ON AUGUST 25, 2019, WHILE DRIVING HOME TO NEW YORK, MY WIFE SAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND MY DAUGHTER SAT IN THE SECOND ROW SEAT BEHIND MY WIFE, I STOPPED AT A REST STOP FOR GASOLINE AT ABOUT 12:15 PM AS I PULLED INTO THE AREA WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK TO SLOW DOWN, THE CAR SURGED FORWARD AND I PRESSED HARD TO STOP THE CAR. IT STOPPED. ON THE SAME DAY, AT 4:17 PM, I PULLED INTO A SUNOCO GAS STATION. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK AS I PULLED INTO THE STATION, THE CAR SURGED, I PRESSED HARD AND THE CAR SLOWED DOWN. I SLOWLY PULLED AROUND THE TWO OCCUPIED PUMPS AND PULLED BEHIND THE OTHER PUMPS. (TIME-4:19PM) A CAR WAS AT THE FIRST PUMP AND A MAN WAS STANDING AT HIS GAS TANK PUMPING GAS. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK, I SLOWLY MOVED BEHIND HIS CAR AT ABOUT 2 MPH AND THE CAR ACCELERATED. I PUSHED HARD ON THE BREAK. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND HIT THE PROTECTIVE BARRIER SURROUNDING THE GAS PUMP. BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE CAR WAS TOWED. MY INSURANCE COMPANY, ALLSTATE DECLARED THE CAR 'TOTALED.' INCLUDED IN A SERVICE WAS A RECALL FOR A COMPUTER MECHANISM C/S: SA387 UM TCU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT DTC P0741. KIA TOLD ME IT WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. DID THIS RECALL REPLACEMENT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACCIDENT? I TOLD KIA CENTRAL ALSO THAT THE FCA (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST) DID NOT ENGAGE ON AUGUST 16. DID THIS MALFUNCTION CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACCIDENT? THESE CONCERNS WERE NEVER ADDRESSED OR INVESTIGATED BY KIA MOTORS. NUMEROUS CALLS TO KIA CENTRAL AND TO KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER WERE ATTEMPTED WITHOUT RESOLUTION AND MOST TIMES IGNORED. ON SEPTEMBER 24, KIA FROM CENTRAL CALLED ME TO INFORM ME THAT THE CASE WAS CLOSED. KIA DID NOT EVALUATE THE CAR OR AMELIORATE THE SITUATION. KIA NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THE 2019 KIA SORRENTO FOR MALFUNCTIONING PERFORMANCE. PEOPLE COULD GET SERIOUSLY INJURED OR DIE! *JS
NHTSA ODI 11278855