10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 8 / 38
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 7 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 49,036 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
2015 Kia Optima, only 47K miles....engine failure...the dealership says its sludge... and I have to provide all my maintenance records. It started with white smoke coming out of the tailpipe and loud rattling noise when I accelerated, then this past Saturday, it started to shake violently and the check engine light went on. I had to get it towed. This is Kia's fault!!! not mine. I've done the same routine maintenance on my Toyota and Honda which had over 100K miles with no problems! I am being told by Kia that it won't be covered under the warranty.
- Corona, CA, USA
My 2015 Kia Optima has 26,456 miles. The last oil change was performed at 26,064 miles. On 6/4/16 while driving approx. 50mph in 3 lane traffic the engine seized up, car shut down and interior filled with smoke. Had vehicle towed to Kia. Was told it needs a new engine due to sludge in the oil. Kia is refusing to honor the warranty because I cannot produce receipts for previous oil changes. I have researched and many other Kia vehicles are having very similar problems with low miles! there has to be something wrong that Kia is not aware of or is just not willing to admit. Not only will they not fix my vehicle but I fear someone is going to get hurt or even killed. I informed Kia of my concern but they did not seem to care.
- San Antonio, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. While driving 60 mph, smoke emitted from the engine compartment without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the number two cylinder was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 58,000.
- George Town, SC, USA
I purchased my car in the greater san diego area back in June 31. 2015. Have approximately 8K miles on my vehicle and notice around 3K my car would jerk when coming to a complete stop. This has happened a few times approximately 3-4 time (average once a month).and today 10-27-2015, my car once again jerk but this time the engine made a unfamiliar sound. I will be taking it to the dealership as soon as possible.my car has received all schedule maintenance; per owner manuel. It has passed all Kia certifed dealer/mechanic inspection when taken in. Also, when the contact to purchase was signed it did not get a full inspection as the dealership was closing and the appropriate staff for inspection had left for the day. Notice when I got home the front passenger signal light did not work. Called the dealership to get my new car fixed and had to wait for approximately 3-5 days for the repair, at that point it also passed thier inspection.
- Chula Vista, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal noise without warning. The contact mentioned that the noise was emitting from the engine. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnosed or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.
- Milford, PA, USA
- Villa Rica, GA, USA