Kia Optima Complaints

7,843 consumer complaints on file.

#11457025March 16, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine code P1326 (Knock Sensor Detection System) and failed the bearing test. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the FTC. The failure mileage was 129,272.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11457051March 16, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2015 Kia was one of many Kias stolen from the Milwaukee, WI area. It was stolen from a secure residential parking garage by thieves who know they simply have to break a window to gain entrance to the car, break open the ignition lock, start the car with a USB port, and drive away. The police helped me recover the car and it is currently sitting idle at the shop for the past month waiting for a new ignition lock which is on backorder nationwide because of the high demand.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456800March 15, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2015 KIA Optima EX with snow white pearl paint delamination on the trunk and roof similar to several other reports on the KIA forum website.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456858March 15, 2022
ENGINE
DEAN MCCRARY OF MOBILE AGREED TO FIX ALL ACTIVE RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE ON 11/3/2021. THEY KEPT MY CAR UNTIL 12/4/2021 CAUSING HUNDREDS IN RENTAL FEES. MY CAR STILL HAS AN ACTIVE RECALL WHICH WAS ISSUED IN MAY, 2021. THE SERVICE MANAGER ASSURED ME ALL RECALLS WOULD BE REPAIRED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456893March 15, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The engine is burning about a half a quarter of oil every 1000 miles. The transmission studers when trying to take off and sometimes lags when you accelerate harder.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455702March 8, 2022
ENGINE
We bought the car used in November of 2020 from Conicelli used Toyota dealership. We had the car not even a year when the engine broke and we got it looked at and found it was a rod knock which there is a recall for this vehicle for the same issue we were having. We had the car towed to kia on the boulevard on January 3rd of 2022. It is now March 8th 2022 and they keep telling us different things at first the engine was supposed to be there by the 6th and now i called today and sat on hold to find out that the advisor for the car no longer works there and now the engine still isn't there and they have no idea what's going on and have to look into it. this isnt the first time we were told that the advisor no longer worked there it happened with the first advisor and were now going on our third advisor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455460March 7, 2022
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Kia said they fixed recall on my car and lights are still on and I hydroplane and totaled my car
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11455513March 7, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH on the highway, the engine was shaking and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over and was assisted by her son who poured three quarts of oil into the engine. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove it to her residence. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455434March 6, 2022
ENGINE
The morning of 3-1-2022, after driving for approximately 5 minutes, I noticed a ticking/knocking coming from the engine area. 10 minutes later, I stopped and opened the hood and it was definitely coming from the engine. This continued that evening when I went home. Sometimes it was quiet, but others times loud. I dropped it off at my mechanic the next morning, they later called saying it was an internal engine knock and they couldn't do anything with it. The next day I took it to another auto repair mechanic and was told the same thing, but they also said it needed a new motor, but to contact kia for any recalls. There are none for my 2015, but 2011-2014 DID have recalls and they were for the same problem I was having. I was given an appt for the following Tuesday, but by Friday afternoon the engine completely shut off while I was driving. Luckily, I was able to coast to a safe location. My check engine light NEVER came on for the 4 days I was having problems with it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455444March 6, 2022
STEERING, WHEELS, POWER TRAIN
My steering wheel will randomly lock in the middle of road while driving. I have to forcefully turn wheel to be able to pull of off the road meanwhile the there is on coming traffic. I have been told my car is having misfire and an engine knock code P1326 I have also got other codes and was told it could be a factory malfunction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455290March 5, 2022
ENGINE
While driving on the highway, car suddenly lost power which was dangerous because there was no shoulder to pull over out of the way of other vehicles, & another car could have slammed into the back of mine, luckily was able to coast far enough exit highway. Had car towed to shop was told the engine had seized up. With no warning at all. Then I learned about the recall for this car, unfortunately a little too late in my case.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455329March 5, 2022
ENGINE
As I was driving on the freeway the car just started flashing the engine light and speed just went down even though I was still pressing the gas pedal ,hesitating to go ,like a lil jerk or if it was about to cut off while I was trying to get to a safe position off the freeway. And after that the car wouldn’t let me go over 60 and it still was jerking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455154March 4, 2022
ENGINE
While driving the vehicle the engine shut off with no warning in heavy traffic. 10 seconds before the check engine light came on and then just seized. 3 police officers came to push the vehicle to the roadside out of traffic. I never Knew of a KSDS install on this vehicle and Kia admits that there is a defective engine but will not fix the car since this install was not complete. The police officers told us that we were extremely lucky to have not been injured in an accident as we sat in the middle of the highway. So we now have a vehicle that we are paying for with a seized motor that kia admittedly knows was defective but they refuse to fix. We never got a notice to have this installed. When I look on your site, there is a recall but for something completely different. How are we to know anything needs to be installed if we are not notified and it’s not listed under the VIN? Please help! There are thousands of us with this same issue!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455262March 4, 2022
ENGINE
On November 11 2021 i was on the highway doing 65 mph. I heard a putting sound then, no pressure on gas paddle. After cruising about a half mile up the highway the i was finally able to pull to the shoulder. After about a week i took the car to Capital KIA in Columbus, Ohio. They looked at my car said my engine was most likely down due to the recall. We walk to the tech computer. I give him my vin number, and he see i have a salvage title and refuse to do the recall. I got the car towed there and back.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455270March 4, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH the vehicle stalled. The vehicle lost power brake assist and power steering assist however, the vehicle was able to safely pull off the roadway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a non-affiliated dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454985March 3, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact initially received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where he was informed that no issues were found with his vehicle. The contact insisted that a knocking noise could be heard from the vehicle but the dealer stated otherwise. The contact was informed that if the knocking noise he heard persisted, to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle started to consume an excessive amount of oil and the knocking noise persisted. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer where he was informed that sludge and metal fragments were found in the engine. The contact was informed by the dealer that the manufacturer would be notified about the failure; however, the contact had not yet heard from the dealer or the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454998March 3, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
I have a 2016 Kia Optima Pearl White and the paint on the hood just started peeling! It looks awful. What should I do to get this problem fixed?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454999March 3, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
The contact owns a 2015 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 brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately, causing the vehicle to crash into a curve that fractured the lower control arm and damaged the tire rims, fender, and bumper. Additionally, the vehicle later failed to start. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that either the alternator or battery was faulty. The mechanic replaced the lower control arm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,403. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455107March 3, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Moved my vehicle from California to New York and when the temperature reached around 30 degree's i noticed that that paint would begin to bubble and flake off. Since i have owned the vehicle the vehicle has not been in a location where temperatures reach below 55 degree's. since I relocated to NY for the past 2 years I have had consistent issues with paint flaking and chipping off my vehicle once temperatures go below 30 degree's.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455114March 3, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was driving to work and smelled fuel. The loud Oder of fuel was coming from under the hood. Called kia and they had the car towed to the Kia place in mobile alabama. Was told that my vin number is not covered under the 3 recalls that they have for this same make and model. Kia place said it has a fuel leak from high pressure fuel pump.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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