Kia Sportage Pricing and Specs

It doesn’t sound right, does it. And why would Kia even include a low-beam light indicator if it wasn’t to show that the low-beam lights were, in fact, on?

You should be able to figure it out by looking at the owner’s manual for your car. I managed to find such a thing online for your model Sportage, and it shows only a high-beam indicator light and a lights-on warning which covers both parking lights and low-beam. That suggests that your dealer is correct.

The other question, however, is what you’re looking at that makes you think it’s a low-beam warning light. The answer could be that there are two high-beam indicator lights, one for the manual high-beam operation and another for the automatic high-beam if your vehicle has that fitted. Perhaps it’s the fog-light indicator you’re seeing. Again, your owner’s manual should spell it out for you.

It sounds like there’s either a problem with the throttle pedal, the throttle mechanism itself or, most likely, a glitch in the communication between the two. Instead of a throttle cable directly linking the pedal to the throttle, modern cars use what’s called fly-by-wire. In this case, that means a throttle pedal where input is converted to an electrical signal, which is then transferred by the computer to the throttle telling it to open. If there’s any wiring or software problem within this system, you could easily experience this sort of problem.

You’re quite right, too, that this represents a very dangerous situation. Many crashes have been caused by a following driver assuming the car in front was about to take off. And when, for whatever reason, it doesn’t…

If the computer won’t tell you what’s happening, an auto electrician should be able to take readings from the throttle pedal and the motor that actuates the throttle itself. From there, they should be able to discern which component is not playing the game properly.

You could be looking at an engine that has a fuel-system problem. A lack of fuel pressure or volume (or worn injectors) can play havoc with a turbo-diesel engine at higher speeds thanks to the higher loads being placed on it. You may also have a worn or damaged turbocharger or perhaps an inlet manifold that is partially blocked from fumes and soot that are part of the vehicle’s emissions system. The problem could even be due to a blocked DPF in the exhaust system which could require manual cleaning or even replacement.

But this is another example of a car that’s still under warranty being the responsibility of the manufacturer to put right (provided the vehicle has been serviced correctly). Give the dealer very chance to fix things, but if they throw their hands in the air, then Kia Australia’s customer service department is your next stop.