10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,165 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.

2018 Kia Optima brakes problems

brakes problem

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2018 Kia Optima Owner Comments

problem #13

Oct 172023

Optima

  • miles

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

I slowly pulled into the parking lot at work coming around a corner with my break song slowly to see if anything was coming from the other side, pull it around to THE back looking straight ahead to pull into my parking spot as I pulled into my parking spot mind you I have had my foot on the break before. I got there and I got into the park spot. I hit the brakes and the brakes went to the floor multiple times and the car just searched straightforward into the brick wall of the building.

- Warrensville Hts, OH, USA

problem #12

Aug 222022

Optima

  • miles
The braking system "catches" at 13mph regularly. It feels like the brakes are being applied or the vehicle is downshifting when it is decelarating to around 13mph without any actual braking being manually applied. So far no safety risk, but if the brakes fail at any point for any reason, there will be potential for great risk. The local Kia dealer was able to reproduce this but had no explanation, no recommendation, and no further advice or assistance was offered. At this point, the Kia dealership is the only entity to inspect this issue. There are no warning lights or indicators of failure or problems, but this issue has been ongoing since the vehicle was purchased.

- Pensacoal, FL, USA

problem #11

Dec 232022

Optima

  • miles
Front brake calipers seize and burning smell and smoke coming for front wheels. Have replaced the rotors, calipers and brake pads(twice) and it does not seem to fix the problem.

- Indio, CA, USA

problem #10

Jan 142021

Optima

  • 40,000 miles

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

Loud ratteling when cranking, continuous ratteling when accelerating under driverside floor board made a clunk sound when applying brakes and now its like a sliding sound before it catches brake

- West Union, SC, USA

problem #9

Dec 102020

Optima

  • 36,826 miles
I have 63,826 miles on my 2018 Kia Optima S and I drove it to the store and all my light on the dash came on when I would come to a stop and my power steering would go out and about cause me to wreck. I was told that it was my alternator but after getting a new alternator I then drove it to get dinner a few days later when the same thing started happening again and my power steering kept going out again. I have two newborn babies, a 5 year old and a 10 year old in the vehicle with me and had I wrecked when the power steering went out it could have been a bad situation.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

problem #8

Sep 012020

Optima

  • 102,000 miles
When I go to accelerate from a stopped position; the car stalls and turns off and then it turns itself back on. Additionally, when I drive over 50 mph the car/tires start to vibrate.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #7

Jul 132020

Optima 4-cyl

  • miles

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

This has happed now 5 times!! when applying my brakes, the pedal gets firm which little to no reduction in speed! then pedal goes almost all the way to the floor and wheels lock up, coming to an abrupt stop! each time this happened was completely random and without any type of warning! each time I was approaching a stops sign or coming up to an off ramp! brought my car into the Kia dealership and they checked it out for hours and they did not come up with anything but told me they would report it! so still having problems and they can't find anything wrong with it! I don't feel I can safely drive my vehicle anymore especially with my kids!!! this needs to be addressed before someone gets hurt!!! but of course Kia won't do the extra work to help solve the problem!!

- Na, MN, USA

problem #6

Nov 292019

Optima

  • 15,000 miles
I was driving on a highway and started to hear an noise from the front right while I was on a road trip. Had been driving for about 45 miles and moved over one lane to the right and front right tire blew - had less than 16,000 miles on car. I got the tire replaced at a Kia dealership and wheels aligned. Then, driving on a main road, 45 mph a few weeks later, got to a passing zone, and passed the car in front of me after accelerating to 65 during the short passing zone. After passing the car I tapped the breaks to slow back down to 45 and the traction, brake, and tmz lights all came on. When brake engaged, car did not brake as normal and a odd noise like a grinding sound could be heard coming from the front right wheel area. Took the car into dealership, they ran diagnostics, said it was a 'miss-tripped' sensor and clearing it corrected the issue. I drove my car less than 5 miles down the road and engaged the brake on a 40 mph road at a stop light, all three lights came right back on. Had to call and take car back in and they ended up keeping my car several days before saying I had a bad tire sensor, but car was safe to drive. Drove again, to a neighboring city and had been driving about 40 miles and front left tire blew. Got it towed back to the dealership, who said tires blowing had nothing to do with censor. Got tire changed and rotation. Picked up car and tire pressure light came on -low pressure. Nitro was added by dealership and light went off. Turned my pressure reader on and 2 miles down the road the car went from 37 to 45 psi. I think bad sensor is causing over inflating of tires at the dealership leading to blown tires.tested pressure with separate pressure reader and too high so let some air out, drove down a highway at 50 mph and car 'bottomed out' on a rolling dip in the road scrapping the plastic protection piece behind the front right tire under the car

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #5

Dec 312019

Optima

  • miles
3 times intermittently brake pedal on my 2018 Kia Optima froze and to it wont brake. No lights came on dashboard. I have only 22.000 miles on it. I took the car to nearest Kia dealer twice. According to them they are unable to duplicate the problem and computer not reading any error codes vehicle unsafe to drive

- Montebello, CA, USA

problem #4

Dec 312019

Optima

  • 23,000 miles
Randomly brake pedal on my Kia Optima freezes and im unable to apply and stop vehicle it happened twice once it happened on hwy and once on city street. Currently vehicle is in dealership since Jan 2nd and dealer stating they are unable to duplicate issue

- Montebello, CA, USA

problem #3

Dec 062019

Optima

  • 42,100 miles

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

I have never had any issues with my car, I get maintenance as scheduled so it's odd that this is even happening. On December 6th I went to move my car. I crank the car with no problem. I noticed it kind of hesistated slightly, but continued on with no problem. When I went to put my car in reverse in order to park it stalled and about 5 or 6 of the lights on the dash came on, the steering wheel went hard to manage/steer and as 6 other lights started blinking, I could no longer manipulate my wheel so I allowed the car to roll into the spot because I was on a slight incline and put it in park. The moment I did that the car cut off. It would not turn over, it would not do anything besides click when I tried to crank the car again. I eventually asked someone for a jump and managed to make it home. The next day I got up and drove as I normally would and thats when the eletric power steering warning light came on. When that light comes on the car becomes hard to maneuver. Thankfully that time it went off and proceeded to drive as it would normally. This issue happens unexpectedly without any warning. So at any moment I could be driving and the car can stop on me. I have 4 kids and live in a really busy area so even the thought of this happening has me second thinking each time I have to move my car!! I've seen more than one of the same complaint and I notice our VIN #'s are similar so something should really be done about this as it seems this is a trend with the year, make, and model of this car.

- Lewisville, TX, USA

problem #2

Dec 232018

Optima

  • 8,800 miles
When reversing the brakes take 5 to 10 seconds to release, also the brake light stays on the entire time of this issue happening.

- Wisconsin Dells, WI, USA

problem #1

Oct 122018

Optima

  • 7,418 miles
Takata recall. I was involved in an accident where I was coming off the highway, slid on water and crashed into a steel pole. The breaks did not work at all and when I got out to look at the damage the break pads were in the middle of the street like they had just fall off. None of the airbags deployed and my friend's head cracked the windshield. Car was totaled.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

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