10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,833 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.

2017 Kia Optima fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2017 Kia Optima Owner Comments

problem #12

Mar 072024

Optima

  • miles

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

ON [XXX], AROUND 11:30 A.M., I WAS DRIVING [XXX] ON [XXX], GOING ABOUT 78 MPH, JUST PASSED [XXX], WHEN THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH LIT UP, SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR, THEN THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD THEN SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE A/C VENTS. THERE WAS A FULL FLEDGE FIRE UNDER MY HOOD. THE GUY DRIVING NEXT TO ME, KINDA GESTURED FOR ME TO PULL OVER, ALTHOUGH I WAS ALREADY THINKING I NEEDED TO PULL OVER, THE SHOCK OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING, I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. I PULLED OVER AND SO DID THAT GUY, HE HAD A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND TRIED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE BUT TO NO AVAIL. 5 MINS AFTER I GOT OUT, THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND I AM THANKFUL FOR THAT GUY, BECAUSE I FROZE FOR A MINUTE AND COULDN'T THINK OF WHAT TO DO, I PULLED OVER JUST IN TIME. THE FIRE DEPT WAS CALLED AND IT TOOK THEM AWHILE TO PUT THE FIRE OUT, THE CAR WAS BURNT TO A CRISP, A 100% LOSS. A POLICE OFFICER TOOK MY NAME & PHONE NUMBER AND ARRANGED FOR A TOW TRUCK. I HAD TO ARRANGE FOR SOMEONE TO PICK ME UP FROM THE SIDE OF INTERSTATE I [XXX] AND HAD TO CALL OFF WORK. THE CAR WAS TOWED BY PROFESSIONAL TOWING TAMPA LOCATED - PHONE# 813-242-0610 EXT. 5 EMAIL - DISPATCH@PROTOWTAMPA.COM | WEBSITE - www.professionaltowingtampa.com I SPOKE TO SOMEONE AT THE TOW YARD AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING THEM THE TITLE TO THE CAR THE NEXT DAY AND SUGGESTED I PAY THE TOWING FEE RIGHT AWAY BEING THAT THE TOTAL AMOUNT DUE INCREASES EVERY DAY. ON [XXX], I BROUGHT THEM THE TITLE TO THE CAR AND PAID THE, I BELIEVE, $285 TOWING & STORAGE FEE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Apollo Beach, FL, USA

problem #11

Feb 192024

Optima

  • miles
Every time after I get an oil change I-??m constantly having to put oil in it because it goes dry every 2 days and my check engine light stays on before and after oil change, randomly shaking soon as I turn the car on then the oil light comes on every time I go over a speed bump! The car slams on breaks when it wants and has even did it when in fast traffic on the highway.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #10

Jan 122024

Optima

  • miles
I was getting on the freeway and my car suddenly just stopped accelerating. I even tried pushing the pedal to the floor and all power was gone. I was almost ran down by a 18 wheeler who must not have noticed my hazards had been switched on. A warning came on -??check hybrid system. Turn off engine-?? When the car lost its momentum as I was pulling over and eventually came to a stop I followed the warnings directions and shut the car off since I couldn-??t get any further anyways. I tried turning the car back on and then all lights and power instantly started flickering on and off and going crazy and then the warning came back on and then the whole car shut off by itself. I have been too scared to drive it since and I just got it back in October and I need a car to get to work and school and I don-??t know what to do but the amount of danger this issue put me in is unsettling and cannot be overlooked. Not sure what caused the malfunction because so many different things happened at once that it was hard to tell It is available for inspection upon request A service center confirmed that there is a problem and they believe it is related to the coolant pump and hybrid battery There was one other time that a warning came up and it just said -??check hybrid battery-?? but it went away only like a minute later and then a couple days after that I came outside to go to work and the car was dead but then I jumped it and it was fine up until the issue I first mentioned happened where I was put in danger A warning light that said !HEV and the check engine light both appeared

- San Clemente, CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 082023

Optima

  • miles

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

Kia fuel rail spurting gas out. Kia dealer said it-??s not under warranty and no recalls. Gas leak is so bad car can-??t be driven.

- Ortonville, MN, USA

problem #8

Aug 152023

Optima

  • miles
Oil burning faster. After an oil change I go about a month before I have to add more oil again. There is no leak as every time I get an oil change I make sure they check. But around the month period I have to check to see if I am low on oil again. Very frustrating and starting to become costly

- Bumpass, VA, USA

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problem #7

Sep 092023

Optima

  • miles
My vehicle came up with a check engine light blinking. I took it to a Kia dealership where they put the ksds update in. A week after driving it, I started experiencing loss of power and the check engine light came back on. But this time not blinking. My car accelerates slowly, it is a struggle to get to 30 mph. My engine is making loud noises as if I am flooring the gas pedal when going 10 mph. Hills are impossible and dangerous to drive up. I took it in where the man told me my oil was empty, when just the day before it was full. I ran the code reader which came up p0010 for a camshaft. Now I-??m being told it-??s the entire top motor needing replacement due to -??no oil-??. I saw online recalls for this exact issue on the engine. It states of a lifetime engine warranty for this qualifying engine problem. I called the dealership where the lady informed me that there is a third party company that makes warranty coverage decisions, and that they make the decision on if it-??s covered based on how much they will have to pay. If it-??s a lot, it-??s on me. Basically my engine failure qualifies but they don-??t want to pay the amount of repairs. So I-??m stuck with paying thousands for a hazardous car that I-??ve only had for 8 months.

- Burien, WA, USA

problem #6

Aug 302023

Optima

  • miles

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

i had engine light a code P200a on my 2017 kia optima ex 17,000 miles i have like a hesitation when accelerating, sometimes just sitting idling or sitting at a light feels like going to stall. i had some one check it they told me to bring it to the dealer because they looked it up and said it is like a recall on 2016 kia optimas there is a Technical Service Bulletin on the same condition that i have i went to the dealer and they said thats what it was the (VCMA)variable charge motion actuator on the intake manifold..i dont drive to much with the car i looked on line and a bunch of people say they had the same problem with my year and older models.thank you.ihad it fixed at the dealer on 8-30-23 case #15777155

- Ozone Park, NY, USA

problem #5

Sep 052022

Optima

  • miles
The vehicle will shake during acceleration. It comes without warning and will cause the check engine light to flash and stay on for about a minute. It goes away on its own. However, there do not seem to be any stored codes, according to my personal OBDII scanner. The dealer refuses to take it in because there is no check engine light. However, this has happened in several occasions and could lead to an accident. The dealer appears to be waiting for the warranty period to run out.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 012021

Optima

  • miles
My car is consuming major oil. I am having to put at minimum 3 to 4 quarts of oil every 3 days. I am having major loss of power. My car has oil fouled far too many spark plugs. In the last 3 months, I have had to replace the spark plugs three separate times. Within the last 3 weeks I have replaced the following: 1. Ignition Coils 2. Valve Cover Gasket 3. PCV Valve 4. 2 separate sets of spark plugs and 1 singular spark plug for Cylinder #4. My car is having a major oil consumption problem and the performance has been severely affected.

- Triangle , VA, USA

problem #3

Sep 042020

Optima

  • 86,000 miles
The car stalls and hesitates at times when the accelerator is pressed

- Carrollton, TX, USA

problem #2

Dec 152019

Optima

  • 81,000 miles
The car stalls and intersections intermittently. You have to turn the key off and turn it back on so far it has started every time.

- Huffman, TX, USA

problem #1

Aug 052018

Optima

  • 11,000 miles
While on an hour's drive the bsd (bling spot detection system) ceased to operate. The actuator switch was illuminated, but an error exclamation point appeared on the dash noting the bsd failure. I drove on further until I came to stop at a traffic light. This had happened a couple of months ago, also. I turned off the engine and pulled the key. I waited 30 seconds and restarted the car. They system came back online. Further along on the drive it happened again, as I was driving on a hilly road. When I went to give the car more gas, the car did not respond. I floored the accelerator, and the car still did not respond, while the bsd malfunctioned again. It was simultaneous. Additionally, the system on the dashboard that indicates where the shifter is went dark and the exact same time as the failure in both cases on this day. Of course I took the car to the dealer. They could not re-create the issue. They called Kia corporate to see if there were similar reports with a fix they might know of. The factory sent a cya response to the dealer stating that knew nothing of this issue. I had gone on the internet and found scores of similar bsd failures in both Kia and Hyundai which are sister companies. I have to believe the bsd module is made by the same manufacturer for both companies. I told the dealership if it happened again while I was in the area of the dealership I would drive the car there so they could see and possibly come up with a diagnostic code while the failure was in progress. They had no explanation for the associated loss of power...

- Bensalem, PA, USA

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