10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 12
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,269 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.

2016 Kia Optima engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 7 of 17)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #202

May 052023

Optima

  • miles

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

1. The engine seized and went into Limp Mode. I was driving and randomly the power to my vehicle was low and had to drive slowly to my house (1 mile) going 20mph. It is available for inspection upon request. 2. I was driving off the highway going 40mph off the ramp at the time with cars in front and behind. I was truly scared and worried that I would end up in an accident due to the vehicles performance. 3. KIA Dealership confirmed the issue is the engine, but is trying to blame me for the issue due to oil issue with the car. This doesn't make sense as I have had the car serviced at 79k miles for an oil change, and the dealership is saying that there wasn't oil in the vehicle. The vehicle was at 82k miles at the time of this incident. How did the car go through all the oil in 3k miles" On top of that, the oil light never went off once, as a consumer I should be able to rely on the vehicle to tell me when issues are coming up so I can do this to fix said issue. 4. If KIA Dealership counts as manufacturer, then yes, if not, then no. 5. No, the first issue of warning lamp was when the Check Engine Light started flashing the same time my car seized and went into Limp Mode. With all this happening, KIA is saying that it is not their responsibility and not covered under the warranty of the engine of the vehicle and want me to pay $13k for a new engine. This is ridiculous. The car is worth the same as a new engine"

- Milton, GA, USA

problem #201

Oct 102022

Optima

  • miles
I have been having problems with my vehicle since 2020 (when it was still under warranty). My engine is burning oil and there has always been carbon build up on the engine parts. I followed their recommendation and did the combustible engine clean and was never given a pass or fail result. Since 2021, I have replaced cylinder 4 spark plug 7 times. My warranty was up in December 2021 and now the problems are just getting worse. I have been told that I have a bad engine but until a knock sensor comes on or my engine fails, Kia will not do anything about it. I am driving an unsafe car as I have no way of knowing when the engine will fail. When my spark plug fouls, I am unable to drive the vehicle and have to have the car towed to the dealer (which has now been five times). I am now replacing the same spark plug (cylinder 4) every three days because of carbon buildup. The dealership has no solution or fix for this problem besides replacing the engine. My engine is still burning oil and they have no solution for that either, besides replacing the engine. Kia is doing nothing about this problem, when they know that these engines are bad.

- Hammond, IN, USA

problem #200

May 022023

Optima

  • miles
Burning oil at a rate of 4 quarts per 300 miles. The vehicle has had all the required oil changes and has even had a $400 top clean to help the oil burning problem, nothing has helped. Now the car is malfunctioning while driving wo codes.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #199

Apr 282023

Optima

  • 53,000 miles

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

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the TPMS warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact's daughter that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

- Escondido, CA, USA

problem #198

Oct 152022

Optima

  • miles
I was driving at night when both of my lower beam headlights went out at the exact same time. My high beams work but not the low beams and it wasn't a blown fuse. Also, my engine has been consuming 2 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles since it hit roughly 58,000 miles. The excessive oil consumption started about 2,000 miles before my next oil change was due. The oil indicator light never came on to indicate my engine was low on oil. The oil indicator light flashed on and off one time as I was slowing down to turn which is what prompted me to check my oil because I knew something wasn't right that the oil indicator only flashed but didn't stay on.

- Norton Shores, MI, USA

problem #197

Jan 042023

Optima

  • miles
I got the car oct 2022, car drove fine for months. Got oil changes regularly. On or about late Dec my car started getting this code "check active air flap" it didn't stay on it was quickly flashed on my dash and went away. So I thought it wasnt important, then it came on again really quick and disappeared again. So then I start to worry and start searching what exactly was a air flap. I found out it was something that allows air flow to the engine. So I parked my car and didn't use it so I could get them money to take it in to have it looked at. On Jan 4h me and my 2 sons were on our way to have it looked at and while on the way there my car was making a weird like ticking noise which I didn't know what it could be so I am still driving just being more cautious and Bam my car is on fire! Freaking out cause no one would let me over to safely pull off the road. No check engine light ever came on no oil light nothing but air flap check.

- Sierra Vista , AZ, USA

problem #196

Apr 202023

Optima

  • miles

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

I have been continuously having the car checked because it burned oil and all mechanics even outside of dealership brushed it off. turns out it was a cylinder leak from the exhaust valve and now a new engine is needed. given Kia's history with Engine problems on the Optima i wanted to report this as this seems like it could have been a caused because of engine block, crankshaft, and bearings, connecting rods and bearings, and pistons issues that then ultimately led to the exhaust valve issue. But of course my issue falls right out of the lifetime warranty

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #195

Apr 142023

Optima 4-cyl

  • miles
The engine failed as I was driving and the car stopped accelerating and slowed to a stop on a busy road at night. I purchased the vehicle from Parkside Kia in Knoxville in December 2020. I was notified in March 2021 by my personal mechanic to take the car to Kia for high oil consumption rates and future engine failure but Kia told me nothing was wrong with it. I had the KSDS update in June 2022 after it went into creep mode/stopped accelerating on the highway when I was out of town in Asheville, NC, and the spark plugs went bad a few months later because of the same faulty oil consumption issue. Kia is manufacturing bad engines and putting their customer-??s safety at risk. They ignore when asked and act like they don-??t know anything about the engine settlements. They are playing dumb and not being forthcoming with information or safety notices. Parkside Kia in Knoxville sold me a lemon which was a safety risk from the moment they sold it to me in December 2020, after the recalls and updates were issued to the first owners. I never was notified and found out by an unsafe situation driving alone on a busy highway.

- Oak Ridge, TN, USA

problem #194

Dec 242022

Optima

  • miles
After just purchasing this car from dealer. I was driving on Christmas Eve to my mother-in-law's. I noticed the car was smoking. I had checked the oil before we left been about a 45-40 minute drive. Went to pull off the road and it would had to be towed back to my house. I had both my children in the car and my fiance and the smoke was coming through the cabin. It had not been running correctly for a while and went to take it to the mechanics to find out that the engine had seized.

- Corona , CA, USA

problem #193

Feb 242023

Optima

  • miles
I submitted a report on this already but haven't had any response and it's a huge safety concern. I see 388 others have reported issues with this vehicle as well and most seem to pertain to the engine like mine so not sure how many need to file before a recall or Kia is held accountable for making an engine that burns oil and locks while driving. I've received zero support from them and they are denying replacing engine which had an oil change 6 weeks prior and only 109k miles on it. With all the complaints and prior class action suit which requires them to cover engine up to 150k I'm very confused how they can deny this and how this vehicle with these engines are safe for the road.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #192

Apr 052023

Optima

  • miles

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

Engine is rapidly burning oil. At a sudden stop or on an sharp incline I noticed the 'oil warning light' come on. I checked the dipstick and it was showing no oil. If the engine seized and stopped the vehicle on a highway this could be a safety issue. It appears others have had the same issue, yet Kia does not offer any help. It is listed as an issue with premature O-ring failure. Vehicle has under 59,000 miles on it.

- Levittown, PA, USA

problem #191

Nov 182022

Optima

  • miles
Heavy Oil consumption and adding oil every week

- West Covina , CA, USA

problem #190

Nov 012022

Optima

  • miles
The car has had issues for a long time. It had gone into limp mode multiple times and they fixed it and then would do it again later. Not long ago, it was acting badly again like it was going to die and they had me spend over $1,000 on new coils and plugs. Then the oil light was coming on. Took it in for check and did oil change at valvoline. They said it was empty. It was under 3k miles or just at I believe. Then 3k miles or less light comes on again. I took it to Kia they did new oil change and said I had to do 1k mile test. I brought it back at 1k miles and they said it was 2 quarts low. Said I should spend 700 or more cleaning the engine. I said I just spent over 1k fixing it and no one mentioned anything about cleaning. I do all suggested maintenance and recalls and oil changes with synthetic at about 3k. So they said someone would call me and didn-??t give me a paper. They also had said the engine was most likely bad. At the time I spoke with three employees one of which works in the garage. I never got a call. I emailed and messaged and never heard back- except to get the paper simply saying to check at 1k miles. It also had an employees name who I had not talked to. I took it back 1 k later and new guy said was quarter of a quart low. He showed me a dip stick with oil on it and said I should spend hundreds to clean it. Wouldn-??t explain why suddenly oil fine. Now at about 800 miles oil out. Took it to valvoline and oil out. Last Kia I drove engine blew. This feels unsafe. I have no other car. I don-??t trust them telling me there is oil and pushing more expensive needless things. The engine is obviously bad. It is just under 100k and have a letter saying engine extension until 120k. Original owner.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #189

Feb 242023

Optima

  • miles
On 2/24 I was driving on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, I was in the middle lane going thru an intersection, when suddenly while attempting to accelerate to go thru the light, all of my dash lights came on and the gas petal stopped working completely. I had cars in front, behind and on sides of me and I was unable to move out of the way. I attempted to restart the car to no avail. This could have been an incredibly deadly and dangerous situation and was extremely scary. With help I was able to move my car out of the way, call a tow truck and have it taken to the nearest Kia Dealership (Galeana Kia, 14483 Tamiami Trail, Ft. Myers) who advised they would evaluate the car and get back to me the next day. Tuesday I got word that my engine had seized and there was less than 1 qt of oil in it. I couldn't believe this as I just had an oil change 6 weeks prior. The service advisor, Jeff, said when an engine seizes they report it to Kia to see if they will replace but that Kia tech team advised they were declining replacing my engine as I didn't take my car to Kia for service and there weren't enough carfax reports to show proper care. This made no sense as I get my oil changed every 5k and use syntenic oil. I proceeded to send many oil change receipts only for them then tell me "it's owners responsibility to check oil between oil changes" and they aren't going to assist in any way. Sharing this story with others led me to learn that Kia is supposed to warranty these engines to 150k due to this being a known issue and multiple class action lawsuits about the engines burning oil and seizing while driving. I was in the middle of an intersection, that could have cost me my life! I called Kia Corp and they told me to work with dealership and they couldn't do anything for me. This after just replacing 4 window regulators where the regulator dies and your windows fall down (another safety hazard.) I appreciate you looking into and addressing this safety injustice for me.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #188

Mar 172023

Optima

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the failure was related to the vehicle not receiving the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software installation. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #187

Dec 242021

Optima

  • miles
I purchased a 2016 Kia Optima LX in 2021, and have been having issues with excessive oil consumption and cylinder misfires. I get regular oil changes and have to top it off every week after, if I forget to check, it will be completely dry. This is hazardous and unsafe to drive not knowing when it will be completely dry to cause serious problems. I've taken it to a Kia dealership and all they did was reset the ECU/EUC (whatever). Now, I've been told at my place for oil changes they can't service the vehicle until the issue has been fixed because it is too dangerous to be driving with the car burning too much oil. My car is at the dealership now to get combustion cleaning done. I had a 2013 Kia Optima in 2018 (and not knowing this issue about the oil consumption even after regular oil changes) the engine seized on that car while on the highway. The car lost power and would not start back up. On both cars, the warning light for oil never comes/came on. After purchasing my current vehicle (2016 Kia Optima), the car gave me trouble every 3 months and the car only had 65,000 miles on it. These vehicles are not safe and are a safety hazard. These vehicles need to be recalled for their engines. IT IS NOT SAFE AND GETS COSTLY to keep having to keep the oil in. It barely reaches 1000 miles and it consumed almost half of the oil after an oil change.

- Ada, OK, USA

problem #186

Mar 122021

Optima 4-cyl

  • miles
My car is burning so much oil the engine keeps stalling out....I pay to get it fixed and 2 months later it happens again. Im worried about the safety of me and my son as it has stalled in the middle of a busy highway. I have talked to Carriage Kia in Woodstock, Ga and emailed Kia directly and noone wants to help. I googled and noticed there was a class action lawsuit for this exact problem on my car. Can you please help me?

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #185

Oct 172022

Optima 4-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and was running on three instead of four cylinders. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consuming oil and fowling the spark plugs causing the vehicle to lose power. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who stated that the coils and spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact had the spark plugs replaced. The failure persisted causing the contact to add oil every 1,500 miles. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

problem #184

Jan 112023

Optima

  • miles
Hi my car start making this thiking noise on the engine out of nothing i have heard that there was a recall for 1.6 turbo engines but sadly my car donst have any recalls at the moment and the engine replacement is a kind a expensive 8500 dollars to be precise so what can i do if the engine has exactly the problem that kia described a problem with the pushrod thanks

- Highland, CA, USA

problem #183

May 262022

Optima

  • miles
While driving down major highway the engine failed and the electrical system started blinking and I lost all power. No warning, dashboard just lit all up and engine seized up.

- Jamestown, NC, USA

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