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.
I have a 2011 Kia Optima LX, 2.4 liter engine. Always keep up on the maintenance and oil changes, car is in great shape. I was not experiencing any issues, warnings, no check engine/oil lights, no noises, absolutely nothing. Then last night my car just sputtered and cut off while being driven. Apparently when the engine cuts off, so does the brakes. There was no way to push the brakes, so I had to try to safely coast to the side of the road, with no brakes and no power steering. I finally pulled over, tried to restart the car and there was such a loud knocking noise, and some squealing noises as well. The car will no longer start either. I had a mechanic look at it today and says the engine is "just gone." No explanations at all. I verified that the Kia Optima and the Hyundai sonata are the same manufacturer and use the same engines. I see there are way more complaints about the 2011 Hyundai sonata with this same issue. I will try to notify Kia and see if they are willing to step up and correct this even with the warranty expiring 7,000 miles ago, since I am the second owner. I have found many complaints about this same thing for both the 2011 Optimas and sonatas. This is so dangerous because there are no warnings, and the engine cuts off in traffic, which also causes the brakes and steering to go out. Not safe at all.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 13V114000 (exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic) and stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact stated that he's experiencing problems with the vehicle when the brake pedal was depressed, it would disengage the transmission. The failure mileage was 100. The current mileage was 4,900.
On April 25th, 2013, I drove from the atlanta area to shannon, ga. Near adairsville, ga. I stopped a the gate put the car in park, set the brake. Before I could get out the car surged forward smashing the gate. I hit the brake, backed it up, put it in park, set the brake and again before I could get out it surged forward. This time when I backed up put it in park I turned off the motor. Jumping forward in my story, I called Kia and found out the car was on recall. I looked it up on the internet only to see the notices would not be sent out until May 2013. Kia. Is replacing the part but will not fix the front end damage. They told me to call my insurance company. Kia ran some test and said it showed nothing wrong with my car. I would have been run down and killed or in the hospital. All I ask is for them to fix the front end of my car and replace the gate. They still have my car so the mileage is and estimate. I did use cruse control. Case #[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
This Kia has a push button start option. The vehicle would not start and the brake lights were not turning on when the brake pedal was depressed. The computer looks for a signal from the brake light switch before it starts the engine. I disconnected and reconnected the brake light switch and the problem was temporarily corrected. Two days later, the vehicle would not start again and the brake lights were not turning on. We used the procedure to bypass the brake signal (hold start button for 12+ seconds) to start the engine. Vehicle was now driving down the road with no brake lights. There was also a warning light illuminated on the instrument cluster indicating an issue with the ESC system. Dealership stated they have seen a few cars with this issue.
If the vehicle is parked pointed slightly down hill or slightly to the right and sits for 15-20 minutes there is valve clatter when started as if there is no oil. Happens every time parked as above. Dealer says a fix is not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Melbourne, FL, USA