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.
My engine burns oil very bad. Black smoke comes out of my tailpipe and I burn through 5 quarts in less than a thousand miles. I just got my oil changed two weeks again and I just had to add more oil to my car bc it was empty. I-??ve had to replace the spark plugs twice due to soot build up. I can-??t afford a new car I-??m 17 and can barely afford the maintenance let alone a whole new engine. Have spoken to many mechanics and they all say the same thing -??it-??s a Kia it-??s gonna burn oil-?? ITS A KNOWN ISSUE. And yet Kia will not resolve it bc they don-??t want to spend their own money to fix their mistake. I got an estimate for a new engine which is basically crucial and it-??s over three grand. No matter where I take it everyone always says the same thing- to get rid of it before it-??s too late. But I simply cannot afford to do that and I know my car is not the only one with this issue so many other people with the same car/engine have the same issue. 2.4 L GDI !!!!! I wish someone would have warned me before buying Kia. A recall to fix this issue is needed now. I lose control of the speed sometimes. I will keep my foot at a set position on the throttle and the engine will take off because it-??s jumping to the usual power it should have. ( it has reduced power most of the time bc of the struggling engine) sometimes on the highway I-??ll get a sudden burst of power and I have to let off the accelerator. Not safe at all
Increased oil consumption with needing oil added and or changed half way before date or milage stated, oil changes performed by Kia dealer. Car staling and engine knocking while driving. Burnt smell while driving.
I drove the car to the park about 6 miles round trip with family. I came back home and started having lunch for about 25 minutes. I then attempt to start the engine to go to my appointment but then car didn't turn on. On third attempt I had a weird noise coming out of the hood and I went back inside the house to get my gloves. When i came outside of the house, the hood of the car was in flames. I called 911 to turn off the fire. The car is now at a total loss.
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed by the dealer that the repair could not be covered due to the poor maintenance of the vehicle; however, upon providing all the maintenance records, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired unless the engine had fully seized. The dealer offered a trade-in offer; however, the contact declined the offer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
Check engine light began flashing halfway down the highway. Oil changes and maintenance are done regularly. Vehicle handling seemed to be unsafe. Vehicle would not accelerate. Had inspection done in September.
- Petersburg, VA, USA
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The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that there was an abnormal growling sound coming from under the floorboard, and the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that the RPM gauge was revving high while depressing the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle was not running normally. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. Additionally, the contact stated that vehicle was consuming approximately one quart of engine oil per week and the transmission was hesitating and was making the vehicle jerk while shifting gear. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,270.
I-??ve had the 2018 Kia Optima for a little over a year. I purchased it as a used vehicle. I-??ve noticed that the car is utilizing an excessive amount of oil. Each time I get an oil change for the vehicle I am having to purchase oil to refill the vehicle about 2weeks to a month after. I-??ve made multiple road trips where I-??ve gotten the oil changed before leaving and I drove around 350 miles; halfway through the drive the oil was half empty on the dipstick. The first time this happened I was unaware of this issue and when I arrived to my destination after around 350 miles of driving, the car had little to no oil. I will provide store receipts of each time I had to purchase oil for the vehicle. I will also provide service interval receipts upon request. Dates of oil purchase are as follows: 1.7/18/23 2.8/16/23 3.10/20/23 4.12/18/23 5.2/7/24 6.2/29/24 7.3/18/24 8.5/4/24 9.5/11/24 10.7/9/24 Service intervals for oil changes are kept up with every 3-5k miles and can provide maintenance receipt.
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH and was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,378.
Engine continuously stalls, while driving in both city and hight way. I have taken it in while under warranty and am told that's just how the car runs. Sudden jerks / seizure will happen while driving. since I haven't gotten the vehicle it happens at min 15mph or on the freeway at 65 mph. It is stalls at all mph.
Took my vehicle for an oil change next day my vehicle was not working well stopped on me could start didn-??t want to do damage so I stopped driving and had it told to a shop found out there is METAL IN THE ENGINE
Code P-030300 was detected when doing a diagnostic on my car when the check engine light came on. It is a cylinder 3 misfire. When the car comes to a idle the car starts to shake roughly. I took it to the KIA dealership I bought the car from and they told me I would need a new engine and not to drive it.Thankfully nothing bad happened while my baby was in the car. I drove it home and stopped driving it completely once the issue occurred.
Oil consumption issue. My mechanic referred me to Kia because oil consumption. I would bring car in because oil light and no oil in car and had oil change only 1000 miles. Kia did 2 checks one at 1000 miles and one at 500 miles and oil consumption failed both times. Now I have to pay $686 for oil combustion cleaning even though I am being told this is more than likely going to have engine replaced by Kia because of known issues,
It started with the car using oil but the mechanic could not determine where the oil was going. It quickly lead to the Cadillac converter going out with a host of other things that cost me over $2900 to fix. Which only lasted a few weeks and the last incident occurred when I was on my way home and it would not pick up speed at all and would stall. The first time it happened I was on the free way and it lost speed almost causing a semi to run into the back of me. The second time I was at a red light and when I tried to accelerate in speed and it stalled and then began to jerk before it would pick up speed. Each time the occurrence happened it placed my life as well as my families life in danger as it was sudden with no engine light or any other lights coming on. The last time it happened it left me stranded with a child, over 2 hours from home and in the middle of the night on isolated highway. Every time I would call KIA they would give me the run around on the issue and say it was due to my negligence but I beg to differ as I feel as if it is an engine error on the manufacturing. Please help. Currently the car is sitting in my yard and I can not afford to keep paying for repairs due to a faulty engine that they refuse to fix.
My 2018 Kia Optima experienced an oil consumption issue. After awhile out of nowhere my vehicles oil light kept coming on. There was zero oil in my garage. Unbeknownst to me It was burning oil due to this oil consumption issue.I took it to multiple mechanics all which told me that this issue is a known issue and would eventually blow the engine, which is exactly what happened. I reached out to Kia in person via dealerships over the phone via their consumer line and they went out of their way to tell me all the reasons why they could not replace the engine. I have spent enormous amounts of money on rental cars and Ubers and Lyfts to get to work or appointments just to Because of this issue. I was referred to this organization by the Ga consumer bar help line.
Indiana - car in reverse in driveway and started shaking. I turned car off and back on and it drove normally. The next day, I put the car in reverse and the shaking started again and check engine light illuminated. This car has a history of burning oil and we constantly have to add oil between oil changes. Car is at Andy Mohr Kia dealership at this time where we were told that engine would not be covered by Warranty because we are second owners. Mileage of car is 62,000 miles.
My vehicle is constantly running out of oil within a 30 day period and I constantly getting an oil change. I was advised to get an oil consumption test at the dealer and was out of oil in 3 weeks. I was told that I have a warranty, however, it's only if the rod bearings are an issue. I think my engine should be replaced without paying a $300 diagnostic fee that might get refunded without an exact time frame.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Waveland , MS, USA