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.
'takata recall' I'm currently buying a Kia Optima 2012 and everything was working fine and had maintenance up to date at Kia of orange. Then I did full service which I payed 600$ or so and after the car started giving me problems, I went to my friends house and my boyfriend got off to get tools from the house it took him ten minutes to come back. The car was on and I was windows up and ac on when he came out he saw fire under the front left light. It got on fire and we were scare for our life's and we manage to run around and find anything that will help we had water and it wouldn't turn off, we didn't know it was electrical so it was melting plastic until we manage to find a fire extinguisher while I was calling 911 we thought the car was going to blow up. Second of all we fix it insurance cover. We call Kia they told us our insurance had to pay it. So we did next I took it to get maintenance update and oil change, we took for a drive to chino hills California and then the car turn off by it self on the freeway I was 65 speed limit and my steering wheel got hard and all the lights were on. I could of lost my life. I manage to move it slowly to the side and it was on fire when I open the hood something was burning again. A sheriff help us turn it off with his fire extinguisher. The engine had blew up a wrot blew maybe because of no oil or idk I'm not mechanic that's why I take it to Kia. I believe they didn't do their job right and my insurance doesn't wanna cover it, now I'm careless and I have a daughter to feed and I need help to get this out there if anybody has the same issue please make this go viral. Highway 91 East
I was involved in a life threatening accident that caused my car to be totaled when the engine made a loud knocking noise and the engine seized while in motion on a busy highway at a speed of 65 mph without any sudden warning and my family in the car we had less than 1 minute to escape before another driver smashed into the car at 65 mph. The car stopped so fast there was no time to pull over to saftey or a soulder
My vehicle starting making knocking noise and I pulled over parked and checked under the hood it was running fine but still making the noise. I turned it off and on and then the engine light came on. When driving it to the shop the vehicle about 10 miles the vehicle started to stall out and I had to put into park shut it off and turned it back on.
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 45 mph, smoke was suddenly present inside the vehicle. After stopping the vehicle, flames were discovered under the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the fire was not determined the manufacturer and local dealer (difeo Kia in lakewood, NJ) were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
1 stumbles on acceleration 2accelerats when shifting reverse--drive 3 accelerates on right hand turn.these problems happen randomly it.has..happened 5 times in motiom, city streets
- Rosemead, CA, USA
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Vehicle recalled under SC147 on July 13,2017. New engine received by dealer week of September 25. Last update I received on October 20th from Kia corporation was new motor installed however could not get the vehicle to run. Some compression testing indicates that the new motor installed was bad. I requested Kia to provide me with a new car with similar sx limited and technology package. Kia dealership has now had my vehicle for over 3 months. Only updates I receive is if I call Kia corporation
Engine locked up had a warranty they fixed it and after I got my car back the the horn didn't work or any of my controls on the steering wheel worked I notified them and they did nothing to fix it. When I turn the car over to Kia dealership everything was working and after they put the new engine in everything went wrong the ABS system went out the horn stop working the turbo in the car wasn't any good my airbag and engine was on and still is and I notified them again even took it to management and they did nothing about it. I'm not a satisfied customer at all can U guys please help me. I'm a hard working man have a family and just trying to have a car that we can enjoy.
October 2016, was driving down the interstate when the car engine stopped running. There was no warning, no flashing engine light, no warning whatsoever. I had it towed to my local shop. They found wires to the starter burned and assumed that was the issue. They installed a new starter and found that the engine was seized. My issue is the timing of the Kia recall. Hyundai had recalled the same engine in 2015. I was out of warranty, so the engine replacement was at least $4,000 for a used engine that would have likely had the same issue. I had to sell the car for salvage. Kia should reimburse owners for the value of their car at the time the engine seized. They knew there was an issue with the engine, but waited until many of us were out of warranty before they had the recall. That is fraud at some level and should be treated as such.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 25 mph, the engine suddenly shut off. The contact was unable to restart the engine. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 108,000.
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and was pulled over to a fuel station. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (Kia of greer in greer, SC, 864-879-3800) where it was diagnosed that the engine was clogged and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the engine was replaced for free. Six months later, on August 14, 2017 and driving approximately 55 mph, a banging noise was heard under the hood and the engine caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The front end of the vehicle was completely destroyed and the vehicle was towed to a storage lot. There were no injuries. The vehicle was totaled. The same Kia dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and sent an investigator to inspect the failure. The manufacturer made a good will offer, but the contact protested the offer. The issue was not settled. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 87,500. Parts distribution disconnect...updated 10/11/17 updated 10/13/2017
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of engine power. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle. During each attempt, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to car lock Kia (located at 4301 greensboro ave, tuscaloosa, al) where it was diagnosed that the engine assembly, battery, and starter were defective and needed to replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Upon doing research, the contact found that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
I was notified by Kia earlier this year that my vehicle was involved in a recall because the engine could seize causing a safety issue. On 6/12/17 I took my Optima to camelback Kia for recall work and inspection. On 8/1/2017 as I was driving northbound on AZ SR51, my engine stalled while moving about 40 mph in rush hour traffic. I then pulled over to restart my vehicle, a short time later I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I was told by Kia upon their inspection that the starter is where the fire originated due to the seized engine. The vehicle burned and is now a total loss. This caused a 3 lane closure on the freeway at 5pm as well as a crash due to spectators.
Oil feed pipe/tube to turbo leaks on to the engine causing a possible fire hazard. Had to take the car in to have the tube replaced. (car was sitting and noticed oil leak and burning oil smell while driving and sitting still)
About 2 years ago, my Kia had an engine failure and I paid to have the engine replaced. About 3 months ago, my son was driving down the road and the car just quit. I had it taken in and found out the engine was recalled. Kia replaced the engine a month and half later. I had the car less than a week and the check engine light came on. I took it back into the deal and they cleared the codes as they said they were old codes and was likely a fluke. They took it for a test drive and the engine light came back on. They have had the car for 3 days now and they have no idea what is wrong with it. I got an email today telling me they have word into Kia corproation to see if they will cover it because they will need to tear down the engine to look at multiple components due to previous engine failure but because I was not the first owner that I did not have powertrain coverage but they were trying to see what Kia could do for me.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle would surge and then slow down. The failure recurred numerous times without warning. The vehicle was taken to an unknown independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced stalling. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was taken to the langdale Kia dealer, but they refused to perform the repair because it would cost $50. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
I was driving down the road when my car stalled out without warning and would not start again had to have my car towed to shop where they said my engine has enternal engine problems. My car never showed any signs of needing an oil change I recently changed it. I strongly believe this falls under the recall. This was a very scary situation as it was me and my infant daughter in the car we almost got hit from behind and had to wait on the side of the road for 1 hour for a tow truck in 100 degree weather not a proud Kia owner.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously included in and repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling). After the repair, the contact stated that the engine warning indicator illuminated while driving at highway speeds. The contact took the vehicle to the allentown Kia dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a large evap leak. The vehicle was repaired, but the engine warning indicator remained illuminated. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel cap was not engaging correctly and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and stated that no repair was needed at the time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened case number: 12422016. The manufacturer informed the contact to call the dealer and roadside assistance in the event of a failure. The approximate failure mileage was 19,637.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Santa Ana, CA, USA