KIA NIRO Incident

12/12/2023: The customer contacted Kias Customer Care Center on 12/11/2023 to report his 2023MY Kia Niro was involved in accident following a clutch repair by the dealer. Specifically, the customer stated that he had left the dealer after a clutch repair and got hit by a semi-truck due to [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] clutch not working, stopped in middle of highway and could not move. Customer stated the dealers faulty repair caused the accident. In response to the Kia Customer Care agent, the customer reported that Highway Driving Assist (HDA) and Cruise Control engaged at the time of the accident. Customer requested compensation for the clutch not working and for the rental he had to pay for. The subject Kia Niro is equipped with HDA. HDA is a supplemental system that helps maintain a set distance and speed from the vehicle ahead when driving on a highway and helps keep the vehicle between the lanes while driving. Based on the facts currently available, there is no indication that the HDA system was not working properly. Kia is submitting this report as a precautionary measure because the customer reported HDA was engaged at the time of the incident and and it appeared to meet the other requirements under the SGO. 12/21/2023: Kia has attempted to contact the customer multiple times for additional information, but has not received a response to date. Kia has located photos of the subject Kia Niro, which suggest the vehicle suffered a minor, offset frontal crash with minimal damage to thin sheet metal and plastic at the right front corner. The apparent damage is potentially inconsistent with the customers account of being hit by a semi-truck, which may be indicated by damage at the rear or pushing panels forward. In addition, Kias records show that the repair was performed on [XXXX] and the incident occurred on November 20, 2023, which appears to contradict the customers statement that the incident occurred shortly after leaving the dealer. Kia has no further information at this time. *** 1/16/24: Monthly Update*** Following submission of this incident, ODI engineer, Joseph Teitelman reached out to Kia and requested additional information including photos, invoice/estimate of repair to subject vehicle, police report, EDR report and vehicle telematics relating to the subject incident. On 1/8/24, Kia uploaded photos and the repair order identified by the customer in their statement. Kia does not have a copy of the police report or any telematics data. Kia further advised that the subject vehicle was sold at auction. As a result, Kia was unable to gain access to the vehicle to download the EDR. Kia has no further information at this time.