Kia Optima Complaints (2012)

1,029 consumer complaints on file.

#11482517September 1, 2022
STEERING
We noticed the steering seemed loose and at 80 MPH there was a serious vibration in the steering column. We noticed there was a service bulletin on the problem on the internet, but our car was 8 months past the 10 year limit on what KIA would cover. Our car has 123,000 miles on it. Our dealer, KIA of Billings Montana fixed the problem, but it cost us $610. I believe KIA should have notified us of the problem long ago and fixed it. The vibration has been happening for some time, but we thought it was just tires out of balance or an alignment problem. We had the tires aligned and tires rotated and balanced, but still had the problem. If the government or KIA knew about the problem, they should have warned us long ago, even if we had to pay for the repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481880August 29, 2022
ENGINE
I am original owner of car. I recently noticed the car start to burn oil at a dangerous rate. The car ultimately at one point stalled in an intersection with my daughter driving. The mechanic stated the solenoids were clogged. There are no oil leaks. There was a recall for certain types of engine issues for this car but I never received a recall. The dealer states there is nothing they can do.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479008August 12, 2022
ENGINE
The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that her daughter inserted the key in the ignition and attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478723August 11, 2022
ENGINE
After the rod bearing engine replacement was preformed. My engine light came on a few days after picking it up from dealer. I immediately reported it to the dealer that I need to bring it in mainly for smog check, and no response. 2 weeks later I told them about it again. No response. 3 weeks later began a fuel smell and I immediately reported that as the smell got stronger. No response. 3 days later the fuel smell was really bad and I was really worried about a fire. This time I called general manager and he never provided any advice or return call. 3 hours later the engine caught on fire. Car is totaled and I could of been seriously injured. I sent pictures and thanked them for their negligence. He finally gave me a phone number for consumer affairs. showed no remorse and claimed that the new engine they just put in has no warranty and they are not responsible. If they would of directed me to bring back in. Or bring it somewhere. Or tell me not to drive it. But completely ignored me. And had the nerve to let me know that was their 4th fire this week. Kia management needs to step it up. I was denied a loaner or rental. And they will try to get back to me by Friday. You must put a stop to this behavior asap!
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11477311August 3, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Engine light keeps flashing and car stalls and will not go over 45 mph. One incident happened on a busy highway as merged on and was almost hit by a tractor trailer from behind.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477029August 1, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
There is a leak around the fuel tank with a significant fuel smell coming inside the cabin. amount
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476459July 29, 2022
ENGINE, STEERING
Vehicle suddenly cut off and lost power. Upon cutting back off check engine was blinking as well as oil light. Was left to sit over night as it wasn’t safe to drive home and would not restart. The following morning the car started but was hesitant driven less than 20 miles home which struggled to accelerate and check engine light was illuminated along with oil light coming on . Oil was in the car at the time. Parked in front of home additional oil added oil light then oil light cut off until ac is turned on . Car was turned on and sitting and a knocking noise began . Left to sit the next day then taken to jiffy lube where a reading came on the scanner that it was the crank shaft was then ordered to go to a repair shop where it was diagnosed the engine is blown and that oil was basically being burned even with a maintain of oil changes therefore this caused metal to metal contact . The engine is now seized up and the vehicle is sitting outside of home. Vehicle is unsafe to drive upon further research cars 2011-2019 with the same engine have caught fire or failed . Due to this there is now a class act suit theta ii with Kia .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474958July 20, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My vehicle has been smelling like fuel inside of the vehicle and cannot take it to a kia dealership due to them being backed up. There are no visible leaks inside or outside of the vehicle but it is unsafe to inhale fuel and every time i fill it up, the smell gets stronger.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472604July 6, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car caught on fire while driving from somewhere near the engine. The fire was so severe that fire department nor my insurance company were able to determine cause of fire and I’d only had vehicle for 45 days, it was a single owner with no accidents and maintained its entire life up to that point. I am requesting someone to examine vehicle and tell me how this possibly happened.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472399July 5, 2022
STEERING
MDPS Flex Coupling for steering needs replacement. Not covered by the 10 year warranty because it was 6 months late
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472405July 5, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Delamination of the white pearl paint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11470769June 23, 2022
AIR 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 $1470.65. I feel that I am being treated wrong here because their initial work caused this light to turn on and they told me it was not related but now this vehicle check says it is a big concern if it is not fixed. I drive my three children to school in this vehicle. I am afraid for them and myself. I don't know what to do. This was part of the air bag recall and they caused this light to turn on and they need to fix it for me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469736June 17, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The speedometer quits working, the car will not shift into gear after parked and turned off, all the dash lights come on. You have to hit the reset button on the gear shift to get the car to do anything.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469516June 16, 2022
ENGINE
I was driving my 2012 dia optima approximately 55 mph and without warning the engine died killing power to steering and brakes.....tried starting it back up heard the fuel pump kick on good ground all the basics then I began to google possible issues and saw there were serious engine issues where the car either spews high pressure gas and potentially catches fire or bearing wear where the engine will shut off without warning.....I typed vin in said my vehicle was part of the theta II GDI engine recall so I called the 800 number where they told me that there were 2 recalls that needed to be done "before" the engine fails and that my vehicle had only had one of the two so I would have to pay to have it towed (315$) 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, 2022
ENGINE
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
#11467612June 5, 2022
ENGINE
I had went out of town and when driving back home the car start stalling and I pulled over to the side of the road. I tried to start it again but it wouldn’t start. After waiting on the side of the road for two hours I got the car pulled to a car shop. After they checked it the man told me that my motor was gone and I would have to get another one. I had called the Kia place about the recalls 3 weeks earlier and I haven’t heard back from them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466393May 27, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The vehicle was previously serviced at the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would not accelerate above 35 MPH. Additionally, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into limp mode. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462956May 1, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
Several areas on my vehicle the paint is chipping in large chunks. The paint is not fading but coming off. I enquired to the dealership about this years ago but they said it was not in warranty for that anymore. The only reason im enquiring about it now is because I see many vehicles (kia optima in pearl white) on the road with the similar issue as me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462498April 27, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started to stall. The check engine, oil, and battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over safely to the side of the road. While attempting to restart, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to her residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 195,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462244April 26, 2022
ENGINE
Kia started losing power on freeway was able to pull over then it died and wouldn’t start back up motor seized up battery is good electrical is good it’s a push start and engine won’t crank or turn over or nothing
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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