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.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while her granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and there was smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. The driver was able to pull to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact met her granddaughter on the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the smoke was coming from underneath the vehicle, under the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that an unknown wiring harness had burned, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the dealer informed the contact that the repair could not be covered under the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
I have a 2015 Kia optima bought in July 2023 from a used dealer. This is the 4th Kia my family have owned. Prior to purchasing I ran a car fax and checked for recalls. The dealer where I purchased it at also check for recall.. I also checked again today on your Kia website for recalls and the only one listed is the newest one concerning the fuse which I also received a letter in the mail on Monday. The car currently has 131,000 miles service has been maintained. On [XXX] the car just stopped running going down the road no check engine or any warning that something was wrong.. I had it towed on Tuesday to a local shop who then told me it needed to go to the Kia dealership which is about 20 miles away-?? I had to have it towed again.. once at the Kia dealership I would told that more than likely it would be covered 100% due to a defect in the engines-?? I received a call back on Friday and was told it would not be covered due to a product improvement that was not complete that came out in 2018-?? 5 years prior to me owning the car.. I never received any information concerning the produce improvement -?? Again it was check for recalls on the https://www.nhtsa.gov/ by myself and also the dealer-?? none was showing and to this day it is not showing.. I even check the Kia website today and it still does not show the product improvement needed-??. I see that there has also been a class action lawsuit that was settled due to the defective engines-?? I assure you if I knew of a recall it would have been completed. This car is the only mode of transportation my son has. I am a single parent who works for a local government and I do not make nor have the $6800 for an engine replacement. I am still paying on this car as I had to finance it due to lack of funds to purchase-?? Again we did our due diligence to make sure the car was in operating order when I purchased it.. we check recalls car fax and did not know of the issues-?? this is the 4th family Kia car and I trusted the bra INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA
- Bladenboro, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to merge onto the highway, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that she had not observed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway and had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had no oil and had seized. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
Drove this 15 Kia Optima on the highway when all of a sudden it lost power and died. There was no lights or symptoms prior to this happening. The vehicle ran as it should up until the other day, the Engine had no codes or lights on in the vehicle.. Then without any signs at all the vehicle stalled and almost caused an accident on the highway and the would not start. Barely made it to the breakdown lane. We had it towed to a shop and We spent some time checking the Kia over to find out the starter had melted. We installed a new starter and now the engine has a very loud knocking sound that was never there before. Based on reading the safety recalls and bulletins on this Kia and issues surrounding this vehicle online, we should meet the criteria for a claim. Can you help me please!!!!
Driving on the highway at 60mph and the engine just shutdown and the car turned off. Fortunately, I was able to get onto the shoulder without incident. No warning lights came on until the engine shutdown. Tried to restart the engine after letting it sit for a few minutes, would not start again. Had the car towed to a local mechanic and they discovered that the engine seized. Hoping the service contract I bought when I bout this car used in November will cover the engine.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had been replaced two weeks prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for routine maintenance; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. In addition, during a battery replacement, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated and smoke was coming from the vents. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an EVAP leak, the canister purge valve had cracked, and the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced Kia Campaign Number: SC135. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall because the recall had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the unknown recall because the recall had expired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start-up. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil level was extremely low. The contact was unaware of any oil leaks. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost of towing the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) after the failure had occurred. The failure mileage was approximately 184,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. There was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle when the vehicle restarted. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 115,911.
I have 3 issues currently going on with my 2015 Kia Optima. The first is the Oil Control Valve. This is supposed to be covered under my extended warranty that I pay for. If I didn't have the extended warranty I would be responsible for putting a new engine in a car with less than 60,000 miles on it. However, it will take time for the adjuster to come out and then to decide if the entire engine should be replaced which would then take even longer. The second issue is the O2 sensor which is part of the exhaust. Apparently in a care with less than 60,000 miles on it it's not unusual in the Kia Optima for this to go bad. Kia knows this is an issue but hasn't done anything about it. Lastly, the Stop Module in the braking system needs to be replaced. After hitting my brakes at a red light the ESC light came on and the brake lights don't go off. It's very dangerous as no one behind me can tell if I'm stopping or not. There was a previous recall for the HEC system which I had fixed. Per that recall brake fluid can leak and cause an electrical issue within the brake system but my Kia dealer service department is telling me it's not related to the original recall. I think it is and I think Kia should make the repair with no charge to me on a car with less than 60,000 miles on it. How does the engine, the exhaust system and the electrical system all go bad at the same exact time? This is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal smoke odor inside the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was an oil leak in the engine compartment. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine, determining that the engine was consuming oil abnormally quick, and the engine might soon need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
I received a safety recall notice in November 2023 stating that there is defect with Hydraulic Electrical Control Unit (HECU) in my car that can result in an engine compartment fire either while I am driving my car or when it is parked. As of April 2024, I am still waiting to be notified that the part to fix this issue is available. This delay is putting my life and my children's lives at risk every time we drive in our only car, as well as the drivers around me if my car catches on fire when I am near them. In addition, this issue puts our home, as well as our neighbors' homes, at risk of catching on fire since I am not able to park outdoors away from other cars and structures as was recommended. In the past few days, I have felt a difference in my car's performance and today 04/19/24, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) warning light turned on. According to the notice I received, I am supposed to stop driving my car and have it taken to a dealership immediately if this happens. However, I called my local dealership, and the earliest appointment available is on 05/13/24. I have no other car and cannot afford to drive a rental car for almost 30 days. I have been placed into a horrible situation because of this major issue. I have to risk my safety every time I am in car and even when it is simply parked because of this. This is completely unacceptable, and Kia should be held responsible immediately as I have no other means to remedy this problem.
Driving to work, that is less than 5 miles, started to hear a noise then car just stopped, called roadside assistance, towed to dealership. Had to wait for their diagnosis-?? I should be under my warranty. I have 44,400? Miles so under 100,000 miles. Has 10 yr warranty also but is 9 years old. Car paid off. They diagnosed rod bearings out and need a new engine-?"- m/b $6700 to replace engine. It should be under warranty- they said they had 4 recalls on that car/ make & model. I was never NOTIFIED so that is now supposedly null & void my warranty because they said my problem.
I was driving in downtown Gilbert when I pulled up to a red light. My car would not inch forward when taking foot off brake. I then had to put my foot all the way down to get my car to drive. When taking a turn my car would run perfectly until I stopped. Then we pull up to parking garage and the car just stops without while in drive so I put it in park and then turn it off and then back on and it works again. I had the alternator, battery and starter checked and they were all good no issues so why am I having electrical problems with my vehicle Kia needs to fix this.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Enoree, SC, USA