10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 5 / 11
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 23,739 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Paint is peeling off of the hood and side panels of the car. It is Kia Pearl White factory paint job. There have been no impacts or anything that should cause the paint to chip and peel.
- Cary, NC, USA
I understand this will not sound like a safety issue, as I felt the same initially, but it is. My paint has been peeling off my Kia Optima for almost two years and sometimes the paint comes off in little pieces and other times it peels off in 6-12 inch sheets. Paint will come off during driving and while being washed. When driving the paint will fly to the back of my car and land of the ground, looks like snow is flying thru air. I have had safety issues to date. First tIme was on my way to work and a large section of paint came up from the bottom of the windshield area and stuck to my windshield. Not only did it scare me, but it blocked my vision.windshield wipers would not move it. I had to quickly pull over to remove it. Second time the same thing happened, but it landed on the windshield of the car behind me. I was unaware it happened until they pulled up next to me at the red light and got out of their vehicle to yell at me and removed the paint sheet. I understand this might not sound serious, but when something comes flying out of nowhere and lands on your windshield blocking your sight it is quite terrifying. I am not sure if this has happened to others with my same paint defect, but I know by researching my paint defect over the past two years, there are thousands of complaints on the internet about paint peeling off. When I contacted Kia in 2019 (corporate in Irvine, Ca), they informed me it was definitely a paint defect that originated during the painting process. Since there was not a recall isued, they were not going to pay for the car to be re-painted. At that time only the top of my car was affected, but now the majority of my car is losing paint. At this time I am wanting Kia to pay to have the car repainted, refund the cost of the vehicle or provide a credit to put towards a new car. At this point my vehicle is basically worthless because I can't sell it as is and trading it in results in me only getting approximately 30% of what the value is.
- Murrieta, CA, USA
The paint on my car is peeling on the molding around the front windshield on the right and left side.
- Imperial, MO, USA
Around approximately 76,000 miles on the vehicle, I noticed paint (snow white pearl) started bubbling and coming off the hood. I assumed it was from a rock chip. The paint bubbling and chipping is now occurring all over the vehicle. I've spoken with two different KIA dealers (in Charlotte, NC and Salisbury, NC) and they've both said there are no recalls from KIA and there's nothing they can do but offer to repaint the car for THOUSANDS of dollars. I'm finding new spots every month. There are now 93,000 miles on the car, and I do NOT feel like the paint should be failing like this at all. I will attach pictures if allowed. I doubt I can upload all of the places on my car that have chips at this point.
- Concord, NC, USA
I own a 2013 Kia Optima. The paint in chipping and peeling on various parts of the car.
- West Covina, CA, USA
The Snow White Pearl paint is peeling off of the hood and roof of the car (delamination).
- Carthage, NC, USA
Pealing paint on hood and along windshield area
- El Dorado, KS, USA
The factory paint job is delaminating and chipping. Its chipping in different parts. This is a problem because Kia didn-??t let the primer sit well or because they didn-??t even put primer. You can tell by the way the paint is delaminating.
- Sun Valley, CA, USA
2013 KIA Optima Pearl White Paint peeling and chipping off all around the windshield. May now cause rust and future instability to vehicle frame which could make it dangerous.
- Hallsville, MO, USA
The paint on my 2013 Optima has bubbles in it that are cracking open with paint peeling away. There is one section on the passenger side front door with one patch that is at least 3" long and 2" wide where the paint flacked off. The paint around the windshield has also flaked off in places that are now causing rust spots. There has been nothing to cause the issue with the paint. The car has the original pearl white paint. This started with minor spots and has gradually increased to more places on the car with paint missing. This has been been an on-going issue the entire time I have owned the car.
- Henrico, VA, USA
My white pearl paint started off as a little chip and now I have blotches of paint chips on my trunk lid
- North Highlands, CA, USA
Paint is chipping off of the pillars on both sides of the windshield. Started approximately 1 month ago. First noticed while parked under carport. No accidents or paint work done. This is original manufacturer paint job.
- Denhan Springs, LA, USA
Paint (pearl white) began peeling off in June 2019 on the front T and back of the roof trim. On March 12, 2021 the paint has now started peeling from the passenger left side door. Also, the vehicle has major electrical problems- the power windows ( all but the driver's window) quit operating on January 27, 2021. The vehicle is a 2013 with only 43K miles on it. Unacceptable
- Simi Valley, CA, USA
I own a 2013 Kia Optima with the snow-white pearl paint and it is definitely peeling at a rapid rate. It is peeling off on the sides of my trunk, near the windshield, on the hood, and also on the edges of the doors. I bought it used, but have only owned it for 3 years and the paint was in perfect condition when I bought it. I have never done anything to make the paint chip or peel. It looks horrible!! Kia needs to fix this immediately. We pay a lot of money for new cars and should expect that they hold up. My parents own cars that are 20+ years old and their paint is still in good shape! Kia needs to step up and remedy this!!
- Oregon, WI, USA
The paint is chipping on the cars hood, roof rails and trunk lid to no fault of mine. Paint is also bubbling on the doors and is starting to chip.
- Seagrove, NC, USA
Paint is peeling. It's not caused by any friction. It's de-laminating.
- Huntington Beach, CA, USA
Alittle over 2 years ago I started noticing paint peeling off the pillars on the sides of my windshield, it started with a small spot and continued to get worse. I have always gotten my car serviced at a Kia dealership and had warranties on my car so I mentioned it numerous times and everytime I was told that paint wasn't covered and that "they had never seen paint peeling like that " on any other snow pearl white Kia. The paint continued to peel off, the wind would blow huge pieces off. Now it has started on my hood, the passenger side of my car and the trunk! its already showing signs of rust. The worst part is I brought my car in again and asked what the hell was going on?! the technician assured me they had never seen that, and while I was sitting there 2 other snow white pearl Kia pull in and they have paint peeling in the same spots! thats when I decided to do some research and saw that this is happening all over the country mainly to Kia with the snow white pearl color. All I want is for Kia to repaint my car. I paid alot of money for it and I absolutely love my car but it looks like it is 20 years old with the paint flying off of it and its starting to rust!!! this is my 2nd Kia I have purchased and I love them, but I am extremly pissed off and disappointed that I have been fighting for over 2 years about this and nothing has been done. Obviously there was some sort of manufacturing defect when these cars were painted in the factory because there is no other explanation for why there are thousands of snow pearl white Kia with the paint peeling off in the same exact spots. I also bought my car new so I know that it has been taken care of the entire time. I just want my car painted before its all rusted especially since I paid $30,000 for the car.
- Salem, NH, USA
All the paint on the outside of my 2013 Kia Optima is bubbling and peeling off the chrome on my wheels is chipping and coming off
- Vicksburg, MS, USA
Paint is flaking and exposing bare metal on hood and along windshield uprights
- Manassas, VA, USA
- Visalia, CA, USA