Kia Optima Complaints
7,843 consumer complaints on file.
- #11470695June 23, 2022FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V093000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The contact has stated that the issue has been resolved.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470769June 23, 2022AIR BAGS
I took my car in for the air bag recall in 2018. When I picked up my car the air bag light was on. I called the Kia service line and they told me the light should go off on its on. So I drove home. I drove to work and back home and the light was still on. So I called the Kia service again and they told me to bring in the vehicle which I did. They checked and told me that they had no way of turning off the light. So I just drove home thinking everything was ok. Fast forward 2022, I had a seperate problem that forced me to take my car back to the kia service shop. They checked things in my car and I was shocked to learn that my air bag would not work in case I was in an accident. I told them this light has been on since after they did the air bag recall work but I did not feel supported here. the price tag to fix it is $1470.65. I feel that I am being treated wrong here because their initial work caused this light to turn on and they told me it was not related but now this vehicle check says it is a big concern if it is not fixed. I drive my three children to school in this vehicle. I am afraid for them and myself. I don't know what to do. This was part of the air bag recall and they caused this light to turn on and they need to fix it for me.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470461June 22, 2022ENGINE
Car overheated without any forewarning or indication lights being displayed. Causing hydraulic and engine to fail. Kia is not taking responsibility for the rod bearings causing the overheat. They are saying at the dealership my car was not part of this recall. They refuse to fix it and want me to pay for the new engine myself. Three mechanics have already stated that the hydraulic can be caused by the rod bearings. They are denying the claim
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470489June 22, 2022ENGINE
The long block detached while driving on access road The life of those around me including my daughter The vehicle was inspected by the dealership
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470536June 22, 2022LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Optima. The contact was unable to use the key to manually unlock the door to the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle failed to open consistently from inside the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact was unable to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470175June 21, 2022ENGINE
My car has been using a lot of oil lately and it is due partly to the turbocharger. I have had the oil leak fixed once already and now the dealership wants to charge me over $7,000 to fix it again. I would also like to know if the current recall for the engine fuel hose has anything to do with the oil leak.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470225June 21, 2022ENGINE
Driving down Highway at 72 mph when vehicle shut down wheel got tight then vehicle restarted itself. Taken to dealership ran multiple test and cannot find an issue with the vehicle. There are no warning lights there was no symptoms or anything else like that that would have let me know the vehicle was would shutdown/restart while driving.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470281June 21, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 71 MPH, she heard abnormal loud knocking sounds coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rod bearing had failed. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist until the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11470117June 20, 2022ENGINE
On May 19, 2022, I was driving North on I-225... The engine stalled out on my 2013 Kia Optima EX, while I was driving. All dash indicator lights came on. There was no warning light came on to alert me of the problem. It smelled like something was burning. No dealership or anyone has confirmed the maintenance needed on the vehicle. I will have my car tolled to a nearby Kia dealership due to the 2013 recall...
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469909June 18, 2022STRUCTURE:BODY
The paint is peeling or delaminating from the car. It is happening in many places. The paint is Snow White Pearl. The car now has about 110,000 miles. The paint warranted for only for 36 months. But it is obvious that this is a quality issue and latent defect. The paint shop says he has seen this a lot with Kias. The paint is not sticking to the primer. I keep hoping there will be a recall on the paint. Even the dealer says it is a problem but Kia corp will not pay to fix the cars with this issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469704June 17, 2022ENGINE
Engine Failure after KSDS in March 2022 Update Error Code P1326 (2 times in May and June 2022), BSDS Error with HEV Warning Light Shut Off Engine to prevent damage. Engine burned 2.5 quarts of oil in 3 weeks and 1500 miles. Vehicle went into “limp mode” or “safe mode” to prevent further damage. Engine failure at 102k miles. Error is currently being added by KIA North Austin. KIA reproduced the error P1326.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469736June 17, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The speedometer quits working, the car will not shift into gear after parked and turned off, all the dash lights come on. You have to hit the reset button on the gear shift to get the car to do anything.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469827June 17, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH the accelerator felt soft to her and as she depressed the accelerator the vehicle began to lose forward momentum. The contact stated the "check engine" warning was illuminated and the engine was still functioning but the contact stated there was no power. The contact safely coasted the vehicle off the side of highway. The contact shut the vehicle off and then restarted and was able to move forward, however the engine could only manage to move the vehicle at approximately 35 MPH and still had the "check engine" warning illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence and later to an auto parts store who scanned the vehicle and determined that the "knock sensor (P1326) code was detected. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had taken the vehicle previously to a dealer to have a recall on the "knock sensor" repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469849June 17, 2022STRUCTURE:BODY
I have a 2013 Kia Optima with pearl white paint. My paint has significantly chipped away on multiple parts of the body including the roof, side of drivers side windshield, and the drivers side body. This chipping is due to a paint defect during the manufacturing process and the entire car needs to be repainted.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469698June 16, 2022STRUCTURE:BODY
Exterior Paint Pearl White Kia. Started with small specks all over the entire car around 2018/2019. Last week inches came off with out me noticing since I washed my car three weeks ago. Peeling very fast only has 56,000 miles on it. “Dealer included Paint protection” Have only just begun my research. I have all my purchasing paper work and Maintenace. Bubbling indicates Latent defect, online everyone is starting to post paint problems with the same year. I have paint tearing under my trunk hood. The whole thing needs to be replaced. For having only 56,000 miles on my car it should not have this damage nor should I feel embarrassed about my car. I was not told if and when anything expired before 10years. I have prof of interior and exterior paint protected added and have it in hand.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469516June 16, 2022ENGINE
I was driving my 2012 dia optima approximately 55 mph and without warning the engine died killing power to steering and brakes.....tried starting it back up heard the fuel pump kick on good ground all the basics then I began to google possible issues and saw there were serious engine issues where the car either spews high pressure gas and potentially catches fire or bearing wear where the engine will shut off without warning.....I typed vin in said my vehicle was part of the theta II GDI engine recall so I called the 800 number where they told me that there were 2 recalls that needed to be done "before" the engine fails and that my vehicle had only had one of the two so I would have to pay to have it towed (315$) to local dealership to have diagnosed and tech line opened. I dropped it off on Saturday the 28th of may and was told due to holiday weekend it would be Tuesday the 2nd they would call well finally yesterday june 15th they finally called and the fella told us it wasn't covered and it would cost 8000$ for them to put an engine in or I could sell it to them for 300 or 400$. I called corporate immediately after speaking with ole dude the lady asked what the diagnostic came up with because my car is covered under lifetime warranty for the bearing issue in fact and doesn't matter about the fuel issue. She seems to think that he never even put on diagnostic machine she tried calling him 4 times from headquarters and was ignored each time. They never tried contacting me which was a registered owner or my wife who is now and even as far back as my little brother who I bought the car off of it was still registered in original owners and according to what I read they were supposed to actively seek out vehicle owners through registration etc because of danger and then in my opinion dude tried to hustle me knowing the car was actually covered telling me no and giving 400 then turn it in get new motor and make 10k....I did not smell fuel when I popped hood so I know
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469277June 15, 2022ENGINE
My engine seized up while driving with no warning or prior issues. My safety was put at risk because this happen while I was driving down a public road and could have gotten into an accident due to the cars malfunction. Kia has inspected the car but has refused to reimburse me for their engine failure although they had recall campaign for my model vehicle and other models of Kia vehicles. The only warning I was given was right before the engine failed the car said "hybrid system failure, do not drive"
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469393June 15, 2022STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There was no accident. My paint keeps chipping. I’ve never had a car chip paint like this one. I’ve seen multiple other cars who have the same exact car in the color Snow White have this problem. Very frustrating.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469000June 13, 2022HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the hybrid system malfunctioned. The contact stated that during the failure the vehicle decelerated and lost motive power. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer and remained with the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000. Error message comes up on the dashboard.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11469047June 13, 2022ENGINE
On May 30 2022 this incident happened. I have 160,000 miles on my 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid and was running just fine in the morning and later in the day motor seized up with no warning no lights from the dash. I heard while driving a quick squeal and puff of smoke from the belt breaking it was done. I was able to drive under the Electric motor side back to my house. I did not look under the hood until the next day and that is when I found the belt was broken. I did not know the motor has seized up until the dealership informed me and was told this motor is now discontinued.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0