Kia Optima Complaints

7,843 consumer complaints on file.

#11511985March 15, 2023
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My airbag light is on and I have no power to my steering wheel controls including my horn.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511751March 14, 2023
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary in a parking lot, she was unable to close the sunroof and heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the sunroof to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealers; Kia of East Hartford (99 Ash St, East Hartford, CT 06108:(860) 291-7000) and Gary Rome Kia (809 Enfield St, Enfield, CT 06082:(860) 253-4753) and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511882March 14, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Cruise control does not maintain a steady speed and constantly fluctuates 10+- miles an hour! The dealer refuses to fix and says they cannot reproduce the symptom. I used a tracker and saw the dealer drive it around the block, never attempting to put it on the freeway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511883March 14, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle will shake during acceleration. It comes without warning and will cause the check engine light to flash and stay on for about a minute. It goes away on its own. However, there do not seem to be any stored codes, according to my personal OBDII scanner. The dealer refuses to take it in because there is no check engine light. However, this has happened in several occasions and could lead to an accident. The dealer appears to be waiting for the warranty period to run out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511482March 13, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
I have had this vehicle for 10 years. The paint started to peel in or around 2017. I was in a hail storm and within the last year and now it looks like my car was 100 years old. I put in a claim to my insurance and they denied coverage due to kia having a paint issue. Peal white specifically. I also took the car in December 2022 for all the recalls on the engine. Since then it's literally falling apart. When I took it to the dealership they told me I had a bad valve cover, bad Sway bars, bad passenger side mirror among other things. When I told them I had no issues prior to taking it in they pretty much said it's their word against mine. Oh and they found a "oil shop rag" hanging from the bottom of my car. They said I must have picked it up on the road. Im driving a car I paid top dollar for with no complaints over years and would suggest to others. Now I wouldn't recommend kia to anyone. They brag about their warranty but it's all garbage. I still love my car hit I'd like it to look nice still along with how it used to drive before I took it in.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511599March 13, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who could not duplicate the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V539000 (Forward Collision Avoidance) since the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511637March 13, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The fuel rail seals keep leaking and spraying fuel all over . Fuel rail needs replaced
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511674March 13, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Pearl White paint has begun to peel and flake off. This vehicle has been well cared for and has 96k miles. It appears a defect in the paint has resulted in a lot of paint issues for Kia and Hyundai vehicles. This needs to be investigated and a resolution is warranted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511467March 12, 2023
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The engine lost power taking off crossing a major roadway, resulting in a stall, vehicle had to be restarted in a panic. The knocking and loss of power put me and my passenger in danger of a side impact from cross traffic. The issue was reproduced by a dealer upon further inspection. The vehicle will be inspected by a service department at certified dealership. No warnings lights or fault warnings appeared related to this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511308March 11, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
Three power window regulators have failed over the course of a year. Without warning the window suddenly drops down and cannot be let up. On each occasion, the regulator gears appear to have just desecrated. The car windows are rarely let down. The passenger side rear was the first to fail. The driver's side rear failed 4 months later. The passenger side front was the third to fail 3 months later. It seems like this is a very common problem, but Kia has not set up a recall. Instead, they are raising the price of the window regulators. Interestingly enough, the new regulators have a blue gear instead of a white gear.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511320March 11, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Took my vehicle for the knocking sensor recall servicing. Before taking it to the dealership there was no knocking at all. I left the dealership and went home. Parked the car and got out... immediately there was knocking coming from my car. Recorded the knocking noise and called the dealership. They sent someone to my home and all he did was turn on my vehicle and there was no knocking. I explained he had to drive it and then park it and turn it off and he could hear the knocking. But he left and there was no other communication from the dealership. I contacted Kia's global customer service and explained everything but still nothing more has been done. The knocking sound has intensified. I received an email last year from Becken Masten Kia in August of 2022 from the Service Assistant Susan asking me about bringing my vehicle in for a regular servicing appointment. Nothing about free servicing for causing the knocking issue. I have the recording of the knocking from the servicing date.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511211March 10, 2023
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving down major highway the engine failed and the electrical system started blinking and I lost all power. No warning, dashboard just lit all up and engine seized up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511227March 10, 2023
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
On 3/1/23 on my way home from my which the site was in Perth Amboy, NJ. At the North Somerset rest stop, just exited the I-76 westbound. I lost power around 65 mph. I didn't get any response from my brakes at first and nothing from my accelerator. Upon drifting and praying that I'd make it to the lot out of the main exiting lane. Upon pulling into a spot at the very farthest spot from the building, I noticed my check engine light is flashing. Press my brakes were working. Accelerator was hardly responding. I've worked on my car and my families cars, and cars most of my life. I had my code reader with me. Plugged it in and got the code that I've heard and read about. P1326 knock sensor. Knowing about this about Kia and Hyuandi, I knew my engine was dead. Thank God it didn't catch fire like some others have. I had it towed to Smail Kia in Greensburg, PA. That was the closest and NOT the dealer I bought it from. We bought it from Century 3 Kia West Mifflin, PA. After their promises that the engine would get replaced, lack of communication, many of my calls,voicemail, emails and showing up in person,(had to move 2 things that would've been in the way of the swapping of the engine) and a week later Kia denied my replacement due to "power adders". None of which I have, use or cause any issues. NO TESTING WAS DONE ON WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS POWER ADDERS. HOWEVER, ALL OF THE TESTS THAT SHOW THEIR FAULTY ENGINE COMPONENTS AS PERR THE FEDERAL LAWSUITS AND RECALLS.....ALL FAILED! I can't drive the car. It's dangerous for myself and any other motorist. Could explode, catch fire or completely fail on ANY highway/roadway. I need my car for my career and above all, my life sustaining health and medical appointments Now I'm left with no vehicle. I still owe around a year- year and a half. As well as car insurance. Now what? Kia needs to do the right thing here, for myself and anyon else suffering from this horrific life changing nightmare.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511255March 10, 2023
ENGINE
Hi my car start making this thiking noise on the engine out of nothing i have heard that there was a recall for 1.6 turbo engines but sadly my car donst have any recalls at the moment and the engine replacement is a kind a expensive 8500 dollars to be precise so what can i do if the engine has exactly the problem that kia described a problem with the pushrod thanks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511029March 9, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, black smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe and the vehicle was jerking. The oil warning light was illuminated. The contact added engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where oil was found on unknown sensors and on the coils. The contact was informed that an oil change was needed, and the filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, 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 110,569.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510727March 8, 2023
ENGINE, FIRERELATED
The car caught on fire in our driveway
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510754March 8, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Rear outer TAIL LAMP combination assemblies (NOT the inner lights on the trunk lid) have failed Virginia State SAFETY Inspection due to accumulation of moisture and standing water in BOTH left and right outer tail lamps, causing LEDs in the tail lamp assembly to burn out and not illuminate. There have already been multiple Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) on the matter (i.e. KIA TSB PS364, KIA TSB BOD143, KIA TSB BOD172), and the cause outlined in these TSBs has been a DEFECT in design leading to a gap between the tail lamp housing gasket and the vehicle body allowing WATER INTRUSION. KIA has neglected to inspect, fix, or add additional gaskets per their instructions during eligible warranty periods, and extended warranties refuse to fix the issue as they classify it as water intrusion. This pins the financial burden to fix the safety issue on the customer/driver, as KIA dealers have quoted $1,232.46 for replacement of these tail lamps. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Components: Rear outer tail lamp combination assemblies (both left and right) (NOT the lamps on the trunk lid). Inspection availability: LIMITED due to significant time pressure and inconvenience (since the tail lamps have caused the vehicle to fail Virginia State Safety Inspection, the car needs to be fixed ASAP to resume commute to work, etc.) How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Lower visibility for others, may result in incident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Confirmed by KIA dealer themselves. Also, multiple customer complaints on internet, as well as TSBs. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? KIA dealer did not inspect during warranty. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No and UNKNOWN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510303March 6, 2023
ENGINE
Oil Changed 02/18/23, No leaks reported. Highway driving, now the vehicle is burning oil and has leaks, engine not running properly at highway speeds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510347March 6, 2023
ENGINE
I had brought a 2015 kia optima lx from a lot and i only had it 2 days i was on my way to work and it just cut off in the middle of the road i didnt know it had recalls until till after somebody told me so i took it to kia they said they couldn’t fix it and told me my motor was locked and that i was gone have to pay $8,650 to get a new motor put in my car has been sitting since march 11 2022 and march 112023 will be a year that it has set and now since i have been getting recall notification about my car they not gone do nothing about it until i get my motor just like its a update needed on my car not gone be able to get it
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510416March 6, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:IMMOBILIZER/PROXIMITY:KEY/SENDER
My car has now been broke into twice because of the "kia boys" I have now had to replace two windows, and clean my car out from glass.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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