2002 Kia Rio Powertrain & Transmission Problems

SINCE APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AFTER PURCHASING MY 2002 KIA RIO, I HAVE HAD ON-GOING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. AT VARIOUS TIMES WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION 'SLAMS' INTO GEAR, OR SHUTTERS. ALTHOUGH I HAVE BROUGHT THIS ISSUE TO THE ATTENTION OF THREE DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, AND KIA CORPORATE, THEY CLAIM THAT THERE IS NO ISSUE OR THAT THEY CAN NOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. THEY CLAIMED AT ONE POINT THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS DIRTY (ALTHOUGH IT WAS WELL BELOW THE RECOMMENDED SERVICE MILEAGE), SO I HAD A THIRD PARTY SERVICE STATION PERFORM A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FLUID/FILTER CHANGE. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED, AND NOW A YEAR LATER THE DEALERSHIP IS AGAIN TELLING ME THAT IT IS THE FLUID - WHICH I HAVE NEVER HEARD AN ISSUE LIKE THIS BEING CAUSED BY FLUID, BUT IF THIS IS TRUE, THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE IN THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE CHANGED EVERY 6-12 MONTHS. I RECENTLY BROUGHT MY CAR TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, AND HE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AS A TORQUE CONVERTER AND A TCC PREMATURELY ENGAGING, AS WELL AS A TRANSMISSION 'SHUTTER'. HE PROVIDED ME WITH WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION OF THE ISSUE, AND I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP. AGAIN, THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WAS NO ISSUE AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE 'NORMAL'. THIS VEHICLE IS A LEMON, AND I AM UNABLE TO OBTAIN PROPER SERVICE FROM KIA, AND I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD SHOULD THE SYMPTOMS CONTINUE TO GET WORSE, OR THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAIL WHILE DRIVING. *JB

VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY AND SWAYED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT WHILE DRIVING. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, PULLED OVER, AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. THEN, DRIVER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, AND TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT OR MOVE ON ITS OWN. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE FRAME WAS BEND, AND TRANSMISSION HAD BLOWN OUT, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

PURCHASED A 2002 KIA RIO CINCO ON NOVEMBER 30, 2004. AFTER THREE WEEKS IT BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. MAROONE KIA PELPACED A NUMBER OF THE BRAKE COMPONENTS ADFTER DECIDING THAT THE BRAKES WERE LOCKING UP. THE DAY AFTER GETTING IT BACK THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY SAY THAT IT MUST BE THE TRANSMISSION, BUT SINCE IT IDS INTERMITTEN THEY CANNOT FIX IT. THEIR ADVICE WAS TO DRIVE IT UNTIL IT "TEARS UP" AND THEN THEY CAN FIX IT. MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW USES THE VEHICLE TO TRANSPORT HER 3 MONTH OLD CHILD AND TO GET TO WORK. THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY SLOWING FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO 25 MILES AN HOUR, AND NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AFTER STOPPING IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *AK

I HAVE HAD MY MANUAL TRANSMISSION KIA RIO CINCO BACK TO THE DEALER 6 TIMES SINCE ITS PURCHASE (07/02) FOR THE SAME REASON. THE CLUTCH IN THIS CAR DOES NOT SEEM STRONG ENOUGH TO WORK. I DRIVE APROX 60 MILES EACH WAY TO WORK, AND RARELY USE THE CLUTCH. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS ALL MY LIFE, AND MY OCCUPATION IS A TRUCK DRIVER. THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN COMPLETLY REPLACED 2 TIMES (APROX. EVERY 30,000 MILES) AND THE DEALER HAS ACTUALLY TOLD ME ITS NORMAL FOR THE CLUTCH TO SLIP. THE CAR NOW HAS 75,000 MILES ON IT (PAST THE 60,000 MILE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY) AND THE CLUTCH HAS STARTED SLIPPING AGAIN. THE CLUTCH SLIPS WHEN YOU ACCELERATE WHEN IN GEAR WITH THE CLUTCH FULLY INGAGED, AT FIRST IT IS NOTICEABLE IN 5TH GEAR, THEN THE CLUTCH GETS PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.*AK

I PURCHASED MY KIA 02 IN 8/02, I HAD IT LESS THAN 5 MONTHS AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT LESS THAN 20,000 MILES. A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED IN 1/03. IN 11/03 THE FIRST GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. MY KIA NEEDED TO BE TOWED TO AND WAS AGAIN REPAIRED WITH A NEW TRANSMISSION, SO I WAS TOLD. IT TOOK TWO AND A HALF WEEKS FOR MY CAR TO BE REPAIRED. I WAS NOT GIVEN THE PAPER WORK FROM THE REPAIR SHOP THEN AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE MAILED TO ME. FEW WEEKS PASSED AND THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO GIVE PROBLEMS AGAIN, THIS TIME THE SHIFTING OF GEARS WERE COMPLETELY OFF AND MY OVER DRIVE DID NOT WORK AT ALL. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE SAME REPAIR SHOP OF WHICH I DID ON 1/07/04. I LEFT TWO MESSAGES ASKING FOR THE STATUS OF MY CAR AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CALL BACK. AS OF TODAY I DO NOT HAVE MY CAR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 10 MP AND TURNING THE VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION , AND THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BELT WAS INOPERATIVE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AGAIN, AND THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE SEAT BELT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THEN, VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THIS INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY MRS. SIKAKOY'S DAUGHTER LESLIE SANCHEZ.*AK

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE'S STICK SHIFT TRANSMISSION SHUTS OFF WHEN VEHICLE IS IN FIRST AND THIRD GEAR. *AK VEHICLES ALSO DIES WHEN IN NEUTRAL. ALSO, WHEN VEHICLES DIES OR LOSES POWER, CONSUMER LOSES POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. *LA

THE VEHICLE'S CLUTCH HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES IN TWO YEARS. *NM THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATION. THE AXLE SEALS WERE LEAKING. *SC *JB