Kia Optima Complaints (2020)

155 consumer complaints on file.

#11540523August 24, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The vehicles 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT), is horribly jerky at very low speeds and on take off. It has become dangerous to drive as my wife almost caused an accident from the vehicle not reacting to acceleration pedal, or from it reacting completely unexpectedly. The transmission is very jerky as you take the foot off the brake without pressing accelerator pedal, it shakes the entire vehicle. It also jerks heavily if you barely touch the gas pedal on take off. Dealership has done a software update on the transmission which only helped initially for about 2-3 weeks, after which the transmission started behaving in that way much worse. It is a constant and persistent issue, however, as there are no fault codes or check engine light is not displayed, the dealer states there is nothing they can do to fix the problem. The vehicle is under full manufacturer power train warranty, yet they refuse to fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11532099July 13, 2023
ENGINE
My engine needs to be replaced
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531589July 11, 2023
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
On July 4th 2023, I was driving with my son in car, when unexpectedly the check engine light came on and car lost power. We were on a highway with a 65mph speed limit. I was able to pull over to side of road. Car did Start back up, however was missing and misfiring. Shaking especially under acceleration. My engine has been consuming oil for many thousands of miles, it is documented; however only an oil consumption test was performed. Hyuandai and Kia has serious engine issues and they know it. This could've been worse. Luckily I still had some brake pressure to get off the road. With this stalling on the highway, it is very dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528214June 21, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Dealers claim pistons are bad and engine is stalking eating through 2 quart every thousand miles or less. Properly maintained and everything not sure why the pistons would be bad already, also replaced a pcv sensor to fix problem but did not change anything.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524124May 27, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:IMMOBILIZER/PROXIMITY:KEY/SENDER
April 30, 2023 my 2020 Kia Optima was stolen. The thief or thieves broke my backside passenger window to get inside. Once inside they started my car using a USB cord/ charger block. I purchased the car in Feb 2023. I wasn't aware of made aware the car's antitheft software needed to be upgraded which would've deterred or made it difficult for thieves to steal it. I wasn't notified by the dealership nor Kia about this needed upgrade. My insurance has denied my claim and I'm stuck paying for damages well over $4000. What can I do to prevent my car from being stolen again should I decided to keep it? I've reached out to the dealership where I purchased the car and Kia neither of them were concerned nor had answers
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11519389April 28, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, it was discovered that the engine oil level was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed an oil consumption test. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514612March 30, 2023
SEATS, ENGINE
The passagen side seat belt comes on and beeps and stays on sometimes and other times it dont Then the check engine one day started flashing on me lost of power wouldnt do no more then 60mph
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508286February 21, 2023
ENGINE
Car burns through 3 quarts of oil per week with just normal usage. Confirmed there are no oil leaks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507131February 13, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
I believe the engine could possibly be failing. My engine light will come on & flash, when it does this it is slowing down at speed ranges of 60 mph. Another thing, the GDi engine that is in this vehicle burns oil EXTREMELY fast. It is quite aggravating having to constantly get oil changes every 2-4 weeks & have only driven 0-1500 miles. This is not normal. The engine has this crackling noise as if it’s chopping metal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501369January 11, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
ABS module is faulty. Confirmed by professional auto shops and it’s a safety risk. Without this working properly, my car refuses to brake sometimes. Will not automatically stop when it needs to due to the spongy, unresponsive brake pedal. Kia / Hyundai have known about this for years and continues to sell these vehicles that WILL kill myself or someone else on the road.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498914December 26, 2022
ENGINE
2020 Kia Optima with 39,000 miles. Check engine light came on for knock sensor and put into limp mode. Before the check engine light came on I've been noticing a faint noise during acceleration from the engine. Waiting to hear back on the overall problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498453December 21, 2022
POWER TRAIN
On Thursday, I was leaving to drive my son 5 miles up the road and my check engine light started flashing with no warning. My car slowed down and started jerking. I took it to auto zone (on limp mode) to receive a code and it came back with p1326. My car only has 64,216 miles and I also just recently got the oil changed. I have not taken it to a dealer yet but I wanted to report this because my car is only 2 years old and shouldn’t have engine/power train issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497229December 13, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2020 Kia Optima Exploding Sunroof. While driving home from work on the highway I heard a loud pop that startled me. Once stopping I found my sunroof was broken. Nothing had hit it, and after inspection at the dealership no mechanical issues were found. On Google many other Kia owners with different years and model cars have experienced the same exact thing I went through. On top of my monthly note I have never been late on. I have to pay to get this fixed when Kia should have actually footed the bill. Will never purchase another kia after this. The whole situation has caused tons of stress and anxiety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495396November 29, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Vehicle was tampered before purchasing, transmission mounts broken, evap hose gas tank and engine.. car was claimed as a lemon vehicle, dealership sold me a vehicle that’s unsafe to operate. Dealership refuses to fix…
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475800July 25, 2022
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The Kia optima 2020 2.4 every 3000 to 4000 miles oil change is metal shavings in the old oil. The clicking noise stared it around the 10000 miles mark and now is getting worse with 60000 miles ,everytime I hit the gas and goes over 30 miles loose a lot of power and a clicking noise come out ,now is getting worse. Is a new car. Already change a ABS pump and I keep my oil change to the date. I m afraid the car is breaking . Help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474661July 19, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle is incredibly easy to steal. A simple flat head screw driver in the hands of a child will steal this vehicle. My car was stolen from Daytona Beach Florida on July 8 2022 by 2 14 year and one 15 year old kids. No key, no fob needed, who knew it'd be so easy to steal? They learned it on TikTok. This is a problem nation wide and social media seems to spread the issue even further. I provided a link to one of many news stories regarding this problem below. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2022/06/30/police-rise-car-thefts-kia-hyundai/7776099001/
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463586May 6, 2022
Other/I am not sure
The driver side seat It goes off whenever sometimes for a few seconds other times a few minutes and this is when I'm driving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462706April 29, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
After changing the bulbs and fuses . The lights flicker and sometimes don’t come on at all .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11460018April 7, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a guardrail, causing her to hit her head on the steering wheel and lose consciousness. The vehicle came to a complete stop in a ditch. No air bags were deployed upon impact. The contact later received medical attention at the hospital for a concussion and was later diagnosed with early signs of onset dementia. A police report was filed and the contact was taken to jail under the assumption that she was intoxicated at the time of the collision. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, but the contact was not aware if it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the air bags should not have been deployed. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11459106March 31, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle dash warning light started flashing and told me to turn off vehicle. There were no shoulders on the road where I was. I smelled a burning smell (like a belt -not brakes). I stopped and turned the car off. Very dangerous!!! Not impressed that the dealership or manufacturer allowed this vehicle to be re-sold! I turned the vehicle into the service department. Do NOT want this vehicle back! Lemons should not be on the road!!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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