Kia Optima Complaints (2016)

764 consumer complaints on file.

#11590637May 24, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle for several routine oil changes, the contact became aware that the vehicle was consuming and excessive amount of oil. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. However, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000. The VIN was not provided.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590137May 22, 2024
ENGINE
Vehicle uses about 4 quarts of oil every 1000 miles. I have to get oil changes every 1500 miles and add oil every 1000 miles. The car is not reliable and oil light comes on every 1000-1500 miles after oil change. Today the emissions light came on and I could not drive over 60 mph, after taking it to mechanic it was over 3.5 quarts low of oil but no oil light came on. The mechanic put 3.5 quarts of oil in and I had to pay for oil and labor, also to put the car on the computer to see the issue. I will never buy a Kia again. There should be a recall on this 2016 Kia Optima.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589438May 18, 2024
ENGINE
I was on [XXX] and had already traveled over 300 miles with no previous issues at all on the trip. I had just stopped at a gas station and there were no odd smells or sounds. There also no warning light on the dash. Suddenly, I lost all power and at the same time my engine light and oil light came on. Before I could make it from the inside lane across two lanes of 70-80 mph traffic at a rapidly declining speed, my motor started knocking. My engine is seized up because of lack of oil when I just had an oil change less than 1,000 miles ago. I'm lucky [XXX] traffic didn't run me over before I could get out of the way. How is this same issue not a recall yet when people are at risk. Had someone not been paying attention to people In front of them my lack of ability to drive my car could have caused a horrible accident! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587870May 9, 2024
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
I was told that my engine had a recall on it so I had an upcoming appointment with Kia in like 2 weeks for them to check my engine but the car didn’t make it. I was driving my car on interstate 20 my car had began to have a bad chemical smell and started smoking so I pulled over on the interstate and my car was in flames. Me and my daughter was in the car we could have lost our lives thank God we were able to make it out just in time. The fire department came and made a report on the incident. It wasn’t any engine light on at the time. I have contacted Kia about the tragedy that has happened but nothing has been resolved yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587879May 9, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. The vehicle was restarted several times; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with oil leaking into the spark plugs causing an engine misfire. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587032May 5, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle is defectively unsafe, and unreliable due to PCM not functioning properly!!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586917May 4, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
our ac keeps blowing relays. every month. and they other day we have to force power bank to the blower motor just to get it to work. half the inside and sometimes the even the outside lights works.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586678May 2, 2024
ENGINE
Was on highway, engine seized, flashing engine light and knlocking noise, car went into limp mode, took to dealership code p1326 was thrown which is engine failure, I have had the knock sensor installed thru kia prior which put me in lifetime warranty for the engine, kia dealership did a diagnostic BCT, which is a 4 to 5 hour job at the most, kia called me in less than 2 hours and told me is passed the BCT ! there is no way they did the testing in less than 2 hours, and no way it passed with engine light blinking and knocking, that's what the sensor detects is engine failure, they are refusing to honor my warranty for the new engine , picked up my car from. Dealership, soon as I hit the end of the parking lot engine seized and loud knocking noise, was barely drivable but yet the lied on the paperwork and said it drives as designed and was fine, put in a new knock sensor which they already did a month ago! went right back in to dealership and they told me because it supposedly passed there was nothing they could do! R u kidding me!? They were rude and not wanting to help or honor my engine replacement, so here I am with a seized engine and they tell me nothing they can do till it fails the BCT! THE DAM CAR IS IN ENGINE FAILURE! In the last 3 months I have put 3k in this car! What is it gonna take for them to honor the new engine? Gonna take me, my kids, or someone else getting hurt before they do what they said they would do? I have been in contact with corporate as well and they have yet to get a return phone call from the dealership, they have left several messages and called bullshit as well, and believed I was treated poorly because I'm a female.....Little do they know, my father was a mechanic, he has passed on but I grew up around cars and know what's safe and what's not and know how long it takes to do a BCU test! Basically kia told me to drive it till the engine blows completely! I just want them to honor the warranty of the engine .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586008April 30, 2024
ENGINE
UNKNOWN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585209April 25, 2024
ENGINE
Vehicle first went into “limp mode” and dealer said high voltage recall needed to be done. Worked ok for a while then again “limp mode” dealer said knock sensor recall was happening and knock sensor was replaced. Few weeks ago limp mode again, all during car was moving in traffic. Car currently sitting at a Kia dealer, knock sensor again, haven’t heard from Kia regarding engine replacement
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11584175April 20, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The Hybrid Battery continues to malfunction and, randomly shuts down at any speed (even after short engine block was "repaired" by Kia Dealership). Also, an odor of burnt oil happens often while driving the car. It is available for inspection, if need be. Safety of all drivers at risk because car shuts down on freeways and highways. It's dangerous where cars driving at speeds of 65 mph are unable to break and avoid collision. Kia calls their RECALLS "CAMPAIGNS". The Kia dealer has acknowledged this problem and has performed maintenance, however the problem still persists. I have the recent receipt of service/ maintenance on my 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid on hand. The first time it happened was on September 25, 2021. There were no warning lights or messages, the car simply shut down and had no power and was not drivable. I took it to a hybrid mechanic who ran a diagnostic test. The hybrid mechanic repaired my car. 6 months later, while I was driving my car seized on me while I was driving on the freeway going 65 miles an hour. This time a warning on my dashboard showed that there was a problem with the hybrid control system on the car. We took it to a Kia dealership and they performed a diagnostic test and said that I needed a new short engine block and hybrid battery replacement. (I have the receipts for the maintenance performed by Kia Dealership) It took 3 months for The Kia dealership to rebuild the engine block and replace the Hybrid battery. On March 7, 2024, my 2016 Kia optimal hybrid seized on me while I was driving 40 miles an hour. The message/ warning now says "Battery Management System Failure" "Possible BMS Condition." "Check Hybrid System". Kia does not acknowledge that there is a problem with the hybrid system in the Kia Optima hybrids. I've called and tried to file a complaint, however they tell me there are no problems with the Kia Optima hybrids. Please investigate. Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582550April 12, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The Car has been to the dealer several times for a transmission judder update under TSB: TRA 083 and Recently TSB TRA 098 - Both Times they have done a Anti-Judder Logic Improvement. The Car still Judders and Its a big safety concern. Many times I will go to pull out into oncoming traffic and the judder can be so bad the car wont take off. This happens several times a month. I have complained about this since I bought the car and primarily they blamed it on being a Dual clutch transmission. Years later they have now 2 TSB and the issue is not solving the problem. The imparticular dealer that I use has told me they have never had to change out the clutch on this car and dont have the tools. They also said the way that kia uses software to monitor the judder never warrants a change in the dual clutch. I believe that Kia should take responsibility and install their new updated transmission into this car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11580531April 1, 2024
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH, the passenger side drive shaft fractured. The vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road and then towed to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579937March 28, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at unknown speeds the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle did not respond and began to hydroplane. The vehicle swerved left and right, when the vehicle in front moved to the side, the contact's vehicle continued to roll until the brakes responded. The vehicle came to a stop and no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they did not diagnose or repair it. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was stated that new tires may help and the tires were replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579999March 28, 2024
ENGINE
Lost power while driving. Likely seized engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579364March 25, 2024
ENGINE
While driving home on the interstate the vehicle had a sudden loss of power. No warning lights or check engine lights were on prior to this incident. The vehicle would not start and I had it towed to a dealership who told me that the engine was low on oil and that KIA would not be covering the engine replacement. I provided the dealership/KIA with all of my service records showing that I had performed all maintenance to my vehicle at KIA dealerships and that I had never skipped any recommended repairs. I also pointed out that there was never any notes made that I should be monitoring for excessive engine oil consumption or that I had a leak anywhere to be found. Despite having all of my records in order, all of my services performed at a KIA dealership and in a timely manner, no low oil lights that came on to notify me that it was dangerously low on oil, and the known issues and recalls to these engines for this exact issue; KIA stood firm that this was not their problem and they would be doing nothing to assist me in the matter. This sudden loss of power on the interstate fortunately did not, but easily could have caused a fatal accident for me and those around me at the time and also could have caused a fire to start in the vehicle which could have been fatal as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579124March 24, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine almost caught on fire. Windows are all down .
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11578803March 21, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Engine failure; oil consumption, misfire, smoking, losing sped, no acceleration. Problem has been diagnosed by 3 mechanics in a mechanic shop. Only warning was the check engine light
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577658March 15, 2024
ENGINE
My engine has been consuming oil since 30,000 miles. It consumes in excess of 1 qt per 500 miles. There's zero dripping oil from under my car, it's all being consumed. I've lost power and gone into limp mode because it's consumed too much oil and ran dry in between regular oil changes. Kia has not helped me. I've done more than 5 consumption tests with a Kia dealer. And now Kia says that it's a warranty event. However they will not accept my warranty event without evidence of every self oil change such as receipts for oil filters or oil. I don't have all of these records so Kia refuses to repair my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11575361March 4, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Snow White Pearl paint is flying off of my car in big splotches.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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