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Kia Amanti 2006 and earlier

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Comments

  • rfowler643rfowler643 Member Posts: 4
    I saw a post from 2008 describing my issue to a T. While driving at around 50 to 60 miles per hour, you slow down to around 40, you press the accelerator and at 40 to 43 miles per hour you get a shuttering or a vibration for 2 or so seconds until you are going faster than 43 then it goes away and all is normal.

    Another description is it is like running over the little warning speed bumps before an intersection.

    This is an intermittent condition and it does not trigger a check engine light. There is no rhyme or reason to it other than it occurs at about the same speed when it does happen.

    Could this be a computer issue? Does the computer need to be flashed?

    Any advice or assistance in determining what the cause is would be most appreciated.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    Yep, I am now having the same issue, which just started about five months ago, with 34,000 miles on my 2005 Amanti.

    It is just another item to emphasize as to why I would not buy another KIA vehicle.

    One day I may wake up and decide, forget the smooth ride and comfort, I want a vehicle that is reliable. At that point, KIA is history, permanently.
  • gandpz2gandpz2 Member Posts: 5
    I had Kia change out the fluid for the tranmittion. plus I made sure they put in the repair log I was having problems with it. so far I have not had any more problems with the car jerking.
    as for the computer problems I as having, kia replaced the electrial conetion box under the driver seat. It must have been where the short was because I have not had any problem since then. knock on wood. :)
  • rfowler643rfowler643 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the info. I suppose it doesn't cost much to do a trany flush. That is the easiest thing to try.

    How much was the electrical box change?

    Did you have the same symptoms both buckhorn and I described?
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    I spoke to my dealer about the transmission flush and he said it ran around $89. He stated that the fluid in the KIA was 'life time' fluid and should not require a change, unless an inspection found something wrong. He had no comment on the issue occuring between 40-45 MPH, other than the standard comment that they would have to check the vehicle. In this case, since it happens everytime, in the 40-45 MPH speed range, they could not say that it could not be duplicated. They would just charge to investigate. For me, my warranty is expired, so that would run into extra bucks. The question is if this is just an 'annoyance', or a pre-cursor for a larger problem.
  • rfowler643rfowler643 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the update. At this point it is an annoyance but like you said, is it a precursor to a bigger problem.

    We have a lot of little issue with the vehicle. In fact we nicknamed the car Chuckie since we feel it is possessed.

    We have issues with the climate control and the mirror recall settings. The vibration problem is just one more in a growing list.

    We debate if it is worth while to get rid of it but who wants to buy a car that get 19 mpg average fuel economy.

    It does ride and look nice.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    The reason that I still have mine is simple, it is not practical to buy another vehicle at this time. Other than the issues that I have mentioned in the past, it is a great riding vehicle. The mileage is low, above 65 MPH. At 65 MPH, I get 25 MPG, at 70 MPH it drops down to 19-20 MPG, on level ground. Now with that, I look at new, smaller vehicles with EPA stickers stating 17-23 MPG, or 19-27 MPG. With the EPA sticker, those figures are 'maybe' figures, and are revolving around the 65 MPH range. Many of the cars are what I term as 'plastic' cars. You look inside and see obvious, and ugly, plast trim and parts all over. The cars are made 'lighter', for mileage purposes, which includes molded, 'no-bumper-bumpers'. If you get hit in the rear or front, you essentially have NO bumper for protection, and will be looking at major damage, and potential injury. With the number of trucks/SUV's running around on the road, it is like tossing dice. Personnaly, I do not like, and would not buy a small car. I like metal around me (my last car was a Lincoln Town Car, one of the old 'boat' series, all metal, hydraulic bumpers. I still drive a 1999 Buick Park Avenue, for the same reason. That car, with the V6 engine get 35 MPG, when doing 70-72 MPG. I have averaged 36-40 MPG, if doing 65 or lower. I plan on putting another engine in this car, when necessary. The key item for me is that a car is a losing investment, unless you keep it for a good while. There is a lot of money involved in purchasing, that could go into other areas. I would rather not make a bad investment worst, by trading it in at a loss, and saddling myself up with debt again, hoping that the next one had no 'issues'. I can handle an 'annonyance', versus a real safety problem, that occurs constantly, and makes you afraid to put the key in the ignition. I was that way earlier with this vehicle, when it was having the frequent sudden acceleration issues. I virtually did not drive it, as I did not feel it was safe. I drove my Park Avenue instead. This is why my Amanti is six years old, with 33,456 miles on it.
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    edited August 2011
    This accident happened last July. I posted it on the Kia Forums.com and reported it to the NTSA. I did find a lawyer on one of the posts that was representing a client who had over 200K in personal injury and is permanently disabled. My husband and I are going to do a video tape deposition in September for the case which will go to trial in Ohio in October. I will also forward him this site, in case he hasn't heard of it. Below is a description of our accident last summer.

    When parking and trying to put the car in reverse our 2006 Amanti Kia lurched forward and accelerated down the street. I was the passenger and had unbuckled my seat belt in preparation of getting out of the car. Seeing that I was not belted in, I leaned over and saw that my husband had his foot on the brakes and not on the accelerator.

    The brakes did not engage, nor could the car gear down. The car kept accelerating faster and faster. The car was steered around a turn and finally lost control due to the speed and crashed through two tree shubs, through a closed garage door, took out the main post in the garage, and hit the parked car in the garage. The airbags went off and the car stopped.

    911 was called and my husband and I were taken to the hospital.

    The car was totalled!

    There was certainly something wrong with that car. It had only 20,000 miles on it.
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    My husband and I had an acceleration accident where the car went from a stopped postion in park, he tried to put the car in reverse, and the squelled it rear tires, lurched forward and accelerated down the street. There was nothing he could do to stop the car: he tried standing on the brakes, turing the motor off, gearing down, pulling the emergency brake. The car just kept accelerating faster and faster. We live on a circle and he steered it around the turn, narrowingly missing people standing on the street, and then lost control of the car. The car took out two large tree shrubs, slammed into a garage, took out the main post in the garage, and hit the car parked in the garage. The car stopped and the air bags went off.

    So there is a case in Ohio where a driver had the same make and model and has 200K of personal injury and is permanently diabled. We are doing a video tape deposition for that case. Please read the post that I posted.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    I do not have names of individuals to send, but I will send a document that I compiled. I stopped adding items to it some time ago, but this by no means indicates that my problem was fully resolved. As I mentioned before, my vehicle still occasionally has an issue with the acceleration AND stopping. I will use the address that you gave and email it to you.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    Sorry, folks, but we don't permit organizing lawsuits within the forums.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    Thank you Kirstie, I was not aware of that.
  • gandpz2gandpz2 Member Posts: 5
    our electrical box was under warrenty. it is under the driver side seat
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    I am sorry if you misunderstood. We are not organizing a lawsuit, I merely mentioned that there is a lawsuit pending for sudden acceleration problem with a 2006 Kia Amanti. The purpose of mentioning it, was to share information only.
  • jammer56jammer56 Member Posts: 3
    i know you posted this back in 2008. you said there was a programming fix for Kia throttle position sensor.
  • jammer56jammer56 Member Posts: 3
    is there any place where i can get more info about the pending lawsuit for sudden acceleration on the kia Amanti.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    edited August 2011
    I will make it easy and give you what I had copied into my KIA log book at the time:

    Mar. 14 16:05 I received a call from the local KIA service manager. He stated that a TSR was out from KIA, authorizing the computer reprogramming. He wanted to set an appointment up. I asked him if they were going to put it in writing this time and he said yes. I made an appointment for Tuesday, @8:30.
    Mar. 20 16:38 Took can to dealer. The following was written on the service order, “A customer requests that we reprogram the ECM as per TSB on Amanti.” “39110F26 ECU upgrade”. I will now drive it for a while and see what this upgrade has done.

    Now, as for the upgrade, it made my vehicle to be under better control, with the braking/acceleration issues happening much more infrequently. Does it still happen now, yes, but more on a rare aspect, and out of the blue. So did the fix make it so that the car is more reliable--yes. Did it totally eliminate the problem--no.
  • jammer56jammer56 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks so much for replying back to me.
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    Hi,

    The name of the lawyer that has the lawsuit against Kia is Charles Bendig out of Columbus Ohio. If you email me at joannlopez@neteze.com I will forward his email address to you.
  • subwaybuffsubwaybuff Member Posts: 2
    I had the same problem and took it to the local dealer who admitted it is a known issue .
    Dealer replaced spark plugs, spark plug wires and coil packs and it has not had the problem since.
    I have gone back to Kia Corporate to ask for a free repair and a request for a TSB and a recall. Cost was almost $900. I did file two federal complaints with NHTSA and the Center for Auto Safety.
    Never buy a Kia or Hyundai. Kia is now partially owned(51%) by Hyundai. I asked for the used parts and the coil packs were for Kia and Hyundai.
    I wonder how much of a Kia is really Hyundai (like a Lincoln or Mercury is really a Ford).

    Before taking it to the dealer I had a friend drive it on the highway (with myself in the passenger seat)and had no problem until starting up again after filling up with gas when it accelerated with no gas depressed. No wreck due to their foot already on the brake. My friend admitted the problem as did the dealer I'd name the dealer but I do not know if the moderators will allow me to name the dealer or my city. e-mail me at subway-buff@mindspring.com and I'll give you the name of my local deal :mad: :mad: :mad: :cry: er.
  • olmeca451olmeca451 Member Posts: 1
    the radio was making strange noises through the speakers even when it was turned off. The speakers had been silent for a long time, now the radio turns on sometimes and then fades.

    Any thoughts?
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    The lawsuit against Kia for sudden acceleration ended in a hung jury and then Kia settled out of court for a confidential amount. The suit was able to identify around 8 different accident incidents in the 2004 to 2006 models. This is to share information only and is not to organize a class action law suit.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    I would say that they got off extremely lucky, as I had seen, and documented, more than eight accidents, due to the problem. I strongly suspect that they stopped making the vehicle, to avoid any further 'issues'. I still believe that a lot of people were not aware that they had a problem and felt it was themselves, due to the extreme sensitivity of the Amanti gas pedal. This is especially true I believe due to the Amanti being purchased by an older crowd, who might have issues with throttle control. I was told recently that the luxury model vehicle from Hyundai was going to be brought in, as the 'luxury' vehicle for KIA. In other words, KIA was not going to try and make their own again, as they failed.
  • phansen007phansen007 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 Kia Amante. Two times now I have taken it from park in the driveway to put it in the garage and it lunges. I press (stomp) on the brakes and it is resistant to stop although no accidents yet. I asked my dealer and he never heard of this.
  • phansen007phansen007 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 Kia Amante and twice my car has lunged from park to drive. My foot on the brakes finally stopped it but it was resistent in stopping for sure -- I wasn't sure it was going to stop at all!

    Have or did you find out why this happens and how it can be repaired. My warranty runs out this October (extended warranty) Pat Hansen
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    I think it was the logic or lack of logic in the central control unit that brokers between the gas and the break. Take it in to the Kia dealer. I think they did a service alert and not a recall.

    Personally, I would get rid of it. With our accident, we could have been killed or we could have hit some of the people standing on the street.

    By the way, the lawyer won the lawsuit against Kia!
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    Good for you!! I still believe that they stopped making the car because they knew that it had safety issues.
  • phansen007phansen007 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 KIA Amanti that has lunged twice and hard to stop with brake. Do you know how this can be fixed?
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    Take it into the dealer. A lawsuit against Kia was won on Ohio for a sudden acceleration problem. If you don't get any satisfaction from the dealer, then contact Kia directly.

    Personally, I would never own another Kia after the life threatening problems that we had.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    As I mentioned long ago, there was a KIA, 'TSB' (Technical Service Bulletin) that was issued that involved the reprogramming of the computer module. Do not be surprised that if you are out of warranty that they will balk at this, or claim ignorance of it (claiming ignorance appears to be standard for KIA). I still swear that due to KIA's lack of concern of safety for customers, and any driver/person in the vicinity of an Amanti, if the acceleration/braking problem happened, they are snakes. Their standard pattern is NOT to acknowledge and help, but to disaffirm and shun. They want you to believe that it is your imagination that you are having an issue, or that you are the only one having the problem. Their motto is disaffirm as not being 'reproducable'. Most cars have computers that remember error codes when they happen. My dealer told me that the only way they could see the code was to bring the car in, without turning it off, so that they could check the code. The inference was that if the car is turned off, the code vanishes. What type of crap is that for a computer tracking errors in the vehicle? It either means that their 'computer' s inherently 'not smart', or that the dealer was lying and did not want to acknowledge or deal with the issue. You chose which to believe. BTW, I had taken my vehicle end when an incident happened, for them to check the code. SURPRISE, they found nothing! If you, your family member, or a friend, wants to be insured that their safety and well being is considered by their car maker, do NOT by a KIA. They are not in the business to insure your safety, only their profits.
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    Well said.

    We contacted Kia based on legal advice to report the accident. I did get a call back the next day to acknowledge that they had gotten my message and was told that I would be contacted by someone else at Kia within the next couple of days. They contacted me as asked me what I wanted them to do and I told them that I wanted to be reimbursed for the medical for my husband and I and for pain and suffering. I had to take three week off work at a very critical time on the job. I told them that we had the car stored in a storage unit, if they wanted to send someone to check it out. They said someone would be contacting me soon.

    A couple of months later, I got a message from Kia and I thought that was the follow-up that I had been told that they had promised me. Unfortunately, it was not. It was the day before my husband and I were to testify as a witness in a video tape disposition against Kia in the law suit out of Ohio. (By the way, the lawyer won that case). Unfortunately, it was someone from Kia wanting to know what we were say when we testify. Kia was really concerned about us, weren't they?

    That was the last time I heard from Kia (Oct 2010). No lawyer would touch us as we were not injured enough to make a suit against Kia worth while. Our medical bills were around $10,000 total. In April this year, we sold the car for salvage, after paying a year and a half of storage on that piece of junk at $145/month.

    I agree that Kia is not in the business to worry about the safety of their drivers, but to make profits.
  • adnanmadnanm Member Posts: 1
    I would really appreciate if you can tell me what was the problem. I have this 2009 Amanti and the CLUNK sound is driving me crazy.

    My agent KIA have no idea what can be wrong. They can hear and feel but clueless.

    What did he changed ?
  • brassdrummerbrassdrummer Member Posts: 1
    I find it funny that a lot of people are still going with the "My accelerator stuck" Excuse. Even if your car was accelerating, there is always a mechanical link between the brakes and the brake pads. That is mandatory. Next time you get in your car (any car) Step on the brakes, and then start stepping on the gas. Unless you are driving a 500 HP car (not exact numbers, just making up an example) Your car will move very slowly.

    Plus, if you shut off your car, the car cannot accelerate. IF you put it in neutral, it cannot accelerate. If you panic and step on the gas instead of the brake, it will accelerate. You know why Kia settled outside of court? Because they didn't want to pay the extra money to win the case. Why throw away more money to win a case but lose a ton of money. Doesn't make sense.
  • umeweallumeweall Member Posts: 45
    Nice to hear that you live in an idealistic world, where everything conforms to what is expected.

    The acceleration issue with the KIA is more than just a 'turn off the key' scenario. When the vehicle accelerates, when it should not, the normal reaction of any party is to be temporarily startled. Depending on where your vehicle is, and its' surroundings, just turning off the key may not do you any good, such as:

    1. You are sitting at a stop sign, seeking to turn left, across multiple lanes of traffic. Traffic is coming, from both directions, and the car surges forward suddenly. First instinct, hitting the brakes, the engine is in high revs, and the car still moves forward, although slowly. The initial surge, and continued slow movement of the car forward has placed you into the intersection, into the path of on-coming vehicles. Turning the engine off will stop the vehicle, in the middle of the intersection, in the path of vehicles potentially right on top of you. NOT a good situation. Yes, I went through a situation almost similar to this. Fortunately, the on-coming truck was able to swerve around me, through a crosswalk, and gave me the finger while proceeding down the road.
    2. If you are parked, with anything right in front of you, and the surge happens, case closed. Yep, you can cut the key off, as you have already hit what was in front of you.
    3. My greatest fear, as I mentioned once before was in a KIA sitting stopped at a school crosswalk, with children walking across the street. The car surges, and you have zero time to stop it from hitting someone in the cross walk. The momentum from the surge will carry the vehicle immediately into the crosswalk, before you could hit the brakes, or cut the car off. The car would still be moving, after you cut the engine off. It would not help a person in the crosswalk.

    Summarized, there are many bad situations where a surge would not leave sufficient time to do anything, to avoid a bad situation. This does not even include the fact that different people have different reaction times to emergency situations. It is easier to talk about doing the right thing, when you have the time to think about it, and rationalize it. In an emergency surge situation, you have to react quickly, with zero time to rationalize. Some people will panic and freeze, it is part of the human make-up.

    There were too many people that had surge issues, which caused accidents. KIA would have lost and potentially would have put the Amanti in jeopardy of facing a 'recall', due to documented surge/braking issues. It was a LOT cheaper for KIA to settle the case. They did resolve the issue though, by stopping the production of the Amanti. This resolved their problem.

    BTW, I went through the surging and the braking issues with my Amanti. I had parked my car and had not driven it for nine months, before the 'fix' came out. I considered the car dangerous to myself and others.
  • jlopez99jlopez99 Member Posts: 9
    Obviously, you have never been in a vehicle that accelerates out of control. There was nothing my husband could do to stop that car. The brakes didn't work, the gear was stuck so he couldn't gear down. He could not turn the car off, nor take the key out of hole. In our case, the only thing that stopped our car was a crash. According to the lawyers, there is an electronic control unit that is a little computer program that brokers between the brakes and the accellerator. Unfortunately, Kia didn't do a good job at quality control and the logic for the brakes to always win over the acellerator was not worked into the code.

    It used to be that there was a mechanical link between the brakes and the brake pads, and between the accellerator and the bakes, but with the implentation of many, many computers in the car controlling a lot of areas that used to be mechanical, there are conditions that exist where the computer logic doesn't work. You know how sometimes your computer just freezes. Well that happened our Kia accelerated had that accident.

    Kia settled out of court because the trial had a hung jury. That was too close for Kia. All that one juror had to do was to vote for the client and the client would have won the case.

    The laywer had found 8 cases across the United States that had documented acceleration problems with accidents. That is why we did a video tape deposition for his client. And I am glad that she won a settlement.
  • subwaybuffsubwaybuff Member Posts: 2
    My car's MIL was lit, code P 0302 and it ran rough. It now runs normal and the MIL is off. My code reader still shows the P 0302 and no pending codes. Should I clear the P 0302 and drive the car and see if the code returns? :: :lemon:
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