10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,693 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Kia Optima drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2010 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #24

Jan 072022

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car lurches or jerks when slowing down or stopping at about 20 mph. Lurch or jerking is enough to jerk to the driver. Has anyone got answer to why the Kia Optima 2010 does this.

- Mill Spring , NC, USA

problem #23

May 262021

Optima

  • miles
Car has very hard downshift at low speed going from 2nd gear to 1st. Seems to be alot of these complaints and would be nice to know of a fix for this problem!

- Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

problem #22

Feb 012018

Optima

  • 124,000 miles
Takata recall - hard downshift from 2nd to 1st, usually around the 20mph mark! it's a sudden jerk as if it has been slammed into a a lower gear

- South Mills, NC, USA

problem #21

Feb 032018

Optima

  • 110,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle jerks when downshifting at about 20 mph.

- Ewa Beach, HI, USA

problem #20

Sep 042017

Optima

  • 110,000 miles
Takata recall transmission has a grinding and whining noise!! but transmission shift gear smoothly. These noise worse at cold condition and turn to the left, and passing over speedbump. As I heard in the South Korea, this is common often reported by drivers who drive this vehicle. I am trying to figure out what is going on but all car mechanic could not found it. I am very scary when I driving. I think it could be a safety issue in the future.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

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problem #19

Nov 262015

Optima

  • 71,000 miles
The car has a lurching issue when it slows down to 20mph when the car lurches with a hard down shift to 1st gear. This phenomena is especially acute when the car is cold or when you first start driving it.

- Cheshire, CT, USA

problem #18

Nov 082014

Optima 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While decelerating, either braking or coasting, the car will lurch violently when reaching approximately 22 mph. The severity of the lurch varies but in most instances it is hard enough to snap my neck forward.

- Corfu, NY, USA

problem #17

Mar 302011

Optima

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle downshifted violently. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure was confirmed. The contact also mentioned that the passenger side low beam headlight failed due to the a failed wire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the manufacturer's recall. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Aston, VA, USA

problem #16

Nov 292013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
Hard jerk when downshift into first gear at 20-22 mph. I am concerned that this could cause an accident on wet, icy or snow covered roads. When I asked the dealer about this problem, he said he had not heard of it.

- Ringgold, GA, USA

problem #15

Aug 012012

Optima

  • 60,000 miles
The car buckles when reducing your speed to around 20 mph. Also the rear seat door lock stopped working and my car is no longer under warranty and Kia wants to charge me around 700 dollars to fix it.

- Elk Ridge, UT, USA

problem #14

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 73,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #13

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #12

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #11

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 77,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #10

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #9

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #8

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #7

Mar 202013

Optima 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
Vehicle kicks from second gear to first gear when slowing down from 20mph.

- Pasadena , CA, USA

problem #6

Feb 012013

Optima

  • 20 miles
When braking at lower speeds of less then 20mph the car lurches or jerks like the anti-lock brakes are engaging or the transmission is downshifting hard.

- Beltsville, MD, USA

problem #5

Dec 052012

Optima

  • 58,000 miles
When braking or not around 20 miles an hour car jerks forward.

- San Antonio , TX, USA

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