Vehicle air bag trouble light illuminated on dashboard. When brought to the dealer, we were told that a seat sensor was defective and needed replacement at a cost of $1500. This is on top of a recent $2700 transmission replacement on the same vehicle one month prior. Since we are still paying for the transmission repair, we chose to drive the vehicle without the air bag system functioning properly which we realize is a safety issue, but we cannot afford another expensive Kia repair.

- Spotswood, NJ, USA

The vehicle had three expensive problems in rapid succession. The first was the transmission which started a severely hard downshift on braking from about 25 mph. The whole car shuddered and felt as if we slammed on the brakes for a second. After troubleshooting, Kia told us we needed a new transmission for $2700 with no help from Kia. After this repair, not even two weeks later, the air bag light came on. Diagnosis from Kia, defective sensor in the passenger seat, not covered by warranty and a $1500 replacement estimate. We decided not to fix this item because we were going to trade the car in on another make and cut our losses. The third problem which occurred one week later was a failure to start after parking the car for an hour at a doctor's office, stranding my wife in 95 degree heat. The car was towed to a non-Kia repair shop as I no longer want anything to do with Kia who will deny any claim against their so-called quality products and will be disposing of the car as soon as it is running again since Kia does not stand behind its defective products. After three major failures in a short period of time we feel this is an unsafe vehicle.

- Spotswood, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the gear shifter failed to secure into park or reverse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated that the brake switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

- Martin Ferry, OH, USA

In the past month I have noticed when coming to a stop and applying the brakes on my 2009 Kia Optima that the car jerks like it doesn't want to stop. I have had my brake pads checked and they are fine. I have however noticed that when I'm coming to a stop and put the car in neutral I stop fine with no jerking. I have taken it to a transmission shop and they have said that their is no problems there and have also called the local Kia dealership to have the problem looked at but they stated that if its something not covered under warranty I have to pay $100 just for them looking at the vehicle regardless if they find the problem or not. I have searched the internet and have seen similar problems with this particular car but no information on what is causing the issue.

- Louisville, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Kia Optima.the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle was coasted and once the speed fell below 20 mph, the vehicle jerked violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the computer and transmission needed to be reset. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Fort White, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle down shift with extreme force. The dealer reprogrammed the transmission computer and the gear shift failure was corrected; however, the computer reprogramming affected the vehicles acceleration. The vehicle failed to accelerate after the brake pedal was released and the engine became idle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for a test drive where the failure was duplicated; however, the failure could not be corrected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,553 and the current mileage was 43,240. Updated 3/25/13 the consumer stated it took months to figure out the problem. Kia denied there was even a problem. It was finally discovered, when the dealer reprogrammed the transmission for a hard shift, they inadvertently created a problem with the engine controls.

- Pittsboro , NC, USA

The first signs of any trouble with the vehicle started in February/March of 2011 when the shifting on the vehicle was erratic on takeoff and especially bad when the vehicle was slowing down, roughly shifting in and out of gear. It took two occasions to "fix" the issue even though a few weeks later the shifting appeared to subside it still had the occasional issue on take-off. The issue progressively got to the point when I lost total engine power while crossing lanes of traffic, almost getting hit. I stepped on the accelerator but no matter what I did I could not get the vehicles RPM??S above 1500 (about 5mph). Took it to the dealership where they stated they "fixed the problem". returned to driving the vehicle until my wife had the same issue happen to her about 9 days later coming within inches of getting hit while turning into a business. Took the vehicle back again and was told it was "fixed" two days later. Started it up the day after it was returned and had the loss of power issue again. Beside the power loss even the shifting continued to be rough and erratic. Returned it yet again to the dealership and was told it was fixed. Customer service did not take my safety concerns seriously. I am still unsure of the status of the vehicle and I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle. I will find other means of transportation until this vehicle is returned. Beware that the power loss can happen at any time creating very serious driving conditions that could lead to accident or injury.

- Williamstown, NY, USA

When I brake to 20 mph my car jerks forward. I called the Kia consumer line and they told me that the problem hadn't been heard of.

- Roanoke, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 25 mph and applying the brakes, the vehicle jerked forward with extreme force. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic. The technician stated that the computer would need to have a re-learn procedure performed. After the procedure, the failure continued and was taken back to the dealer where the transmission fluid was replaced. The failure continued and was taken to the dealer a third time. The technicians stated that the transmission would have to be replaced. The transmission was also replaced but to no avail. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000.

- Hernando, MS, USA