Kia Optima ECM Causes Annoying Inspection Failure

It took alot of negotiating, but this week they replaced my car's
control module, as the original inspection failure occurred before
80,000 miles or 8 years, falling under the federal law regarding
emission standards.

I am satisfied; the design of the ECM marries it to the vehicle when
it is made, so if a Kia car is totaled, the module cannot be salvaged
and used in any other car. I don't know how common this problem is,
but it goes without saying that if a car's central computer can't
simply be reset by a Kia dealer, and has to be replaced, it must be
costing the company one pretty penny to install a factory new one if
it fails while the vehicle is still under manufacturer warranty.

I'l take this occasion to thank Shannon at Kia America, and Gary, the
supervisor who decided to make the effort to satisfy his customer,
me.

Cased closed on a positive note.
Thank you~~
God bless.

... the problem, in that a brand new battery I bought from Autozone
last summer is actually bad. The state authorized service center which
finally identified the cruz of the matter is replacing Autozone's junk
battery with a Kia factory one, and Autozone has offered full refund,
once I return their defective product to the store where I bought it.

Having promised to resolve my PCM problem at company expense, I see no
reason not to give Kia full benefit of any slightest remaining doubt.
If the Massachusetts service center authorized to effectuate
corrections my car may require cannot, Kia America has assured me that
they certainly shall.

For this, I extend advance thanks to Kia, by which I may be able to
drive my car without paying the $1,500 remedy from the dealer, an
expense I simply cannot afford.

In any case, this matter appears to be resolved. Once everything is
done, and all is in good order, I'll advise of my satisfaction
here...

Thanks --

I would just pull the fuse that powers the check engine light, get it
inspected and plug it back in.

I feel for you for this issue. I've been driving around with the check
engine light on in my car for months now. My car - a Nissan - does
this because the little sensors in the car fail and that makes the
Check Engine light come on.

Putting computer parts into cars was one of the worst ideas ever.

The new technology additions don't improve the vehicle at all (I don't
use OnStar, play DVD's in my car or play MP3's, so please no replies
to this post talking about how we didn't have those in 70's cars and
how they are so nice and how other people can't live without
them)....and they break down and need replacing FREQUENTLY.

It's a shame you can't get a decent car like they made in the 70's
anymore - made out of steel and with as few parts as possible. Those
70's cars rarely broke down and, when they did, fixing the issue was
usually price-affordable (Unless it was something major like a
tranny).

cars. The problem isn't just "the little light". It's an emissions
issue that has to be corrected. The dealer told you they could repair
it if you supplied another computer, but did you tell them you were
planning on buying a used ECM? That $88 doesn't seem like a good deal
if it isn't usable.
It may be unfortunate that there hasn't been enough failures to
warrant a recall, but that's life. It would be fabulous if all
vehicles had a 100% warranty, one that covered every part for the life
of the vehicle. UNFORTUNATELY, the vehicles would be so expensive that
nobody would be able to afford them.

It sounds a bit like you maybe tried to take a shortcut with the ebay
device.

although you may feel it saved you money if it can't be used then it
may not help with the problem?