10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
107,178 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Kia Optima:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #10

Aug 302024

Optima

  • 127,718 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH several hours after an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the engine seized. The battery, the check engine, and the low oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road close to a swamp. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer contacted the manufacturer, and an engineer was sent to diagnose the vehicle. The engineer determined that the repair could not be covered because Kia Campaign Number: PI1803 (Knock Sensor Detection System - ECU Logic Improvement) had not been performed on the vehicle; however, the contact had not received the Service Campaign notification in the mail. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact followed up with the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 127,718.

- Jacksonville Beach, FL, USA

problem #9

Aug 232024

Optima

  • 136,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The contact also stated that the failure had occurred several days earlier, but the vehicle was able to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the camshaft sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic, who additionally determined that the engine had seized due to abnormal bearing wear, resulting in irreparable engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 136,000.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #8

Jul 192024

Optima

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine had seized, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Gardena, CA, USA

problem #7

Mar 012024

Optima

  • 231,054 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 231,054.

- Texas City, TX, USA

problem #6

Apr 192024

Optima

  • 165,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Zone where the vehicle was scanned and diagnosed with a failure with the knock sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to a local independent mechanic where the knock sensor was replaced. The contact stated that the failure had recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #5

Oct 272023

Optima

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a general failure with the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 75,000.

- Commerce, GA, USA

problem #4

Jan 272023

Optima

  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 2 MPH, after having stopped at a traffic signal, the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights flashing. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after having a passerby jump start her vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the cam shaft had failed, and the vehicle was low on oil. The contact stated that the mechanic added oil and started the vehicle for a test drive. The contact stated that the engine seized while on the test drive. The independent mechanic researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #3

Sep 152022

Optima

  • miles
Engine light on car will not accelerate past 60 mph

- Beaumont , TX, USA

problem #2

Apr 252022

Optima

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine seized. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to his residence and the next day the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #1

Aug 082019

Optima

  • 7 miles
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Optima LX. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into a guardrail which stopped the vehicle from going over an embankment. The air bags failed to deploy. The failure had occurred several times prior to the crash. The vehicle was towed to a towing company and then towed to the dealer (Kia atlanta South; 7310 jonesboro rd, morrow, ga 30260) where it was informed that the black box did not capture the incident details. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle but 3 days after the vehicle being returned, she was involved in an accident due to the failure. The failure was not able to be determined on any inspections performed. The contact sustained injuries to her right shoulder and was taken to the hospital. It was unknown if a police report was filed. The vehicle was returned to capital one bank. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 67,000.

- Covington, GA, USA