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
I got onto a highway on ramp, I had to slightly accelerate due to it being busy & my car started knocking & the check engine started flashing. Engine oil level is good but it has a Rod knock.
- Detroit, MI, USA
On 1/7/2022 I was driving my 2013 Kia Optima on the freeway heading home and was passing an eighteen wheeler when my car started slowing down even when trying to accelerate, luckily I was far enough ahead and was able to get off the freeway. Had the car towed to the Dealership and was told the engine failed but would be replaced free of charge due to class action suit settlement in 2020. Engine was replaced at 79,319 miles and picked up on 1/22/2022. On 11/08/2022 my son-in-law was driving the car home from work and was on the freeway with heavy traffic at 5:00pm when he first smelled gasoline and then saw smoke from engine compartment. He was in the left hand lane and pulled into the median area and stopped the vehicle and got out when the car caught fire. He called 911 immediately. By the time the police and fire department got there the car was totaled. Luckily no body was injured or killed. I have contacted KIA Consumer Affairs and was given a case number and was assured they would get me a replacement vehicle. I had the car moved from the holding lot and towed to the Dealership where I purchased it and have had it serviced regularly. As of 12/03/2022 we are still without a car and $857 towing fee and waiting on a KIA INSPECTION and decision.
- Arlington, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a Goodyear Service Center to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved an unknown code for engine failure. The contact then stated that the following day the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but not assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
- Baltimore, MD, USA
1. The vehicle has been smoking and constantly burning all the oil. 2. Paint has been pealing all over the car. 3. Electronic parking brakes not working at all now and vehicle will not pass inspection. 4. Electronic steering assist not working tripping the warning light on the dash.
- Haverhill, MA, USA
Leak and/or cracked oil pan around the drain plug. Due to past issues regarding the crankshaft bearings I fear the oil consumption could assist in the issue. Also fear the oil leaking neak the exhaust and catalytic converter could ignite a fire beneath the vehicle. Vehicle has not been inspected by a dealership yet. And there have been no dash lights to indicate the problem. It was found while trying to investigate oil spots on ground beneath vehicle
- West Sacramento , CA, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had seized and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,500.
- Paragould, AR, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was stalling despite depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that there was a fuel smell and that she repeatedly needed to refill the engine oil. Additionally, the contact stated that on three different occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to restart, and had to be towed to her residence. The check engine and the engine oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle failed to restart and the contact stated that there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer where it remained awaiting diagnosis and repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
- Tujunga, CA, USA
The engine was just about to explode when me and family riding the car Kia Dealer does not want to fix the car despite that it has an engine recall The car was not inspected yet, but I am ready to get it inspected there were not any sign warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure
- Houston, TX, USA
I was driving on the interstate in rush hour traffic to pick up my kids from school. The engine light came on, and immediately after that, the gas pedal would no longer accelerate the speed of the car. I pulled over on the side of the interstate to call my fiancé, and within minutes the front end started smoking. I grabbed my work belongings and stepped out of the car and the entire car went up in flames on the interstate. The car has been deemed a total loss with Insurance. We filed a claim with Kia and waiting for someone to inspect the vehicle. This car had engine failure back in 2017, and had an entire engine rebuilt inside of it. Part of the Theta ll engine recall. Police would not create report due to not injuring anyone or any other vehicles.
- Omaha, NE, USA
The system that failed was my engine. I sent my car to One Stop Collision Auto Repair in Chicago Ridge Illinois. Once the mechanic did his diagnostic, I was told i had -??no oil-?? in my car which caused my engine to fail. However I had gotten an oil change July 12th, 2022. There is a sticker on my windshield in the top left corner by the drivers side stating when my oil was changed. My oil notification became to come on July 9th which let me know i needed an oil change.For this specific problem with my vehicle, the mechanic told me -??you won-??t get an oil notification because it has nothing to do with your oil. It is a known problem with these types of cars.-?? I then began to question if there was a recall. I then look onto the My Car max app which lets me know if there was any recalls. There were 2 recalls with MY SAME VIN NUMBER. I don-??t know if it is available for inspection.My safety was at risk because I was not aware of any issues on my dashboard or any recalls as i was buying the car. My car began jerking with my inside of it driving which almost caused an accident. My car was sent to a auto repair shop to find out the problem. Once he let me know what the problem was, My car was then sent to International Kia for their own diagnostic and a repair when they find out the problem. The car should be going under inspection now that it is at the manufacture (International Kia). There were NO warning lamps, messages, or any symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I-??ve had this car only since March 17, 2022 (6 months).
- Chicago , IL, USA
Started with oil light flashing, then the other lights came on. Started losing speed, then lost all power to the engine, will not start back up with the engine, when trying to start it, the engine started smoking.
- Ramseur, NC, USA
While driving the vehicle on a two lane highway passing an eighteen wheeler the car engine suddenly died prior to overtaking the truck. Very difficult and dangerous especially since the vehicle behind me followed to overtake the truck at the same time. This was a very uncomfortable situation especially since in the meantime there was oncoming traffic heading in the opposite direction that had to drive on the grass shoulder to avoid a head on collision since I had difficulty merging into now much faster moving traffic that was stacked up behind the eighteen wheeler. The reason the engine died was because it locked up due to oil starvation due to a known manufacturing defect that should have been covered by the extended warranty that was put into place from to a lawsuit from NHTSA. The vehicle is a 2013 Kia Optima with 60k miles. According to Kia customer care the extended warranty wont be honored because the car was previously involved in a collision to the right rear corner of the vehicle that took place years ago and thousands of miles ago. The service advisor advised against purchasing a used engine because they are all bad and they will all fail sooner or later and wants almost $6000 to replace the engine.
- Spring, TX, USA
I was driving on the highway, and knocking noise came out form the engine. The engine began to lose power, and I had to immediately to pull over the car. This car has a theta II engine, and had gone bad due excessive connecting rod bearing damage. I brought the car to a dealership, and confirmed this is the case. The engine only has 77k on it, and will need replacement. These engines are not safe, and should be replaced by dealerships.
- El Paso, TX, USA
The car stops in middle of road and turns off if I go over 20 MPH. It's happened twice in the middle of highway and I've had to get towed home. The engine light is on and blinking and I hear knocking sounds. My boyfriend has a code reader and he said when he hooked code reader up to car it showed the exact same code as the other kia optimas engine problems. This needs to be a recall!!
- Lilburn, GA, USA
I was driving my 2013 Kia Optima when all of a sudden, the car stalled while on a highway. Luckily I was able to pull to the side, narrowly missing a tractor-trailer. After it wouldn-??t start, I had it towed to my mechanic. He then diagnosed it as a seized engine. I had it towed to my local Kia dealer, and it-??s been sitting there for 4 months, and i was told it can take another 6 MORE MONTHS to get the engine replaced, AND they -??may not cover the cost-??. They are giving me the run-around. This is ridiculous. There-??s even a recall on the engine. What should I do? Thank you D.H.
- Schenectady, NY, USA
Driving our car om a road trip on a busy canyon highway, check engine started blinking and car died. Was able to get off on the shoulder and contact a tow. Towed to local mechanic, engine was blown. Towed it to local KIA Dealership. Dealership had our car almost 4 months. KIA approved engine, it was finally replaced. Got car back and the next day check engine light came on and car shut down again. Towed to KIA dealership.
- Kearns, UT, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact's boyfriend had retrieved an error code on the vehicle for engine failure. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was 88,524.
- Lilburn, GA, USA
The contact's son owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his son was driving approximately at 50 MPH and accelerating to highway speed, the vehicle shuddered, jerked and finally stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's son veered to the side of the road. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and drove to his residence. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an abnormal loud knocking sound coming from the engine. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was experiencing bearing wear that could damage the engine and could cause the engine replacement. However, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
- Springville, IA, USA
I was driving my 2013 Kia Optima on the highway when all of a sudden the car stalled. I was nearly hit by a semi truck and several cars. I was finally able to coast to the shoulder of the road. I tried starting it and it would not. I had it towed to my mechanic and he diagnosed it as a -??seized engine-??, for no reason. I take good care of my car I change the oil every 3000 miles. Currently, I am trying to get it fixed through KIA, but they are giving me a hard time.
- Schenectady , NY, USA
- Fayetteville , AR, USA