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.
On April 5th 2017, my Kia Optima started to make a horrible sound. I was on hwy 26 headed into portland or. Going through the tunnel, as I was going into the tunnel the horrible knocking noise started. There was cars in front of me and cars behind me. This was at 4:30 am.. all the lights on the dash came on, I had no brakes, no steering and no way to accelerate. Drifted to the side and had it towed.
While driving my car it just stopped running. It completely just died. No engine warning light, no oil light, no warning lights at all. I could not get it to start up again and had to have to towed to my local mechanic since it was late at night. The mechanic took less than 5 minutes to determine that the engine had just seized. What the heck!!
My car started smelling like burning plastic and then it completed shut off. Thankfully I was already in a turning lane when this happened. I only had 60K miles on the car at that time. Seemed like after my engine was replaced my windows stopped rolling up. Then my fuel pump went out. I noticed that it felt like someone was pressing on my brake as I was trying to go and then my traction control light would come on. We fixed this. Now it not even a year later and its doing it all over again. This is not safe as people are behind me when this happens.
I was driving home from work on a quiet residential street when my 2012 Kia Optima ex suddenly quit. I coasted into an office parking lot where I saw smoke coming from the engine. I exited the car, opened the hood and saw that the engine was on fire. Suddenly, the flames hit the fuel line and the engine exploded shooting flames 10 fee high. I was desparately trying to get everything valuable out of the car while calling 911. It took 4 firefighters to put out the flames. Thankfully, the whole automobile wasn't consumed. It was deemed a total loss. This vehicle only had 57,600 miles on it and was still under manufacturer warranty.
I was driving down the highway and my 2012 Kia Optima lost power with no warning signs. I had it towed to a mechanic only to find that the motor was locked up. Did I mention that I had just bought the car from boyles auto sales in jasper, Alabama on February 3, 2017 and the car quit on February 26, 2017 not even 30 days since the purchase of my car. Unfortunely, since we paid cash for the car the dealer basicly told us he wouldn't do anything. So now I am without a vehicle and having to find more money to replace the motor in the car that this dealer sold me. After further research I have learned that Kia has problems with the Kia Optima's for several years and the 2012 that I purchased is included. The mechanic told us that all the components of the car that should have oil, water, any type of fluid was fine but that something internal had stopped operating and caused the motor to lock up.
- Kennedy, AL, USA
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Loud knocking sound coming from engine, then check engine light came on. Made to dealership and discovered a bad oil pump caused metal to flow into the engine and wear the connecting rods and destroy the engine. Kia knew there were problems with the 2012 Kia Optima 2.4L engine and yet did nothing to rectify the issue. Now they want me to pay $6000 for a new engine when they knew there was an issue with the 2012 Optima all a long.
Car stalled out at 55 mph while exiting off ramp from highway during morning rush hour traffic with family inside. Dash lit up with all warning lights (battery, oil, check engine). Was able to start the car again and continued driving. That same afternoon while driving home, started hearing a knocking noise under hood while stopped at a red light. Once green, I accelerated in which the knocking became faster/louder. Pulled over and looked under the hood including checking the oil. Dip stick showed normal level without any sign of debris. Drove 1/2 a mile to my house at 30 mph (posted speed limit) in which the knocking was very distinct. Parked the car. Today, had the car towed by aaa to dealership after I called ahead to inform them of the issue. Provided a copy of the extended warranty letter that I had received in the mail 6 months prior regarding the short block issue/failure. Appears that this is a catastrophic engine failure (at 75K miles) and now dealership is wanting all records related to oil changes. Car currently in shop awaiting further inspection.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine indicator illuminated without warning. The vehicle was taken to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that there was excessive smoke and a premature build up of engine sludge. The vehicle was taken to the dealer more than twice for diagnostic testing and advised that the motor be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection. The manufacturer provided no solution to prevent the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
I bought my 2012 Kia Optima used with 68K miles on it in March 2016. I have had the car for about 8 months and it now has 80K miles. The car consumes a lot of oil. I have given the car 4 oil changes since purcgase and have not seen where it may be leaking oil underneath the car. When accelerating, there are times when they car will stall from a lack of power and I will hear a ticking sound when it stalls. After doing some research, I have found where this is a common complaint with this, and other Kia models', motor. This is my only transportation to and from work. I have had the car for 8 months and had to finance the entire cost. If my car's symptoms are synonymous with the other complaints, I suspect my motor will be done with in the near future and I absolutely cannot afford to repair or replace a new motor!
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving at a low speed, the engine blew out without warning. The dealer diagnosed that there were turbo issues with the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 85,000. Updated 03/29/17 updated 06/25/18
I was driving home from work at a speed of 45 mph when I heard some knocking. As I slowed to an intersection the noise stopped until I accelerated once again. Got back up to 40-45 mph and all the engine lights came on and the car stalled. I was able to coast to the side of the road I was on during rush hour. Not real safe! at which point the car started smoking and smelling like an electrical fire. I opened the hood and white smoke was pouring out. The vehicle was then towed to Kia dealership and the service department was already closed. I called in the morning and asked about the electrical smell. He said is most likely a blown motor."?? he didn't look at the vehicle yet and told me it's a blown rod in the motor?" later that day I stopped into the Kia dealership to see if it was looked at yet. They told me it won't be looked at until tomorrow. He did say that he went out to see if it would start and said it didn't turn over and he can guarantee it's the blown rod. That's without a mechanic looking at it. Kia knows these engines are crap and is choosing to give people the run around. I am the original owner of the car and he first couldn't find me in the computer. That was the first thing I showed him when I walked in the door was my copy from the dealership. All of a sudden he found me in the system. He also said since I service the car's oil myself I have to provide all the records when I purchased oil and filters otherwise the 100K warranty would be void. We don't keep the receipts of all that for 4 years! it's factory defect just like the Hyundai sonata's.this is obviously a known issue and it's sad that Kia is putting the blame on the customers instead of taking responsibility for a factory defect. No car with 74K miles on it with proper maintenance should have the engine just blow! my 2005 Suburban with 150K runs great! thanks, jeff
Back in December, while driving a 2012 Kia Optima LX, my steering wheel locked up and all of the caution lights came on the dash. The was no tapping coming from the engine until the car began to shut off. The check engine, low oil, fuel etc all came on and my steering wheel began to lock up. I was able to pull off to the side of a busy road. I could not start the car back up. I had the car towed to a local dealership where they stated there was no oil in the engine and there was sludge. I knew that I had maintained upkeep on the car. They stated they would not honor a replacement engine warranty. I had the car towed to our local garage. There I had a used engine installed in my car for a total cost of $4,300. I was able to drive the car. In April I received a notice/recall in the mail from Kia stating that there was a rod in the engine which caused the engine to lock up and shut down to immediately take my car to get that replaced. I had already put a used engine in. I was instructed to send all documentation to Kia for proof of an engine installed and all labor and costs done to my car out of my wallet and I would get reimbursed. Since then, I have had nothing but excuses and reasons why I shouldn't be receiving a reimbursement. There should be no reason I need to provide any documentation but I provided a highlighted checking account statement for proof of purchase of the engine, install of the engine, inspection and emissions, proof of purchase of the vehicle and towing records. The letter from Kia clearly states that I should have it repaired by them and not on my own dime. Unfortunately I had to take out a loan for the engine and install and had no vehicle until mid February when the used engine I ordered was installed. I still to this day am told I will not receive my reimbursement. I have attempted to continuously call Kia, only to be hung up on each time.
While driving approximately 65 mph on a highway, the engine shut down without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road but would not restart. It was towed to a mechanic who diagnosed a catastrophic engine failure. The shop maintained that the engine seized due to apparent improper oil change. The vehicle was purchased less than 30 days prior to the event. The vehicle was subsequently towed to a Kia dealership where they, too, were unable to manually turn the engine over. Kia service center removed the valve cover and found heavy sludge built up in engine causing it to fail and lock up. Kia motors of America denied claim due to lack of proper maintenance. However, Hyundai sonata engines were recalled due to metallic debris in engine which restricted oil flow and presented the same manifestations of engine sludge. Kia Optima sedans were built using engines manufactured at the plant cited in the Hyundai recall.
While driving approximately 60 mph on the highway, I heard an abnormal engine noise and with no warning, my 2012 Optima stalled while being operated at a high speed. The entire indicator panel lit up. This all occurred in less than one minute. I was able to safely pull over on the shoulder, but I could have potentially caused a serious car accident. My 2 year old daughter was in the vehicle with me. The car would not restart, and was towed to the nearest dealer in wenatchee, wa. The diagnosis was complete engine failure as a result of fractured rod bearings. I bought this vehicle certified pre-owned in 2014 and catastrophic engine failure was unexpected. Records show routine maintenance every 3,000 miles. I believe this incident is a direct result of an engine oil defect that has been concealed by Kia.
Car has been maintained with regular oil changes every 3 to 5000 miles. Car was not giving any issues until two days ago when the engin shut off while driving. We restarted it and it was knocking loudly, sputtering and squealing. We towed it to a Kia dealer the following morning who ran diagnostics and said the engine is blown and full of sludge. They won't honor the warranty since we can't provide every single oil change receipt since the day we purchased the car. We did provide what we could as we lived in a few states with the car and didn't always use the same shop. The car was in motion when the vehicle just completely shut off without and warning lights.
The care staled at low speed pulled over side of road and smoke was coming from engine, opened the hood and fire had started at front top of engine under the air cleaner, some ware, has not been determined what caused it.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 65 mph, the engine shut down without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. It was diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
When U driving it. U can here noise in the steering wheel. It had the oil light to pop on while driving on thr freeway put over. Put some oil in it. Then that night trying to crank it & it started to smoke & caught a fire.
I was driving straight on the interstate at 70 mph when the car lost the ability to accelerate and started making a knocking sound. I pulled the car over and shut it off. Tried to restart and it immediately shut off. The oil light flashed a few times and that was it. The car had 75,000 miles with 30,000 put on within the one year I have owned it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hillsboro, OR, USA