10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 77
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 1
Average Mileage:
64,466 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #363

Apr 222021

Optima

  • miles
I have had my vehicle for 3 years. I have never has any problems with this vehicle. Almost two months ago, my vehicles engine seized while I was driving on the highway with my four children in the vehicle. I had the vehicle towed to Clay Cooley Kia in Irving, Tx. They went on to tell me that they have to fix the other recalls with the vehicle before they could summit anything about my engine which also has a recall on it. After 30 days of having my vehicle, they told me that they could not cover the recall on my engine because I have a salvage title. I was told by their own employee, that it should not matter if my vehicle has a rebuilt title or not. They are being very rude to me and refusing to get me over to higher people at the company as a result.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #362

May 092021

Optima

  • miles
Knock sensor part failure placing vehicle into limp mode, causing loss of power while on interstate.

- Lexington, SC, USA

problem #361

Apr 292021

Optima

  • miles
Car engine died while leaving stop sign. Towed to a mechanic, they said the motor was seized & it seemed to be a recall issue so had it towed to Kia dealership. Waited a few days & never heard anything so called the dealership & they said it was a recall issue but they were denying it. Called corporate, confirmed it was a recall, still denied replacing the engine

- Conway, SC, USA

problem #360

Apr 302021

Optima

  • 171,466 miles
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 Kia OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, HOWEVER, SHORTLY AFTER RETRIEVING THE VEHICLE, SHE STARTED TO HEAR A KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE WHEN SHE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE SAME DEALER AND WAS SERVICED UNDER AN UNKNOWN ENGINE RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED 3 WEEKS AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR. THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 171,466.

- Auburn, AL, USA

problem #359

May 142021

Optima

  • miles
Vehicle is burning oil very fast and reving up uncontrollably. Was informed last summer of a recall on engine. Toon vehicle to Kia and they confirmed the vehicle engine was burning oil way too fast. Vehicle was burning oil almost completely empty in only 1,000 miles. When I finally took the vehicle back to have Kia uphold the recall I was told that they updated the recall 2 days before my appointment and they would no longer fix my engine despite discovering that there was an extreme oil consumption malfunction. Have talked to many people and was told by Kia to contact the better business bureau if I was not happy with their decision. Have been in contact with multiple people since last summer and keep being told that they would get back to us soon. Received a call today saying that I could pay to get a new engine and then when they finally make the recall they would pay me back if they could prove that I needed a new engine because of Kia

- Lithonia, GA, USA

problem #358

May 092021

Optima

  • 103,744 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle loss motive power and stalled with the oil warning light illuminated. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) for which the VIN was included. The vehicle was taken to dean mccrary Kia of hattiesburg (603 broadway dr, hattiesburg, ms 39401) however, the dealer refused to service the recall due to the ECU not being updated. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,744.

- Petal, MS, USA

problem #357

Apr 262021

Optima

  • miles
Engine oil is always low even after one hour from topping it up.

- Hawthorne, CA, USA

problem #356

Apr 302021

Optima

  • miles
The hybrid vehicle was being driven on a 3-lane state highway and came to rest in the middle lane behind 4 vehicles when the dtc P1B25/P1B77 ' 125 amp hv fuse was blown. This caused a safety hazard to many oncoming vehicles and the vehicle locked up. Other reports found online seem consistent with PS515 (rev 2, 02/28/2019) and have reported to stop and become unresponsive while driving.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #355

Mar 022021

Optima

  • miles
Burns oil and engine revs

- Ruskin, FL, USA

problem #354

Apr 152021

Optima

  • 124,000 miles
While driving on the highway at approximately 65 mph encountered engine failure and my car completely broke down. Had to have it towed 97 miles.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #353

Apr 112021

Optima

  • 165,000 miles
While my husband was driving the vehicle the engine shut off and locked up. Luckily he wasnt on a major highway with lots of vehicles. He was on a straight road but had trouble pulling the vehicle off the road because everything was locked up. This is a known recall on Kia vehicles and the dealership is denying to fix it. There is an open class action lawsuit against Kia for engine failure that we will be signing.

- Bastrop, TX, USA

problem #352

Apr 192021

Optima

  • 128,100 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to vandevere Kia (328 w market St, akron, oh 44303) to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,100.

- Mogadore, OH, USA

problem #351

Apr 172021

Optima

  • 71,000 miles
2013 Kia Optima ex with 71K miles. Car had a very slow start. Trouble light came on. Had left lights on for about 2 hours so thought that was the issue. Seemed okay so drove home. Notices slight gasoline smell in cabin. No more driving that day. Took to local shop. Code reader came back as fuel pump failure. Did some research and noticed many with same issue on this make/model/year and a recall or two as well. VIN check returned no outstanding recalls. Called Kia customer service. Was told my VIN was associated with a recall in 2018 (SC 147) but 'passed the test". SC 172 was issued later for a call back of those vehicles that had engines replaced under SC 147 for a high pressure fuel pipe issue. I honestly think my Optima is currently having whatever the issue was under SC 147 but since it tested okay in 2018 - oh well! since the fuel pump warranty expired in 2018, I guess I'm on my way to an almost $1,000 repair! seems like Kia should allow getting the original service call issue looked at again free of charge to see if it is now an issue. Disappointed.

- Ridgecrest, CA, USA

problem #350

Apr 152021

Optima

  • 130,000 miles
I was driving on a highway going 70mph when my engine loses power and all the warning lights on my dashboard turn on. I pull over on the shoulder of the road and turn off the vehicle and try to turn it back on unsuccessfully. Smoke began to come out of the hood and I opened it up to see the issue. The smoke begins to increase and in a couple if minutes a fire started underneath/around the engine

- Eagle Pass, TX, USA

problem #349

Apr 182021

Optima

  • 67,000 miles
2013 Kia Optima sx turbo. While driving approx. 65 mph on a hwy, the vehicle suddenly decelerated hard enough to make me lunge forward toward the steering wheel. I saw multiple warning lights come on the dash and when the gas pedal was pressed the car would not accelerate at all. I was able to get the car pulled off to the side of the road where I turned the vehicle off. I pressed the Kia's start button, and the car would not start. The lights on the dash would all come on and there was a very strong odor of burnt electrical wires coming from the engine compartment. I had the car towed back to the dealership where they are currently diagnosing the problem. This is a very dangerous safety issue. Scary, to say the least.

- Roseburg, OR, USA

problem #348

Apr 092019

Optima

  • 88,000 miles
Gas got into my engine. Car keep losing oil. Seemed to affect a lot of other areas

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #347

Apr 032021

Optima

  • 99,642 miles
The car just shut-off while in motion and would not start after that. The car has 99,642 miles on it. Car was towed to a Kia dealership for diagnosis and it was established that the engine had failed and Kia is not covering the repairs.

- Torrance, CA, USA

problem #346

Jan 012021

Optima

  • miles
I loaned my car to my son a few months ago and he said there was no oil showing on the dipstick. He added oil and I have been having to add oil regularly too since then. I've always had Toyota in the past and could "always" depend on the oil level staying safe between oil changes. I have 148,000 miles on my car. I kept cars in the past with double that mileage with no engine problems. I still owe $4,000 on my car and need to keep it a long time. The Kia service department told me my car would have to be knocking in order for them to honor the recall. I'm sure if my son didn't catch the problem that the engine wouldn't been knocking soon. The production date of my car falls in the affected dates listed on recall # 17V-224. Is there any way to get my engine repaired through that recall? thank you for your help.

- Bartow, FL, USA

problem #345

Jan 252021

Optima

  • 155,000 miles
January 25th my engine smoked a quit running. Mechanic inspected tryed to turn engine over by hand was seized and had no codes. Towed to dealer. Jan 29th dealer confirms engine is seized. Jan 31 call engine turns over and has throttle body code and also has to many miles to perform saftey recall. I watched mechanic try to turn engine over with a wrench at crankshaft and it wouldnt budge and mechanic scanned car and it had no codes stored. Dealer now want me to pay money for diagnosis I said no called Kia corporate. I explained to corporate saftey recall has no mileage limit and they still deny repair I explain to corporate that I had car diagnosed and I believe they were attempting to charge me a fee by changing diagnosis. 10 mintues after call to corporate I get a text from dealer my car is completed and ready for pickup no charge. I have car towed back to other shop they scan for codes and try to turn engine over by hand again and no codes and engine still seized. 2 weeks later corporate calls and says they were wrong about recall and they will buy car back. I asked if they could fix it and she said yes we will replace engine. 3 days later dealer calls ans says computers down nationwide and cant order engine. 3weeks later dealer calls and says they have to do tests on engine before they order new. I ca'll corporate and Feb 26th she emails me back that the engine was ordered 2 week later dealer calls and says they have to do a compression intake manifold leak and oil pressure regulator tests. I ask corporate why they said engine was orderd and they replied thats what the dealer told them. 2 months Kia has had my car and not done rhe saftey recall it seems they are stalling and trying to find a way out of doing it.

- Geneva, OH, USA

problem #344

Mar 092021

Optima

  • miles
My car is stalling when I accelerate and when I turn my car on to start it up it smells like gas

- Chicago, IL, USA

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