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.
While driving on highway, loss of acceleration/power, all lights appeared on dashboard. Pulled over, turned off engine. Restarted engine and power/acceleration was restored.
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while parked, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood and went to open the hood but could not because the latch had melted. The contact went to get an extinguisher but the flames were too aggressive. The vehicle had exploded twice while waiting for the fire department. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. No police report was filed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not under a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.
In March 2023 car stopped in the middle of an intersection with no warning. -??Hybrid system warning-?? on dashboard lit up as well as all other lights. Dealer said repair was under warranty because of faulty spark plugs which were a safety recall. Prior to this all safety recalls were taken to dealer yet the problem still occurred. On July 2, 2023, the car stopped on the freeway. All lights lit up and the -??Hybrid system warning-?? came up. The car began to smoke. The car was towed to Kia dealer they said the water pump needed to be replaced. The water pump was replaced with a certified Kia part. The car still would not turn on. Kia replaced the battery and said the engine needed to be replaced for $9000. They said we were out of warranty (10 years by 2 months). This engine failure seems to be related to the safety recalls that Kia -??fixed.-?? I also have documentation that the warranty should be extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles but the delay refuse to make repairs under the warranty.
- La Habra, CA, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the vehicle had needed an oil change frequently. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been diagnosed by the dealer and confirmed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
NO ACCIDENTS!!! To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Subject: Concerns regarding Kia America's handling of vehicle recalls I am writing to express deep concerns regarding the service and responsiveness of Kia America, particularly in relation to several recalls on my vehicle. There are currently eight outstanding recalls on my vehicle. To address these issues, I brought my car to Kia Jim Ellis in Kennesaw, GA. Following the inspection, I was presented with an estimate of approximately $3,000 for engine repairs. Surprisingly, upon the car's return, I found it had less than a quart of oil. While the dealership did later acknowledge this oversight, such a lapse is deeply concerning. Additionally, the written report from the dealership noted that one of the required parts for the recall repair was missing and had been ordered. However, this was not verbally communicated to me, and the car was handed back as if all repairs had been completed without any cautionary note or indication of when the missing part would be installed. A particular recall that has caused me significant concern pertains to the engine. I've understood that the defect can lead to the engine locking up, which could pose a serious hazard on the roads. Despite expressing my apprehension, the service technician simply advised me to return the vehicle if any noticeable issues arise, including if the engine locks up. For clarity and emphasis on the importance of the recalls, I provided the technician with a detailed letter. Furthermore, I've encountered hurdles when attempting to communicate with Kia America's support at 800-333-4542. After documenting my concerns, a representative transferred my call to a supervisor for resolution. Regrettably, the supervisor expected me to reiterate the previously documented issues and disconnected the call when I referenced the ticket. Dear Kia, recalls have been created to avoid accidents
My car simply -??just quit-?? leaving me stranded on the road. I called my nearest Kia dealer who said it would be at least 6 weeks until they could see it. Apparently according to a quick search, these cars are blowing engines rather regularly. Why wasn-??t there a recall before engines were blown? Since my car is no longer covered under warranty, I-??m expecting a hefty bill even though there-??s an obvious defect. Kia will not return my calls.
My Kia has a weird sound coming from the engine when it is on parked on when I'm driving and I have the break on. I took it to 2 mechanics, and they both told me that it was the bearings wearing of from the engine and that the motor is working harder than it should and using the motor oil more than it should. Both mechanics told me that it would need a new motor soon but to make it last longer to monitor the motor oil to ensure it always has some. Both mechanics also say that my kia should have a recall, but when I look at my vin, there is no recall for the bearing wear of the engine. It is unacceptable that my kia has a recall for the bearing wear of the engine but not specified for my car and now I have to be worried that my car will break down or worse cause an accident. The recall is 17v224000 SC147
My 2013 KIA Optima caught fire about three weeks ago I don't know what caused it, but it started under the hood of the car where the motor is. Initially the car stopped when I had an oil change and I thought it was the starter. I had a new one put on and it started. I drove it and it caught fire. Now it is sitting at my home and the fuse compartment have been stolen out of the car. If someone will let me know what to do about the situation and what caused the fire, I would really appreciate it. Also, if someone could let me know if the fire was caused by one of the recalls for that car. Thank you, [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My car paint as been chipping off. I see a lot of cars like mine in the street with the same isssue, specially Perales white kias. They look like junk cars. Paint was not good
I was turning into some parking spots so i could put my car in reverse and park closer to building i needed. I did not get a chance to putin reverse, the vehicle surged forward and was accelerating. My foot was not on the gas pedal. I was trying to brake. I turned steering wheel so I didn't hit brick building. I swiped the building and 2 vehiles on my right AND still did not stop right away. I kept on the brake and the plants, rocks, landscaping I think helped it to stop. I can get police report in few days.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled. Several attempts to restart the vehicle failed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000.
Every since I purchased this car in 2013 I have had nothing but trouble out of it I have called the Kia company numberous times and they never respond all I asked them to do is replace the car I trusted in Kia I love my car but it is severely dangerous please help me before it gets me and my family hurt
I was driving to work and started hearing a very loud knocking noise. I got to a stop light and my car just shut off. When I restarted the car it was making the noise and shut off again. Sounds louder as you push on gas paddle.
The front of the car rattles the engine, rattles and makes noise, my engine already blew up and it had to be replaced, I don-??t think the dealer put the engine back in the right way with all the mounts, I-??ve also brought the car in for service several times, and I-??ve mentioned the rattling and they-??ve done nothing about it, I believe it-??s gonna cause a car fire because it-??s not properly secure from when they replace the engine under recall
recall is extremely dangerous and I was informed very late. Was not given a rental for the time being. Difficult to find service immediately. Do not feel safe driving.
Car stopped at a light and didn-??t want to turn back on. Tried to have it jumped with no luck. The car turns on but the engine won-??t turn over at all.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New York, NY, USA