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.
Just bought the car. Drove it off lot & engine quit on me. Wont go over 25 mph. They won-??t refund my money. So I-??m on phone with Kia consumer affairs. If they don-??t get it fixed/replaced/or buy the car back then I am contacting the lawyers who have the lawsuits against Kia & add my case to their lawsuit. This is ridiculous how many people on here that I see Kia is denying them for replacement of motor due to their company!! They need to get it together or just quit making cars! They suck! I bought it in good faith hoping it was a reliable car. Now I-??m $9k out of pocket.
Malfunctions: hazard lights severe malfunction. All Steering wheel control buttons stopped working. Center control buttons stopped working. USB charging port/Auxiliary media port/ right side auxiliary power port lost power. Battery alternator and starter had acceptable readings via multimeter. Suspect ECM failure? Symptoms similar to misfires when A/C is running. Parking break doesn-??t always engage despite proper method. Inconsistent gas consumption drastic fluctuations
In 2020 a message saying -??check hybrid system, stop vehicle and turn off engine appeared and the car stopped while I was driving. I brought it to the Kia Dealership and they -??fixed the problem-??. On Tuesday May 31st I was driving home on the expressway and my car stopped. I luckily was able to pull off to the side and then the same message popped up and the car would not drive anymore. I have had 5 recalls with this car and it is only 7 years old.
Engine/motor failed which disabled the car on highway. Traveling on 3/4 lane highway with heavy traffic. Safety was risked due to almost being hit from behind and cars swerving out the way. Problem was assessed and thought to be repaired but occurred again causing more possible damage to engine. Warning lamp illuminated seconds before the car shut off which was not enough time to pull over safely. Car had to be towed off highway.
- Grayson, GA, USA
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My 2015 Kia was one of many Kias stolen from the Milwaukee, WI area. It was stolen from a secure residential parking garage by thieves who know they simply have to break a window to gain entrance to the car, break open the ignition lock, start the car with a USB port, and drive away. The police helped me recover the car and it is currently sitting idle at the shop for the past month waiting for a new ignition lock which is on backorder nationwide because of the high demand.
I was driving my 2015 Kia Optima hybrid with around 77,000 miles on the interstate at 70 mph when the HCS, battery management system and other hybrid battery warnings flashed on the screen. The display said to pullover over immediately and turn off the engine. The hybrid battery charge display went from mid charge to zero charge. The car went into limp mode with very limited power. Fortunately, I was able to get off the highway as there was an exit ramp close by. After turning off the car, it would not start again. I disconnected the 12V battery hoping it would clear it out but that didn't work. Had to get car towed to the Kia dealership. They replaced the hybrid battery's high voltage 125 Amp fuse with a 150 Amp fuse and the problem was fixed (cost of $370). A search on the internet revealed that this is a common occurrence on 2011 to 2016 Kia hybrids and Kia knows about this faulty/inadequate fuse problem but refuses to issue a recall. Kia issued a TSB #PS-515 DTC P1B25/P1B77 -?" 125 AMP HV FUSE INSPECTION that states to inspect the resistance on the factory 125 A fuse and replace if less than 1 Ohm resistance with new 150 A fuse. This is a relatively simple fix for Kia that could prevent a dangerous situation if the car were to lose power on a crowded interstate.
I have my driver side tail light out, when I bought the car in 2019, they said I have 30 days to bring in my car so they can replace what needs fixing, well I hit day 32 and I-??ve had to replace my tires, brakes, headlights and tail lights because they all went out on my own dime, now my brakes are making me nervous because sometimes it feels like my car isn-??t slowing down to a stop and I have to slam them to stop sometimes.
Vehicle lots brakes while driving, smell of gas and caught fire under hood. Engine had been completely replaced due to recall in January 2022 Vehicle was a complete loss, luckily son was able to get out.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that both front headlight bulbs, as well as the rear taillight bulbs, had repeatedly stopped working while driving, without warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that she had to replace the bulbs several times during the year. The contact had taken the vehicle to several dealers who were unable to determine the cause for the failures. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The Bluetooth Ring volume is ear piercing loud. When a call comes in on a paired phone it startles the driver and may be loud enough to damage hearing. If adjusted to a lower setting the call volume can-??t be heard. When adjusting call volume to a usable level it increases the ring volume again so the next call has the load ring alert. Kia has a TSB# ELE 100 (REV4) on the issue but expects the customer to pay for diagnosis and software update to an out of warranty radio. Instructions in the TSB indicate this could be corrected with a USB software update. Most customers could install themselves from a software download if provided. In my opinion it is a safety issue and a recall should be issued.
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.
When I drive my car it smells just like it is burning or melting in the motor, it comes thru the vents and smells awful. It has only smoked a couple of times when I have turned it off. I have had it looked at but at first they couldn't find the problem. The second time I had it checked out they said that the changed the HECU on my car but it still smells like it is burning. It has been doing it for about 3 months.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the driver's side front window was unable to close completely. The vehicle was taken to local dealer alm Kia South (4310 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291, (678) 261-8409) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that an unknown component needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated the vehicle was gain taken to alm Kia South to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact was driving at 75 mph, when she slowed down to 50 mph to switch lane then attempted to accelerate however, the vehicle would not exceed 60 mph. The vehicle was driven for about 2 more miles before it was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The alternator was replaced however, the vehicle failed to restart. The independent mechanic then contacted a Kia dealer and was informed by the dealer that there was a recall for the vehicle with NHTSA campaign number: 20V519000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was then towed to parkway family Kia (22555 us-59, kingwood, tx 77339) to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer determined that the failure was due to the recall. The dealer then sent the diagnostic findings to the manufacturer for the recall repair approval however, the manufacturer informed the dealer that because the contact had not done the manufacturer communications product improvement upgrade: Vpi1802 (engine) the recall would not be honored. The contact stated that she never received the notification from the manufacturer about the product improvement upgrade because it was sent to an old address that she no longer lived at. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.
When you accelerate, for example to pass another vehicle, the vehicle will completely shut off, all lights illuminating on the panel the vehicle. The vehicle must be placed in park and restarted. Sometimes it starts right away, sometimes it takes a few minutes.
On 3-14-2021 about 225pm I was attempting to merge onto the I10 freeway in Ontario California, while merging all the lights on the dash lit up and the car proceeded to shut off and my speed was going down. I attempted to pull over off the shoulder of the freeway, once I was stopped I turned the car off. The car than was engulfed with smoke and flames I jumped out the car and the car lit up in flames. I called Ontario police and fire department.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hot Springs, AR, USA