10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,294 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #52

May 062022

Optima

  • miles

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

Every window in my car has come off track within a 3months time period. The motor steady runs in the door and the window will not move up or down.

- Norlina, NC, USA

problem #51

Sep 052022

Optima

  • miles
Paint of the hood of my kia optima started peeling off as of Sept 5th,2022, there are small peelings on top of car and trunk. Took car to mvp paint&body, San Benito, tx to see if I needed to make an appt and he stated that he has dealt with this kind of problem and insurance companies and dealerships are paying for damages. I called Bert Ogden kia in harlingen and they told me there was no paint recall and until I got a letter to bring vehicle and letter. This is my dilemma and will now contact my car insurance carrier, Texas farm bureau, San Benito, tx to see if they can help, I don't want this to get worse and car gets rusty with more problems.

- San Benito, TX, USA

problem #50

Aug 012022

Optima

  • miles
Two of the four window regulators failed. The rear windows fell down within weeks of each other. The car has 46000 miles and the rear windows are rarely used. It appears to be a known defect according to the internet. I contacted Kia and they said to notify NHTSA.

- Tifton, GA, USA

problem #49

Dec 182021

Optima

  • miles

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

This is a complaint about the paint chipping on my 2016 Kia Optima FE. I drove through some pretty heavy rain in December 2021 and ever since this my front bumper has been chipping away. Every time it rains, the paint chips get even larger. I'm very familiar with the class action lawsuit against Kia for their paint chipping (specifically on the Pearl White cars which is the color of my car). Attached are the pictures I took when it first happened. It is exponentially worse now.

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #48

Mar 012022

Optima

  • miles
The windows on my car drop on their own while I am driving. First it happened on the driver's window which surprised me because it was so abrupt, I almost had an accident. I had that one repaired and it happened to the two rear windows. I have a grandson who is a toddler and the first time it happened it was pouring down rain. The baby started screaming from being pelted with rain and I couldn't pull over fast enough. I contacted KIA they referred me to a dealer who wanted $264 to look at it and $600 per window to repair their defect. My mechanic confirmed the problem stating it is a common issue with certain KIA's this one included. The vehicle is available for inspection, but I can't afford to pay the diagnostic fee or fix this. KIA needs to repair their faulty windows.

- Orlando, FL, USA

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problem #47

Jul 032022

Optima

  • miles
My 2016 is burning excessive oil. to the point I have to put oil in every 3 days.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #46

Jul 062022

Optima

  • miles

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

My Odometer is going fast.Odometer is rolling very fast. Say if I travel 5-miles Odometer registering 15 miles. Calibrate Odometer.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #45

Feb 012022

Optima

  • miles
There is a known issue with this motor burning oil in the engine at an excessive rate. This caused my car to shut down on the California freeway from 65 mph. Warranty wont cover, dealership says its a manufacturer issue that is known and the manufacturer isn't replacing the problem engines. This is a life safety matter

- Orinda, CA, USA

problem #44

Apr 052022

Optima

  • miles
My 2016 Kia Optima EX with the 2.4L GDI I4 engine has been ticking for roughly a year. The ticking coincides with acceleration (the harder you accelerate, the faster the tick). I took it my local Kia dealer where I've gotten my service done since purchasing the car. They simply stated, "these cars tick, don't worry about it." So I continued changing my oil regularly and monitoring it. Shortly after this, I noticed my oil levels would be lower than normal midway through an oil change cycle (I check my oil periodically because I do not trust the dealership). I took it back in with a concern and they did an oil consumption test, stating my car is burning excessive amounts of oil. After this service, the dealer said it "passed" and that it would no longer be an issue. Still, ticking persisted and I took it back in and forced them to do a full diagnostic on the vehicle (with a hefty charge on my part) to get to the root of the problem. They then recommended a valve deep cleaning service as the next step in the oil consumption service as my car was "still burning oil". There were never warning lights or any other cause of concern of a failure to indicate something was wrong. This is a HUGE issue with Kia and they will not accept the blame for manufacturing faulty engines. My car is no longer covered under warranty and the dealership states that if the engine blows from an oil consumption issue, Kia will not cover the cost. I expect Kia to issue a recall on these engines as hundreds of thousands of customers across the USA are experiencing the same issue.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #43

Feb 022021

Optima

  • miles
Egiene consum oil 1 quarter in 1000 miles

- Southtowns Gate, CA, USA

problem #42

Mar 242022

Optima

  • miles

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

My car keeps running out of oil. I've taken it to kia and my mechanic. Both said I need a new engine. My car is hard to drive. I'm putting oil in my car after 200 miles because it's almost empty after having oil changes. I use 8 quarts of oil every time. My car drives horrible. I'm afraid it's gonna shut off on me when I'm driving and it's gonna cause an accident. I'm scared to drive it anymore and I owe 2 yrs left on it. I need a new engine and it's all been happening to my car after 1 yr of having

- Geneva, NY, USA

problem #41

Feb 142022

Optima

  • miles
I have a pearl white vehicle paint is pealing on passenger back seat door

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #40

Nov 302021

Optima

  • miles
In November of 2021 at about 18500 miles the right rear window regulator drive gear disentigrated and the entire regulator had to be replaced. In Decemeber of 2021 at about 19700 miles the right front window regulator disintigrated and had to be replaced. The first 2 photos are the December failure the 3rd is the December failure I found it interesting that the same year model Kia has a recall for the exact same problem. Here is the link. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10176915-0001.pdf I am attaching photos of both failures. I have in my posession the front regulator if you want to examine it I will not dispose of it until I hear from you.

- Ocean Springs, MS, USA

problem #39

Jan 162022

Optima 4-cyl

  • miles
When starting to move from traffic light, engine revved to full throttle, brakes would not stop the vehicle. I swerved right to avoid the vehicle in front of me, then went over a sidewalk and struck a tree. Car still would not stop. Finally came to rest in a ( luckily empty) bowling alley parking lot. Vehicle sustained heavy right side front damage and had to be towed from the scene.

- Whitinsville , MA, USA

problem #38

Jul 232021

Optima

  • miles
I experienced sudden acceleration while attempting to park our car. The car was double parked waiting for my husband to move a car so I could park in that space. I put my foot on the brake to put the car in drive. I start to pull forward and the car takes off and I eventually crashed into my apartment building. I remember having my foot on the break to stop the car and could not. The sudden acceleration caused damage to the building inside and out. I did do some research and saw there are others who have experienced the same thing across different models of Kia.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #37

Oct 222021

Optima

  • miles
Oil light comes on after oil change. Check engine light comes on and the car feels like it going to quit or stall when going down high way.

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #36

Nov 012021

Optima

  • miles
Misfire-?" oil on the spark plug caused misfire. check engine light came on. OBDII scanner show a P0302 trouble code. Eventually the engine misfired enough and lead to a backfire. This also led to Decreased Fuel Mileage, Catalytic Converter Damage, and Blue Exhaust Smoke.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #35

Jun 262021

Optima

  • miles
Rear passenger window failed in June 2021 and cost $700 to fix, not under warranty per dealer. Replaced the window regulator unfortunately, I did not ask for the old part. One week later the rear window on the driver side failed in the same manner. Motor can be heard running and window drops down on it's own. My first fear was I was ripped off and dealer only switched the two parts because what are the chances? Having just spent $700 I did not return immediately but within 2-weeks, before making the appointment the passenger front window breaks! So at that point I start thinking a there must be a recall and start checking. I don't learn the cause of the issue until last month, Sept when the final window gave up as well. Not having the driver door window in FL where I drive on bridges is a hazard. I learned that a "plastic on plastic gear mechanism" fails over time. I am single and rarely have anyone in the rear seats so those gears crumbled from lack of use! KIA changed the design in 2018 due to failures but is failing to take care of earlier models costing owners thousands in repairs. I am the original owner, the car was 5-years old Feb 2021 and the car is garaged at work and home. These should be recalled no one should have to pay thousands in repairs when clearly this is defective and dangerous. All of the windows broke while the car was driving down the road. I live in Florida and this happened during storm season. Very luckily for the interior it wasn't raining as the windows were in the down position when they would not return to closed. I drive over Tampa Bay every day for work so not having working windows is dangerous. Someone should hold KIA accountable they know they are defective. I heard from a Hyundai owner they have the same problem, no surprise KIA owns Hyundai! I bet they changed that design too! My car is garaged work & home so likely helped mine from crumbling under warranty. Please recall window regulators!

- St Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #34

Sep 072021

Optima

  • miles
Here in Wisconsin Kias are being stolen at an alarming rate. It-??s the most stolen car. It is being stated that this is due to how the cars were made and that Kia knew this but didn-??t disclose it. My car was stolen at work, along with other coworkers. This is beyond insane. How many more cars have to be taken due to manufactures negligence for something to be done.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #33

Sep 112021

Optima

  • miles
I'm about to replace my THIRD window accuator on this car. The first one that failed was the rear passenger side at 54000 miles. The window was rarely if ever used, failed any way. The second failed at 60,000 miles.. driver side rear. Like the first, rarely used window. Now the third has failed at 66,000 miles. Cost to replace, over $300 because a $5 sprocket fails. Windows failing is definitely a safety issue.

- Acworth, GA, USA

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