I was driving my 2011 Kia Optima home a few weeks back following my graduation from college. Without any warning the car stalled as I was driving down the driveway (luckily), and would not restart. The car was at 76,000 miles, no warning lights came on, no strange noises or anything, and the oil was fine. I had it towed to the dealership nearby where it took them 2 days to even look at it, and then tell me that the engine had seized. Because it was no longer under warranty they said nothing could be done except for me to rob my bank account and pay for a new motor in a vehicle I had only owned for almost 2 years, and still owed a large amount of money on it and not to mention about to have school loans that will need to be paid. Kia customer assistance did nothing except keep me waiting for phone calls back to tell me that it was no longer under warranty and they could offer no help. I am not understanding how it is considered normal for a vehicles engine to blow at 76,000 miles when I took it for all the scheduled maintenance, clearly these cars were not made to last and I am extremely disappointed in Kia for not fixing the problem. I never had any issues with the vehicle until this, but I will no longer be purchasing any Kia vehicles and I will make sure everyone I know sees how poorly these companies treat their customers.

Purchased the Optima when gas went up to $4.65 in October 2012 and I needed a second vehicle to commute vs. my SUV. It had only had 17k miles on it and and was only 18k, good deal right?. I knew Kia's were cheap to maintain/had good gas mileage and honestly it was a decent looking car. Was still a new model but I didn't see any bad reviews at that time and until this happened, the car ran great. Good gas mileage, regularly maintained (b/c again, was cheap maintenance for a Kia), and was planning on passing down to my teenager when she graduated this summer. Well, that blew up, literally. My husband was driving it the other week and BAM, the car made a horrible noise and stalled while he was driving...no warning signs, no check engine signal, no check oil light...nada. When he got it started again it made a horrible banging noise. Thank goodness he was just around the corner from our home and he was able to get it to our driveway. We had it towed on a flatbed from here and our mechanic was shocked, he said there was no reason something should be wrong with it as he just serviced it...but sure enough...the engine was BLOWN/done/rods finished, we needed an entire new engine! My 2004 Expedition has 185k miles on his, my husbands trucks have 167k and 250k, my daughters car 107k....we maintain our vehicles to make them last, I could not believe it. No going thru these reviews I see Kia isn't even recognizing the problem, and it is a very obvious problem that they should cover no matter what. I have it with my mechanic to put a new engine in it and was going to pass down to my daughter still but after reading these blogs no way, I am getting it back and selling it. How dangerous to just have your car seize mid-driving with no warning! Kia should be ashamed.

Got my 2011 Optima SX with around 40k miles on it in December 2013 and loved it. The driving experience and look of the car is great. I have around 103k miles on it now as my commute to work is at least 75 miles round trip. Monday, April 18, 2016, while driving home from work I heard a noise and turned the radio down. There was a knock in the engine so I immediately let of the gas, right when i did that there was a bunch of rattling and sounded like parts just clanking around. I pulled over and waited a few minutes and checked the oil level, of course it was fine because I just changed the oil and filter 1300 miles ago. There was no warning signs before this, no check engine light or nothing! Immediately I knew what was wrong and had it towed to a local Kia dealership the next day. They did the diagnostic and said the rod was hitting the cylinder head and needs a new engine for $6800!!!!! So I got it back from the dealership to try to find a cheaper fix as $6800 is just not doable and I still owe $13k on the piece of junk. Oh and just last July, I had to pay around $500 to get the oil pump to the turbo replaced because there was an oil leak. I am just puzzled as to why a car from 2011 can barely make it to 100k miles. I contacted Kia Consumer Assistance and told them the whole story, they got back with me a few days later and said they will not help in any way. Hopefully something happens to make them issue a recall on this model, makes me angry every time I talk about it or even see an Optima. Does anyone have any suggestions on the cheapest fix so I can get it running and get rid of it?

Since owning the car, I did all required maintenance at the correct times.

I bought a used 2011 KIA Optima in June of 2015. In March of 2016 I was driving to work and the engine seized with no warning. Because I didn't have maintenance documentation my warranty wouldn't cover engine replacement. My husband had been maintaining the car. Apparently, there was no oil! No warning lights...nothing. The car doesn't leak and doesn't burn oil.

It was a major shock to find out that there was a problem after the engine had seized. I had no idea that the car wouldn't have a warning light before something like this happens. My husband was able to unseize the engine, but it still has a major problem.

Seeing all of the complaints about this particular engine makes me think that it doesn't matter what you do. KIA isn't going to do anything either way for anyone.

Update from Jun 17, 2016: I got the same letter today about the Limited Warranty Extension. In my case, I doubt it will do much good. My engine burned yesterday due to the initial failure. I am going to pursue it with KIA but probably won't get anywhere.

Bought a 2011 Kia Optima in January of 2013 because I was putting on a lot of miles and needed something with good gas mileage. The Optima did not disappoint!! I as VERY pleased with this car up until now. With NO warning what so ever, the engine quit while accelerating through an intersection. I had the car towed to my local Kia dealership and they told me the engine was ceased! How could this be??? I had done routine oil changes and maintenance and the car was running perfectly!!! They told me it was because the local garage that did my oil changes was not using Kia oil filters and this is what caused the problem. Improper filtration they said. What a crock of crap! I checked with my local garage and the oil filter they use is made by Purolator and is used on tons of other cars with NO ISSUES. Kia wanted nearly $6000 to put in a new engine!! I contacted Kia Consumer Affairs for some assistance. They said they would review it and call me no later than that Wednesday. Well of course Wednesday came and went and I didn't hear from them. I called back both Thursday and Friday and left messages and Finally got a call back Late Friday - They denied any assistance. I have since Googled "Kia Optima Engine Failure" and found out quickly that I am NOT the only one with this issue. Kia knows all about it and they are just denying it so they don't have to pay. Since I still wanted to talk to someone "Higher Up", they escalated my case to the Regional Office of Consumer Affairs. I was supposed to hear something by this past Wednesday and of course I didn't....It is now Friday. I called the case worker and I couldn't even leave a message because her voicemail was full!!!! What a JOKE!! I have been searching for a used Kia 2.4L engine but all the junk yards are selling them faster than they can even stock them in!!! I finally bought a 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.4L engine which I am told is the same motor and will work in my car.....We'll see.....The salvage yard said they would refund 100% of my money if it doesn't work. It's funny how the Sonata motor is recalled but not the Kia!!! I realize my car is out of warranty. But here's my complaint: In this day and age, A 2011 car should run longer than 100,000 miles when routine maintenance is done!! I did everything I was supposed to do and I could not prevent this problem!!! If I had not done my oil changes, Fine!....I'll accept responsibility! If there was some sort of warning - a check engine light, an oil light, a temperature light, a funny smell, a funny noise, SOMETHING, and I ignored it, Fine!....I'll take responsibility! But none of that happened!! I think Kia should acknowledge the problem and at least participate in the repair!!! There on Tons of Kia Optima owners in this situation.....COME ON KIA, SHOW US YOU GIVE A CRAP ABOUT US!!! I loved this car....But there is not a chance in heck I would buy another Kia after this experience, UNLESS Kia does something to make it right!!! This used engine is costing me almost $4000....How about Kia pays half??!!

First I have to say I did love my Optima. We got it it only had 47 miles off the lot. My and my wife's first brand new car. We are drivers and drive a lot. I got my oil changed with synthetic Blend for high mileage a week before we left to drive to Florida from Texas. Everything was fine driving there. Heading back home I had to pull over on the side of the road to get something from the trunk. When I went to accelerate to get back into traffic I got back up to about 60 mph and then the engine shut off and I went into coast mode.

I pulled over on the side a bridge in Alabama (worst place to pull over with very limited shoulder room) and was there for the next 2 hours waiting on a tow truck to come and get me. Check for everything under the sun to try and figure out what happened. Tow truck took me to a NTB in Mississippi that couldn't get a Kia starter until Monday. That's what they thought was the issue. I had to rent a car and drive my family (wife and 2 kids) back home to Texas and leave the Kia there. They put the starter on nothing happened. They checked and said there was no oil anywhere in the pan or tank. So they said that where ever I got my oil changed they did not put enough oil in the car was there best reason.

Doesn't make sense at all sense my oil light has always come on in the event I needed an oil change. Call the place where I got an oil change and he happens to have a 2012 Hyundai Sonata and told me about there recall on their engines. So currently have to deal with all this and more to figure out how to get my car back and what to do with it and how its going to get done. If any suggestions please comment.

Kia engines are a POS. Already upside down on the car so going to give it back to the dealer blown up. Driving down the freeway at 78 mph all the sudden rattles and banging noises from the engine. I shut it off and coasted to the side of the road and there was a stream of oil that came from the back of the engine.

JUNK, Hyundia/KIA your cars SUCK and are not worth the dainty engine that's in it. I'll never recommend or buy another Korean product let alone oriental because of this. Time for a Ford Focus.

Okay - I filed one complaint already under RobbinK for my engine failure on my 2011 Kia. To replace motor #1 which was not covered by any warranty as it had 102K miles on it, I purchased a used motor (that's all I could afford) with 44,000 miles on it from a reputable company and had it installed by a certified shop. That was on 11/05//2015. ON CHRISTMAS DAY, I was traveling back on the highway from visiting my son who lives approximately 10 miles away when the car without warning suddenly stalled. I was travelling at approximately 73 miles per hour in the fast lane since I was passing a car. There was a car behind me that came dangerously close to hitting me since I suddenly lost power. In something of a panic, I managed to pull over to the side of the road and was nicely flipped off by the guy who was traveling behind me. Apparently, he was unaware that the 2.4L Kia Motor (unsupported Hyundai product) is junk!!! As with my previous motor, there was absolutely no sign of issues...no loss of power, no knock....NOTHING!!! I restarted the car, and just as I knew it would..it knocked like crazy. I had to get it towed off the highway and on the following Monday called the shop who installed the motor. They will be refunding my money for motor #2 but I am out the cost of labor which is not refundable. So now I'm out two motors and have to locate a third. I still owe KIA finance on that car and while they collect I struggle to make ends meet. Had a wonderful Christmas this year and a gift that just keeps giving...Thanks KIA!

I purchased CPO 2011 Kia Optima EX in October 2014 with 49k miles. (Power-train Warranty supposedly for up to 100k miles)

On 12/19/15, just over 14 months of owning it. The engine suddenly died while driving on I-75 south for a family trip to Florida. Traveling at moderate speed of 75mph at about hour 5 of the planned 11 hours of driving for the day. The car completed 6 hours of driving the previous day without any issues.

Most recent maintenance was 12/16/15 for oil change (4k miles on previous oil) and cabin filter change at a local shop. Before that the oil was changed 10/15/15 (Also with 4-5k miles on it.)

All oil changes since I became the owner the car has run Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Oil (5W-20). My family has a long history of changing our own oil and doing a lot of basic auto maintenance ourselves, Still have a 02 Camry with >220k miles on it, and traded in an 05 Maxima with 170k on it for this optima. So it is not a question if I know how to appropriately change my own oil.

I have yet to hear from the service mechanic from the Kia Dealership after the full engine tear down requested by the regional kia warranty service representative. This will determine whether the engine will be covered under warranty. I have read far to many examples from others with similar stories with both the Kia Optima's and the Hyundai Sonata's particularly '11-'12 that have the same 2.4L I4 engine's built in the same factory in Alabama. [Referenced Articles http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/hyundai-sonata-engine-failures-prompt-recall http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/55863-class-action-hyundai-failed-disclose-sonata-engine-defect/ http://www.girardgibbs.com/hyundai-sonata-engine-failure/

I am interested to see a complete report including photos of my engine and the parts that failed. I am confident that I was not negligent in maintenance of my car and would like to see how they can prove that the faulted engine did not have advanced wear when it was sold to me with 49k miles.

I will update this as it continues to develop. Thank you for your suggestions and comments.

Update from May 16, 2016: Here is the late updated for my situation.

I needed to give the Kia dealership mechanic the go ahead to tear the engine down to be evaluated. Then the Warranty company send one of their employed mechanics to evaluate the damage and speculate/confirm the cause. This must have been an interesting case or something because the Warranty company send a second inspector out the next day to evaluate as well.

Finally it was reported to me that "cause for engine failure and irrepairable damage was due to broken bearing rods." No comment was given to why this may have happened. They did not see any signs of lack of maintenance or overheating.

The Warranty company decided they would cover the replacement cost of my engine and reimbursed me for 10 days of a rental car (Max $35 a day), partial of my $108 Towing fee ($75 they paid), and ~ $350 more they paid for travel breakdown coverage for things such as unplanned meals, and hotels prior to us making it back on schedule for our trip.

I finally was able to pick up my car on 1/15/16. Nearly a month after the incident occurred. I am thankful the Warranty company held up their end of the 100k powertrain warranty. Yet, the inconvenience extra arrangements we needed to make and flights from Florida back to Michigan for work and then also flying from Michigan to Tennessee to pick it up and drive back. After being reimbursed we were still out ~$1200 with all the miscellaneous expenses.

I have not had an issue yet with the rebuilt engine. All in all, I'm lucky. Still very annoying this happened to me and so many others. Good luck to everyone else!

I had not had issues with my car till about a week ago. I was driving home from a night class I take when without warning the engine stalled. I tried to restart the car and it wouldn't restart. I ended up leaving the car where it was and walked the rest of the way home. The next day I arranged to have the car towed. With much difficulty, we were able to finally start the car but the car engine was knocking. I had our mechanic take a look and he reported that the rod bearing was gone and the engine was junk. It is the same exact engine for the same year in which Hyundai has a recall for this exact problem...and they also claim that Kia Optima's were affected. Yet I visit there site, enter my Vin, and my engine is not considered part of the recall? I find that a little hard to swallow. I still have further investigating to do but it's not looking good. How do you find out where the engine was manufactured? The VIN doesn't necessarily tell you that since the body could be manufactured in one place, the engine in another, etc. and finally assembled in another.

The car was bought used in 2013. 36k and within 6 month had all new hoses and water housing trying to stop over heating and fluid lose. They never really fixed it completely. 700 bucks down the drain. Leaving work one night and it over heated without any warning lights and locked up. Wow!!! The dealership of course said needed new engine. Purchase a used one for 3200 and another 1500 for installation. Dealer would not warranty since motor didn't come from their vendors.

This engine did the same thing overheated and locked up. Had Step dad look and he found cracks in head water jackets that were leaking into cylinders. He bought rebuilt head, timing items and gaskets and had the motor running good so again on the road and about 1k later the oil pump balance assembly went out and it locked up again. Remember these cars are push button starts so new starter each time because they burn up trying to start a locked motor. No lights, no codes, no signs each time it just happens???? Well its just sitting there now and driving parents car until I can get it payed for so maybe I can get rid of it maybe parts but doubt it. Well this same motor is also giving Hyundai and Toyota fits.

My 2011 KIA Optima (2.4l engine) just had similar engine issues as the Hyundai and I was wondering if it is related as they are the same company.

On 9/1/15 my engine stopped with no warning. I deducted it was low on oil so I walked to the store for 5 quarts of oil. This got me to the KIA dealer where they said there were no warning lights on so nothing is wrong and did an oil change for $70 (ouch). Two weeks later on 9/18/15 while leaving a stop light the engine jerked and made metal grinding noise from engine then threw a rod out the bottom causing a fire. I was able to put out the fire so insurance won't pay (hmm).

Is it possible that the Hyundai engine recall is related to what happened to my KIA engine? I am out of pocket for a rebuilt engine at over $6,000 plus $450 in car rental fees. KIA said there is nothing they can do for me because it is out of warranty. Please advise.

2 WEEKS EARLIER HAD STATE INSPECTION, OIL CHANGE, ROTATE TIRES AND BRAKE JOB. DRIVING OFF HIGHWAY EXIT AND ENGINE STOPPED. SMOKE COMING OUT OF VENTS.

TOWED TO MECHANIC AND FOUND STARTER WAS FRIED. REPLACED IT AND STILL WOULDN'T START, THE ENGINE WAS FRIED. NO WARNING LIGHTS UNTIL THE ENGINE STOPPED. HAD MECHANIC CALL KIA AND TOLD NOT COVERED UNDER THE DRIVE TRAIN.

IN RESEARCHING ONLINE I FIND 57 COMPLAINTS ON 2011 HUNDAI SONATA - THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM! NOT SURE WHERE I AM GOING TO COME UP WITH THE $6/7K TO REPLACE ENGINE SINCE I STILL HAVE A LOAN. I AM THE SECOND OWNER. I PUT ALMOST 40,000 MILES OF THE 83,000 MILES ON. STILL LOOKING FOR KIA TO DO SOMETHING. HYUNDAI AND KIA ARE ONE IN THE SAME.