10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 75
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 1
Average Mileage:
65,032 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #93

May 162018

Optima

  • 65,000 miles
Car losses power suddenly and lurches. This has happend when car is cruising at highway speeds or when started, stationary. Once that happens car may have to be restarted to work again. Sometimes that works, sometimes it does not. When it persists for a while, maximum speed is about 5 mph if started from a stop. Engine warning light comes on and the code P2118 (throttle actuator motor current range) is shown by an obd. The problem has ocurred before. Dealer initially changed throttle but problem recurred. The issue was eventually tracked to a faulty engine cable harness. The whole engine harness had to be replaced. However, problem is ocurring again a year later.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #92

Apr 112018

Optima

  • 13,000 miles
Takata inflators read on webiste;however, got in a wreck on 4/11/18 car totalled got hit in front end and no airbags deployed in the entire car, I hit steering wheel and had to go to the er. Also, in August of last year the car had internal engine failure and put new engine in my car. Had nothing but complaints on this car. I emailed Kia on the air bags and no one has got back in touch with me.

- Apollo Beach, FL, USA

problem #91

Apr 262018

Optima

  • 66,000 miles
Driving on highway engine cooling system failed, blowing the head gasket, 66,000

- Trenton, MI, USA

problem #90

Oct 152017

Optima

  • 60,000 miles
While I was driving the car, I stopped at a stop light, and realized that my car was on fire from the engine area. The electrical shorted out and I was locked in the car, I had to manually hold the electric lock to be able to escape from the car. It was engulfed in flames.

- Odessa, FL, USA

problem #89

Dec 262013

Optima

  • 0 miles
Intermitenly.car won't start all electronic signals off, nothing dead. Engine ticking after I stop & park it. I hear a loud ticking. Burning oil. At least 5 times, while excelerating car takes off real fast. Hard to control, keep it on the road. Pulls to the right. Had to replace tires only have 41K miles. Paint chips.fobs do not work. I have complained to dealers at least 6-7 times. Please note* I purchased vip premier ultimate protection plus & glass coat & teflon interior protection.$ $1850 estimate. Extra. Covers everything I reported.

- Shenandoah Heights, PA, USA

problem #88

Dec 022017

Optima

  • 130,000 miles
When I cut my car off after driving or sometimes while driving I have a ticking noise that sort of sounds like a bomb. Also, when I put my car in reverse there is some sort of grinding noise. The car also doesnt take off/drive the way it use

- Pamplin, VA, USA

problem #87

Feb 162018

Optima

  • miles
Takata recall, have super loud rattling noise in the motor at first start up and continues the entire time its running. Kia suntrup claims its "not loud enough "and when I asked what the level of noise mine is currently and what the standard for fixing is, they had no clue! come on, car has 47,000 miles on it and has done this loud noise for the last 25,000. Kia needs to stand behind their vechiles

- Barnahrt, MO, USA

problem #86

Dec 042017

Optima

  • 14,800 miles
I bought the car brand new in 2013 within 1 year after purchasing the car started using oil and motor had a little bit of a tick sound.. checking the oil everyday because none of the light in the car came on and it being new I got a recall so I made appoint everything the recall listed my car was doing.. they said it passed test. But me knowing something wasn't right about it didn't believe them.. 4 months later I'm going down highway and engine just quits on me so I coast in closest place and put car in park.. trying to start the car it would not crank and brakes locked. Two different mechanics has looked at my car and its the motor.. but Kia is wanting me to spend the money I don't have and that's there fault to fix my car..

- Centre, AL, USA

problem #85

May 052017

Optima

  • miles
TL-contact owns a 2013 Kia..... March 31, 2017 NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 bearing wear may result in engine seizure bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash. NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 manufacturer Kia motors America components engine and engine cooling potential number of units affected 618,160 summary Kia motor company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 sorento and 2011-2013 sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine. Remedy Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC147. Contact advised to contact Kia at 800-333-4542

- Laurel, NJ, USA

problem #84

Dec 042017

Optima

  • 130,000 miles
"takata recall" my engine started shaking and the car stopped!

- Federal Way, WA, USA

problem #83

Nov 222017

Optima

  • 100,000 miles
One day while driving my car, it began having some clicking sounds in the engine. After a few minutes it completely turned off and would not start. I got it towed to a mechanic who said there was metal pieces in the oil which clogged oil flow and needed to replace the engine.

- Grandview, MO, USA

problem #82

Sep 012017

Optima

  • 120,000 miles
The vehicle quit suddenly and without other warning on a toll road, approx speed of 70 mph at night. I was unable to get to the vehicle to be towed due to the late night, I have towed later, originally thinking it was a bad battery, that turned out to be true, so we replaced that battery with a new one and it instantly smoked the starter, requiring a new one, which it destroyed, at that time further diagnosis revealed the engine was seized. I noticed later this is a known issue and a recall from Kia has been issued for a replacement. The fire I note is the electrical fire from replacing the battery with a fresh battery, and since the engine was seized, the starter locked and caught fire, requiring a new starter, obviously after the motor is fully repaired, but I owe approx $350 for the starter and $400 approx for the electrical fire, I am uncertain of other damage caused be the engine seizing at such speeds/

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #81

Nov 132017

Optima 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
I am currently stationed in ramstein germany with the U.S. air force. I contacted Kia to have the recall checked and the work completed. They are refusing saying that since I am in germany the recall doesn't affect them. They are also refusing to honor my warranty. Email is the best to contact me or via cell [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Apo, AE, USA

problem #80

Oct 222017

Optima

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a front end collision after losing functionality of various electrical systems. The failure occurred without warning. The air bags did not deploy. Prior to the crash, the vehicle was taken to valley hi Kia (14673 civic dr, victorville, ca), but the failure was not diagnosed until the second time it was brought in for driving abnormally. The dealer diagnosed that the electronic system, motor mount, and transmission were defective and needed to be replaced. The dealer banned the contact from returning. The contact took the vehicle to Kia of orange (210 w katella ave, orange, ca) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the contact did not receive a recall notice. The recall was remedied, but no other repairs were performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. There was one injury that required medical attention. The contact suffered lower back, hip, and head injuries. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

- Victorville, CA, USA

problem #79

Feb 282017

Optima 4-cyl

  • miles
It stalls at low speed and stalls at high speed pulls hard to the right. And motor makes all kind of sounds like rattles when cold. And run poorly when cold. Had a total of 4 recalls and have not had it a year. Had it sent to Kia of chattanooga when I first got it from edd kirby of dalton, ga and all they done was put 600 miles on it. And did nothing to it. Then it was taken to Kia of dalton, ga for the rest of the recalls but nothing was fixed all they done was serviced the car. The car is unsafe to be on the road. It is going to end up getting someone killed or badly hurt. I am about ready to call a lawyer and channel 3 news of chattanooga, tenn. If you call for more information you may talk to my husband [xxx] at anytime. ('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).')

- Eton, GA, USA

problem #78

May 152017

Optima

  • 100,000 miles
The issue began approximately mid-may '17 while my car was in motion on the highway (55mph speed limit, same speed limit for each time I experienced the issues in this summary). I honked my horn and pressed on my brakes (due to another car making an unsafe lane change into my lane). Simultaneously, as I honked the horn the engine light displayed on then went off immediately after I lifted off of the horn. Additionally, the RPM gauge immediately dropped down to zero, the car drastically slowed down, my A/C stopped working as well as the cooling system for my seats. My car had the ability to still accelerate but, it was extremely slow to pick up speed. Furthermore, every time I had to slow down or come to a complete stop my car was extremely slow to pick up speed. Every symptom lasted until I parked my car that day. I returned to my car hours later and turned it on and it was like the car reset itself. The RPM gauge, acceleration and A/C was back to normal. This issue has occurred multiple times and most recently on 9/28/17. This is a link to a video I found that shows similar issues I have been experiencing (https://youtu.be/qulsdy-umdk).

- Ashburn, VA, USA

problem #77

Aug 012017

Optima

  • miles
2013 Kia Optima. Consumer writes in regards to engine knocking while driving and while engine is off. The consumer stated the dealer would not acknowledge the engine knocking complaint. The consumer inquired about visiting a different dealer. Updated 09/28/2017

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #76

Sep 072017

Optima

  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle experienced a loss of engine power. The contact also noticed black smoke and various electrical functions operated independently. Also, the check engine and oil warning indicators illuminated. There was no fire. The vehicle was towed to carmax and then towed to Kia southside (9401 atlantic blvd, jacksonville, fl) where it was confirmed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact was never notified of the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and asked why a notification was not received. The manufacturer provided case number: 12476138 and informed the contact that NHTSA was supposed to notify the contact of the defects on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

- Atlantic Beach, FL, USA

problem #75

Sep 102017

Optima

  • 30,800 miles
There is a safery recall for this car amd inspection have being conducted I jus receive the notice about 6 months.

- Miami Gardens, FL, USA

problem #74

Aug 032017

Optima

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 55 mph, smoke appeared and the engine made a loud noise. The driver coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and noticed that the engine was on fire. The contact was able to exit the vehicle without injuries. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed destroyed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact to send proof of the incident. The contact sent the proof, but the manufacturer did not get back in touch with the contact. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.

- Morton Grove, IL, USA

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