Kia Optima Complaints

7,843 consumer complaints on file.

#11607297August 8, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, STRUCTURE, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and 22V560000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power and the engine started overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the product improvement campaign for knock sensor software update had not been performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they were not legally required to complete the recall repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607359August 8, 2024
ENGINE
My engine locked up while driving down the interstate. I was almost hit twice because I was in the middle lane trying to get over and it was slowly giving out. I was able to barely make it to the side of the road and cut my car completely off. Once the car was off it would not crank back up. I had it towed to a local shop. He called me the next day to inform me my engine locked up but that I had a recall on my engine for this exact issue but I would have to take it to the local Kia. BEFORE I even had it towed there I called and spoke with Kia about my recalls. They stated they were still covered and I had an extended warranty on the engine recall. Kia gets the car.. a week later they call me to tell me it is NOT the engine and only the starter! YAY! Right? Wrong, another week passes and they now call to tell me they replaced the starter and now it is my engine that is the concern, it is completely locked up and the recall will not cover it. I called the local shop back and talked to the guy there that said it should 100% be covered and he did not see an issue with my starter when he looked at it 2 days before it was towed to Kia from his shop. I would not have put a starter on the car if they would have told me there could still be an issue with the engine. They actually stated it was not the engine in the call that I approved the starter to be replaced in. Now they are wanting to charger me for the engine and the starter which was put on my car under false pretenses. They have fully taking advantage of me and that I do not know much about cars but lucky I had someone else look at it that does know a lot about cars before taking it to Kia. Otherwise I wouldn't have known they were trying to scam me. It is awful!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607140August 7, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:COIL
The car as a fire hazard
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607159August 7, 2024
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The car had engine failure. The same issue that 1000s of the same make and model had a lawsuit for. Apparently my VIN isn’t one of them covered even though the exact issues stated in the engine failure lawsuit are the same issues I had. It’s under 80,000 miles I get synthetic oil and all other maintenance done when recommended. I was driving one day and the car started jerking and the engine would just stall out there was also a lot of smoke and very loud noises. I have tried contacting Kia and they say that it’s not one of the VIN numbers covered. If it’s the same issue how could they know if it was going to happen to my specific VIN or not. This is a huge safety issue because I am concerned the engine will blow up or catch on fire. I have had a mechanic come look and he started the engine and said to immediately turn it off. This is clearly a safety issue that’s not being handled well at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606977August 7, 2024
ENGINE
One day I'm driving on route 78 and when I reached 60 mph, my car began to spudder and jerk. This happens quite often as I'm driving on a dangerous road. I brought my car, 2016 Kia optima, to a local dealer where they diagnosed the problem of a blown head gasket! They said I needed a new engine at 108k miles in 4 years since I had the car. I had to get a second opinion and went to Bridgewater Kia and they to said I needed a new engine. Now this car had a GDI engine that burned off a lot oil. Heavy oil consumption and there was never a recall regarding the issue. I've read many similar incidents where owners of this exact make and model and year have experienced issues with their engine seizing, stalling, and just shutting off in the middle of traffic. This is clearly a safety issue that Kia continues to ignore. They say it's not their problem but yet you designed the defective and deficient engine so why should I have to pay for a brand new engine and not get fully reimbursed. I filled out claim form after claim form contacting Kia engine settlement.com help desk which were no help. I believe they're ignoring me for the obvious reasons. So now I'm on this smear campaign against KIA and trying to raise awareness. I'll do it alone if I have to but I'm not giving up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606984August 7, 2024
ENGINE
Forgot to add invoice for new engine. This is regarding claim # 11606977
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606753August 6, 2024
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the vehicle was repaired by the dealer under Warranty. The contact stated that several months after the repair was performed, the contact noticed a fuel odor coming from the vehicle after a visit to the gas station. The next day upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact's husband discovered a puddle of fuel underneath the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and requested that the vehicle be towed to the dealer for an inspection. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline; Engine) which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606388August 5, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Ran out of gas ,and added gas for it to start up again only for it to not run after adding fuel .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606467August 5, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's front caliper bolt fractured. The contact stated that the vehicle was undriveable. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the OEM bolt had fractured while the brake pads were being replaced. The OEM bolt was replaced with an aftermarket bolt that was purchased from Auto Zone. The aftermarket replacement bolt was manufactured by Carquest; Part Number: H803. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606492August 5, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, or while at a complete stop, the vehicle would shut off without warning. The vehicle would resume normal operation upon restart of the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for an inspection; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606554August 5, 2024
TIRES
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: PureContact LS, Tire Size: P235/45/R18, DOT Number: CNFUWD4M2622. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact felt an abnormal vibration coming the front passenger’s side tire. The contact stated that his wife heard an abnormal "booming" sound and saw in the rearview mirror what appeared to be sections of tread on the highway. The contact was called by his wife and drove to the location and replaced the defective tire with the spare and drove the vehicle to the tire dealer. The dealer confirmed that the tread had separated from the side wall. The dealer replaced the tire under road hazard warranty on the tire. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that his wife was driving at approximately 35 MPH when she heard an abnormal "booming" sound from the passenger side rear tire. The contact stated that his wife pulled into a parking lot and called the contact. The contact stated that when the tread delaminated from the tire part of the rear passenger wheel well was cracked by the debris. The contact was able to replace the damaged tire with the spare and drove the vehicle back to the same tire dealer. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the tire manufacturer would be contacted because the dealer reported that other customers were having tread separation failures with the same tire line. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 47,800 and the tire failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606241August 3, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2013 Kia optima, 80,000 miles has had a manufacturer paint defect problem for years now. Paint from my car is flying off in large chunks. I’ve seen THOUSANDS of other Kia Hyundai and other like cars with the pearl white color having the EXACT same issue. Google search “Kia pearl white paint defect” and you can see for yourself what everyone else has posted online about the exact same issue I am having. All it takes is the right person to read this message and google search what is happening to thousands of Kia and Hyundai cars to understand the situation for something to be done about it. I’m not looking for a free paint job, I’m looking for the manufacturer to be held accountable for their poor quality workmanship. I’ve called Kia consumer affairs and they are aware of the situation but “are not considering any sort of recourse at this time” If you’re reading this message, do the google search… help out thousands of people who paid EXTRA for this style paint and were given a trainwreck instead.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606247August 3, 2024
ENGINE
The engine Is losing oil. Taking it to KIA dealership and other repair shops around our area and she has to have her oil changed every thousand miles because the oil is going somewhere but they don’t know where because there’s no leakage anywhere. I see there’s 100 of other complaints about this key should be responsible. Please indicate what we can do about this doesn’t have that many miles on it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606030August 2, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
On 7/31, we had the HECU Fuse recall fixed at the Federico Kia Dealership. In 8/1, one day later, when driving the vehicle all of the car emergency lights came on, the engine started smoking and eventually caught fire. Fire department and police were called. Vehicle was toed to Kia Dealership. The next morning 8/2 we spoke with the service manager at the dealership, who was no help and gave us a 1-800 number to call Kia directly. Since this fire directly pertains to the part they “fixed” the day before during the recall, we believe the dealership did not fix the issue and believe something they “fixed” caused the issue as we have never had any prior issues with the engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605786August 1, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
KIA, in Clay New York, refuses to fix the recall on the bearing that caused my engine to cease, i did not know that my car had a recall because i was never notified! My car broke down as i was driving it, i had it towed to Kia, found out there were recalls, but the dealership will not honor the recall and fix my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605865August 1, 2024
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, and auto high-beam warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that the four windows failed to function as needed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605911August 1, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and restarted. The check engine warning light was blinking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to DTC Code: P0326 Knock Sensor (1 Circuit Range Performance Bank 1). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who informed the contact that there was no recall coverage for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 217,581.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605598July 31, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact's son owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, made an abnormal knocking sound, and stalled. No further information was provided. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence, where the contact drained the engine oil and noticed that there were metal shavings in the oil. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), which the contact related to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced at the contact's expense, and then the vehicle would receive the recall repairs of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 20V100000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 22V560000 (Structure) and 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recalls repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605718July 31, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
KIA notified me via letter on 23 April 2024 that Central Kia, Plano TX was able to complete repairs for the recall on the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit. I made an appointment in May to have the repair done. After waiting over two hours to have the repair completed, the Dealer said they did not have the part to fix the recall and they would contact me when it was available. Almost three months have elapsed with no word from Central Kia
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605728July 31, 2024
ENGINE
The engine caught fire and exploded after I parked it and exited the car and the recall repair was done on the engine July 5 2024 by Kia dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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