10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,397 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2015 Kia Optima brakes problems

brakes problem

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2015 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #10

Mar 232023

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated upon starting and exiting the vehicle, he noticed that there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact opened the hood and saw flames. The contact closed the hood and immediately went into his residence to grab fire extinguishers. Upon returning to the vehicle, the contact was unable to reopen the hood. The contact called the fire department, who extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The vehicle remained at the contact-??s residence. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), which he related to the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #9

Jan 022023

Optima

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a traffic light, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and move to the side of the road where the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) had not been completed and the warranty coverage for the engine replacement would not be honored. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #8

Jan 022023

Optima

  • 106,744 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a ticking noise was heard coming from the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to restart. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired and was towed back to the residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred and that the "Service Engine Soon" warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer for the recall repair and was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 106,744.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #7

Dec 202022

Optima

  • 144,771 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. Additionally, the check engine, ABS, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 144,771.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #6

Dec 092021

Optima

  • miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Mount Vernon, AL, USA

problem #5

Feb 172022

Optima

  • 129,403 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately, causing the vehicle to crash into a curve that fractured the lower control arm and damaged the tire rims, fender, and bumper. Additionally, the vehicle later failed to start. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that either the alternator or battery was faulty. The mechanic replaced the lower control arm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,403. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #4

Jul 042021

Optima

  • 76,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at 15-20 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled and she saw smoke coming out from underneath of the hood of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated she was able to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence, then it was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine had ceased. The dealer informed the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of the repair. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer (Kia of Riverdale 1 Windbeam Rd, Riverdale, NJ 07457). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not provide any assistance due to the fact that the previous owner of the vehicle had not completed the software update of the vehicle. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

- Kearny, NJ, USA

problem #3

Aug 022021

Optima

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact mentioned that the battery was drained from the engine not turning off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but not diagnosed nor repaired. The vehicle was undrivable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #2

Jul 082021

Optima

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owned a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while stationary with the engine on, the check engine warning light illuminated. After pulling into a parking lot, the vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. With the assistance of a nearby police officer, the contact placed the vehicle into neutral and backed into a parking spot. While waiting for her boyfriend to arrive at the scene, she noticed that dark grayish smoke was coming from the engine. The contact and her daughter immediately exited the vehicle as another police officer showed up at the scene. The officer attempted to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher but failed to do so. The fire department arrived at the scene and was able to extinguish the fire. The contact was uncertain if a fire or police report was filed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it remained. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. Upon speaking with her insurance adjuster, the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the contact never received the notification letter about the recall. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

- Luray, VA, USA

problem #1

Dec 182020

Optima

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V519000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled without warning. The contact pulled off the roadway and attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle then was towed to victory Kia (5101 N. navarro St, victoria, tx 77904, (361) 333-4542) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Rosenberg, TX, USA

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