10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 12 / 77
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 14 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 64,466 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
My vehicles check engine light came on and I started feeling a lack of power in my car. Sluggish to accelerate. When the car was plugged in and diagnosed, it came up as the knock sensors. We had those replaced and the car ran fine for a few days but then it died out of nowhere. Check engine light came on again and it came up as knock sensors again. We had those replaced again and also had an oil change. Again-?? it was fine for a few days than started to knock-?? as I was driving the vehicle is completely seized on me. I almost went off a bridge because it didn-??t allow me to press the breaks or anything. Brough it to the shop and they are saying the knock sensor popped up again but the engine is seized/blown. I was told this was not the first vehicle with my year make and model to do this and in this order.
- Marseilles, IL, USA
Rod bearing making a knocking noise. Car a month since i bought it.
- Kerman, CA, USA
Since the recalls my check engine light keeps popping on and off and I can smell a burning smell sometimes
- Stockton, CA, USA
car stopped mid freeway 3 times engine light turned on engine started smoking took too dealer per the recall notice and they took 3 months could not fix and wanted to charge me 600 for changing a battery but car still will not run so they want payment for a car I must tow and has had over 5 recall notices..at this point the car is unsafe I need remedy
- Ontario, CA, USA
I bought my 2013 Kia optima ex from a private seller about half a year ago. I've had a few problems here and there that we're easily diagnosed and fixed. The radiator, alternator, starter, battery, serpentine belt, headlights, tail lights, licence plate light, tires, cabin air filter, and keyless start key fob have all been replaced. I just recently got my key fob(OEM) programmed by a licensed mechanic. The next day the car was perfectly fine. Ran smoothly and had no problems at all. I parked it and went to bed. Next day I get up early and start the car to warm up before I take my kids to the bus stop for school. It was between 5-7 minutes later and I went outside to the car and smelled an overwhelmingly strong plastic/chemical burning type smell coming from the car. I got in and saw that the air conditioning was on low and i turned it off, thinking the smell was because it was cold and the air needed to be off to stop the smell... I drove my son to the bus stop one block away and there was no dash light on but the smell was still there so I turned the car off and we got out of the car. After the bus got my son, I got in the car and could still smell the burning smell but tried to start it to take it home and the dash lights came on like normal then all turned off except the check engine light, oil light, battery light, key light, eps light. The car made one click noise under the hood and did not start or make any noises indicating an attempt to start. The key light the turned off but the oil, battery, engine lights remained. I turned the car back off and downloaded an app called justask to ask a mechanic about the problem and he said to call the master lube where I had gotten an oil change a few weeks prior and ask them what to do because of the oil light being on and the possibility that they overfilled it which could cause problems.i called. the oil was fine, no leaks, he has no idea why it isn't starting. So I call the mechanic. No idea what is wrong still....
- Carlsbad, NM, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure mileage was 184,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Galesburg, IL, USA
On [XXX] at approx. 4 PM I was driving on [XXX] between Columbus and Nashville in Brown County Indiana. Weather was clear I noticed what appeared to be smoke coming through the car vents I was able to pull to the shoulder of the road, but the breaks were not working well There were no warning lights on the dash about any possible issues After grabbing 2 bags from the car, I was walking away and the car went up in flames and started to make sounds of an explosion. I called 911 and moved to the other side of the road away from the fire. Police and fire arrived on the scene and stopped all traffic The fire was put out and AJ's Paint and Body Shop came to tow the vehicle and clean up debris. We have not yet received the cost of this. We have reported this information to Kia and have spoken to them a couple of times. We have sent all of the details and information on the location of the car. We have sent multiple follow up e-mails and have not received any response since [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Morgantown, IN, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary outside in the driveway, the contact saw that there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact went outside to inspect the vehicle opened the hood and saw smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact disconnected the battery and left the hood slightly open to allow airflow. The contact stated that the smoke was eventually dissipated by the wind. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact made the manufacturer aware of the failure, however, the contact was disconnected after providing information to the manufacturer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Columbia, SC, USA
The car dealership i bought my kia from is fully aware of this safety recall, Should he have sold me the car with out telling me" Can I take this car back and get my money back"
- Tucson, AZ, USA
On or around Oct.15th 2023, My abs light, engine light, and all these other lights came on. So i got it home i got a recall notice in the mail that day saying to park my car away from structures and other vehicles. So i had it towed to a kia dealer here in town. they had it for a week. they said they performed a diagnostic on it and replaced the recall part to come get it. So i go get it i drive off got a mile down the road and all the lights came on and said pull over and shut car off. So there iam on the side of the road calling a tow truck to tow my car back to the dealer. if they would have drove the car after fixing it they would experianced the all the lights lighting up on my dash. Now that want to tell me there is no remedy to the recall fix and that i need a new electric battery and it is going to cost me $12,000. This is my only means of transportation. Can someone stop messing around and take this seriously, now the kia dealer is paying for a tow to tow my safety hazard car back to my house. Now it does not run... It ran when it got towed there.
- Tucson, AZ, USA
After my last oil change that was done at Lokey KIa in Clearwater, FL. I had my oil changed on July 27,2023. From the date of my oil change till mid Oct 2023 I used 5 qts. of oil. The first appointment that I could get was 11/24/23. A engine diagnosis was done and the conclusion was the engine was burning oil. I opened a claim with KIA and was told that the car was out of warranty by six months but was still under the mileage. I asked the KIA representative if they could do a good will gesture to replace the engine and was denied.
- Clearwater, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and was jerking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted, and the vehicle was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 35-40 MPH. The contact stated that she turned on the hazard lights and drove to the residence, where the vehicle remained parked. The contact stated she connected an OBD reader to the vehicle and read a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) for knock sensor failure. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Lake Orion, MI, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the engine warning light was illuminated. While driving at approximately 30-?"40 MPH, the vehicle started to smoke. There was an abnormal clunking sound heard. The vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact called an independent mechanic and was referred to the local dealer. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle and to tow the vehicle to the local dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
- Clinton, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the check engine, low coolant level, and oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer and an independent mechanic were contacted, and the contact was informed that the engine had seized. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.
- Canoga Park, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Services Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormally loud rattling sound while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The dealer inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that a fuel system cleaning and a decarb procedure might need to be performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available
- Dove Canyon, CA, USA
This car uses a quart of oil approximately every 200-300 miles without fail. It burns out spark plugs, coils and has burnt out the catalytic converter. This started at around 125,000 miles, it now has 154,000. That is a lot of oil I-??ve had to put in it.
- Cosby, TN, USA
in the middle of october around the 15th 2023 (HECU) hYDRAULIC electrical control unit light, the ABS light, the ENGIN light, and a couple of other unknown lights up and than my car tell me to pull over and shut down. you will have to tow it for inspection upon request due to all the warning light. my car had 117,000 document miles on it when i bought it, it now has 128,000. I paid cash for this car and it was my only means for my daughter and i to get to school work and with her dad in the hospital slowly still not out of the woods recovering throat cancer surgery patient. (ALL DOCUMENTED) on legal true facts statements dated sealed and signed documents for every statement stating true facts of this information that i am representing to you on December 1st 2023 My Neighbors, animals, property and family are at safety risk with the cars capability's to just combust SITTING OR DRIVING. Kia Corp. and Kia of Tucson both via verbal telephonic told me there is not a part to fix the recall just yet.. I do have a open case with NHTS. There were no prior warnings.
- Tucson, AZ, USA
Nov 5, 2023 my wife, son and my self traveled to Las Vegas for a family party. 2 days prior to our trip I got a tune up. On the day in question after traveling 1 hour and about 20 minutes to Las Vegas the car made a noise as if something fell off the engine next came on the oil light followed with smoke from the car. Thankfully I was able to get over where the car completely shut off and has not started since. After 5 hours of waiting in basically in the middle of nowhere we were towed to our destination which was 190 miles away from where the car shut down
- Moreno Valley, CA, USA
Over a year ago I was sent to Kia to fix a recall for a possible fuel leakage problem over my engine that got fixed with mesh tape and one zip chord. Now my engine has gushing fuel leaking on it on daily basis. I called kia a few months back asking for them to remedy this due to another recall and how I needed a rental so I could continue working while they fixed the problem they screwed up and they told me it would be over a month before they could fit me in their schedule. I have been smelling gasoline in my vehicle making me feel nauseous as I drive and the fumes are intense and my I smell it burning. My coworkers tell me daily what is that gasoline smell". Now I get in the mail another recall notice about sparks going off for gaskets or thingsmajigs on my engine just from being idle in a parking spot or driving and how I should park away from others??!?!? Just in case!!! What about my safety?"! I still have gasoline leaking all over my car engine!. My house could blow up! This is outrageous that none of this is taken care of.
- Fleming Island, FL, USA
- Santa Rosa Beach, FL, USA