Kia Optima Complaints

7,843 consumer complaints on file.

#11717790February 13, 2026
ENGINE
The car seized operating, shut down with zero warnings. It has been a reliable car and maintained. We towed to a mechanic who said it was engine failure. Thankfully we had just exited off highway and on a side street when it became inoperable or it would have been detrimental.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717872February 13, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
While driving the Kia on the highway (in the passing lane on Route 93, Boston, MA), the hood of the car flew open and shattered the windshield. Prior to getting into the vehicle, there was no notification, warning light/display, that alerted to the hood or anything else not being 'closed', no rattling of the hood either. The hood blocked my entire vision with the exception of a small area below, where I miraculous got over to the breakdown lane without causing any accident. When I got out of the car, the hood was bent and the second latch was loose. It did not hold its shape. Called the police and the insurance company, the car was deemed a total loss. This incident occurred on January 31, 2026 at 10:05AM. The conditions were dry and sunny. The state trooper said that this incident could have had serious safety consequences to the driver and others since no one expects a hood to fly open, block visibility...this highway is a busy road and could have impacted several other vehicles on the road. We no warning lamps/message- this was traumatic- this put the safety of the driver and the public at great risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11717931February 13, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
On December 27, 2025, at approximately 150,556 miles, my 2015 Kia Optima Hybrid experienced sudden engine knocking, power loss, and failure while driving at 65 mph on a highway. The vehicle dropped into limp mode and I had to pull off the highway. The car required towing to the dealership as it would not drive safely. Diagnostics revealed a knock sensor error (P1326 code) and failing connecting rod bearings via Bearing Clearance Test, consistent with the known Theta II engine defect (manufacturing debris causing oil starvation and premature bearing wear). This follows earlier symptoms: Intermittent 'Check Hybrid System' warnings in early December 2025 at 148,665 miles (dealership unable to reproduce, but historical codes noted). The Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software update was performed in February 2022 during prior CHS warnings. Despite onset of issues under the 150,000-mile extended warranty limit per the Kia E2 Settlement, Kia denied coverage due to the minor mileage overage and directed me in a loop between Consumer Assistance and the Settlement Administrator. The defect poses a serious safety risk: potential for sudden engine seizure, stalling while driving, or engine compartment fire (as seen in related Theta II recalls and thousands of NHTSA complaints). No crash, injury, or fire occurred in my case, but the failure left the vehicle undrivable and unsafe on the road. I have service records and diagnostic reports to support this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717534February 12, 2026
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 67 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of drive power, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The check engine and HEV warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The contact entered the vehicle settings, and the ECU message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717265February 11, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle or while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle after the vehicle was serviced by the dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle received an undisclosed engine repair. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or the dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,323.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716972February 10, 2026
ENGINE
My vehicle’s engine was previously approved for replacement under the lifetime engine warranty associated with the settlement, confirming that my vehicle falls within the covered class. However, I am now experiencing significant difficulty obtaining assistance regarding secondary damage that directly resulted from the engine failure, specifically the failure of the starter and related operability issues. Despite multiple attempts to resolve this matter through the dealership and warranty channels, I have been repeatedly redirected without meaningful assistance or clear resolution. I have also encountered discrepancies within the online settlement VIN verification tool, which appears inconsistent with Kia’s prior acknowledgment of my vehicle’s settlement-related coverage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716837February 9, 2026
ENGINE
I was driving in the highway doing about 80mph passing a semi truck when all of a sudden my vehicle went from 80 down to 50 mph and I was jerked forward. I thought I was rear ended but when I looked in my rear view mirror no cars were behind me. I looked down and noticed my engine light, battery light and oil light were on and turned down my music and could hear my engine was no longer running. Thankfully there wasn't much traffic and I was able to coast to the side of the highway and turn the car off. If someone would have been behind me I am confident I would have been hit. The problem has since been confirmed by a dealership and info has been sent to Kia. The dealership was unable to provide me with a loaner car as "they had none available" so I contacted Kia corporate and they are telling me my only option is that I have to come out of pocket for a rental and they will reimburse 40$ per day. I don't think especially since I had to pay for 2 nights in a hotel as I was stranded, a few hundred dollars for a tow that I should have to pay anything as the issue with what happened to my car is the fault of Kia at the time of manufacturing. At this time I have been without a vehicle for 1 week. I was told by the dealership today that they sent all of the required info over to Kia to get word on whether the lifetime extended warranty would pay for my car to be repaired. The previous owner before me did have the KSCS update performed as mandated by Kia. My problem is I am already out almost 1000$ and now they are telling me I have to pay for a rental also, they will not help me except for reimbursement which doesn't even cover half the cost of a rental per day. I am not a rich person and I cannot afford that. Everything I've read and been told indicates that a loaner or rental car is to be provided me especially if it is due to a safety concern/recall issue. I've spoken with several kia representatives and I get nowhere. I am upset.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716870February 9, 2026
ENGINE
Valve cover leaking and oil dripping oil on exhaust at 114k miles. Risk of engine fire.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716654February 9, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power, and smoke was coming from under the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the contact was informed that the recall could not be repaired because other unknown repairs had not performed prior to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716694February 9, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his niece was driving the vehicle at 65 MPH, a strong fuel odor began to emit from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle then began to violently shake as the contact's niece began to exit the highway. Upon pulling over and exiting the vehicle, black smoke began to emit from the vehicle as both police and fire officials were in the vehicle's vicinity and witnessed the fire. As the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames, the fire department quickly arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported, and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the niece's home, where it remained in her possession. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulics). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and an investigator was scheduled to visit the niece's home and inspect the vehicle; the investigator never arrived, and the vehicle had yet to be inspected. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716078February 6, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
“My vehicle, a 2017 Kia Optima, had repeated safety issues documented in service records. Despite multiple repair attempts (per attached records), the problem remained unresolved and put my safety at risk. I’m seeking further investigation or resolution.”
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716258February 6, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER, POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2008 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle's transmission failure. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 198,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 217,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716303February 6, 2026
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CASSETTE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the buttons on the steering wheel became inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the clock spring assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. A dealer was contacted and made the contact aware of an unknown recall, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716358February 6, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
My car suddenly caught fire in my driveway tonight 2/6/26 roughly around 9:40 PM. Fire department has been dispatched to come out and investigate if the fire has been properly extinguished and it does warrant any further safety hazards until Kia can be notified and resolve this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715807February 5, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My fiancée and I just recently bought this car with the 1.6T-GDi engine I immediately replaced the oil even though the dealership said that he just replaced it. I put 7 quarts of oil topping off from awk consumption after I initially changed the oil filter. Those 7 quarts were added over the period of three weeks and it’s just progressively gotten worse. I’m putting a quart to 1.5 quarts of oil in here every other day. Worried about it causing total failure & being at risk of being stranded with 2 kids due to the only engine I’ve been able to find that Kia doesn’t have any recall touched base on is the GAMMA 1.6 engine. The turbo GAMMA 1.6. The N/a 1.6 was covered but it has ungodly pop/clunking backfiring sound coming from either intake manifold or valve train please help. Times are hard enough as it is to be without a vehicle due to a fault other than none of my own the dealership extended powertrain warranty isn’t being honored by Kia even though they said it would just don’t want something to happen to me or the car that’s beyond my capabilities and knowledge and ultimately result in my spouse not having a reliable and/or safe means of transportation to/from work and commuting kids as well. Thanks in advance
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715900February 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
unknown
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715952February 5, 2026
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Stable track control failed to work, the driver seatbelt did not tighten & stayed loose, & air bags did not deploy upon hitting the ditch & small trees resulting after hitting ice/water upon coming to a stop sign at a “T” cross road.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11715623February 4, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In order to repair the recalled equipment on the vehicle the dealerships and Kia want us to pay for them to open the trunk ($280/hour service fee to remove the back seat to gain access to the trunk and then return the back seat once completed). If the trunk latch was NOT broken to begin with they would not have to remove and replace the back seat of the car at $280/hour you would be able to push the button and open it. I don’t feel it is the car owner responsibility to pay for that access to the trunk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715316February 3, 2026
ENGINE
The engine stalled without warning while I was pulling out of my driveway into the street, creating an unsafe condition due to sudden loss of power. After waiting briefly, the vehicle restarted and was moved back into the driveway. It was towed the following day due to loss of confidence in safe operation. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure consistent with known defects affecting Kia Optima vehicles equipped with Theta II engines. Kia denied coverage under the extended engine warranty / class action settlement solely because the KSDS (PI1802 ECU update) had not been installed prior to the failure. As the second owner, I was never notified of this update before the incident and had no opportunity to complete it. This failure was sudden, unanticipated, and safety-related. I am submitting this complaint to document an engine stall and loss of power condition posing a safety risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715114February 2, 2026
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver's side and passenger's side doors' exterior trims separated from the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair was not covered because the VIN was not included in an unknown related recall. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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