIA knows these brain will fail after so many miles and they did not want the liability. So, they made that part an exception.)

Bottom Line is I took a perfectly working car into the dealership and got back half a car that I have to use a screw driver on to get it out of and put it back into park.

The dealership will not take the responsibility. I have to believe that they accidently messed up my cars brain. The two incidents are too close together to not be a problem their mechanics made. They may have bumped something that shorted half my cars brain or they

accidently plugged something in wrong. I don’t know.

But, I just do not believe that changing out a gear box and a few days later half the cars electrical system is failing. If it had been weeks or months I could understand they are not related. But, a few days??? I feel they screwed up patched it enough for me to get it off their lot and then washed their hands of it.

I have a car that is no longer safe to drive. On the fourth we spend the $155.00 at the Kia dealership in Round Rock just to be told that it was not their responsibility. And it was all coincidence the troubles we were having

that they had nothing to do with it. Please read below other complaints against Capital Kia letter found on the BBB site and rip off.com

So I went online two www.parts.com ordered a unit simile IPM (the brain) parts.com sent the wrong unit, Did not have the necessary connections and now are refusing to do anything for me. And I’m out $435.

The NHTSA.gov has this part issue under investigations because of the amount of complaints regarding the part. I have attached a copy of another person’s similar issues only it truly was not the dealerships fault in her case. But, you can see from her complaint that there is a problem with this computer brain on these cars and what KIA is putting us through.

This was my second KIA my first I never had a bit of trouble with drove it over 170k miles sold it and it is still out there humming. That is why I wanted another KIA.

Now, I am warning everyone on the Internet to stay away from these cars and the dealership Capital Kia

And Round Rock Dealership that put me in this situation. KIA’s ain’t what they use to be.

Just a throw away car is all they are good for now. Don’t care how pretty they are they are time bombs waiting to put you out on the street and the dealers are just incompetent or thieves. The Dealership is no better. They work on a part of the car but that has nothing to do with the fact that, the part they worked on no longer works at all.

I have since researched the dealership on the web and found multiple complaints about Capital Kia, Round Rock and Austin stores send out those part recalls to get the owners in the shop while there they mess something else up and then want to repair the problems at the customers expense of coarse.

Resolution: I want my car whole again. I went in there with none of the issues and I want My car back running properly without ANY of these issues. At this time I am out over $600 with a estimate over another thousand dollars to repair the damage.

Sincerely,

Ronda Griffin, Unhappy KIA Sorento Owner

512-293-4115

6232 Paradise Manor Cir. Marble Falls Texas 78654

I simply want to be able take my dog to the park in a safe car, Like I have before I want

To Round Rock Kia.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016