Kia Optima Complaints (2014)

622 consumer complaints on file.

#11509743March 1, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The paint is bubbling and peeling from the hood, pillars, and the roof. So. Enough that will start to settle in. Kia refuses to acknowledge it is a manufacturer defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11509397February 27, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
HEV Warning light comes on and says HEV malfunction, stop car. Within seconds the car shuts off and has no brakes and then stops in road construction, blocking up an entire lane of traffic, as there was no shoulder because of barricades. I panic as I can’t get out without getting ran over. After sitting for 5 minutes, car restarts and drives away ok. Car has done this off and on for 2 years. After the first incident, I took it to Kia of New Bern who charged me $400 to “update software” according to a TSB, even though it was under warranty. After getting the car back, the next day the warning came back on. I called Kia of New Bern and they said they will charge another diagnostics fee I couldn’t afford, so I didn’t go back. There are many others who have had the same issue with their KIA Hybrids. These cars are a danger to their drivers and the unknowing public who share the roads with them. KIA Should be ashamed of the amount of cars experiencing this issue and their lack of solutions to fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507089February 13, 2023
STEERING
It feels slipping, clunking and metal hitting metal while turning steering wheel either right or left 1 inch or 2 inches either way. Feels like its going break. I uploaded the issue that I'm pretty sure it is, I called kia and they didn't extend the warrant on my specific kia optima 2014 even though it was affect and in their letter it said 2014 kia optima have that defect of coupler . I will also upload the letter but mines doesn't qualify and they're not able to tell my why
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506186February 8, 2023
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact's husband owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. Her husband had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed and the fuel cap was replaced; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic for a second diagnostic test and the contact was informed that fuel was being consumed excessively; he was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The contract called a dealer and was provided an appointment. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505313February 3, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The paint is bubbling and peeling after i wash the car and it rust after a while
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504733January 31, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for an unknown recall repair which included a system update and while driving 45 MPH after the recall repair, the vehicle experienced inadvertent braking, without another vehicle nearby. The contact coasted the vehicle until the vehicle regained normal acceleration functionality. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance, Traction Control, ABS, and Blind Spot Detection system's warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic linked the failure to the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504423January 30, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 2 MPH, after having stopped at a traffic signal, the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights flashing. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after having a passerby jump start her vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the cam shaft had failed, and the vehicle was low on oil. The contact stated that the mechanic added oil and started the vehicle for a test drive. The contact stated that the engine seized while on the test drive. The independent mechanic researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503749January 26, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate independently. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle first to her residence and the following day to the local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503599January 25, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY:MANAGEMENT SYSTEM/ENERGY CONTROL MODULE (BMS/BECM)
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with a battery management system (BMS) message displayed. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal, but the pedal became firm, causing the contact to almost crash into another vehicle. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot, turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the BMS message and check engine warning was light illuminated. The dealer was contacted but the vehicle needed be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 84,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503307January 23, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Last Friday(01/20/2023), I was driving my car suddenly out of nowhere my car slowed down and wouldn’t start. It has just been 20days since I last serviced. Engine light was on and the other two lights where on as well. I towed it to Kia dealership and after diagnosing they said there has been a lot of fuel leak and issue with the starter so the car wouldn’t turn on. I’m not sure if this isn’t a recall, because my car was completely fine before this incident. The dealer quoted me around $560 for the fuel tube and $890 for the starter.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502067January 16, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The hybrid system on my vehicle continues to show an error when operating the vehicle. The manual says to not operate the vehicle, but the dealership continues to deny the issue with my vehicle. Currently, I'm without my vehicle for approximately a period of two weeks with no resolution to fix my car. I have asked for information under the vehicle care act, but have not been given a current report on the repair needed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501703January 13, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Paint started peeling/flaking on passenger and driver pillars. Trunk paint is now peeling and sure the rest will peel over time
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501051January 10, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the "Check Hybrid System - Turn Off Engine" message displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled. On two occasions, the vehicle shifted to LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the engine was replaced twice. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 58,997.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499435December 29, 2022
STEERING
Steering column making rubbing noise when turning. It felt like a notch was rubbing against something. The car was no reason for this part to deteriorate the way it did. It just all of a sudden started this notch rubbing feeling in steering. I took car to Calavan KIA in Lithia Springs, GA to have it examined. They said the MDPS flexible coupling needed to be replaced. There are other KIA's that had this same issue, but repair was covered in recall. My repair was not covered even though it has less than 110,000 miles and is less than 10 years old.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498953December 27, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The dealer replaced the engine; however, the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption after the engine replacement. The check engine warning light was illuminated while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 115,805.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495806December 2, 2022
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:SUMP/TANK:DRAIN PLUG
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle was shaking with unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely and smoke started coming from the vehicle with a smell of burning oil coming from the vehicle. While the vehicle was being towed, the contact saw that oil was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the stated that the oil drain plug was missing. The vehicle was not repaired because the vehicle had open recalls and the recalls could not be repaired because the oil drain plug needed to be replaced first. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the dealer reported the issue. The failure mileage was 101,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494259November 19, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The low beam (driving) lights are incredibly poor, almost non-existant. In order to actually see the road at night you need to use high beams, which is a problem for the drivers in front of you and on the other side of the road. It seems this is a widely know issue with this vehicle as I find multiple postings about it online. This has been going on for some time, and replacing the bulb does no good. I've gone to the dealership about it and they offer to "adjust" it at no charge, but there is no change and since they don't charge me for it there's no service ticket, which means there's no record. The consumer stated the form is outdated and has expired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493414November 14, 2022
ENGINE
driving down the highway, there was no previous warning, all the warning lights on the dashboard came on simultaneously. The car began jerking and was difficult to steer. The car began to shut down in the middle of the road before I had a chance to get off the highway. I managed to get it off the road and into a parking lot. I was unable to bring it to a complete stop even after putting it in park. It rolled up to a fence, and that is what eventually stopped the vehicle from moving. It stalled out on itself, and shut down. At that time, underneath the hood began to smoke, and smelled like something was burning. It continued for about 5 minutes. it was towed to the Kia dealership and has been there for over 10 business days. They completed the diagnostic testing, and decided it was the engine, but they're waiting for corporate to make a decision about repairing at their cost, or placing the responsibility on me. They've been trying to make a decision, and in the meantime, I am out of a car. They did not provide me with a rental car as they make a decision, so i ended up having to pay for a rental car out of my own pocket. My insurance will not pay for a rental car until we hear back from corporate about their decision. This happened one other time in 2017.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492840November 9, 2022
ENGINE
Engine seized not even 10mins after driving it. Car now needs a new engine. I'm on disability and can't afford it and I need to go to my doctors appointments.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492870November 9, 2022
ENGINE
While driving on the highway, the check engine light came on and started flashing. The vehicle simultaneously seems to lose power. We pulled over immediately and looked flashing engine light up in the owner's manual and saw it meant emergency and not to drive the car any further. Today, we are paying to tow the vehicle. After searching google, this seems to be a common issue in similar years of Optima's, yet it seems Kia is not addressing this. See blog at: https://cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t57983_ds1051588
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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