Kia Optima Complaints

7,843 consumer complaints on file.

#11310756February 22, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHEN MY PHONE IS PLUGGED INTO THE CHARGER, MY SCREEN WILL GO BLACK ALL OF A SUDDEN, AND I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND UNPLUG MY PHONE AND TURN THE CAR BACK ON FOR THE SCREEN TO COME BACK ON. ALSO, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE MY BRAKES LOCK UP ON ME, AND I ALMOST HIT THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN, AND I HAVE EVEN HAD TO SWERVE OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID A COLLISION. IT HAPPENS WHEN I AM IN MOTION DRIVING AND GO TO STOP. THE RADIO SCREEN THOUGH HAS TURNED OFF ON ME WHETHER I AM DRIVING OR IN PARK.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310614February 21, 2020
ENGINE
MY 2013 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID BEGAN SUDDENLY HAVING A KNOCKING NOISE IN THE MOTOR. HAD IT TOWED TO KIA AND WAS TOLD IT HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE THAT THE 2013 OPTIMA WERE HAVING THAT WERE COVERED BY A RECALL EXCEPT MINE WAS A HYBRID AND THE RECALL HAD NOT INCLUDED HYBRIDS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310320February 20, 2020
ENGINE
HAD MY OIL CHANGED WHEN SUPPOSED TO THEY ADVISED MY CAR WAS ALMOST ON EMPTY, AFTER CHANGED I HADN'T DROVE IT ABOUT 1,000 MILES AND I NOTICED IT WHITE SMOKE WHEN I STARTED IT COMING OUT OF TAIL PIPE, CHECKED MY OIL AND IT WAS BELOW THE LOW LEVEL. I'M HAVING TO PUT OIL IN EVERY FEW DAYS AND ITS SUPPOSED TO BE 2000 MORE MILES TIL TIME TO CHANGE IT AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ABOUT A MONTH NOW, ITS NOT LEAKING OIL, JUST BURNING IT. NOW WHILE DRIVING MY CAR IF I TRY TO GIVE IT GAS TO ACCELERATE MY CAR STARTS LOSING POWER AND A LOT OF WHITE SMOKE COMES OUT THE PIPE. ITS STILL DRIVABLE AS OF NOW BUT THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE ISSUE WITH THESE MAKE/MODELS FOR THE 2015'S. I'M TAKING TO A DEALERSHIP NEXT WEEK TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310444February 20, 2020
ENGINE
2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID STOPPED RUNNING. MECHANIC INFORMED ME ROD BEARINGS HAD WENT BAD CAUSING METAL SHAVINGS TO GET INTO ENGINE OIL DAMAGING THE ENGINE BEYOND REPAIR. NEW ENGINE IS NEEDED WITH ONLY 60,000 MILES ON CAR. 2012 KIA OPTIMAS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS SPECIFIC REASON BUT WAS TOLD HYBRID IS NOT IN RECALL. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY THE SAME ISSUE AND DEFECT DOES NOT MATTER IF IT IS A HYBRID OR NOT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310012February 19, 2020
STEERING, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
ON FEB18 2020 HEAD LIGHTS AGAIN STOPPED WORKING NEW BULBS WERE PUT IN OEM REPLACEMENTS LIGHT GO OFF WHEN EVER THEY WANT THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF YOUR A RURAL ROADS INTERIOR LIGHT STAY ON OR GO OFF ON THERE OWN BUT MOSTLY IT'S THE HEAD LIGHT THAT WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO THIS ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING AND WHEN STATIONARY KIA HAS TO DO SOMETHING TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM THIS ISN'T A WEAR AND TEAR PEOPLE'S THIS IS SUBPAR CRAFTSMANSHIP ON A SAFETY ISSUE AND I'M AFRAID SOMEONE WILL DIE. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS WHERE THE CAR OWNERS PAYED 400.00 TO REPLACE THE WIRING AND BULBS ONLY TO HAVE IT HAPPEN AGAIN. MY OTHER ISSUE IS THAT KIA USED A PLASTIC STAR LOCKING BEARING IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT BROKE AND I HAD TO FIX AT MY EXPENSE MECHANIC SAID IT'S A PROBLEM WITH THE CARS. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR MAKING A TURN YOU WOULD FEEL THE GRINDING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND HEAR CLICKING. THIS WAS ON REGULAR CITY PAVED STREETS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310128February 19, 2020
ENGINE
THE CAR ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING AND THEN COMPLETELY FAILED AT 114,000 MILES. I WAS GOING 35 MPH AND MY OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED REGULARLY.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310181February 19, 2020
ENGINE
CAR DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. NO CRANK, NO START. MECHANIC SAYS THE ENGINE HAS SEIZED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11310190February 19, 2020
ENGINE, STEERING
STEERING STICKS AND YOU HAVE TO FORCEFULLY PULL THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TO UNSTICK IT. OIL IS BURNING WITH NO OIL LEAKS, NO LEAKS IN OTHER FLUIDS, NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHERE IT IS GOING BUT IT IS BURNING THROUGH A QUART OF OIL EVERY 7 DAYS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309968February 18, 2020
STRUCTURE:BODY
POOR PAINT JOBS AND NOT CAR HAS LOTS OF PEELING AND CHIPPED PAINT SPOTS. SEEMS TO BE VERY POOR WORKMANSHIP AND NOW WE ARE STUCK WITH A PEELING CAR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309990February 18, 2020
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING
VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY AND LOCKED THE STEERING CAPABILITY.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309695February 17, 2020
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
MY 2017 KIA OPTIMA, THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AT NUMEROUS TIMES AND WHEN IT DOES IT STARTS TO RIDE ROUGH LIKE IT IS IN THE WRONG GEAR, SEEMS LIKE IT IS READY TO DIE OUT WHEN SLOWING DOWN. ALSO FEELS LIKE IT WON'T PICK UP SPEED. I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY MOST OF THE TIME AT SPEEDS FROM 40 TO 70 MPH. IT ALSO DOES THIS WHEN DRIVING IN TOWN. I AM CRYING OUT FOR HELP. THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE ABOUT MY SAFETY. I COMMUTE IN THE MID MORNING HOURS AND VERY UNSAFE IF I BREAK DOWN . MY LIFE IS AT STAKE. THANK YOU
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309450February 16, 2020
STRUCTURE:BODY, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
ON 1/12/2020, I WAS DRIVING MY CAR 2016 KIA OPTIMA FROM ALPHARETTA TO DECATUR TO ATTEND CHURCH. I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF THE CHURCH AND PARKED. A FEW SECONDS AFTER I PARKED, I BEGAN SEEING LOTS OF SMOKE COMING FROM THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. THE POLICE MEN WHO WERE IN THE PARKING LOT DIRECTING TRAFFIC ASKED ME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR QUICKLY AND BEGAN ATTEMPTING TO QUENCH THE FIRE WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. SHORTLY AFTER, THE DEKALB FIRE DEPT ARRIVED AND FOUGHT TO PUT OUT AND CONTAIN THE FIRE. IT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE TOW YARD. I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE COMPANY RIGHT AWAY AND AFTER A FEW DAYS OF INVESTIGATION, UNFORTUNATELY, MY CAR WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. NEXT DAY, I CHECKED MY VIN # TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY RECALLS BY KIA THAT I WAS NOT AWARE OF, BUT THE RESULTS CAME BACK SAYING 'NO RECORDS' AND '0 RECALLS FOUND'. ON 1/15/2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 12.50PM, I CONTACTED KIA CORPORATE AND FILED A COMPLAINT AND I WAS INFORMED WHEN I GAVE MY STATEMENT OVER THE PHONE THAT THERE WAS AN ' OPEN CAMPAIGN PI 1802 ECU UPGRADE' AND AS ADVISED BY THE KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE REP THAT HE WILL BE FORWARDING MY COMPLAINT TO A THE NATIONAL DEPT AND THEY WILL GET BACK TO ME. A KIA REP ASHLEY CONTACTED ME AND ADVISED KIA ENGINEERS WILL LIKE TO INVESTIGATE WHAT HAPPENED. AFTER 3 WEEKS OF WAITING, THE REP CONTACTED ME STATING THEY WILL LIKE TO PAY OFF REMAINING BAL ON MY CAR, AND PERSONAL ITEMS. THEY WILL NOT HELP ME WITH GETTING ANOTHER CAR AND I DECLINED BECAUSE I LOST EVERYTHING AND INCURRED A GREATER DAMAGE. THEN THE KIA REP WROTE ME STATING THAT THEY ILL NO LONGER PURSUE INVESTIGATING SINCE I REFUSED ACCEPTING $1001 MY LEFT OVER BALANCE OWED TO THE LENDER. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED ON HOW KIA HAS TREATED ME LEAVING ME HANGING AFTER SUCH A GREAT LOSS. I AM SEEKING LEGAL ACTIONS SINCE KIA HAS REFUSED TO COME TO A SUITABLE RESOLUTION.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309556February 16, 2020
ENGINE
ON FEB.14,2020 I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY GOING 65MPH WHEN MY CAR STALLED LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY I TRY TO RESTART THE CAR NOTHING HAPPEN DIDNT CLICK OVER EVERY LIGHT WAS ON THE DASHBOARD I HAD IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE AND TRY TO START IT TWICE NOTHING CLICKED OVER I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BATTERY $153 AND STILL NOTHING IT NO CLICKING OVER NO NOTHING I BELIEVE MY ENGINE FAILED
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309307February 15, 2020
ENGINE
ONE WEEK AFTER AN OIL CHANGE, I WAS (30 MILES AWAY FROM HOME) DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 55MPH. I FELT A VIBRATION BEGIN. I TURNED OFF THE HEATER AND TURNED OFF THE STEREO. IMMEDIATELY I HEARD A HORRIFIC METALLIC BANGING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR CEL ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE STALLED AS I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND I HAD TO TRY TO PULL IT SAFELY TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. I WAS ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE TO A BUSINESS, SO I TRIED TO START THE CAR TO GET IT SAFELY OFF THE ROADWAY. IT TRIED TO START, BUT MADE AN EXTREMELY LOUD "KA-THUNK" SOUND AND THEN STARTED SMOKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I TURNED OFF THE FLASHERS, CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND A RIDE HOME. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC NEAR MY HOME AND CALLED FOR A RIDE FOR MYSELF. ONCE I ARRIVED HOME, I CALLED KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT. THEY PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER AND STATED THAT I WOULD NOW NEED MY CAR TO BE TOWED TO A KIA DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE KIA DEALER DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A LOANER VEHICLES, SO I AM WAITING UNTIL MONDAY TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED IN HOPES I CAN ACQUIRE A VEHICLE AT THAT TIME UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO DETERMINE IF KIA IS GOING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. IN THE INTERIM, MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DID A QUICK INSPECTION AND STATED THERE ARE METAL SHAVINGS IN MY OIL AND IT APPEARS AS THOUGH MY ENGINE "BLEW A ROD." MY VIN DOESN'T MEET THE RECALL CRITERIA, BUT RATHER THE PI1803 BULLETIN. 2013 KIA OPTIMA SXL; I'M THE SECOND OWNER. IT'S BEEN BABIED, APPROPRIATE OIL CHANGES, 93K MILES.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309352February 15, 2020
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
WHILE DRIVING, BELOW SPEED LIMIT, THE BACK TIRE SLID ON SOME SLUSH. WHEN I TAPPED THE BREAK THE ELECTRONIC SLIP CONTROL KICKED ON, LOCKING THE STEERING WHEEL, CAUSING THE THROTTLE TO CUT OFF WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN OR CHANGING GEARS, AND THE BREAKS INSTANTLY STARTED JUMPING, I AT THIS POINT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. THE CAR WENT OFF THE ROAD, HITTING A CEMENT POST, MY HEAD BOUNCED OFF OF THE STEERING WHEEL, CONTINUED TO CRASH FORWARD COMING TO A REST ON TOP OF A ROCK WALL, THAT IS WHEN THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED CAUSING A SEVERE NECK SPRAIN. AT THIS TIME THE REAR WHEEL WAS NOT EVEN ON THE GROUND AS I HAD BEEN LAUNCHED TO A TEETERING POSITION, THE ENGINE HAD BEEN CRACKED, FLUIDS LEAKING EVERYWHERE WHEN I NOTICED A STRANGE COLORED SMOKE AND THE ENGINE STILL RUNNING. A WITNESS QUICKLY ADVISED ME TO CUT THE ENGINE OFF AND GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I WAS ONLY DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 32 MPH IN A 35 ZONE ON A LEFT HANDED CURVE, THE CAR WAS LAUNCHED OFF THE ROAD TO THE RIGHT.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11309141February 14, 2020
ENGINE
EXCESSIVE OIL USAGE. USING TWO QUARTS OF OIL IN A WEEK. NO LEAKS AT ALL, ANYWHERE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309290February 14, 2020
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I AM HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE SECOND WINDOW MOTOR ON THIS VEHICLE. FROM READING REVIEWS, IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11308900February 13, 2020
ENGINE
BOUGHT VEHICLE NEW FROM RICART KIA IN COLUMBUS, OH IN 2018. VEHICLE HAS 41,917 MILES NOW. VEHICLE DEVELOPED FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH. VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY REDUCED POWER TO 1800-2000RPMS. VEHICLE WILL RUN AND DRIVE BUT WILL JERK VIOLENTLY AT 1800-2000RPMS TO LIMIT ENGINE REVOLUTIONS. TOOK VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY TO DEALERSHIP WHERE BOUGHT. SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED DTC P1326. DEALERSHIP PERFORMED WIRING INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT OF KSDS (KNOCK SENSOR). RELEASED VEHICLE TO CUSTOMER. IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEPTION OF VEHICLE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHES AND VEHICLE EXHIBITS SAME SYMPTOMS AS STATED BEFORE. TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP WITHIN 24 HOURS. VEHICLE IS INSPECTED AND DTC P1326 IS DISCOVERED AGAIN. DEALERSHIP PERFORMS ECU UPDATE FOR KSDS. VEHICLE RELEASED BACK TO CUSTOMER. WITHIN 48 HOURS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGINS FLASHING, LIMITS POWER, AND SPEED. CURRENTLY SCHEDULING 3RD APPOINTMENT FOR SAME CONCERN. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING EACH TIME AFTER BEING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR ROUGHLY 20 MINUTES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED ONLY AT RICART KIA. ALL PAPERWORK/RECALLS PERFORMED BY DEALERSHIP.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11308986February 13, 2020
ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. THE ENGINE SEIZED THE VEHICLE NEVER STARTED AGAIN, NOT DIAGNOSED YET CONSEQUENCE VEHICLE MUST BE TOWED AT OWNERS EXPENSE THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK IN A PARKING LOT , TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE ENGINE SEIZED. NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS FILED AND WAS ADVISED TO TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 174,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309029February 13, 2020
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), ENGINE
I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD AT 40MPH WHEN THE ENGINE JUST STOPPED. THERE WAS NO NOISE AND THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO AVOID ANY SERIOUS BODY DAMAGE. ALL THE ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES WOULD TURN ON BUT THE ENGINE STAYED DEAD WHEN I TURNED THE CAR ON. AFTER LEAVING IT OVER NIGHT PARKED ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET THE NEXT DAY SAME SITUATION ALL ELECTRICAL DEVICES TURNED ON BUT THE ENGINE WOULDNT TURN ON. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM IN ORDER FOR THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT COULD OF GONE WRONG.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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