10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 38
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,036 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #326

Jul 142022

Optima

  • miles
Just bought the car. Drove it off lot & engine quit on me. Wont go over 25 mph. They won-€™t refund my money. So I-€™m on phone with Kia consumer affairs. If they don-€™t get it fixed/replaced/or buy the car back then I am contacting the lawyers who have the lawsuits against Kia & add my case to their lawsuit. This is ridiculous how many people on here that I see Kia is denying them for replacement of motor due to their company!! They need to get it together or just quit making cars! They suck! I bought it in good faith hoping it was a reliable car. Now I-€™m $9k out of pocket.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #325

Jun 212022

Optima

  • miles
5/17/22-Brought car in for a basic "what needs to be done for maintenance if I was to buy/sell this car". Thought it could be idling low so he suggested an oil change, spark plugs and a fuel injection service due to mileage. But no issues happening with the car. He did not have parts. Scheduled for June 20th. 6/20/22 Car serviced at Sun Mountain. Received call that on the test drive after service was completed that the car died mid drive. He got it back to the shop after jumping the battery. He ran a diagnostic and said everything besides the battery looked good. Battery was very low. He revved the engine and there was a rattling. I told him I had not heard that prior to bringing the car in. He brought up a recall that Kia had for Rod Bearing Failure. Paid and returned car home safely. 6/21/22 Car breaks down Called Kia to confirm the recall. Phoenix told me that there is a test that will take a few days to run and Kia will either replace engine or buy your car back. He said that the engine itself is on back order for months. He stated there was no loaner cars available and the next available time slot was Monday 6/27/22 for the test. I worked on securing a vehicle on my own and then called Kia back to schedule the test. While on the phone with Phoenix to schedule the test, the car started clanking and losing acceleration. I pulled over and turned it off. It would not turn back on. I got the car towed to Kia Tuesday afternoon. Large leak under car when towe 6/25/22 Phoenix called to say they finally got the car in for diagnostics and they are pulling in corporate to see if it is recall associated or if the fuel injection service could have damaged the engine. That corporate is closed on weekends and would have a better idea on lead time of the engine beginning of the week. 6/28/22 Denial of Claim I called Kia because I had not heard from them. Phoenix was out so Matthias checked on the status. He stated that Kia denied the claim. I asked him to send documentation

- Frederick, CO, USA

problem #324

Jul 082022

Optima

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal almost to the floorboard; however, the vehicle was decelerating with an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact managed to pull off the highway safely and stopped. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Cartersville, GA, USA

problem #323

Jun 272022

Optima

  • miles
not really sure my car just started making a clicking noise out of no where & powered off & now it wont detect key or wont start

- Walnut, CA, USA

problem #322

Apr 052022

Optima

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while performing a daily oil check, the contact noticed that the oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that there was no oil in the engine after an oil change a month prior. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no recalls on the VIN regarding the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Lake Mary, FL, USA

problem #321

Jan 282022

Optima

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an excessive drop in the oil level. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the fuel injector needed to be cleaned; however, that service had not been completed. The failure persisted. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start-up. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #320

Jun 052022

Optima

  • miles
On 6/5/2022 my vehicle broke down and had to be towed. On Monday 6/20/2022 I took my vehicle to the Colonial Kia dealership in Chester Virginia. On Wednesday 6/22/2022 I got a call from the dealership saying I would need a new engine and the problem with my vehicle was a part of the large Kia engine settlement. But that Kia denied my claim to get my car fixed and paid for by KIA because I did not get a previous recall fixed. (recall # 21V331). My car is not drivable and Kia is liable for it because of the KIA engine Settlement. I never received any information in the mail about the above stated recall on my vehicle so therefore I had no idea it had to be fixed.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

problem #319

Apr 042022

Optima

  • 106,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and driving over a pothole, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving however, the failure reoccurred twice while driving over a speed bump. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she needed to pay a diagnostic fee as the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000. The VIN was not available.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #318

May 192022

Optima

  • miles
The long block detached while driving on access road The life of those around me including my daughter The vehicle was inspected by the dealership

- Fort Worth , TX, USA

problem #317

May 172022

Optima

  • miles
Driving down Highway at 72 mph when vehicle shut down wheel got tight then vehicle restarted itself. Taken to dealership ran multiple test and cannot find an issue with the vehicle. There are no warning lights there was no symptoms or anything else like that that would have let me know the vehicle was would shutdown/restart while driving.

- Mcdonough , GA, USA

problem #316

Jun 162022

Optima

  • 147,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH the accelerator felt soft to her and as she depressed the accelerator the vehicle began to lose forward momentum. The contact stated the "check engine" warning was illuminated and the engine was still functioning but the contact stated there was no power. The contact safely coasted the vehicle off the side of highway. The contact shut the vehicle off and then restarted and was able to move forward, however the engine could only manage to move the vehicle at approximately 35 MPH and still had the "check engine" warning illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence and later to an auto parts store who scanned the vehicle and determined that the "knock sensor (P1326) code was detected. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had taken the vehicle previously to a dealer to have a recall on the "knock sensor" repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

- La Habra, CA, USA

problem #315

Jan 072022

Optima

  • miles
Engine has seized Falls under engine recall they are refusing to fix because of because of a recall that wasn't fixed that I never received notice for

- Cottonwood, CA, USA

problem #314

May 012022

Optima

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 116, 000.

- Saint Marys, GA, USA

problem #313

Jun 032022

Optima

  • miles
Engine locked

- Hazel Green, AL, USA

problem #312

May 312022

Optima

  • miles
In 2020 a message saying -€œcheck hybrid system, stop vehicle and turn off engine appeared and the car stopped while I was driving. I brought it to the Kia Dealership and they -€œfixed the problem-€. On Tuesday May 31st I was driving home on the expressway and my car stopped. I luckily was able to pull off to the side and then the same message popped up and the car would not drive anymore. I have had 5 recalls with this car and it is only 7 years old.

- Taunton, MA, USA

problem #311

Apr 012022

Optima

  • miles
engine. unknown

- Pickerington, OH, USA

problem #310

May 162022

Optima

  • miles
To make a long story short on 5/16 my engine started to knock. Without any warning no prior warning lights came on no nothing my car started to stall on the highway I had my 3 year old daughter in the back seat and we barely made it to the side of the road. My engine, oil, and battery light started to flash and I lost power. I had my car towed to the dealership on 5/19 because I was made aware of a class action lawsuit for the exact same thing that was happening to my car. I bought the car 6 months ago from hickory hollow kia in Antioch Tn they made me aware that I had an extended warranty on my engine to have it towed in so I did that. I got a call from the dealership the next day telling me they needed approval first from kia to cover my vehicle. It would take them a week to do a diagnostic test which is what I-€™m waiting for now and will update asap

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #309

Mar 132022

Optima

  • miles
My car had turned off and everything else in the car turns on but i called the safety recall and they told me i had to 2 recalls on the car and i just got the car didnt know nothing about the recalls until somebody told me they said the air bag control unit and my engine control unit and kia told me my ecu isnt update so they couldnt repair anything and that my motor was locked and they told me i had to pay $6,000

- Texarkana , TX, USA

problem #308

May 092022

Optima

  • 112,100 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that after stopping at a traffic light and then attempting to make a right turn while accelerating, the engine started revving however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and several warning lights flashed before the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle was towed. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the rod bearings had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer who confirmed the diagnosis. The contact became aware of an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 112,100.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #307

May 092022

Optima

  • miles
The motor in my vehicle failed. It put myself, passengers, and others traveling on the highway at risk because the car shut down immediately in the road. The problem was identified by an independent service center. The vehicle was inspected by police and state troopers. There weren-€™t any warning lights prior to the failure.

- Uniontown, AL, USA

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