Kia Optima Complaints
7,843 consumer complaints on file.
- #11568023January 26, 2024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a burning odor coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568078January 26, 2024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS and the malfunction warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact called the manufacturer, but it was an automated phone system. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568088January 26, 2024ENGINE
I have had this car in the shop multiple times for a engine light that kept coming on, they would reset and say they couldn't see anything wrong. Well my car died in Dec, it made a noise and would not accelerate. To avoid any further issues I parked it and had it towed to a dealership. They told me the catalytic converter had come apart taking out the turbo and it would cost me $6k to fix. I decided to see if i could find parts cheaper, to find no one anywhere in the US or Canada has a converter for this car and it seems many dealerships have customers on waiting lists to get one, so I am now wondering if this is in fact a pretty large problem Kia is not addressing. I called Kia and got a very canned answer that parts were hard to come by right now and it could be up to 2 years to get the part. So I am now paying for a car i cannot drive and have no idea at this point if I will ever be able to drive it. i am hoping you are able to do some research to see if this is a bigger problem that nobody seems to be talking about. thank you
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568114January 26, 2024AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
My air bag light has been on and I've check everything and my seat belt don't lock when its on and the light to the seat belt goes off contented, I've tried to go to the dealer to have them fix my airbags and senses I don't have recall on it they won't fix it ,The air bag is very important and so is the seat belt
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567782January 25, 2024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567815January 25, 2024ENGINE
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning fume in the interior of the vehicle. The contact parked the vehicle and the flames were coming from under the hood. The contact safely exited the vehicle. The fire department and the police were on the scene. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. No police report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The contact stated that the vehicle was scheduled to be towed to a local tow yard. The contact stated that the vehicle had been serviced for an oil change one week before the failure occurred The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567554January 24, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2012 Kia Optima snow white pearl paint. A few months ago the paint started bubbling and then flaking off. There are areas all over the car with bubbles and missing paint. This is a latent defect in the paint process, not a warranty issue. Every area of the car is affected. Kia needs to accept responsibility for their defect and fix this paint problem.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567557January 24, 2024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The contact stated Kia is not taking the recall seriously and provide a rental car if the vehicle is going to take over 60 days to fix the recall.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567675January 24, 2024AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I OWNED MY 2015 OPTIMA SLX SINCE THEY HAVE IT REPLACED MY ENGINE IN KEARNY MESA DEALERSHIP I PAID OUT OF POCKET FROM REPAIRS LABORS THERE IS A DEFECTS ON DOOR PANELS AIRBAGS ELECTRICL WIRING HARNESS NEVER RECEIVED ANY CLAIM COMPENSATION SETTLEMENT FROM THOSE CLAIM ACCIDENTS THAT IAM NOT AT FAULT FOR IT IS UNLAWFUL UNCONSTITUTIONAL UNFAIR I DESERVE A RESTORATION OF MY PERSONAL VEHICLE I OWNED IT I LIVED IN IT.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567212January 23, 2024AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 129,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567320January 23, 2024FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle lost motive power and was slow to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the high-pressure fuel pump was failing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine). The approximate failure mileage was 88,800.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567356January 23, 2024ENGINE
2.4 motor burns excessive amount of oil, has a serious loss of power. The dealer informed me the only way to get a new motor or get it fixed is for motor to blow. The dealer informed me that this is a common problem with 2016 kia 2.4 motors. Currently burning 5 qts of oil every 2-3 weeks. Fouling spark plugs every 4-6 months. Car hesitate to take off even with accelerator to floor
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11566918January 22, 2024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure mileage was 184,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567018January 22, 2024ENGINE
Engine failure . Engine failed on highway car wouldn’t go past 15 MPH. Then suddenly accelerated
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11566173January 18, 2024ENGINE
When i was in the highway, the car starts shaking and the engine light turned on. Parked car in the nearest rest stop and I immediately smell smoke coming from engine
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11566215January 18, 2024FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 60 MPH, and was unable to accelerate as needed. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the knock sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V093000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 165,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11566222January 18, 2024ENGINE
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal oil consumption. The contact stated that on one occasion, 3 quarts of oil were added to the vehicle after less than 1,000 miles of driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who initiated an oil consumption test. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer twice after 1,000 miles; however, upon returning to the dealer the third time, the dealer informed the contact that they could not complete the oil consumption test because the vehicle had been driven 1,200 miles. The dealer initiated another oil consumption test. The contact stated that the local dealer was 45 miles away from his residence, which made it difficult to complete the oil consumption test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11566254January 18, 2024ENGINE
On [XXX] at approx. 4 PM I was driving on [XXX] between Columbus and Nashville in Brown County Indiana. Weather was clear I noticed what appeared to be smoke coming through the car vents I was able to pull to the shoulder of the road, but the breaks were not working well There were no warning lights on the dash about any possible issues After grabbing 2 bags from the car, I was walking away and the car went up in flames and started to make sounds of an explosion. I called 911 and moved to the other side of the road away from the fire. Police and fire arrived on the scene and stopped all traffic The fire was put out and AJ's Paint and Body Shop came to tow the vehicle and clean up debris. We have not yet received the cost of this. We have reported this information to Kia and have spoken to them a couple of times. We have sent all of the details and information on the location of the car. We have sent multiple follow up e-mails and have not received any response since [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11566361January 18, 2024ENGINE
The engine had less than 40K miles on it and a total engine failure occurred due to blown head gasket. They replaced the engine with another used engine and this one started smoking and nearly caught on fire, resulting in another total engine failure. They are now trying to install an engine with an unknown amount of mileage on it as the replacement engine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11565953January 17, 2024STEERING
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 35–45 MPH, the steering wheel was sloppy and there was play in the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated the failure was due to the electronic steering and gears. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to the Customer Satisfaction Warranty Extension Program: CS1604/WTY006 (Power Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. The VIN was not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0