Kia Optima Complaints

7,843 consumer complaints on file.

#11032346October 9, 2017
ENGINE
MY 2014 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID BLEW-UP GOING DOWN THE ROAD! THE ENGINE THREW A ROD THROUGH THE MOTOR WHICH IS THE EXACT MOTOR IN THE RECALL.. IT'S JUST THE HYBRID SO KIA SAYS IT'S NOT RECALLED EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE EXACT RECALL OF THE SAME MOTOR IN THE GAS CAR!! THIS CAR FALLS IN THE EXACT RECALL! PLEASE HELP ME! THE CAR ONLY HAS 72,000MILES ON THE CAR & SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS TO OCCUR!! 3 DIFFERENT MECHANICS HAS TOLD ME IT'S THE EXACT RECALL KIA HAS PUT OUT FOR THE EXACT MOTOR!! KIA IS TELLING ME (IN PAPERWORK) THAT I HAVE TO PAY $10,700.00 FOR A NEW ENGINE WHEN THE PROBLEM IS THE EXACT RECALL IN THE CAR!! AGAIN PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS! MY NAME IS [XXX] & MY CONTACT EMAIL IS [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11032010October 6, 2017
ENGINE
ENGINE LIGHT ON. KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. CAR WON'T START ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. ENGINE "RATTLES" AT ACCELERATION AND STALLED TODAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING GOING ABOUT 60 MPH.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11031954October 5, 2017
WHEELS
2014 KIA OPTIMA SXL TURBO. WIFE'S CAR. DRIVES IN ECO MODE 99% OF THE TIME. HANKOOK OPTIMO H431 TIRE SIZE 225/45R18. 31000 MILES IN 36 MONTHS. I KNOW BECAUSE IT'S A LEASE! FOUND MULTIPLE CRACKS ON SIDE WALL OF TIRE ON DRIVER FRONT. TIRES ARE ORIGINAL FROM FACTORY/DEALER OR I (HAVE NEVER CHANGED THEM MYSELF.) CAR 100% PARKED IN GARAGE. FOUND MULTIPLE CRACKS 2 DAYS AGO FROM ONE INCH TO 3 INCHES LONG. WENT TO DEALER IN COVINA CA. NO REPLACEMENT OFFERED. THIS IS MY 2ND STEP.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11031350October 2, 2017
ENGINE
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE POWER CUT OFF, - COASTED TO A COMPLETE STOP. ENGINE DOES NOT TURN OVER. LIGHTS/RADIO ETC ALL WORK, SO NOT A BATTERY ISSUE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS OF THIS SAME VEHICLE SPECIFIC TO ENGINE FAILTURE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11030607September 30, 2017
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
USING OWNERS MANUAL PROCEDURE FOR STARTING THE ENGINE. VEHICLE IS PARKED, TRANSMISSION LEVER IN PARK POSITION. FOOT DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL, PUSH BUTTON FOR STARTING ENGINE ON DASHBOARD IS DEPRESSED = NO ENGINE CRANK & NO START ! INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY FULLY ILLUMINATES & "IMMOBILIZER" ICON 'LIGHT' IS DISPLAYED ON PREVENTING ENGINE STARTING. KEY FOB IS PLACED ON THE DASH DURING ABOVE STARTING SEQUENCE...PLACING THE KEY FOB IN THE GLOVE-BOX OVERRIDE "BY-PASS" PORT ALSO WILL NOT START THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A VERY "INTERMITTENT" PROBLEM & HAS OCCURRED 5 TIMES IN RECENT 2 WEEKS STRANDING US AT SHOPPING MALLS & GAS STATIONS. THE OPTIMA HAS BEEN TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES & SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMS THEY ARE UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM OR HAVE THE DEFECT HAPPEN IN THEIR PRESENCE. I SEE MANY OWNERS HAVE POSTED VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.COM WITH EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM AS WE ARE EXPERIENCING. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING & UNACCEPTABLE...ESPECIALLY WITH WINTER CONDITIONS ARRIVING IN 2 MONTHS ! PLEASE INVESTIGATE ASAP !
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11030593September 29, 2017
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
THE ISSUE BEGAN APPROXIMATELY MID-MAY '17 WHILE MY CAR WAS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY (55MPH SPEED LIMIT, SAME SPEED LIMIT FOR EACH TIME I EXPERIENCED THE ISSUES IN THIS SUMMARY). I HONKED MY HORN AND PRESSED ON MY BRAKES (DUE TO ANOTHER CAR MAKING AN UNSAFE LANE CHANGE INTO MY LANE). SIMULTANEOUSLY, AS I HONKED THE HORN THE ENGINE LIGHT DISPLAYED ON THEN WENT OFF IMMEDIATELY AFTER I LIFTED OFF OF THE HORN. ADDITIONALLY, THE RPM GAUGE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED DOWN TO ZERO, THE CAR DRASTICALLY SLOWED DOWN, MY A/C STOPPED WORKING AS WELL AS THE COOLING SYSTEM FOR MY SEATS. MY CAR HAD THE ABILITY TO STILL ACCELERATE BUT, IT WAS EXTREMELY SLOW TO PICK UP SPEED. FURTHERMORE, EVERY TIME I HAD TO SLOW DOWN OR COME TO A COMPLETE STOP MY CAR WAS EXTREMELY SLOW TO PICK UP SPEED. EVERY SYMPTOM LASTED UNTIL I PARKED MY CAR THAT DAY. I RETURNED TO MY CAR HOURS LATER AND TURNED IT ON AND IT WAS LIKE THE CAR RESET ITSELF. THE RPM GAUGE, ACCELERATION AND A/C WAS BACK TO NORMAL. THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES AND MOST RECENTLY ON 9/28/17. THIS IS A LINK TO A VIDEO I FOUND THAT SHOWS SIMILAR ISSUES I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING (HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/QULSDY-UMDK).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11030287September 28, 2017
STRUCTURE:BODY
THE ANTENNAE FALLS OF, IT SNAPPED. IT IS ONLY PLASTIC AND IT LEAVES COMPONENTS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS WHICH MAY CAUSE A FIRE IN THE ROOF. ALSO IF IT SNAPS OF WHILE DRIVING IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT TO THE CAR BEHIND YOU. THERE ARE MANY OF THESE OUT THERE THAT HAVE COME OFF. THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO, THEY ARE ASKING ABSORBENT PRICES TO REPAIR .IT HAPPENED WILL PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11024468September 28, 2017
ENGINE
2013 KIA OPTIMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE KNOCKING WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE ENGINE IS OFF. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENGINE KNOCKING COMPLAINT. THE CONSUMER INQUIRED ABOUT VISITING A DIFFERENT DEALER. UPDATED 09/28/2017*JS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11030187September 27, 2017
SEAT BELTS
SEAT BELT FOR LEFT REAR SEAT DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE FEMALE PART SINKS INTO THE SEAT POCKET WHEN ATTEMPTING LATCHING SUCH THAT IT WILL NOT ACCEPT THE MALE PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT. THE HARDER THE PUSH OF THE MALE PART, THE MORE THE FEMALE PORTION RETRACTS INTO THE SEAT. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS PROBLEM TO THE ATTENTION OF MY KIA DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS BUT THEY CLAIM IT IS A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AND THEY CANNOT OFFER A SOLUTION, IN SPITE OF THE SAFETY CONCERNS I HAVE FOR MY PASSENGERS - ESPECIALLY MY GRANDCHILDREN. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME AND I HOPE IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE NHSTA EITHER. I HOPE YOU WILL INVESTIGATE & ULTIMATELY FORCE KIA TO OFFER A RECALL. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. [XXX] GLENDALE, AZ VIN IS INVALID. ('PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).')*JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11025154September 23, 2017
POWER TRAIN
SHIFTING PROBLEMS FROM 0 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR..BEFORE AND AFTER DRIVING FOR AN HOUR OR SO AROUND TOWN. STARTED LAST YEAR VERY FEW TIMES, 2 TIMES DURING THE YEAR. 3 TIMES SO FAR THIS YEAR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11025159September 23, 2017
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
TAKATA RECALL CAR STARTS TO STALL AND IDLE WHEN ON THE ROAD AND IN TRAFFIC. CAR STARTS TO BACK UP AND REVERSE WITHOUT NOTICE OR WARNING. ENGINE, BATTERY COMES ON AUTOMATICALLY AND I HAVE TO TURN OFF IGNITION AND RESTART VEHICLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11024596September 20, 2017
ENGINE
VEHICLE IN MOTION ON FLORIDA I-10E DOING ABOUT 70 MPH. CAR STARTED MAKING A TICKING SOUND AND GAS PEDDLE STARTED PULSATING. TRIED TO MAKE IT TO NEAREST EXIT 112 BUT NOISE KEPT GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER AND THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. WHITE SMOKE APPEARED, ENGINE AND OIL LIGHTS CAME ON, AND CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO SIDE OF ROAD AND CALLED FOR TOW.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11024510September 19, 2017
SERVICE BRAKES
ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, I WAS DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND HAVE LOST BRAKE FUNCTIONS TO MY CAR. THE FIRST TIME, I WAS ON THE FREEWAY. IN THE MORNING WITH ALOT OF TRAFFIC. I HAD TO SWERVE INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND GRIND THE BRAKES TRYING TO STOP THE CAR. THERE WAS A LOUD GRINDING AND SCRAPPING SOUND BUT CAR DID NOT STOP. I HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT AND THE BRAKES WORKED AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY AND SLOWLY MADE IT TO MY HOME. I THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN AUTO SHOP NEAR BY. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND CODE ERROR 1237 IN THE ACTIVE HYDRAULIC BOOST SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR HAS AN INTERNAL PRESSURE LEAK IN THE ABS SYSTEM. THE MECHANIC WAS NOT ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE DUE TO NOT HAVING THE EQUIPMENT TO DO SO AND I WAS SENT TO KIA DEALER. I TOWED THE CAR TO KIA. I TOLD THEM WHAT THE MECHANIC HAD SAID AND I WAS TOLD THAT KIA NEEDED TO RUN ITS OWN DIAGNOSTIC. AFTER THEY DID THAT THEY SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY. I REPLACED THE BATTERY. 3 MONTHS LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO ENTER THE FREEWAY WHEN I LOST THE BRAKES AND HEARD THE GRINDING AND SCRAPPING SOUND. I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION RIGHT BEFORE THE FREEWAY AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR USING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE. I AGAIN TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURNED IT BACK ON. I TRIED TO DRIVE IT BUT IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. I COULD NOT DRIVE IT SAFELY SO I HAD IT TOWED TO KIA. THEY DID ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD FOUND A PRESSURE SENSOR ERROR AND A LEAK IN THE ABS SYSTEM AND NOW ITS GOING TO COST 2600. THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE ME THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING ME AND MY FAMILY IN THE CAR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11024006September 18, 2017
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
BRAKE PEDAL RELEASING AS I AM PUSHING DOWN ON IT COMING TO A STOP. HARD TO GET THE CAR TO COME TO A STOP AT TIMES. CAR IS MISSING ON ACCELERATION. CAMERA DOES NOT WORK 80-90% OF THE TIME. A/C STOPS WORKING WHEN SITTING STILL OR PARKED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11023994September 18, 2017
ENGINE
ENGINE LOSING ALL OF THE OIL WITHIN A COUPLE WEEKS OF GETTING THE OIL CHANGED. COMPLETELY GONE BEFORE AN OIL CHANGE IS NEEDED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11024053September 18, 2017
ENGINE
OCTOBER 2016, WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE CAR ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. THERE WAS NO WARNING, NO FLASHING ENGINE LIGHT, NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY LOCAL SHOP. THEY FOUND WIRES TO THE STARTER BURNED AND ASSUMED THAT WAS THE ISSUE. THEY INSTALLED A NEW STARTER AND FOUND THAT THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED. MY ISSUE IS THE TIMING OF THE KIA RECALL. HYUNDAI HAD RECALLED THE SAME ENGINE IN 2015. I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, SO THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS AT LEAST $4,000 FOR A USED ENGINE THAT WOULD HAVE LIKELY HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I HAD TO SELL THE CAR FOR SALVAGE. KIA SHOULD REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR THE VALUE OF THEIR CAR AT THE TIME THE ENGINE SEIZED. THEY KNEW THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE, BUT WAITED UNTIL MANY OF US WERE OUT OF WARRANTY BEFORE THEY HAD THE RECALL. THAT IS FRAUD AT SOME LEVEL AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11023810September 16, 2017
STRUCTURE:BODY
DRIVERS SIDE DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM MALFUNCTION. MECHANISM WILL NOT ALLOW THE DOOR TO UNLOCK, THEREFORE THE DOOR CAN NOT BE OPENED. DRIVER MUST CLIMB OUT OF PASSENGER SIDE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11023437September 14, 2017
ENGINE
I WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. ALL ELECTRICAL WAS WORKING. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND TRIED TO RESTART. NOTHING. NO SMOKE, NO CLICKING. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS FINE. I HAD THE OPTIMA TOWED TO THE CLOSEST MECHANIC, WHEN TRIED TO TURN THE CRANK AND FOUND THAT THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED. OIL WAS FULL, NO OVER HEATING WARNING. I STILL OWE ON THIS CAR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11023520September 14, 2017
ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11022844September 12, 2017
STEERING, SUSPENSION
I HAVE JUST RECENTLY STARTED HAVING A PROBLEM WHEN I HIT BUMPS IN THE ROAD OR A ROUGH ROAD. THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A NOISE AND I CAN FEEL A SHAKING SORT OF. I CLICKED ON SUSPENSION BECAUSE OF HOW ROUGH IT FEELS RIDING RIGHT NOW AND I DONT KNOW IF IM JUST FEELING THE STEERING OR IF ITS AFFECTING THE WHOLE RIDE. IT HAS BEEN VERY COMFORTBALE SINCE BOUGHT NEW IN 2012.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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