10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,305 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #11

Feb 112020

Optima

  • 126,200 miles
I was driving on the road at 40mph when the engine just stopped. There was no noise and the vehicle lost control. I was able to avoid any serious body damage. All the electrical accessories would turn on but the engine stayed dead when I turned the car on. After leaving it over night parked on a residential street the next day same situation all electrical devices turned on but the engine wouldnt turn on. I had to get it towed to the dealer I bought it from in order for them to take a look at what could of gone wrong.

- Tujunga, CA, USA

problem #10

Jan 222020

Optima

  • 71,000 miles
Issue started 2 months ago. Noticed that vehicle acceleration is sluggish. Sometimes I have to take foot off the acceleration pedal then depress it again in order for vehicle to accelerate. Acceleration is unreliable and dangerous. Electronic stability sensor also started lighting up and cruise control became inoperable. Also noticed that my tail lights lit up on its own (and did not turn off) while vehicle is parked and fob not near vehicle, draining the battery. Police came by in the middle of the night to report that my tail lights were on. Tail light did not turn off when pressing the fob unlock/lock button. Had to restart the engine, drive around the block then turn off engine before the tail lights came off... but it turned back on again on its own that same night (in the middle of the night) and had to repeat the process. My battery was drained and had to replace it 3 days ago. I thought it was a battery problem (and was informed by dealer that it was probably a battery related issue) but problem persisted. Read reviews and this seems to be a running complaint with issues on brake pedal stopper or brake sensor stopper. Will bring vehicle to dealer in the morning.

- St. Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #9

Nov 082019

Optima

  • 58,388 miles
Vehicle's ABS brake activate randomly illuminating the ABS brake signal on dashboard, while in motion and without touching the brakes. This causes the vehicle to decelerate and has made the vehicle come to a near complete stop. Even if the gas pedal is pressed to accelerate the vehicle will not increase speed, only decrease. The issue happens 8/10 times while making turns and approx 5/10 while driving straight on freeway. This happened on 11/08/2019 in the evening, I immediately took my vehicle back to Kia and they claimed to have driven my car for 20 miles and didn't see or experience any issues. My car is a 2012 and only has 58, 388 miles. I demanded they keep looking but they caught an attitude like I made the scenario up and any stated that I should drive the car with their mechanic as they "cannot replicate my driving", like I'm driving in the [xxx] indy 500. Since it is now Sunday, and the dealer is closed it will be sitting in their service center Monday morning! 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).

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #8

Aug 232019

Optima

  • 77,770 miles
Brake light switch malfunctioning. Brake light on all the time rendering cruise control and electronic stability control inoperable. Loss of power in engine as it thinks brakes are applied making it dangerous to drive. Root cause is brake pedal stopper (Kia part 32876-36000) developing a puncture hole over time making the brake switch believe brakes are applied. Known issue on other Kia models. Believe the sorento already have a recall for something very similar.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #7

May 012018

Optima

  • 121,000 miles
Radio paneling and charging do not work

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #6

Feb 162018

Optima

  • 67,500 miles
Steering wheel shakes while in motion ( 60-80 mph ). ride is smooth until tires roll over imperfection in road. Steering wheel and front-end begins to shake violently. Shaking stops when turning right or left and begins again once vehicle has straightened out.

- San Bernardino, CA, USA

problem #5

Feb 082018

Optima

  • 107,000 miles
My electronic stability control light on dash came on and remains on. I took to martin Kia in newark Delaware for diagnostic and they said the codes were C1259 and C1260 and that I need to have clock spring assembly, steering angle sensor and the steering column assembly replaced because it looked like my car had been in an accident. (I did strike a small deer, but damage was cosmetic to left front fender and did not affect steering or drivability, and was repaired in a professional body shop). The ESC did not come on until months after my accident. Dealer would not certify that the vehicle is safe to drive with this condition, nor did they offer another less expensive repair such as just replacing sensors. They wanted an estimated $1370 to hold my safety hostage. Since the light has been on, I have experienced a few episodes of instability when driving in inclement weather. I now leave ESC off when weather is bad.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #4

Sep 302017

Optima

  • miles
Electrical rack and pinions recall. Steering wheel feels loose. Steering wheel starts shaking at approximately 65-70 mph

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #3

May 112017

Optima

  • 120,000 miles
Today was the 2nd time I was driving my vehicle and the electrical system failed and my car system shut down. I had no ability to steer, brake, smoke started coming out of the vents all the lights started flashing. Hero came to assist, opened the hood smelled melting plastic/rubber. Started sparking, car turned back on its own. Car is not at ed voyles Kia in marietta Georgia. Kia has replaced my engine twice. Unfortunately I am at 120K miles out of warranty.

- Lithia Springs, GA, USA

problem #2

Aug 082014

Optima 4-cyl

  • 35,500 miles
I was accelerating vehicle an stability light came on and car would not accellerate. When I tried a loud noise came from the front. Dealer says nothing was wrong.

- Boca Raton , FL, USA

problem #1

May 292012

Optima 4-cyl

  • 1 miles
The vehicle steering seems tight which is fine, but when accelerating between 30-45 mph the vehicle veers off to the left. I am reading that this is not normal for this vehicle. This is an issue and I believe needs to be fixed.

- West Mifflin, PA, USA