Letters: Kia’s ‘bogging’ has driver concerned

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Q: I hope you can shed some light on a nagging problem I’m having with my new 2012 Kia Sportage. I’m experiencing a severe bogging like the engine is cutting out. This happens occasionally and can occur when I’m pulling away from a dead stop or when I’m attempting to change lanes.

I mentioned it to the service department at my local dealership and they told me to switch to a better quality gas. After making the switch, the bogging problem is still there.

Do you know if there’s a service bulletin for this problem? The bogging feels like turbo-lag that you’d experience from an older turbocharged engine, but my engine is not turbocharged. I’m wondering if the culprit is the eco feature that’s designed to help deliver better fuel economy. What do you think? — Michael, Chicago

A: I was unable to locate any service bulletins for this issue. It’s possible that the electronic throttle actuator is sticking or not responding properly. Maybe the accelerator pedal position sensor is faulty. The fuel system should be checked for proper pressure and volume.

I would suggest taking it back to the dealer. Maybe you could take someone from the dealer for a ride so they can experience your concern. If the dealer is no help, call Kia’s customer service department at (800) 333-4542.

Q: I’m the original owner of a 2001 Acura 3.2 CL. After the car was four years old the brake light would come on when it was very cold outside and remain on until the engine warmed up. Everything with the brakes seemed fine; the brake fluid was good and the antilock brakes were working. When the problem became more frequent I took it to the dealer. They could not determine the cause but ended up replacing the master cylinder cover. This solved the problem for about four years and then the problem resurfaced.

Now I have 66,000 miles on the car and I know that the brakes are worn down a bit. But there’s still almost 1/4 inch of pad left and the fluid level is within limits. Do you have any idea what can be causing this? Are there any service bulletins? — Bruce, Oak Lawn

A: Your Acura’s brake warning lamp is designed to illuminate if the fluid level in the master cylinder is low, if the parking brakes are applied or if there’s a problem with the brake’s hydraulic or antilock systems.

There was a bulletin issued back in 2003 to address your concern about the lamp coming on cold and then turning off after driving. Service bulletin No. 03-029 suggests this may be caused by the master cylinder reservoir filter not allowing the cap to vent properly. The fix was to replace the master cylinder filter and/or float.

A technician should be able to isolate whether the warning lamp is being turned on by a faulty master cylinder float switch, misadjusted or faulty parking brake switch, or a problem with the hydraulic or antilock brake systems. Other than making sure that the parking brake is fully released, and that the float in the master cylinder cover is moving up and down freely, you’ll need to have a technician diagnose the cause.

Questions for Ira Siegel? Call the Auto Advisor Hotline at (708) 633-6839 or email ira.siegel.is@gmail.com. Siegel is an automotive instructor and an automotive service excellence-certified master auto technician.