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.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving 35 mph, the contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. Five minutes later, the vehicle burst into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
SXT model 82K miles. Was driving on the highway and was accelerating to move into right lane when the engine cutoff. I was able to coast to the shoulder luckily without getting hit. The car would power on but the engine would not start at all. Check engine light and oil light were lit up. Called for tow. The next morning Kia evaluated the car the next morning and told me it was affected by the engine and cooling recall 17V224000. I had taken my car in months prior for the same recall but was told that I was not affected. This is a very dangerous thing to have happen to drivers especially after being told you are not affected.
I was driving on the highway at 65mph when the pinging started. After getting off the highway it got louder as the RPM dropped. Becoming loudest at 3,000-4,000rpm. At this point the pinging became very loud. I pulled over to confirm noise coming from engine. Engine became rough as knocking continued. Power loss ensued and I drove the car several miles to my mechanic. He confirmed it was a rod knock. I was told a year ago, at san diego Kia, that my engine would not suffer the recall issued for my model. This was a year ago. Maintenance has been kept up with and no accidents have occurred since I acquired the vehicle.
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled and completely shut off. Also, the contact heard an abnormal noise under the hood without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then taken to Kia of greenville (2424 laurens rd, greenville, SC 29607, (864) 516-2700) where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was repaired. After the engine was replaced, flames were detected under the hood of the vehicle. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot and declared a total loss. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 141,000. VIN is invaild
Driving my 2012 Kia Optima on the highway. Noticed the smell of smoke then visually saw smoke. Began to pull over and flames began to billow from under the hood. The brakes were not operational. Rolled to a stop and exited the vehicle. Car was fully engulfed within a minute.
- Miami, FL, USA
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My car just turned off with several flashing lights while driving. I tried to start the car and nothing but a slight tick. I returned to the car with jumper cables to see if it was the battery and before I tried the jumper cables I tried one more time to start and the engineer caught on fire. The car did not turn over or seemed to be running.
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and could not be restarted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer (superior Kia, 260 w. mitchell ave, cincinnati, oh) where it was diagnosed that the engine was faulty. The engine was replaced and the failure was remedied. Later, while driving approximately 65 mph, a loud booming noise was heard and smoke and flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. After exiting the vehicle, a loud explosion occurred from the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The front driver sustained a minor head injury, which required medical attention. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not notified of the crash. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 118,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle shook and stalled without warning. During the failure, a knocking noise was heard from the engine compartment. The contact exited the vehicle, lifted the hood, removed the oil cap, and noticed smoke. Furthermore, the contact smelled a burning odor as smoke escaped from the vehicle. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving 30 mph, the contact heard a knocking and clicking noise coming from the engine. The engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to a safe area. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer or certified mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,600.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed black smoke coming from the tail pipe. The vehicle was taken to value Kia (6915 essington ave, philadelphia, pa 19153, 215-937-1000) where it was diagnosed that the cooling and electrical systems failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,630.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the engine indicator kept illuminating and an abnormal noise was heard from the engine compartment. The vehicle stalled. The contact was unsure if the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) although the failures were identical. Months later, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V363000 (air bags). The dealer (destination Kia, 760 central ave, albany, NY 12206, (518) 478-8036) stated that the part was not available. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the engine assembly failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.
'tamara recall' I owed the vehicle for not even 1 year after financing it from a used car lot. I drove the vehicle from my home town Colorado springs to fort riley ks after purchasing vehicle. This is where I was stationed. I drove from fort riley ks to albuquerque nm for easter in April 2017 to visit family. When I returned home it started shaking and making noises and check engine light came on. The error codes were read and indicated it was a cylinder misfire. The same time this issue happened I got a recall for metal shavings in engine crankshaft. I took vehicle to Kia and they said they will not fix the recall until the cylinder misfire is fixed. They recommended a completely new engine. If I buy a whole new engine then they get out of doing the recall. I was then deployed to poland for 1 year and recently returned and there is still nothing done about it. Sounds kinda fishy to me. Kia is heating around the bush. I can not even drive the vehicle.
Driving on interstate 84 w. car suddenly caught on fire October 20, 2017. Passenger saw smoke from front seat. Driver pulled-over. We got out of car. Saw fire underneath. Moved away, car gradually became engulfed in flames. Filed report in Connecticut. Incident number 17-0000359 sandy hook fd fire department responded. 61,852 miles
I drove my vehicle home from work (12 miles), parked in my driveway (vehicle turned off, not running) and walked inside. I sat down and within a couple of minutes I heard a loud pop, I looked outside to see flames coming from under the hood of my car. By the time the fire department arrived and put out the fire, the car had burned to the ground and had melted all of the siding off of the front of my garage.
While my family and I were driving home at a speed of 45mph we lost engine power and brakes. Upon the vehicle finally stopping, black smoke began to pour out of the engine compartment. We immediately exited the vehicle and saw flames begin to spread from the engine. We were notified by an off duty deputy that he was going the opposite direction when he saw us with a fire underneath our vehicle while still moving. The vehicle ultimately went up in flames along with everything we had inside.
We bought this car brand new in 2012. It is 6 years old. We were notified of an engine related recall in 2017. We took the car in to get the recall (s) looked at (there were 3 other recalls too) in October 2017. They notified us that our engine was fine and did not need replaced. In May 2018 I was driving in a 70 mph area of the interstate, tried to accelerate, heard a loud clicking sound, all of the warning lights come on and the engine turned off. I turned on the hazard lights and was able to coast to the shoulder, luckily the traffic around me was light and two young children were not in the car with me. The car is right outside of the warranty period. I no longer have a vehicle, even though I just bought a brand new car that is only 6 years old. I am extremely disappointed in Kia and will never recommend buying a Kia.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving 55 mph, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the vehicle before it stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the abnormal noise persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (West palm beach Kia, 735 S military trail, West palm beach, fl 33415, (561) 433-1511) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and the modem needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000. The VIN was not available.
My car has a knocking noise in the engine, the car was taken to the dealership to get inspected for the recall September 2017. Team Kia of el cajon; the dealership said that the salvage titles aren't covered under recall warranty. 4/18/2018 while driving in the fast moving traffic, my car's engine shut off. After meeting with the mechanic today I was told the engine went out. These signs indicate to me that the engine went bad due to the recall issue that the dealership refused to replace. I've owned the car for less than a year and provided preventative maintenance on the car at the scheduled times. Prior to purchasing the vechile the car received a engine clearance through Kia dealership and through my private mechanic, saying the engine was good. Now 8 months later after hearing continuous knocking noise and almost getting into an accident I feel like im not receiving fair treatment or getting my car's engine replaced.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted a loud noise under the hood while driving, as if a part had separated from the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle onto the road shoulder, opened the hood, and found that the engine was emitting flames.. the contact was able to locate the part that separated from the engine and extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to stafford Kia of fredericksburg (5204 jefferson davis highway, fredericksburg, Virginia, 22408, 540-891-7400) where it was diagnosed that the engine caught fire. The part that caused the engine to catch fire was not given to the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling), but the contact had not received a recall notification. The approximate failure mileage was 65,046.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Monte Bello, CA, USA