2012 KIA Optima

Driving home on highway about 70mph and engine just stopped. Vehicle was in drive, but coasting. Got to shoulder. Put car in park, engine would not turn over. Called tow, then noticed smoke coming from hood. Hung up, called 911 for possible fire. After hanging up with 911, smoke began coming through vents. Got out of car, saw some flames through grill, called 911 back and told was definitely on fire and with mins entire engine bay was engulfed. Car was a total loss.

Took car to car to dealer real: recall for airbag sensor recall and fire recall and the said they fixed airbag issue and that my car wasn’t one that was on recall for fire and now this site it is.

I havent made any repairs to the car. The dealership said I needed a new engine due to a connecting rod failure. My car is the hybrid model which is the only model that isnt being recalled even though it has a Theta II engine I believe. My car broke down prematurely even though I was up to date on the maintenance. It has the same issues that the other optimas were having.

Vehicle caught on fire with no warning signs or anything as I was driving. This happened a few months after the engine was recalled and replaced by Kia.

I was driving home on Memorial Day weekend from a nice visit with my family and when I was almost home I could hear clicking/tapping sound and the engine stalled on a major interstate. I was able to quickly restart and get to the shoulder. Started up again and took off but when I tried to accelerate to the flow of traffic, the car would not accelerate and was losing power. I was close to a KIA dealership and was able to milk it to the service garage. Upon inspection, they found metal shavings paired with a ton of copper on the valve timing solenoid. Crankshaft bearings are shot, causing low oil pressure, stalling and erratic behavior. Engine is TOAST! After doing some research I came across this: http://www.hyundaiproblems.com/trends/sonata-engine- failure. Same engine, same problems and Hyundai stands behind their product. I take great pride in my vehicle. I take it in for regular maintenance and oil changes. I am NOT at fault. I will be escalating this to the National team at KIA Corporate office and Kia Consumer Affairs to get a case number as I feel they need to be held liable to pay for the engine.This is obviously a known issue and it\'s sad that KIA is putting the blame on the customers instead of taking responsibility for a factory defect. No car with 111K miles on it with proper maintenance should have the engine just blow! KIA not only put my life in danger but they also put my daughter\'s life in danger!! I\'m lucky I was in the right place at the right time on a major interstate on Memorial weekend or the results could have been much worse!! My daughter and I are ok, but I fear the next Kia Optima this happens to will not be a good outcome. MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND A RECALL SHOULD BE INSTATED.

While driving on the freeway the car lost power and had to be towed. It was initially inspected by Meineke Car Care Center but i was informed that the engine had seized and the car needed to be taken to the dealer as it was still under warranty. It was towed to CarMax in Riverside , CA. This was where i purchased the car along with the extended warranty. Upon inspection i was told No oil was in the car and the warranty would not be honored but CarMax would send it to Kia for further inspection. Kia service department said that there Was indeed oil in the car but it was very low (1 qt)and that may be the reason the engine seized. CarMax then sent an inspector from the Warranty Group-Maxcare to inspect the car. The inspector said that only abt .25 quarts of oil was in the car and denied my claim saying i was negligent. I had just had an oil change 6 weeks prior. Meineke Care care Center said there was about 1.5 qts of oil in the car when they inspected it before it was towed to CarMax. No sensors ever came on to indicate there was low oil are any sort of engine problem nor was the engine burned up. They never asked for maintenance records but i had told them i have them. They just denied my claim because they dont want to pay for a new engine. This is definitely a breach of contract. Please help !!!!

Optima Hybrid: I hit a curb going less than 10-15 miles an hour while in a parking driveway. The left front and rear tires were blown out. Otherwise, there was no visible body damage but the car became immediately disabled. It was towed to a Kia dealer and they have had it for 2 weeks and can’t figure out why it wont start. They initially considered it a warranty issue because they said it didn’t seem reasonable that the car should become completely disabled from hitting a curb. They reasoned there was likely something already wrong with the car that was eventually going to present a problem in time. They tore the whole front of the car apart and have not been able to figure out what is wrong with it. They say their computer will not even communicate with the computer in the car. Now Kia has told the dealer they should have never done one thing to the car and that it should have been handled as an collision claim. The Kia service people have had engineers from Kia working on this car and no one can tell me what is wrong with it, just that it was caused because I hit a curb going less than 10-15 mph.

The new 2012 KiA Optima does not come with a spare tire or dounut tire and rim. At least the model that I have doesn’t. After I had paid for the vehicle the sales person went thru the car with me . When we got to the trunk I asked about the spare. He Said it only comes with a compressor and a can of fix a flat. I thought when was the last time I fixed a flat on any of my cars.He also said that I would have road hazard service for five years. As luck would have and about 700 miles I am driving down to Florida and stop at a friends house in Delevin Wisconsin. It was at 9:30 PM and could not get the tire repaired till the next day I callled the road hazard service. They could come get my car and tow to the nearest dealer which was in Janesville. Wi. and they would repair the tire till the next morning. Or they could pick me and the car up the next morning between 8:30 and 9 AM. I wanted to be on the road at 4 AM which wasn’t going to happen. So my buddy an I took the tire off the car and brought it to a local Walmart at 7AM the next morning I was on the road by 8Am. I could have used the fix a flat but have been told by several people that that stuff will wreck the air pressure tire sensor. The more I had thought about the whole situation the more I was frustrated by it. I thought what if I had sent my wife or daughter out on a road trip and they had a flat out even a blow out which the fix a flat would not fix.. I wouldn’t want either one out in the late nite with a blowout tire. Having a spar tire could have been change by the road hazard people and they could have been on their way. Also if I were traveling with my family and driving late at nite and had a blowout. The road service guy would only be able to take one of us back to the garage. I would have to leave the rest of my family back on the freeway waiting for me to get back to them. I feel the idea of not putting a spare tire is a bad idea. I was told it was not put in to increase mileage. I think that is a bad idea which overrides safety and convenience. Plus the better model that KIA sells all come with a pare tire or donut and rim. The only difference between the two cars is cost and some different options. I do hope your organization can and will make a change in this matter. Put yourself in this situation when you have family involved. Thank you for your time.

My kia optima has 50,000miles . i was driving 70mpn on the highway, kia engine started to knock very quietly and shut down . lost my power steering . lucky cars didn't crash into me cause i had little baby in the car. drove to the side of highway.car was towed to my house. mechanic came over to my house and told me my engine is toasted. sitting in the garage for couple months cause it needs new engine. cant afford new engine.

Tha car shut down in the middle of the road would not start all lights came on and could not steer gave the car gas on gas pedal nor could i brake to get out of the road. has been towed to demontrond kia to see if under warranty for repairs almost lost my life on highway

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle hesitated and stalled with the battery and check engine warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was not drivable. the contact stated she shifted to neutral and pushed the vehicle into her driveway. the vehicle was towed to quality kia of greenwood (1706 montague ave ext, greenwood, sc 29649, (864) 223-2542) to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not yet repaired. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline, engine) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

My engine won't turn over

The engine won't turn over i just bought this car too

Car broke down. tried to restart the car. engine is shaking. smoke noted to be comming from the engine.

I was driving on the freeway at about 70mph when my panoramic sunroof suddenly exploded. it was not hit by a rock or any sort of debris, it exploded completely on its own without warning. the loud explosion caused me to swerve and panic brake as glass shards rained down on me from the broken sunroof.

I was driving on the interstate and heard noise from under the hood of car and car then decelerated to a stop on side of the highway. smoke was coming out from hood and oil was all over engine and road. the problem was diagnosed by mechanic as rod was thrown through the engine block puncturing it due to a worn bearing. i did research and my model and engine has a recall on this exact matter. recall # sc147. i had bought the car in january 2019 and the manufacturer is denying any repair because of a “product improving campaign” that was released for it in october 2018 and never addressed. that was three months before i bought the car. i was unaware of this because i bought the car after. my car is currently sitting at a dealership because when i called that dealership they said my car does qualify for the recall repair and replacement and to bring it in, but i was notified today from that dealership that kia will not repair my vehicle because of an e.c.u. software update that was never performed on the car in 2011! pi1803-b is the code for that recall that was also never addressed and was eight years before i purchased the car. i’m really confused and upset as to how a company can deny fixing recalls on a vehicle that are clearly safety hazards!!!

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. the contact's grand daughter stated while driving an unknown speed, the vehicle began to slow down and was able to pull over to a stop safely. the contact stated fire began to come out of the engine compartment. a fire and police report were filed. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to local tow yard where it was diagnosed with being destroyed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was informed of failure and the contact was awaiting a response. the failure mileage was not available.

Tl- the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact's grand daughter stated while driving an unknown speed the vehicle began to slow down and was able to pull over. the contact stated fire began to come out of the engine compartment. a fire and police report was taken. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to local tow yard where it was diagnosed with being totally destoryed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was informed of failure and the contact is awaiting a response. the failure mileage was not available. dl

Brakes do not work properly,changed pads but still same problem. a noise on engine and the vehicle does not speed more than 65-70 mph. drivers seat don't work properly.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima hybrid. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, a loud noise came from the engine compartment as the vehicle started to smoke. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was then towed to garden grove kia (13731 harbor blvd, garden grove, ca 92843) where it was diagnosed with the engine failing. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact was relating the issue to nhtsa campaign number: 20v750000 (engine). the manufacturer had been informed of the failure but informed the contact that vehicle had to many miles. the failure mileage was approximately 290,00.

Brakes squick even after repair and replacement and has a slower response time then usual and caused a rear end accident, cooling and heated seats stopped working on the driver side which i met owners of my exact car said the same thing has happened to them, and the passenger seat controllers doesn’t work to operate adjustable seats! the suspensions has been bad every since the recall on the engine; for some reason it was giving back to me with that problem from kia dealership. back-up camera is malfunctioning for years now and car doesn’t even beep when getting too close to objects/other vehicles anymore either for years! i’m just finding out about the process, recall laws and right to an investigation.

Kia optima ex 2012 with 57000 miles transmission is stuck on r (reverse) and it doesn't release even with the shift lock release engaged. the backup camera is on, brake is very stiff, the car ignition can be on/off but don't starts the engine. dash and shifter indicator shows r and it does not change to any other status. vehicle is inoperable.

2012 optima 45,000 miles bought in 2013. regular on time service at lithia kia of anchorage where purchased. air bag light triggered after oil change. despite warranty and extended bumper - bumper coverage, had to pay $150 to have the air bag codes read and reset. the technician also performed a reset for the passenger weight management system. the srs system is deactivated when the airbag light is on. in my case, it was found that the passenger side had deactivated due to unknown circumstances. historical codes that were pulled by the dealer’s kia srs reader showed low power codes and the weight management malfunction. i should note my interstate battery is 1 year old and both battery and alternator are functioning correctly. my vehicle falls under the current recall, however kia and my dealer skirt fixing the problem by the fact that i am having a coding and programming issue and not a broken module or clock spring. the seriousness of a non functioning airbag (srs) system is a big deal and a bit scary. the manufacturer and dealer should not be able to skirt recalls under technicality and should be held fully liable if the system fails leading to injury. especially as meticulous as my wife and i are about maintaining our vehicles. recall number : sc165 thank you.

While driving my 2012 kia optima hybrid on the farthest left lane of the freeway, a warning message popped up on my dash board that was something similar to "saftley pull over and do not drive vehicle." i began to change lanes to be able to exit the freeway and as i was approaching the edits stop light the moving hehicle seemed to lack much power. i was lucky enough to have the car roll far enough on momentum to get me out of the way of a very busy road. it was a miracle that the car rolled to the spot it did because that happened to be the only place the shoulder could fit my car. i had it sent to kia dealership and it took them almost an entire week to finally have an idea of what the problem could be. engine seized as the major problem and offered to replace it for above $8000! the car isn't even worth that much! come to realize there was a recall on my engine so i am now waiting until kia tech support reaches out to my mechanic for the approval or denial. i bought this used car about 30 days from today's date with 80k miles

Car has been maintained appropriately, car suddenly started turning off on us while in drive. we had it checked according to the scanner, it says it is the same knocking sensor that kia has reported. when i called customer service, they run my vin and say i have no recalls so they cannot help me. my car is a 2012 which falls within the years kia has reported yet they will not help me. as of now i have no running vehicle because it is too unsafe to chance driving it with my children in the car. the car has turned off on me while in motion 4 times now, twice on the highway, twice on a 2 lane only canyon. (on my way home from work with my children in the car)

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that after turning off and exiting the vehicle, the interior lights remained illuminated. due the failure, the battery was drained on several occasions requiring a jump start to be able to start-up and drive the vehicle. additionally, the battery had been replaced twice within two months. the contact had taken the vehicle to vision kia of east rochester (201 e linden ave, east rochester, ny 14445) where they informed him that the exterior wiring needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

I was parked in the parking lot at a grocery and folded my side view mirrors up and back down and now the motor in the passenger side view mirror will not stop running. the motor runs day and night and the mirror no longer folds like it’s supposed to. i see that i am not the only one that has had the issue with the side view mirrors

I have a 3 months old and i’m very concerned about our safety because the vehicle suddenly runs out of oil and it start smelling like burned and it starts to smoke a lot of white smoke. when i check the oil compartment it seems like the oil evaporates or get consumed but it doesn’t leak. this has happened few times while driving the car on a city street.

Driving at 70 mph the engine just died, no warnings lights, starter and battery are fine. per mechanic the engine assembly failed

Car will not get out of immobilization phase, with either key fob will not unlock to use push to start. issue is waste gate activator failure or needs adjustment.

I was in the parent pick up line to pick up my daughter and i placed my shift in park however my car continued to drive forward and shift gear was stuck. steering wheel became stiff and i kept foot on brake to slowing maneuver car to a parking spot. once in parking spot car would not turn off and even though car was in park on the shift gear the drive mode was illuminated. the car finally turned off for a few seconds and than restarted by itself and repeated to do so. i was finally able to move gear shift after accessing the shift gear release lock however the shift gear remained in drive mode. then engine just completely stopped turning on. car would not turn, not drivable and had to have it towed for repair.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while driving at 50 mph, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. the vehicle stalled and would not restart. the contact exit the vehicle and saw metal parts and oil leaking from the vehicle. the contact had the vehicle towed to his residence and then to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure that the bearing rod went through the engine. the engine was replaced however, after several thousand miles the failure recurred with the new engine. the contact the called the cable dahmer kia of lee's summit (400 ne colbern rd, lee's summit, mo 64086, (816) 207-6200) and was informed of nhtsa campaign number: 20v750000 (engine). the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer for the engine replacement but was informed that they were unable to replace the engine under the recall because the vehicle was over 150,000 miles. the contact notified the manufacturer of the failure and the manufacturer agreed that the vehicle was not eligible for the free repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 162,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, an occupant was wearing the driver's side rear seat belt however, the buckle ceased and failed to retract or release. the occupant had to slide out the seat belt. the contact called grand kia (1950 w 104th ave, denver, co 80234, (720) 943-1144) to notify the dealer of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnose nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 230,000.

Jun 01,2018 manufacturer recall numbersc165a nhtsa recall number18v363 recall statusrecall incomplete summary kia motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in all 2010-2013 my forte and forte koup , all 2011-2013 my optima, all 2011-2012 optima hybrid, and all 2011-2012 my sedona vehicles. the airbag control unit ("acu") detects crash severity and commands deployment of the advanced airbags and seatbelt pretensioners when necessary. the acu contains a certain application-specific integrated circuit ("asic") that may be susceptible to electrical overstress ("eos") during certain frontal crash events. the condition is limited to frontal airbags and seat belt pretensioners in certain frontal crash events. safety risk if the asic becomes damaged, the frontal airbags and seatbelt pretensioners may not deploy in certain frontal crashes where deployment may be necessary, thereby increasing the risk of injury. remedy kia has advised its authorized dealers to install a wire harness kit between the acu connector and vehicle harness connector in your vehicle. the work will be performed at kia's expense at no cost to you. the actual time required to perform the repair will take approximately one (1) hour. however, your vehicle may be needed longer; therefore, we recommend scheduling a service appointment to minimize any inconvenience. (refer to sc165a.) manufacturer's notes sc165a

Tl the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, an occupant was wearing the driver's side rear seat belt however, the buckle ceased and failed to retract or release. the occupant had to slide out the seat belt. the contact called grand kia (1950 w 104th ave, denver, co 80234, (720) 943-1144) to notify the dealer of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnose nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 230,000.

My airbag light stays on when the car is on. also the horn does not work, which i was told it is connected to the airbag problem. i had a mechanic check the code and the code said it was the driver's side airbag. the dealership said there is a recall on airbags for the kia optima but not for my 2012 ex. the symptoms are the same as described for the recalled kia optima airbags. i don't understand why my car is not part of the recall, especially since it is a major safety issue. i have tried to see if it was a simple cable connection issue under the seat but that has not resolved the problem. i really do not want to pay $$$$ to get the airbag fixed when there is a known problem with kia optima airbags. but i also do not want to lose my life because the airbag does not work and kia won't fix it under a recall.

Per nhtsa recall 20v750, a kia dealer service department informed me today (2/17/2021) that they are unable to make appointments to service this recall due to a “nationwide computer outage”. how can they be allowed to issue a major recall and then not be prepared to make appointments to service the vehicles?

I'd had no mechanical issues w/ my vehicle, whatsoever & all routine maintenance is done on time. while driving on the highway one day & suddenly all the warning lights came on & lots of smoke coming from under the hood. pulled to the side of the road, had it towed to the nearest kia dealership. after a few days, it was explained to me, by the service team that my engine was shot, but i wasn't given an explanation as to why. there were no recalls at that time on the hybrid vehicles; however, i just got a recall letter for my optima hybrid, dated 1/27/2021 that described the very thing that i experienced with my car. this prompted me to visit this website to explain my issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound in the steering column. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lock in the steering wheel fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Vehicle loses acceleration when driving, have to let go of gas pedal and push again to gain acceleration again

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel made a loud clunking noise and began to shake uncontrollably without warning. the vehicle was taken to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 98,696.

I bought my 2012 kia optima used with 68k miles on it in march 2016. i have had the car for about 8 months and it now has 80k miles. the car consumes a lot of oil. i have given the car 4 oil changes since purcgase and have not seen where it may be leaking oil underneath the car. when accelerating, there are times when they car will stall from a lack of power and i will hear a ticking sound when it stalls. after doing some research, i have found where this is a common complaint with this, and other kia models', motor. this is my only transportation to and from work. i have had the car for 8 months and had to finance the entire cost. if my car's symptoms are synonymous with the other complaints, i suspect my motor will be done with in the near future and i absolutely cannot afford to repair or replace a new motor!

I have a 2012 kia optima and my steering wheel is making a loud clanking noise when i hit a bump in the road or slightly turn the wheel . i have searched on line and it's saying it is a cluster not sure wat that is i have been told it should be under recall because that can cause the steering wheel to loose it's directions and i could either cause and accident or be part of one

My 2012 kia optima sx t-gdi only has 70k miles and is giving me steering issues (loud popping/clicking noises, which you can feel as well). these issues are felt at all different speeds, and all different turning angles. i was informed, as many people have, that the flex coupling needs to be replaced ($4 part, but over $200 in labor). i am not willing to pay this due to a faulty part, so kia needs to step up and issue a recall before it's too late! in conducting my own research, i am one of hundreds that are having this same exact issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving at a low speed, the engine blew out without warning. the dealer diagnosed that there were turbo issues with the vehicle. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 85,000. updated 03/29/17*lj updated 06/25/18*jb

High pressure fuel pump went out. after contacting dealer for part, i was told they keep them in stock because it was a common problem. the cost was $689 plus labor.

I was driving home from work at a speed of 45 mph when i heard some knocking. as i slowed to an intersection the noise stopped until i accelerated once again. got back up to 40-45 mph and all the engine lights came on and the car stalled. i was able to coast to the side of the road i was on during rush hour. not real safe! at which point the car started smoking and smelling like an electrical fire. i opened the hood and white smoke was pouring out. the vehicle was then towed to kia dealership and the service department was already closed. i called in the morning and asked about the electrical smell. he said is most likely a blown motor.??? he didn't look at the vehicle yet and told me it's a blown rod in the motor?? later that day i stopped into the kia dealership to see if it was looked at yet. they told me it won't be looked at until tomorrow. he did say that he went out to see if it would start and said it didn't turn over and he can guarantee it's the blown rod. that's without a mechanic looking at it. kia knows these engines are crap and is choosing to give people the run around. i am the original owner of the car and he first couldn't find me in the computer. that was the first thing i showed him when i walked in the door was my copy from the dealership. all of a sudden he found me in the system. he also said since i service the car's oil myself i have to provide all the records when i purchased oil and filters otherwise the 100k warranty would be void. we don't keep the receipts of all that for 4 years! it's factory defect just like the hyundai sonata's.this is obviously a known issue and it's sad that kia is putting the blame on the customers instead of taking responsibility for a factory defect. no car with 74k miles on it with proper maintenance should have the engine just blow! my 2005 suburban with 150k runs great! thanks, jeff

The steering column clunks when turning left or right, parked or when driving, it has a big gap (play) that makes a clunking noise when turning the wheel left or right. the gap and clunking noise is getting worse.

Back in december, while driving a 2012 kia optima lx, my steering wheel locked up and all of the caution lights came on the dash. the was no tapping coming from the engine until the car began to shut off. the check engine, low oil, fuel etc all came on and my steering wheel began to lock up. i was able to pull off to the side of a busy road. i could not start the car back up. i had the car towed to a local dealership where they stated there was no oil in the engine and there was sludge. i knew that i had maintained upkeep on the car. they stated they would not honor a replacement engine warranty. i had the car towed to our local garage. there i had a used engine installed in my car for a total cost of $4,300. i was able to drive the car. in april i received a notice/recall in the mail from kia stating that there was a rod in the engine which caused the engine to lock up and shut down to immediately take my car to get that replaced. i had already put a used engine in. i was instructed to send all documentation to kia for proof of an engine installed and all labor and costs done to my car out of my wallet and i would get reimbursed. since then, i have had nothing but excuses and reasons why i shouldn't be receiving a reimbursement. there should be no reason i need to provide any documentation but i provided a highlighted checking account statement for proof of purchase of the engine, install of the engine, inspection and emissions, proof of purchase of the vehicle and towing records. the letter from kia clearly states that i should have it repaired by them and not on my own dime. unfortunately i had to take out a loan for the engine and install and had no vehicle until mid february when the used engine i ordered was installed. i still to this day am told i will not receive my reimbursement. i have attempted to continuously call kia, only to be hung up on each time.

We were on the wantagh pkwy as usual then we heard a loud explosion which sounded like the tired had blown. when arriving home we notice the sun roof had exploded and all the glass was inside of the roof. thank god through our insurance it was fixed and replaced.....we hate to think that it would happen again. if it does kia need to fix and replace it.

While driving vehicle and making a turns steering wheel began to make a loud thunk. when parking whether turning left or right car makes loud thunk. called kia and they said they've been having problems with the flex coupling.

There an awful clicking/clunking sound coming from steering wheel when you turn or hit a bump/cross tracks..been told has something to do with flexible coupling inside steering wheel vehicle is always in motion when this happens car only has 100600. miles it doesn't matter if in city or other highways

While driving approximately 65 mph on a highway, the engine shut down without warning. the vehicle was coasted to the side of the road but would not restart. it was towed to a mechanic who diagnosed a catastrophic engine failure. the shop maintained that the engine seized due to apparent improper oil change. the vehicle was purchased less than 30 days prior to the event. the vehicle was subsequently towed to a kia dealership where they, too, were unable to manually turn the engine over. kia service center removed the valve cover and found heavy sludge built up in engine causing it to fail and lock up. kia motors of america denied claim due to lack of proper maintenance. however, hyundai sonata engines were recalled due to metallic debris in engine which restricted oil flow and presented the same manifestations of engine sludge. kia optima sedans were built using engines manufactured at the plant cited in the hyundai recall.

The car will not start after a short trip to market, shop for

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My car has been at the kia dealership here in key west, fl due to the engine seizing just like the recall states. it has been there for 2 weeks and still no word from kia if they are gonna fix it. i have been without a car for that period and am being told there is no timetable on this as well. so after two weeks i don't even know if it will be fixed or anything. the vehicle seized up while driving it, was lucky enough to pull to a side parking lot.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while driving 45 mph off of the interstate, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to pull the vehicle over into a parking lot. the vehicle was not able to restart. the contact left the vehicle overnight and had it towed to midas (6500 se 14th st, des moines iowa, 50320) the following day where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. due to the $7,000 repair cost, the contact decided to sell the vehicle due to the value of the vehicle per the mileage and condition. the manufacturer was contacted in july of 2017 after finding out a month earlier that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine), after the vehicle had already been sold. the failure mileage was 124,890. parts distribution disconnect.

Clockspring malfunctioning in steering wheel which is impacting the air bag functionality.

Turbo feed and return lines leaking causing it to lose oil which could cause to engine failure. i have just had an issue with the lines leaking in which kia will warrant these even though they play a vitial part in engine operation. currently i have seen many issues on forums and websites so not just a few cars. should have a recall just like the engine recall issues. this could cause the engine to stall therefore deaths could occur. this needs to be seriously recalled may cause engine fires from heat on the exhaust and oil line directly above it leaking.

When streering the vehicle, in motion or still, the steering wheel makes a clicking sound. going over any bump it rattles n shakes.

Engine started making loud clicking noise lost power while driving home on busy highway took car to nearest auto shop owner states sounds like internal engine problem advised to have car towed to kia dealership had car towed on 04/22/2017 to dealership. have not received any notice of a recall .car has been sitting at dealership for over a month they called and stated that car had internal engine problems but still have not started on repairing the car has been at dealership for over a month.

I had pulled out on a busy highway during high volume traffic. approximately 1/2 block down highway, my optima started to make a "sputtering" noise. then the engine died while i was driving. i didn't have time to get to side of road. i ended up stalling going approximately 40 mph while the vehicles behind me slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting me.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at 75 mph, the vehicle stalled and all warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to renaldo kia at 4425 e dixon blvd, shelby, nc 28152, phone number: 704-406-8100, where it diagnosed with a thrown connecting rod in the engine and the engine needed replacement. the vehicle was repaired but the contact stated the failure recurred. the contact mentioned that the engine was replaced on three occasion within a year. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and previously replaced the engine at no cost to the contact. the contact stated that the vehicle was back at the dealer awaiting repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 86,155.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle randomly stalled without warning. after several attempts, the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 50 mph, the engine seized without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 151,000.

I was driving down the highway and my engine started making a clicking/knocking sound and lost all power. it completely stopped working. after i had it towed, the mechanic told me it sounded like there was bearing that had worn off in the bottom of my engine.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle stalled and all the instrument panel indicators illuminated. the vehicle was unable to restart. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was aware of the failure and stated that a recall would be issued. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine). the failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Car just stopeven thed while driving down street in town. engine light came on as car died, no prior warning. car had been serviced regularly with no problems detected. kia technician at dealership stated that engine had seized. blamed engine problem on improper maintenance even though i had proof of regular on schedule maintenance. kia refused to honor warranty. when i looked up problem on computer found that there had been several complaints of this same problem and was attributed to faulty engine design causing metal shavings from bearings that clooged oil portscreating sludge and eventually engine failure. kia representitives stated that they knew nothing of this problem and again denied to honor warranty in negotiations.

I was driving my 3 yr old kia optima at 55 mph on a two way road with no shoulder and the engine suddenly and violently started knocking and shaking. i lost all power to the car and was nearly hit from behind as i slowly tried to come to stop on the side of the road with no power. it was scary as heck and i am glad to be alive. my car has been sitting at the dealership for 5 months as i try to save enough money to have a new engine installed. i still owe $8,000.00 for this car and the kia dealership wants $8000.00 to put a used engine in it.

My kia optima has 50,000miles . i was driving 70mpn on the highway, kia engine started to knock very quietly and shut down . lost my power steering . lucky cars didn't crash into me cause i had little baby in the car. drove to the side of highway.car was towed to my house. mechanic came over to my house and told me my engine is toasted. sitting in the garage for couple months cause it needs new engine. cant afford new engine.

Today was the 2nd time i was driving my vehicle and the electrical system failed and my car system shut down. i had no ability to steer, brake, smoke started coming out of the vents all the lights started flashing. hero came to assist, opened the hood smelled melting plastic/rubber. started sparking, car turned back on its own. car is not at ed voyles kia in marietta georgia. kia has replaced my engine twice. unfortunately i am at 120k miles out of warranty.

Engine failed in may of 2016 (engine rod failure and knocking). kia voided our power train warranty and said we would have to pay $6000 for replacement. the vehicle sat for close to a year until the recall notice was leaked. due to the vehicle sitting in our driveway kia said we would have to pay for all issues found outside of the engine. we paid $1497 for those repairs and drove the vehicle for one day. that same day we got a check engine light and "kia of orange park" said the transmission sensor is bad and we have to pay another $400 for replacement. the engine was replaced with no charge but kia is stating that our vehicle did not qualify for the recall. we made payments on a vehicle for close to a year and still are a single car family. we are looking to recover the funds spent on this vehicle.

My vehicle was in motion, when it all of a sudden stopped and the gauges began to act up. i then checked under the hood as smoke was detected my turbo seemed to be very hot and bright red. the engine became locked and the vehicle never started ever since.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a clicking noise could be heard coming from the steering column and it was also loose. the contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

My car started smelling like burning plastic and then it completed shut off. thankfully i was already in a turning lane when this happened. i only had 60k miles on the car at that time. seemed like after my engine was replaced my windows stopped rolling up. then my fuel pump went out. i noticed that it felt like someone was pressing on my brake as i was trying to go and then my traction control light would come on. we fixed this. now it not even a year later and its doing it all over again. this is not safe as people are behind me when this happens.

At 40,000 miles the steering began getting 'sticky' or 'stuck' at the 12 oclock position. it was particularly noticable when cruising down the highway. it got so bad that it was impossible not to overcorrect and veer left and right (mildly). the dealer replaced a part called the flex coupler and the problem vanished. one year later, at 51,000 miles the car is doing the exact same thing again. now, however, the car is out of warranty (by a month). the dealer tells me that it needs a new steering column and that will cost me <> 1500 dollars. if my experiences are any indication, i will be replacing steering parts every 10,000 miles??? bad steering is very pretty unsafe guys. think we can do something about this? i'm not the only person with this problem.

I was driving home from work on a quiet residential street when my 2012 kia optima ex suddenly quit. i coasted into an office parking lot where i saw smoke coming from the engine. i exited the car, opened the hood and saw that the engine was on fire. suddenly, the flames hit the fuel line and the engine exploded shooting flames 10 fee high. i was desparately trying to get everything valuable out of the car while calling 911. it took 4 firefighters to put out the flames . thankfully, the whole automobile wasn't consumed. it was deemed a total loss. this vehicle only had 57,600 miles on it and was still under manufacturer warranty.

On april 5th 2017, my kia optima started to make a horrible sound. i was on hwy 26 headed into portland or. going through the tunnel, as i was going into the tunnel the horrible knocking noise started. there was cars in front of me and cars behind me. this was at 4:30 am.. all the lights on the dash came on, i had no brakes, no steering and no way to accelerate. drifted to the side and had it towed.

Open car door and noticed a burning smell of electrical, smoke coming from door sill.by the time i got cover off smoke and flame coming from the lettering that lights up when door opens. the car was parked in garage.

While driving my car it just stopped running. it completely just died. no engine warning light, no oil light, no warning lights at all. i could not get it to start up again and had to have to towed to my local mechanic since it was late at night. the mechanic took less than 5 minutes to determine that the engine had just seized. what the heck!!

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while the vehicle was stationary, the computer did not recognize that the vehicle was in the park position. a beeping noise sounded and the error message displayed on the instrument panel. a series of unknown kia dealers were notified and stated that the failure could not be duplicated. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was 44,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving downhill with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle abruptly accelerated. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact was able to engage the emergency brake, but the vehicle decelerated and returned to normal after the accelerator pedal was applied with caution. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or local mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 23,538. updated 10/25/17*lj consumer stated: while driving down hill, with brake pedal depressed, getting ready to stop at stop sign, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly to a speed of 30 to 35 mph. i did not engage the emergency brake. i did shift the vehicle from drive to neutral. engine continued to race uncontrollably. i tapped the accelerator pedal with my foot at which time the engine returned to normal. this was the third time this type of incident had occured. i did take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic test on aug.11,2017. no problems were found. updated 10/3/18*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start until a second attempt was made. once started, the check engine indicator illuminated. while driving approximately 40 mph, the check engine indicator remained illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the manahawkin kia dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle's fuel pump failed and prevented fuel from reaching the engine properly. the vehicle's fuel pump assembly was replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. updated 10/17/17*lj *bf the dashboard "check engine lamp" came on and stayed on. updated 10/4/18*jb

Airbag light is consistently on which means it won't deploy during an accident, buttons on steering wheel aren't working, and steering wheel heater isn't working. dealership claims clockspring is worn out. previous models of optimas have had same problem and eventually a recall was made. hopefully this gets resolves before a wreck happens and injury is caused by this airbag defect.

About 2 years ago, my kia had an engine failure and i paid to have the engine replaced. about 3 months ago, my son was driving down the road and the car just quit. i had it taken in and found out the engine was recalled. kia replaced the engine a month and half later. i had the car less than a week and the check engine light came on. i took it back into the deal and they cleared the codes as they said they were old codes and was likely a fluke. they took it for a test drive and the engine light came back on. they have had the car for 3 days now and they have no idea what is wrong with it. i got an email today telling me they have word into kia corproation to see if they will cover it because they will need to tear down the engine to look at multiple components due to previous engine failure but because i was not the first owner that i did not have powertrain coverage but they were trying to see what kia could do for me.

I brought my car into herb chambers kia service center (burlington, ma) on 6/22 for oil change and repair of 2 recall items. on the summary they gave me afterwards it said, "part is being ordered will contact customer when part arrives" so it is now almost 7wks later and have not heard from them re my part coming in to fix the recall ..so i just called them. they said if there's a back order they sometimes "cancel" the order and will reorder the part tomorrow. well i am moving on aug 31 (to near nh line) and still don't know if my part is on back order or they canceled and need to order the part again. when i asked, the lady said they won't know "until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" i asked if they would call me tomorrow for an update. i think it is a canister i need (not sure - see photo of service summary). anyway still waiting (meanwhile getting lots of letters re important safety recall saying my car needs service to be safe!)

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle would surge and then slow down. the failure recurred numerous times without warning. the vehicle was taken to an unknown independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously included in and repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). after the repair, the contact stated that the engine warning indicator illuminated while driving at highway speeds. the contact took the vehicle to the allentown kia dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a large evap leak. the vehicle was repaired, but the engine warning indicator remained illuminated. the contact returned the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel cap was not engaging correctly and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and stated that no repair was needed at the time. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened case number: 12422016. the manufacturer informed the contact to call the dealer and roadside assistance in the event of a failure. the approximate failure mileage was 19,637.

My kia optima abs system will randomly make a crunch sound when i step on the brakes, and i lose some engine power immediately after to the point that my car will not accelerate past 40 mph. it has happened several times on busy highways where i have to fear causing a major accident. kia dealer cannot figure out the issue, they had my car for a day and repaired the steering column and sent me home, only for the problem to occur again the following week.

Air conditioning quits working while sitting still. dangerous for children and others. quits immediately at red light or in park.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle went in and out of gear and finally lost all acceleration. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact had to pull over to the side of the road to a complete stop and then restarted the vehicle. the contact drove the vehicle to work and back home without any issues. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: k32q8186. the approximate failure mileage was 42,900.

I was driving down the road when my car stalled out without warning and would not start again had to have my car towed to shop where they said my engine has enternal engine problems. my car never showed any signs of needing an oil change i recently changed it. i strongly believe this falls under the recall . this was a very scary situation as it was me and my infant daughter in the car we almost got hit from behind and had to wait on the side of the road for 1 hour for a tow truck in 100 degree weather not a proud kia owner.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced stalling. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was taken to the langdale kia dealer, but they refused to perform the repair because it would cost $50. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

While driving approximately 60 mph on the highway, i heard an abnormal engine noise and with no warning, my 2012 optima stalled while being operated at a high speed. the entire indicator panel lit up. this all occurred in less than one minute. i was able to safely pull over on the shoulder, but i could have potentially caused a serious car accident. my 2 year old daughter was in the vehicle with me. the car would not restart, and was towed to the nearest dealer in wenatchee, wa. the diagnosis was complete engine failure as a result of fractured rod bearings. i bought this vehicle certified pre-owned in 2014 and catastrophic engine failure was unexpected. records show routine maintenance every 3,000 miles. i believe this incident is a direct result of an engine oil defect that has been concealed by kia.

Car has been maintained with regular oil changes every 3 to 5000 miles. car was not giving any issues until two days ago when the engin shut off while driving. we restarted it and it was knocking loudly, sputtering and squealing. we towed it to a kia dealer the following morning who ran diagnostics and said the engine is blown and full of sludge. they won't honor the warranty since we can't provide every single oil change receipt since the day we purchased the car. we did provide what we could as we lived in a few states with the car and didn't always use the same shop. the car was in motion when the vehicle just completely shut off without and warning lights.

The care staled at low speed pulled over side of road and smoke was coming from engine, opened the hood and fire had started at front top of engine under the air cleaner, some ware, has not been determined what caused it.

Stopped at red light and car shut down. checked under hood which had smoke coming from it. ground wire was melted. officer was contacted and helped push car to safety. tow company was called and car was loaded we road with the tow truck driver. half way to destination, the car was smoking heavily. we pulled over and looked under the hood and there were flames. we used the fire extinguisher and the flames got worse. car burned with total loss. tow truck partially burned. ..updated 10/04/16 *bf *tr

Gear or bearing defective in steering column .excessive motion , play and noise when operating vehicle . contacted dealer but there has not been any recall regarding this problem . dealer service dept. quoted repair to be approximately 300 dollars . when is kia going to recall vehicles with this malfunction ?

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 65 mph, the engine shut down without warning. the vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic. it was diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

When u driving it . u can here noise in the steering wheel. it had the oil light to pop on while driving on thr freeway put over. put some oil in it. then that night trying to crank it & it started to smoke & caught a fire.

I took my car to get a oil change and the guy that was moving the car was so worried about the steering. he stated that i needed to get it serviced at the kia dealership asap. the steering seems to be clicking and when i hit a small dip or pothole in the road it clicks and sounds like the whole front end is coming off. i was told that this is not covered by the warranty with the vehicle which i think is crazy. i could see if it was something that i did i would take care of that repair. however there are a lot of other people that are having this same problem. i'm really thinking about trading in this vehicle and moving on to someone who does take care of their cars and customers. i was told that this is a common problem with these cars.

Loud clicking noise in steering while driving, hard to turn at times and very loud rattling while driving on rough roads. my daughter uses this car due to better gas milage than hers to go to college sometimes and i also carry my 2 year old granddaughter in this car and have had no problems before now and thought i purchased a safe car all around but being that nothing is getting done about this possible safety issue i am concerned. i would have recommended a kia to anyone till now and now just not sure.

Steering wheel shakes, rattles, and clicks when turning. it sounds like something is loose. going over any thing that is not level (ex. railroad tracks, speed bumps etc) causes the steering wheel to rattle and shake also even if you are not speeding. it will occur in motion and even if the vehicle is in park, and off. i am not really sure what this issue is or what really caused it.

Leather on door handles are peeling.

I was driving down the highway and my 2012 kia optima lost power with no warning signs. i had it towed to a mechanic only to find that the motor was locked up. did i mention that i had just bought the car from boyles auto sales in jasper, alabama on february 3, 2017 and the car quit on february 26, 2017 not even 30 days since the purchase of my car. unfortunely, since we paid cash for the car the dealer basicly told us he wouldn't do anything. so now i am without a vehicle and having to find more money to replace the motor in the car that this dealer sold me. after further research i have learned that kia has problems with the kia optima's for several years and the 2012 that i purchased is included. the mechanic told us that all the components of the car that should have oil, water, any type of fluid was fine but that something internal had stopped operating and caused the motor to lock up.

Loud knocking sound coming from engine, then check engine light came on. made to dealership and discovered a bad oil pump caused metal to flow into the engine and wear the connecting rods and destroy the engine. kia knew there were problems with the 2012 kia optima 2.4l engine and yet did nothing to rectify the issue. now they want me to pay $6000 for a new engine when they knew there was an issue with the 2012 optima all a long.

Car stalled out at 55 mph while exiting off ramp from highway during morning rush hour traffic with family inside. dash lit up with all warning lights (battery, oil, check engine). was able to start the car again and continued driving. that same afternoon while driving home, started hearing a knocking noise under hood while stopped at a red light. once green, i accelerated in which the knocking became faster/louder. pulled over and looked under the hood including checking the oil. dip stick showed normal level without any sign of debris. drove 1/2 a mile to my house at 30 mph (posted speed limit) in which the knocking was very distinct. parked the car. today, had the car towed by aaa to dealership after i called ahead to inform them of the issue. provided a copy of the extended warranty letter that i had received in the mail 6 months prior regarding the short block issue/failure. appears that this is a catastrophic engine failure (at 75k miles) and now dealership is wanting all records related to oil changes. car currently in shop awaiting further inspection. *tr

Sunroof shattered while driving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine indicator illuminated without warning. the vehicle was taken to be repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 75,000.

Column shaked and rattled when i went over bumps or made turns, the dealer, classic kia in lewisville tx, charged me $689 to repair. per my internet search this is a known problem and takes approximately 45 minutes to repair and the part cost a max of $15

Vehicle shut down with low power at 50 mph with all lights working. computer has car shut down and can not start.

Car will not start up. when turning key i hear clicking noise from under the god from fuse box and thinking it's starter relay but i replaced it and still nothing eventually by keep trying turning key to start for 18 minutes it starts up finally. no clue what it could be. maybe starter solenoid

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact had initially taken her vehicle to arapahoe kia (9701 e arapahoe rd, centennial, co 80112) for an oil change and had also informed them that her vehicle had been consuming excessive amounts of oil. the dealer informed her that there had been a recall, nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) placed on her year model vehicle however, kia could not repair the vehicle unless the engine was knocking. a week later, the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle began to stall with the check engine warning light illuminated. the next day, the contact had the vehicle towed back to the dealer and was informed that her vehicle was safe to drive and that the check engine light had been cleared. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a case would be opened. the contact then received a text from the dealer mechanic that stated that the engine was faulty however, they were unsuccessful with diagnosing the failure. the vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. the failure mileage was unknown.

My check engine light is blinking; faulty acceleration on highway and going upgrade (uphill), vehicle jerking on local roadways; auto zone says its a faulty knock sensor. it could possibly be an issue with the engine but i’m not sure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle soon after refueling. the contact took the vehicle to orr kia of shreveport (1111 e. bert kouns industrial loop, shreveport, la 71115) where she was provided a diagnostic fee which she declined. the contact then called orr kia of bossier city (3601 benton rd, bossier city, la 71111) where she was also given another diagnostic fee which she also declined. upon investigation, the contact linked her failure to nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline, engine) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown.

Will driving down the highway, my car suddenly stops accelerating and all my dashboard light come on with cars at my tail. scary ordeal but luckily i was able to pull over.

The kia gave no warning about the car having issues about the engine when i was driving home from work it gave me the error hybrid battery not charging to pull over and stop driving when i had it checked i was told it was not the hybrid that it could be something else the car turns on put wont move even if i put it in drive or in reverse it won't move no check engine light but the hybrid batter not charging and the specialist i had come check the car told me its not the hybrid battery he changed the battery to see it would work but the car still won't move.

Car will not get out of immobilization phase, with either key fob will not unlock to use push to start. also common issue is waste gate activator failure, caused us to almost crash dealer said it is a exstremly common issue but kia won’t issue recal.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, when the vehicle began to hesitate and the he heard an abnormal noise. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact he was able to park on the side of the road and notice smoke exit the hood. the contact stated a police officer was nearby and parked behind his vehicle. the contact stated the fire extinguished on it's own before the fire department arrived to the location. a police and fire report was not filed. the vehicle was not drivable. the vehicle was towed to local dealer northtown kia ( 3900 sheridan dr, amherst, ny 14226: (716) 217-2390) and diagnosed the failure was caused due to a oil leak. the vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline, engine), however the vin was not included. the manufacturer had been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

April 2018 was driving heard loud nose from engine, hybrid system came on , hybrid system warning turn off engine. engine locked up.towed home.pulled oil pan. brass bearings bottom of pan.crankshaft and piston rod bearnig were in pieces. had engine rebuilt. may 2018. filled 2 complaints then. only 73,000 miles.company’s getting away for insufficient engines. tried to sell car. but not going to give away.i don’t want it. i think i deserve compensation.

The engine blew. the car only has about 105,000 miles. i was researching that this particular vehicle has a defect from the factory and i believe that my car falls under those defected cars.

Driving at the speed of 55 mph on two lane road coming down a mountain and kia optima sx 2.0l turbo started losing power then at 45 engine shut down. coasted to shoulder of the road and will not start. towed to home then towed again to shop waiting on repairs. kia says no recall and not part of the 618000 kia optima sx turbo 2.0l recall

I was driving my car on the expressway and all of a sudden it started making a knocking sound. when i was getting off my exist i notice the car was not allowing me to start it up and move. i knew it wasn't my battery because i just got i knew one, but i notice how my engine light would come on. so i was stuck in the middle of the street with no way to move my car out of the intersection. i heard their was a recall on my car so i'm checking to see why i haven't heard any information from kia.

As my stepdaughter was driving home from work on a highway, a loud knock noise came from the engine compartment. at which time she was scared to drive it anymore, so she parked alongside road and waited for someone to come get her. the car was then trailered to the house and then to the kia dealership. when the car was started to load onto the trailer, there were no warning lights of any kind on the dash but there was an obvious noise that something wasn’t right with the car. unloading it at the dealership, the noise began to get louder and again, no lights of any kind came up as a warning. before taking it to the dealership we called kia and spoke with robert on 12/9/2020. robert said there were no recalls on this car and they would not honor the current recall that is all over the papers and news stations. i asked if there were any other recalls on this car and he said no. today when the dealership called to let us know that the cars engine needs replaced because of the rod bearings, again we asked if there were any open recalls on this car. we were again told no. after viewing your website, we have learned that there is, in fact an open recall for the airbag. i know the airbag has nothing todo with the engine, but considering kia was not honest about that recall it would lead someone to believe that they aren’t being honest about anything else. i opened a case with kia and that number is 13909518. we aren’t asking for anything but the right thing to be done. we just purchased this car 3 weeks before this happened. we were already struggling to purchase her a car and will now have to somehow find a way to purchase another one. please help us!

At first it started with my engine oil burning quick, and having to do an oil change every 15 days. now it started doing the engine knocking noise when i drove it 20 miles away from my house in the middle of a busy city street. it had to be towed to my house and i am unable to drive it now. i haven’t drove it since the beginning of december because i’m still waiting to go to the dealership for my appointment next week.

Transmission has a hard pull when it down shifts from third gear to second gear and a harder pull on first gear this is a automatic transmission. in regular gears going in drive would actually do fine i noticed a week later when i was out driving for about an hour that the car would not go past second gear so i pulled off the road and had my car towed. the vehicle has never had any dashboard lights come on currently my car is in limp mode and will only go in reverse takes a few seconds to initiate an engage to go into first gear.dealership does not really want to look at the vehicle if it does not have a check engine light code i have no idea what is wrong with this transmission i have 168,000 miles. it should give you some type of warning that something is going on with your transmission but it does not even light up on your dashboard if you go to press the pedal to accelerate it does not want to accelerate i just recently had my catalytic converter changed out so i know it is not that the gears on the transmission will not go past second gear now it is in what they consider limp mode or default mode someone really needs to look at the transmission on all the 2012 kia optimas i have been seeing a lot of issues with these cars the lights that are considered as the low beams are not very bright either i just recently had those changed and new ones put in they do not give you enough light if you're driving at night this is a safety hazard

Engine is making knocking sound

I was driving to work one morning just got on the freeway and my kia optima with 107k miles decided to shut off out of knowhere. i decided to check the oil and noticed it was pretty much empty when it shouldnt have been. i check it regularly and keep it in good shape also had it changed a month or so back. i had it towed to my mechanic because it would not start at all. it took them 2 weeks and various test including a compression test and installing new spark plugs. after almost 700$ spent they got it running for 15mins and the car shutoff again. they told me it needs a whole new engine...so after i get it towed all the way back home i hear that kia has a massive settlement going on for thier engines failing. not sure if i will get a recall but i have my fingers crossed. i hope that anyone has this problem can find a way to solve this. not to mention i just payed it off and it forced me to purchase another vehicle.

I was driving to pick my kids up when i slowed down to turn a corner the car started making a weird noise and kind of jerked some. i picked up 1 kid pulled out of the parking lot when the car jerked again and barely was moving, even though i was pressing on the gas. then my display flashed hybrid system failure and i was able to drive another 200 yards to park safely and that was it. my husband went to pick it up later with a trailer and oil was pouring out of the under carriage although i didn’t hit anything and there was no reason. this is the replacement motor in my car, in 2017 we had an engine failure as well due to some kind of bearings. i haven’t taken it in yet, it’s in my driveway waiting to see what the newest recall is. seems to be a common failure with kia.

Engine malfunctioned caught on fire and completely shut down.

Lowbeams seem weak/dim. research showed via kia"2011-2013 my optima/optima hybrid headlamp assembly new vehicle limited warranty extension" that the reflector in the low beam headlamp housing may deteriorate over time, resulting in a gradual dimming of the low beam headlamp. unfortunately, it only pertains to vehicles manufactured in korea. my vehicle was assembled in georgia, but i believe the headlight housing is the same for both locations. bottom line, my low beams have the same issue and driving at night is unsafe due to the limited visibility. i personally completed the procedure's inspection as outlined in the tsb (attached) and determined my vehicle has this problem, but since mine was assembled in georgia they won’t replace at no cost to me.

The car had broke down on the side of the road and then caught fire totaling the vehicle while it was not in motion on a city street

I was driving down the road and about 25 miles an hour accelerating when all of a sudden my vehicle just stalled out i was able to put it in neutral and coast to the nearest driveway entrance or i was safely able to stop the vehicle and put it in park attempted to start the vehiclei was driving down the road and about 25 miles an hour when all of a sudden my vehicle just stalled out i was able to put it in neutral and coast to the nearest driveway entrance or i was safely able to stop the vehicle and put it in park i attempted to restart my car and all i heard was a faint click of the starter the engine would not turn over i contacted my roadside assistance via my insurance company to request a tow truck about half an hour to 45 minutes later the tow truck showed up an my battery was almost completely dead the tow truck unloaded my car into my garage where i attempted to restart my car and all i hear is a faint click of the starter the engin will not turn over i did some research and some looking up and found that there is a massive recall by kia on multiple models of cars with the same engine. mine is a 2012 kia optima lx 2.4l and i did find out that anything from 2011 up to a 2015 kia optima has engine recalls for the vehicle stalling out an the engine seizing up because of a manufacturing defects in the engine

The car started to stall and wouldn't go it began smoking and caught fire luckily i was driving right past purrfect auto and turned around and pulled inside the service area before the car was able to catch full fire. i thought maybe the car got hot and that's what i told purrefct auto because i was not sure so i thought that the car was running hot and that maybe it just got a little bit too hot and decided to catch on fire but the car was stalling before the fire and didn't want to go i took it to kia to have it repaired and they told me that i would have to pay out of pocket they said that the car needed a new engine after perfect auto basically took the whole engine out of the car to try to see why the car wasn't working right and they still couldn't figure it out i paid them $3,000 almost $4,000 and the car still wasn't working correctly so i when i took it to kia they denied me because they said my car was not in warranty and that i needed to buy a new engine.

I was driving home from work on the highway, when i noticed my 2012 kia optima ex making a loud clicking/tapping noise coming from the engine suddenly the car turned off and i was able to pull over to the right lane. when i pulled over the car was off so i turned it on and continued to hear the loud clicking/tapping noise.

I took car in for the clicking noise in steering wheel. while car was up inair on stands. the rep stated their was a small leak coming from the turbo oil feed line. however it was not cover under warranty because its not the turbo. i told the it is if its feeding the oil. i did some research on the problem and found that it is a common issue with all of their cars and they are refusing to fix the issue. i told the rep that if the oil causes a burning smell it can cause a fire. i was told the manager would call me but now they are not taking my calls about replacing the line to the turbo.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving various speeds, the steering column vibrated and a loud noise was heard. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the steering column would need to be removed in order to diagnose the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 52,827. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that there was excessive smoke and a premature build up of engine sludge. the vehicle was taken to the dealer more than twice for diagnostic testing and advised that the motor be replaced. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection. the manufacturer provided no solution to prevent the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

I bought my car 3 months ago. never had any issues, make sure i do my oil and all,no lights have come on on my dash board except the airbag light as of recently. i was driving it to pick up my son and my car started to slow down and i noticed my check engine light was on so i pulled over to the gas station and checked my oil. no issue i just got an oil change the week before. my engine is knocking now. with no warning or anything.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving he heard a loud popping sound coming from the vehicle. the contact stated that the engine seized while merging onto the highway. the contact pulled off onto the shoulder. the vehicle was towed to stokes kia (202 s. goose creek blvd, goose creek, sc 29445, (843) 572-7300 to be diagnosed. the contact was informed the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

I just bought the this car a few months ago . the vehicle was in motion on a residential street. the car appeared as if it was trying to die the engine completely turned off without warning . i pulled over to a safe area turned the car off . i waited a few minutes before trying to restart . my car wouldn’t start . after several mechanics looking at the car they believe it’s the engine and told me the car had a recall. i called kia dealership i was told that the recall has been addressed on top of that the turbo is leaking fluids . this car is a mess.

My 2012 kia is shutting off while i am driving. i live in a busy area and that’s very dangerous. i just got the car from a used dealership and my mechanic cannot find anything wrong with the car it happened about 6 times and now it will not start.

It occurs only whenever the car is in motion. when ever i am turning the wheel it clicks. whenever i go over a bump the steering wheel clicks/knocks aggressively.

Recall info shows it was repaired but kia found metal shavings again in the engine and so either the recall was not repaired properly or the replacement engine has the same issue. i was going down the 59 freeway and all the sudden my engine light started blinking so i attempted to very off the freeway but my car would not accellerate. i have had this car only 8 months and kia said the motor has to be replaced. my dad and my brother are both mechanics so i am familiar with what causes metal shavings to be found in the engine. i have not drove the car not neglected the maintenance that would cause this problem. there is a recall where they found metal shavings in the engine. i think it was not repaired properly. i am requesting for investigation to be done on the work performed for that recall. and i am requesting for kia to pay for this 2nd repair due to metal shavings found again. i also need a rental car to be paid for during the time kia still has my vehicle. at family parkway kia in kingwood, texas. also i got a claim form mailed to be to be paid for any repairs i paid for out of my pocket. the kia dealership has all the documentation.

When accelerating, engine seems to have a power loss and then it continues to accelerate again after a few seconds. i am in motiong when this happens on the highway/street.

Engine puts off a burning oil smell and seems to need oil added in between it's 3,000 mile oil change. it happens at all times of car running, either stopped or moving. have heard about engine failures and cars burning with this make, model, and year.

Engine seized in the middle of the highway. absolutely not safe at all. my 2012 optima hybrid is roughly at 115k miles. after seeing all the complaints how’s kia not issuing a recall on this safety issue! very disappointed and hoping to see a resolution from kia.

When i move my steering wheel side to side i hear a weird clunking like noise. i first noticed this while parking in my driveway. it occurs while the car is sitting still, however have not tried it while car is moving. also while driving on the highway last week (approx 60 mph) my steering wheel began to vibrate moderately. i had not noticed the vibration prior to last week or the clunking noise before 9/26/20. i have a video with clunking noise occurring if needed

Kia optima 2012 abruptly powered down in middle of the busy highway with no check engine light warning. the abrupt loss of power nearly caused a vehicle to hit me from behind. after engine shut down check engine light came on and read code p1326. car will no longer start.

I was driving 75mph, i was coming up over a hill, and the vehicle cut out, there was a loud noise that came from the engine, and i was told to pull over, the light was flashing hybrid battery low, please check and advise. i tried to start the car but it wouldn't come on. warning light on dash stated to not start the vehicle. the mileage on the vehicle is only around 110,000.

My car slowed down in wouldn’t reach over 2000 rpm and the engine light kept blinking and when i put it on a computer engine code p1326 popped on. it’s called the ignition control module combustion quality input signal after kia dealership of skibo road supposedly already fixed the problem back in june 2019 now it’s september 30, 2020 n it came on again n yes last year had to replace my engine. i was driving on a street in the morning on september 30, 2020 when it happened and it was raining.

My gear shift is stuck in drive i can not put it in park if i turn my car off it won't crank back up please help i don't know what to do an this is my everyday car

Car engine began making increasingly loud noises. pulled on the side of the road to check it out. turned off the car then turned it back on and car engine made even louder knocking sounds. mechanic took a look and said it was a internal engine problem/failure

When driving slow and turning a knocking clunking sound, or slipping condition while driving in high speed also making wheel vibrate. when in stop and just turning wheel you hear the load clunking. i feel this is a safety issue

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 optima. the contact stated that while driving or while the vehicle was parked, there was a rattling sound coming from the steering wheel. no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not yet taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 132,500.

But my mom was driving her car one day and all of a sudden the bearing or something came loose and oil squirted all over the ground and the car died and and we had the motor replaced at a cost of about 4500 bucks and now the hybrid light system keeps coming on the dealership they don’t know what they’re doing they had to take it to another kia place and i didn’t know what the heck was going onand now with the motor replace the hybrid light system keeps coming on they don’t know why

I bought a 2012 kia optima from autonation in amarillo,tx and i have multiple safety recalls on my vehicle which autonation didn't tell me about at the time of purchase. the recalls can cause a fire and a fatal accident. i've taken it to two kia dealerships and nothing has been done to the recalls. kia hasn't fixed or replace the safety recalls. i will not have me or a family member die cause the neglect that kia has been doing on my 2012 kia optima" vin# [xxx]". i have filed a settlement claim with kia settlement claim's department "claim #[xxx]". i have taken it to 2 kia dealership's. i've done all of the steps kia dealership has asked me to do and nothing has been done to fix or replace the recalls. i use my 2012 kia for my doctors appointments cause i'm disabled. i lost faith and can't trust this 2012 kia optima that im still making car payments. i need this car fixed before me or one of my family members dies in a car accident from the neglected recalls from kia. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I would smell fuel while i was driving so eventually i looked under the hood and found that. the low pressure fuel line cracked and was pulling off the quick connector. the plastic quick connector became brittle because fuel was spilling on it constantly and eventually broke. there was a recall recently done on the same kia model as mine but the 2013 & 2014 models. the same issues is affecting the 2012 kia optimas and this year should also be included in the same recall. i went to the dealership to see if there was a recall on that fuel line and if not what it would cost to repair. i was quoted $600, i thought that was very huge to replace a fitting and maybe some hose so i tried to go as long as i could but eventual the quick connect broke and the risk of fire was to great to chance driving it. so my vehicle has been sitting for 6 months and of course i need a new battery and possibly other things to get it running again.

Transmission issues: between 2nd and 3rd gear. would lag then jerk the car with some torque once it caught 3rd gear. had to get 2 replacement transmissions because of this issue. also engine seizer issue, my engine started to seize when i was going 45 miles an hour with alot of traffic behind me. then all of a sudden it started making loud thunking noices then a very loud grinding noise and then i was stuck on a road not being able to get above 22 miles and hour, there was no shoulder to pull over. and i was stuck trying to go uphill and all these cars behind me. i ended up having to stop the car and leave it in the middle of a 2 lane road on a hill with the emergancy break on. kia knew it was another seized engine which i thought it was my transmission again which i had brought in because this 3rd transmission was having the skilling issues around 20-25miles and hour, but after they knew i wasnt going to buy another kia again they wouldnt fix my trans that should probably be recalled anyways. but they thought it was another optima seized engine, and even though all optimas are recalled for this exact same issue, they say that mine isnt covered becasue its a hybrid and has a motor in the car also so its different set up. but theres are others online with this kia optima 2011-2013 hybrid engine seizer just like all the other optimas. and i think the hybrids should be included in the recall. as we are having the same issues. this was a very dangerous issue

We were driving on a city street slowing down for a signal. the car stalled and a message came up saying to tow the vehicle to the dealer. we had the car towed 4 miles to the dealer. no other lights came on indicating any problems.the dealer told us while they were checking for the problem the engine ceased up. then they said the belt had come off. i think the engine ceased causing the belt to come off.trying to figure out if this has anything to do with the engine problems kia has been having.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving, the vehicle started to make an unknown noise coming from the engine. the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and later towed to jim ellis kia of kennesaw, 1221 auto park dr nw, kennesaw, ga 30144, and was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

Driver side door doesn’t close all the way head light bulbs melting to headlight harness smoking

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, he heard an abnormal noise and parked on the side of the road. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not drivable. the vehicle was towed his residence. the contact called local dealer southwest kia of rockwall located at 1790 i-30 frontage rd, rockwall, tx 75087, (469) 402-2900 and the dealer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer had not been informed of failure. the failure mileage was 136,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving with the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle jerked and felt as though something had blown out and was making a rattling sound coming from the engine. the contact coasted to the side of the roadway. the contact became aware of an oil leak. the vehicle was towed to kia of cerritos (18201 studebaker rd, cerritos, ca 90703), and was diagnosed that the engine belt was melted and the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that she would receive a callback. the failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while her boyfriend was driving and making a left turn the vehicle seized. the contact stated multiple warning lights were illuminated. the driver was able to cruise the vehicle on the side of the road. the driver was able to exit the vehicle and when lifting the hood saw fire. the contact stated the driver ran to his employer and was able to extinguish the fire with 5 fire extinguishers. the contact stated no one was injured or sought medical attention. the vehicle was not drivable. the contact stated no fire or police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to her residence. a dealer was not contacted. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired as of yet. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the contact stated that she found several unknown recalls on line that was related to the vehicle failure. the failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

I have reason to believe that my car has been hacked due to an incident that occurred approximately one week after being aggressively followed by a mysterious black nissan suv with pitch-black tinted windows at my work location. during the incident in question, i was on the phone with 911, with the bluetooth of my car and phone on and connected, calling about a red car that appeared to be following me. i drove around my block and lost the red car but when i returned back to the street where i live, i slowed down as i noticed a slow-moving black suv with pitch-black dark tinted windows (reminding me of the black nissan suv that i encountered a week prior at work). i remember its headlights being off. this time, i was in close proximity to the black suv- it was on my left side driving the opposite direction and it also appeared to slowed down and got parallel to my vehicle). when my car and the black suv where almost next to each other, all the interior lights of my vehicle turned on and i heard a sound that sounded like all the doors unlocked. as a petite female who was driving alone at 10pm or later that night on an empty back street, i got terrified and quickly pushed on the gas to get away from the black suv. with all the interior lights on while trying to drive at night, i had no visibility whatsoever, so i kept pushing the light switch by the driver's side, but no matter how many times i moved the switch, the interior lights did not turn off. after driving, i estimate, 1000+ feet, the interior lights turned off and i regained visibility. at that point i could see my apartment was coming up so i quickly drove into the gated parking area of my apartment complex. as i recall the incident, the light switch was on "door" when i was attempting to turn it off while driving. this incident reveals security/safety vulnerabilities in my vehicle.

I got a oil change came home and the next day started my car and the engine has been knocking making a very loud noise

I was going down highway 80 and lincoln nebraska when my engine just died on me in middle of traffic almost caused no pile up mel my engine burly starts up making knock noise i had the talk back home to wichita kansas

Last year i was told by kia if my steering wheel clicked to bring it in asap, at the time it wasn’t doing that. a month ago it did, i brought it to my dealership and was told it wasn’t covered. the clock spring assy failed. plus it had to do with the airbag not deploying. some are covered others are not, explain to me please that if they all are doing the same thing why aren’t they all covered? please help! thank you.

Engine knocking while driving or stationary , when pressing gas petal or cranking up ! car won’t accelerate while driving, oil light & check engine light blinks on & off while driving or stationary ! cut off on the highway !

Driving down interstate at about 60mph . suddenly engine light flashes. car immediately makes awful sound and looses power as i’m pulling over to get off road. had towed in to home. our neighbor mechanic thinks threw a rod. no warning lights before this happened! loud knocking spud under hood.

Driving car for no longer than 45 minutes. when approaching a green light my car would not accelerate. the light turned red so i had to come to a stop. as i did, all my dash lights came on and my car sputtered. the car then turned off. i tried to restart, but nothing. it began to smoke badly and i rushed out of my vehicle. there was a cop, conveniently close, who stopped and poured water where the smoke was coming from. it continued to smoke but not as bad as before. the car would not turn over still and i was forced to pay to have my car towed out of the middle of the road. after sitting, with engine off, there is still a sting burnt smell coming from under the hood and inside my car.

My 2012 optima was taken to imperio kia in dana point for a mandated engine inspection. after the inspection, i noticed the adviser acting strangely. my car engine started to hesitate, and began to smell rubber burning. the dealership did not ever answer the phone, and with 4 weeks they closed down. my car was inspected at kia of irvine, who determined the engine was damaged beyond repair, it had metal pieces and rubber pieces in it, the hoses were disconnected and there was rubber melted onto the exhaust manifold. there were missing clamps and numerous other probems. kia replaced my engine and turbo with rebuilt parts, after a wait that lasted 4 more weeks. kia provided me a 5 year extended warranty on all the components that were replaced and damaged in this case #12538291. in 2019, another mandated inspection occurred for the fuel pump system and fuel pipe in the vehicles that previously required a replacement engine, because there was a danger of fire. on july 28, 2020, the optima started to lose its power, and choked and hesitated upon startup while i was in traffic. it was very dangerous. i reopened the engine claim and took the optima into the irvine dealership. they clain there is no extended warranty, that it does not exist! they accept no responsibility for the inspection or lack there-of for the fuel pipe, and claim that the warranty and recall do not cover the fuel pump. agents are working from home due to covid-19, and there is no customer service to speak of. the quote from the dealership is extremely high and they want to charge me a high diagnostic fee as well. i have been through enough trauma because of kia, and i want them to be held accountable. their warranty records are a disgrace.

Steering wheel makes a clicking noise . absolutely ridiculous

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving t 65 mph, without warning, the vehicle started to shudder. the contact veered to the shoulder of the road and inspected the fuel in the vehicle. the fuel level was low. the contact drove approximately 20 miles before the vehicle stalled with an abnormal fuel odor in the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was inspected. the vehicle was then towed to paramount kia of asheville (1000 ridgefield blvd, asheville, nc 28806) where a diagnostic test was still pending. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible solution to the failure however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 108,000. the vin was not available.

For several days noticed a faint fuel smell after shutting engine off. also noticed after starting engine. while engine was running i took engine cover off and fuel was spraying out of the top b-nut fitting on the high pressure fuel line. fuel line is on the upper part of engine. this is the same fuel line in recall sc172. engine was replaced in 11/2019 under recall.*dt

While passing another car on a highway my car stopped accelerating. i pulled over and it won’t start cuz it is seized up. lucky for me i could make it to a off ramp. towed it and the repair shop said it was the bearings that are bad and i need a whole new engine and i have less than 50000 miles on the car😤

First, i was on in a road trip to arizona from south carolina. suddenly my car began to make a clicking noise and smelled like oil while driving through a parking lot and lost acceleration while driving through an intersection. took it to kia and they told me it needed more oil when my light never came on and i still had 1000mi left until my next oil change. so they performed the oil change after getting it towed there and having to then come back for it (4 days after getting it towed there). after that, we tried once again to go to arizona and about half way there going about 73mph on the highway, my car made a loud boom noise, saw lots of smoke coming from the front, and complete loss of acceleration. husband’s step dad checked the oil and it was completely gone. we went to grab more oil and when we poured it through, it went straight to the bottom. after hours of trying to get it on the back of our other truck traveling with us we finally got it to a kia and their service department was closed. long story short, we rented a better truck for $480 to haul my car back to arizona. i am very frustrated and upset. my car is now at a kia in tempe, az and they told me it’s not apart of the engine recall class action lawsuit even though an attorney told me it was.

Hi engine keep losing power because the ewga voltage is incorrect. i've had this adjusted 3 times so far over 60,000 miles but it keeps coming back. now i need to go in and spend another 200 dollar to have it fixed ofr the 4th time. something is wrong with the design and it is dangerous as the engine suddenly loses power. how to adjust the ewga voltage is described here: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2013/sb-10090612-5448.pdf it should be made a mandatory and permanent fix paid by kia for the life time of the car.

I was driving on the high way and while i was driving the engine turned off. i was not able to accelerate and the brakes started to give out.

Driving no indication of a problem and engine seized had to be towed to our mechanic told the engine seized and had plenty of oil and oil had just been changed? towed to kia dealer in lowell to be looked at and have not heard a word for 2 weeks..called the kia hotline and no word from them either? it is equipped with a 2.4 thera ii engine... now i've learned that this is a problem engine and it appears im stuck with a 6500 dollar lawn ornament!!!! there has been a recall sc147 but when i look up my vin number its not included not sure same engine and same problem? a new driver but was able to get safely off road way. *tr

Tl* the contact called on behalf of his son who owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while his son was driving at 65 mph, the engine ceased without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed his son that the engine threw a rod and needed to be replaced. the contact's wife sent an email to the manufacturer and was informed to have the vehicle taken to an authorized dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. the contact's wife spoke with two unknown dealers who offered no assistance and provided her with the same information as the manufacturer. upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 125,000. *ln consumer has contacted the corporate office.*jb

My vehicle steering makes a loud noise when turning it. it happens when driving and while car is in park. i was told this happens with kia's(steering coupling) and should be a recall. i need to know if established as a recall so i can take to a dealer for repair because i do not want to continue driving like this.

There is metal in the bottom of the engine, there is no sludge build up and the engine has less than 90,000 miles on it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the low beam headlights were inoperable. the vehicle was driven with the high beam headlights to compensate for the failure. the vehicle was taken to lee johnson kia (11845 north east 85th street kirkland, wa 98033, (425)827-0521, to be inspected. the low beam bulbs were replaced however, the failure persisted. the contact was informed that the headlight housings needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. the contact was then informed that the vehicle was not covered under the extended warranty. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Vehicle was running but wouldn’t go past 40 mph all of a sudden it slowed down to 20 mph and completely stopped and turned off at a stop sign. it did not want to start anymore. *tr

6/17/20 i was driving my 2012 kia optima ex (2.4l gas direct injection 4-cyl engine) and had just stopped at an intersection for a red light. once the light turned green, i accelerated to continue driving to my destination. shortly after leaving the intersection, my vehicle suddenly and without any warning made a clunk sound, the lights on the dash flashed and the engine died. i wasn't sure what happened so i quickly put the car in neutral and coasted until i reached a safe place to pull over and park the vehicle. i tried restarting it but it just made a click sound and would not start. after attempting to start the vehicle a couple more times there was a little smoke that came from under the hood / engine compartment. it kind of smelled like something was burning. i thought it might've been some sort of electrical problem so i called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to an automotive electric shop for them to take a look at it the next day. they looked at the vehicle this morning and told me that the engine was seized up and that the engine was bone dry of oil. i don't understand how this is even possible when i never received any check engine light, check oil light, no oil leaks on the motor, no oil leaks in my driveway or anything. how does a vehicle that is serviced regularly all of a sudden seize up without any warning what so ever? i have done some research online that indicates kia has issued a recall for certain 2011-2014 kia optima vehicles. however, when i look up the specific vin number for my vehicle it says i don't have any current recalls. i purchased this car brand new from a kia dealer and definitely would not have purchased it had i known that the motor would seize up only 8 years later. i expect an engine from kia to last longer than 8 years. i am thankful that i wasn't traveling at a higher rate of speed when this happened. sad kia customer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while pulling out of her driveway, the vehicle loss power steering assist and ceased without warning. the contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer. the vehicle was towed to dorschel kia (3817 w henrietta rd, rochester, ny 14623) where the vehicle was diagnosed with power steering failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was provided. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

As i was driving 45mph, i heard a riddling noise. after hearing the noise i saw my malfunction light was blinking so i pulled over to see what was the noise. as i was searching i noticed that my car wasn't running hot or needed oil so i didn't know what was wrong. i waited about 30 minutes to start again, still noise and light blinking. over the time the noise grow louder and louder each time i turn the car on.tried to drive back too safe area, the car didn't want to pull like it was going to die. pull over in a lot to have a tow truck pickup to return home. next day before taking it to a repair shop i turned the car on to see is anything had changed. the light was still on and the noise was louder but this time the car cut off by itself. it also had lost power after a few sec of having it on. while it was on the most it would do was 20mph. so i couldn't drive the car at all anymore. took to nearby repair shop stated it needed a new motor. got a second opinion to say the same. i have only had the car for six months!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact state that while driving at 30 mph the vehicle stalled, with the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to safford kia of fredericksburg (5204 jefferson davis highway, fredericksburg, va 22408, (540)-891-7400. the technician performed a diagnostic test that located the failure code at the high-pressure fuel pipe. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired at the same dealer under nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline, engine). as part of the recall repair the high-pressure fuel pipe was inspected but was not replaced because the technician found no failure with the part. the vehicle was repaired and the high-pressure fuel pipe replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 111,227. *ln*jb

The engine is burning oil extremely i can get a oil chance and before you know it i’m so few miles my oil stick is on low and the car is making a ticking noise like it’s trying to cool off everytime the car is turned off after driving. *tr

Recently when driving i've heard a pronounced "knocking" noise coming from my 2012 kia optima engine. this happens especially at highway speeds but can also be heard at lower speeds as well. i was aware of a safety recall for this exact problem and an extended warranty that had been placed on my engine because of it. i brought the car to a kia service center for them to run the audio test required by the recall. although they admitted that the knocking was coming from the issue stated in the recall, they said it was still "in spec" and it was not loud enough yet to warrant replacing the engine free of charge. they also mentioned to bring in the car again if it got worse. just a few days later driving on the highway, the knocking was so loud i could not hear my radio. my wife and i do not feel safe driving the car and i also don't believe i will be able to sell it in this condition. if kia is admitting fault with the engine issue, what are they waiting for? is this safe? if they are waiting for it to fail before replacing it, i could have my engine seize on the highway or catch fire based on what the class action lawsuit was targeted at. *tr

Engine stopped while in motion on the interstate with children. all of the lights on the dash came on but it wouldn’t accelerate. would not re start after powering off. *tr

Kia replaced a blown engine in 2017 on recall. from the beginning i noticed it felt different. it goes through oil , but doesn't leak anywhere. when i take off after its sat for a while a big cloud of white smoke comes out the back of the car. i have taken it back to the dealer and they tested it and said it was ("burning oil in the combustion chamber") . the engine has less than 40000 miles on it. i am afraid to drive it because the first time the engine blew up, i almost caused a giant accident! now the car is not only dangerous but worthless as well. i have kept all documents on the car, oil changes, parts & repairs, recalls, etc. *tr

While accelerating to highway speed the engine stalled and would not restart. moved the vehicle to the side of the road. the engine would not rotate. could not jump start. the vehicle had to be towed. there were no pre-existing audible or visual warnings prior to this event. initial inspection has determined the engine seized. vehicle's current mileage is 132,720. last oil & filter change performed at 130,330. next scheduled maintenance is not due until 134,330. i have spoken to my local kia dealer and also to kia motors customer service. both have informed me that yes, there is a recall already on this vehicle's engine for this particular type of failure, sc147. however, since the recall test procedure was performed and passed over 12 months prior to this event, they will not reopen the recall inspection for this vehicle and engine replacement is my responsibility. recall sc147 is an engine noise inspection for restricted oil flow to the bearings by metal debris in the crankshaft's oil passages. is it not possible that this condition can occur at any time even after a noise check is conducted? the engine may not have made noise at the previous test but it is now seized without any other indications of failure. i see on kia forums that having the engine fail is not uncommon even after the recall inspection has been completed. why is this a one time inspection and not recurring at calendar and mileage intervals? since kia is unwilling to investigate this issue, i am having the engine replaced by my local maintenance provider. is there any course of action for reimbursement against kia on this unfortunate event?

My steering wheel has a clanking sound everytime i turn left, right, or even go over bumps. i have read multiple reviews on people with the same issue since the car was released! this is a safety issue. this can cause car accidents. people can lose lives over this. there needs to be a recall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the rear brake lamps illuminated and remained illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle was turned off however, the brake lamps remained illuminated with the esc warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact stated that the only way to turn the brake lamps off, was to disconnect the battery. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. the dealer was not contacted or notified of the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl the contact owns a 2013 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, an abnormal rattling noise was heard coming from the engine as the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle however, the cause for the rattling was not detected. as the contact resumed driving, the rattling noise became louder and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact then received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v100000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 230,000. invalid vin.

Code p1326 came up indicating vibration in the engine or a knock sensor or and engine bearing is about to need replacing

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. the contact was informed while in her residence that the vehicle was on fire, by another driver. the fire department was called and extinguished the fire. the contact stated that the fire marshall informed her that the fire started in the engine. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

I was driving on the interstate and my engine shut down without warning. i've never missed an oil change and all work preformed has always been done at dealership. i had it towed to the dealership. the dealership contacted kia and they told them the engine was locked up. kia told them to not investigate in the engine, just replace the engine. dealership told me they will let me know how much new engine will cost. my engine(2.4l) falls under the class action law suit going on, but my car is not being recalled because it is a hybrid. i drive a 2012 kia optima hybrid.

I stopped the car and tried to put the shift lever to park, the car indicated that it was still in drive. the car was stuck in drive even though the shift lever was in the park position. i turned the vehicle off. i tried to restart but it would not because the car thought the transmission was in drive. i could not move the shift lever from park without use the shift unlock. upon investigation i found that the transmission shift cable came detached from the shifter lever. it appears that a plastic retainer disintegrated.

There's a recall on low pressure fuel hose defect for 2013 and 2014 kia optima (kia recall #sc187) but my 2012 also has similar fuel smell. i took my car in to kia of irvine (ca) for diagnosis on march 7, 2020 and was told high pressure fuel line connector to fuel pump is missing a small tab and may need replacement. i was also told that since i recently replaced the valve cover gasket myself which would involve disconnecting and reconnecting the fuel line to the fuel pump, they're not responsible for the line missing tab. but the issue is there was no fuel smell after i replaced the gasket. the smell was right after they replaced the turbo which also involved disconnecting and reconnecting the fuel line to fuel pump. interestingly, there's another similar recall (kia recall #sc172) where it invlove kia's service technician damaging the same fuel line after engine replacement work on numerous vehicles. the fact that kia has had recalls due to fuel odor on same make/ model, and the fuel smell was after they serviced my vehicle, they should be responsible for vehicles fuel line issue. furthermore kia should take this issue seriously as the car could potentially spark fire. please help!

The vehicle requires that you hold the steering wheel tightly at all times to prevent the vehicle from veering to the right or left. this is not an alignment issue, no uneven wear of the tires. in addition the steering is quite hard requiring unusual grip on the wheel. also every slight bump is felt throughout the car. the failure of kia to address this problem found in many of their products, makes this company/mnf of questionable character.

I was driving and heard some knocking and smelled an exhaust like smell, after getting off the highway and stopping at a stop light, the car would not accelerate pass 25 mph when pressing on the gas pedal and would stutter & hesitate. i stopped for a diagnosis at the closest car shop. after their evaluation they thought it could be the transmission but since they were a oil change & tire shop they could not help. since the car was drivable, i thought i could make it back home very slowly, i drove no more than an 1/2 mile and could not accelerate pass 10 mph. i parked the car and had it towed to another auto repair shop 3 miles away. outcome, they resealed timing cover which included replacement of front crank seal, valve cover gasket and cleaned residual engine oil from engine. also, resealed lower oil pan and replaced oil and air filter and cleaned residual engine oil. even after this repair, they test drove the car and verified the car would not accelerate pass 30 mph and would stutter and hesitate. they informed me that it maybe the hybrid system. i went online regarding the hybrid system(still under the factory warranty of 100,000)and noticed a recall on the non-hybrid kia optima with my same experience. i had it towed to the dealership close to my house. the dealership performed a diagnosis and their findings were “could not duplicate customer’s concern at this time, there was no oil leak found on the engine and vehicle drive properly during road test.” my car has been sitting for over 11 months. i did take it to the dealership recently for inspection & emission, passed as car had less than 5,000 miles from last service. however,on the way home, 1.2 miles away, the hybrid system warning light came on “safely stop and do not drive”. i put on the hazard lights and made my way home as i was half-way, the car has been sitting since. please recall–make this right

As i was driving on the highway approximately 65 mph the engine began to stall not allowing any power while pushing on the gas pedal. the service manager at kia explained to me that they found a pin in the engine that was supposed to be r removed but never was causing this to cause major damage to my engine and head gasket.

Since about 40k miles my steering has clicked, locked, and missed and has gotten worse to the point that i have almost been in a few wrecks from inability to control steering. a mechanic friend of mine told me there was a recall for this and to call kia of chattanooga (who i purchased from) to look into it along with other recalls i may not know about before taking a trip accross country with my son. i have tried calling and the dealership hears recall and hangs up on me. i was able to leave one voicemail for the manager but was never contacted back and continue to be hung up on. my concern is mostly with the steering and possible bearings with engine. steering will click even at a stand still, locks and misses while in motion rather badly. this has been happening since around 40k miles. unsure of any other safety related recalls as i had moved multiple times and belive that is why i did not get letters.

2012 kia optima hybrid stopped running. mechanic informed me rod bearings had went bad causing metal shavings to get into engine oil damaging the engine beyond repair. new engine is needed with only 60,000 miles on car. 2012 kia optimas have been recalled for this specific reason but was told hybrid is not in recall. this is obviously the same issue and defect does not matter if it is a hybrid or not

Hi im from canada but here except take our money governement do nothing , can you tell me why kia optima hybrid gas engine is not recall but non hybrid it is ??? make a quik research in goggle for engine seizure of optima and sonata hybrid and in percentage of sale there is more engine broke in the hybrid . is the same block engine and the issue is the same , conecting rod and cranckshaft seizure its the same parte number for all engine escept for the head . how much dead kia hyundai is waiting before to do something there is the same problem whit the theta engine but in recall nobody specified (hybrid so the stealer always defend herself by saying hybrid is non include in recall . how much accident do we need to do someting for this crappy engine . mine do the same thing than the other at 60 mph i lost suddenly power and car stop in the middle of hiway its should not happen no mather the millage i dont understand why kia hyundai repair the non hybrid theta engine but not hybrid and ite the same engine block ecept for the fuel delevry system but the part who will broke is the conecting rod and its the same issue hybrid or not thank

I was driving on the road at 40mph when the engine just stopped. there was no noise and the vehicle lost control. i was able to avoid any serious body damage. all the electrical accessories would turn on but the engine stayed dead when i turned the car on. after leaving it over night parked on a residential street the next day same situation all electrical devices turned on but the engine wouldnt turn on. i had to get it towed to the dealer i bought it from in order for them to take a look at what could of gone wrong.

Steering sticks and you have to forcefully pull the steering wheel in the other direction to unstick it. oil is burning with no oil leaks, no leaks in other fluids, no explanation as to where it is going but it is burning through a quart of oil every 7 days.

On feb18 2020 head lights again stopped working new bulbs were put in oem replacements light go off when ever they want this is extremely dangerous if your a rural roads interior light stay on or go off on there own but mostly it’s the head light that work when they want to this issue happens when driving and when stationary kia has to do something to repair the problem this isn’t a wear and tear people’s this is subpar craftsmanship on a safety issue and i’m afraid someone will die. i have read other complaints where the car owners payed 400.00 to replace the wiring and bulbs only to have it happen again. my other issue is that kia used a plastic star locking bearing in the steering column that broke and i had to fix at my expense mechanic said it’s a problem with the cars. when driving the car making a turn you would feel the grinding in the steering wheel and hear clicking. this was on regular city paved streets.

Streering get hot

On feb.14,2020 i was driving on the freeway going 65mph when my car stalled luckily i was able to get to the right shoulder of the freeway i try to restart the car nothing happen didnt click over every light was on the dashboard i had it towed to my house and try to start it twice nothing clicked over i thought it was the battery bought a brand new battery $153 and still nothing it no clicking over no nothing i believe my engine failed

Clicking noise in steering wheel

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that when driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled intermittently and the engine and tire sensor lights illuminated while the failure occurred. the contact was able to move onto the road shoulder inspected under the hood and found smoke and within a moment the flames was under the hood and the vehicle was on fire. the contact stated that before the engine failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to doug smith kia (495 w main street american fork, ut 84003 phone (801) 692-4390) to have nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (engine) performed. the contact also stated that a recall for under frame corrosion protection was also performed. the dealer checked the engine and was unable to see any problem with the engine and provided a free oil change, and replaced dip stick to the orange color. the california fire department extinguish the fire. the california state patrol department was also present a police report was not filed. the contact suffered smoke inhalation and scrapes from glass. the vehicle was towed to the contact home. the contact also stated that the air conditioning system did not work properly after recall was performed and caused the defrost system failed. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 130,000.*bf consumer stated he lost everything in the car.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima hybrid. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced electrical failure and unintended acceleration. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated and decelerated independently. the contact stated that there was an intermittent failure with headlamps. the contact also stated that the vehicle lunged forward while driving. the vehicle was taken to power kia dealer, (3705 market st ne, salem, or 97301, (503) 585-7333) and was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, the unintended acceleration recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and informed that the headlamps light switch caused the battery to drain. the battery was replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure recurred. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the same dealer four times. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 77,874.

When i’m going around a curve my steering wheel sticks and stays in the turning position. i have to forcefully turn it back

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, approaching a stop light, the contact made a left turn and the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact was able to safely guide the vehicle off of the roadway. the contact attempted to restart the vehicle with no success. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. the contact stated that failure was similar to the failure stated in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted or informed of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

The seat has completely ripped open just from getting in and out of the car. now i have duct tape the seat so it looks very trashy.

The car will not accelerate at a safe time frame. for example if i need to cross a busy street. i have to wait until there are absolutely no cars coming because when i accelerate my engine revs but doesn't move. i've been almost rear ended several times because the transmission will not go into gear. the engine will hit 8 or 9 thousand rpm then the transmission decides to catch and throw my head into the seat. which if there is a car in front of me i have to be careful not to rear end them because of the sudden acceleration.

The steering feels like it locks as your driving pulling the vehicle to the left. i can jiggle the steering wheel to help correct it back to straighten the wheels.the dealership aligned the front end but this did not fix the problem. they said they could possibly fix it if i spent over a $1000 dollars to replace parts on the right front end. they would not guarantee that this would solve the problem. that is a lot of money to "maybe" fix it.

Issue started 2 months ago. noticed that vehicle acceleration is sluggish. sometimes i have to take foot off the acceleration pedal then depress it again in order for vehicle to accelerate. acceleration is unreliable and dangerous. electronic stability sensor also started lighting up and cruise control became inoperable. also noticed that my tail lights lit up on its own (and did not turn off) while vehicle is parked and fob not near vehicle, draining the battery. police came by in the middle of the night to report that my tail lights were on. tail light did not turn off when pressing the fob unlock/lock button. had to restart the engine, drive around the block then turn off engine before the tail lights came off... but it turned back on again on its own that same night (in the middle of the night) and had to repeat the process. my battery was drained and had to replace it 3 days ago. i thought it was a battery problem (and was informed by dealer that it was probably a battery related issue) but problem persisted. read reviews and this seems to be a running complaint with issues on brake pedal stopper or brake sensor stopper. will bring vehicle to dealer in the morning.

I was driving my 2012 kia optima along highway 102 when it just stopped running pulled off the highway put it in park turn the key off try to restart the vehicle with no luck it would not start had it towed to an automotive shop and to our surprise they said that it was the motor due to the crankshaft boring and not being cleaned out properly we took very good care of this car had an oil change every 3000 miles from the dealers garage where we purchased it should be well-documented

Driving approximately 60 mph on the highway and the engine seized giving me know acceleration. vehicle was brought to the dealership and they found metal shavings in the engine that may have gotten loose very similar to the kia optimas that were recalled but the hybrid model was not recalled.

There are a few recalls on my car. an appointment was scheduled to go to greenway kia in longwood, fl. however, upon arrival they tried to charge us for the diagnostics and stated that the recall is not valid without us paying for the diagnostics. then they proceeded to advise us that the parts that we needed under the recall were not covered by the recall and that we would need to pay thousands of dollars to then mention that it would be easier for them and cheaper for us to just buy a new car. we decided to leave and try to do more research. i did call our mechanic he confirmed there were recalls for our vehicle. i then called another kia dealer and they advised there were recalls on our car and that there would be no charge for the diagnostics and/ or repairing the car under recall.

I was driving the car at about 45 mph, and suddenly the check engine light, battery, and the oil light all came on at once and my car stopped moving. thought it was the battery or the starter at first but now i’m pretty sure its either the engine got locked up or the wires in the car just burnt up.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the steering wheel vibrated abnormally without warning. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted or informed of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000. the vin was not available.

Most recently while driving my car with vehicle in motion on city street (a straight road) it all of a sudden drops power and i am unable to get the car to accelerate without push down very hard on the pedal until it finally decides to speed up, once this occurs the traction control light appears on the dash and does not disappear and will not disappear until the car is shut off and restarted and the loss of power continues to happen until the car is powered off. after realizing this issue i turned off the car and let it sit a few minutes and when i powered back on and drove again the same issue occurred and the traction light reappeared on my dash. i am concerned this could be a faulty programming issue that is telling the car the traction is needed when it is in fact not. this is a safety hazard as there is no way to predict when this power loss will happen and does so in the middle of driving which slows the car way down and could cause an accident and also having to continuously keep the accelerator down until it decides to regain power is dangerous because it will suddenly ramp up the rpm and take off. this is a major concern and could be happening to other consumers.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima lx. the contact stated while driving at approximately 25 mph. when the contact turned on the defrost there was a burning odor. the vehicle was then parked when the engine caught on fire. the contact called the fire department to extinguish the flames. the vehicle was towed to a junkyard. the dealer was not contacted. however the contact notified the manufacturer which they did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was at 117,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 15 mph, the vehicle sezed without warning. when the contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle, it failed to return to normal. the vehicle was towed to a family member's house. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was notified. the dealer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I was merging back onto the freeway after i had a panic attack due to being over a bridge with all these cars and the car behind me proceeds to aggressively try to cut me off from getting over and hit the back of my car causing damage.

I was on the interstate traveling at approx 70 mph changed lanes and when i went to accelerate the vehicle stalled lost power i coasted to the breakdown lane and attempted to start the vehicle. it would not start. i had aaa tow it to a hardings garage in fairfield. the technician said this morning the vehicle started but stalled as soon as he tried to move it. he told me that there was a kia recall 17v224000 that applied to the engine so i got aaa to tow the vehicle to charlies kia in augusta, me. they tell me that there is no recall on my vin. why would i have the same stalling as indicated in the recall if my vin does not apply???

My airbag light turned on and stays on while driving. my interior 3way switch light randomly turns on and stays on while driving and won't shut off until the car is off.

Vehicle was in motion when check engine light came on, car was driveable but idling rough. brought vehicle to shop for diagnosis. engine had following codes show up once diagnosed. p0014 - b camshaft position - timing over-advanced or system performance. p0017 - crankshaft position - camshaft position correlation bank 1 sensor b. after diagnosis mechanic found faulty oil control valve, part actually had a piece of the screen had been dislodged leaving a circular hole. other piece of screen was never found. once replaced engine still had a code, stated cam shaft position sensor was faulty. mechanic replaced that part and finally code cleared for engine.

The car engine made a noise and the engine and starting smoke with fire and it completely stopped in rush hour traffic. the car shutdown in traffic and had to pushed out of the street to avoid me being hit.

Driving down the highway and the vehicle stalled motor seized up but unstuck after cooling has bad knock now. stuck on highway waiting to be towed.

Steering column coupler

While waiting at a stop light my car completely shut off and wouldn't start again. now the engine is seized up and won't turn on or anything. no lights or warning signs of anything happening. i was at a stop light waiting to turn left on a city street.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was towed to demontrond kia (14101 north freeway, houston, tx) where it was diagnosed that the engine bearings failed and damaged the engine. the dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer provided case number: 13418572, but did not assist. the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine), although the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recall. the failure mileage was 130,000. the vin was invalid.

Engine locked up and shut down with no warnings

I was driving 60-70 mph when my hybrid system alerted me that my breaks were an issue. i then tried to slow and could not. the car slowed itself as a safty procaution but i was in 70 mph traffic. not safe. it would not completely stop so i was forced with the option of hitting a tree to make it stop. kia says that it my breaks electrical system but that doesn’t make since. i have my car worked on repeatedly to avoid this and now look? something malfunctioned that shouldn’t have.

As my son was driving our kia down a highway in rockwell nc it just shut off, loss power would not start back up, so had it towed to repair shop and mechanic said the motor is seized up, so i searched online for recalls and the exact thing has happen to a tee to people who was driving down the road or highway and the car just shuts off thankfully my son or anyone else didn’t get hurt...

On 9/3/2019 i took my 2012 kia optima to gossett kia south to get it repaired. it didnt get fixed before i left the lot my car was smoking and leaking antifreeze. i was stranded for 4 days after that day. i went to the nearest part store and purchased a bottom radiator hose and antifreeze. i had a mobile mechanic to put the hose on. there after i was stranded again the car wouldn't start. i had it towed to firestone 10/4/2019. my car stayed the lot for a month and it was then towed to gossett kia north from there it has been repossessed. i made payment arrangements to get the car back i am determined to get my car repaired. i use the car to make it to appointments. i am disabled and this doesnt seem fair at all im paying notes on a nonworking car. i hope to hear from you soon with further advice

Vehicle's abs brake activate randomly illuminating the abs brake signal on dashboard,while in motion and without touching the brakes. this causes the vehicle to decelerate and has made the vehicle come to a near complete stop. even if the gas pedal is pressed to accelerate the vehicle will not increase speed, only decrease. the issue happens 8/10 times while making turns and approx 5/10 while driving straight on freeway . this happened on 11/08/2019 in the evening, i immediately took my vehicle back to kia and they claimed to have driven my car for 20 miles and didn't see or experience any issues. my car is a 2012 and only has 58, 388 miles. i demanded they keep looking but they caught an attitude like i made the scenario up and any stated that i should drive the car with their mechanic as they "cannot replicate my driving", like i'm driving in the damn indy 500. since it is now sunday, and the dealer is closed it will be sitting in their service center monday morning!

Been having issues with the driver side window for some time. when pushing the window up, it keeps going back down. after mentioning it to the kia dealer they said there was nothing wrong. well, just yesterday the entire window made a cracking sound while trying to roll it up while driving. then the entire window just fell all the way down and now it won't go up at all while driving on the freeway. not sure if it came off the tracks or if it has something to do with the motor. after doing some research i have noticed that a lot of kia owners have or had that same issue. this is definitely some kind of defect/problem if so many have the same issue and it should be recalled since it seems like a problem with the manufacturer.

2012 kia optima ex with 48000 miles now driver-side headlight stopped working, so as of now i am driving with passenger sidelight in combination with parking lights. buying kia optima is the biggest mistake i have ever done, it seems every month something goes wrong with this vehicle. surprisingly nhtsa has not taken any action as per kia optima well known defects.

Car engine died and lost power on highway putting me at risk of getting into an accident. i had to pull over on shoulder quickly and then blew out a tire a i ran over a unavoidable object on the side of the road.

I was traveling down e 470 in colorado with my grandchildren when my car suddenly ceased up and blew a rod going 70 mph. a car almost hit me from behind and luckily i was able to get over so i didn’t cause any more damage to me my family or anyone else. my car had oil and had been change just recently. i am seeing that this is a problem with these cars. just wanted to report that this has happened to me also.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. the contact was able to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road, but it would not restart. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a defective bearing in the engine. the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling), but the vin was not included. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 150,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). bev smith kia (5655 us-1, fort pierce, fl 34982, (772) 465-8589) was contacted and stated that the failure may be due to a main fuse under the vehicle that blew out. south dade kia of miami (17120 s dixie hwy, miami, fl 33157, (786) 673-8136) and kia atlanta south (7310 jonesboro rd, morrow, ga 30260, (770) 968-3400) were contacted and stated that the engine seized. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 79,000.

Hello i am not sure if this is the correct place to seek information or file an compliant about what i think is a defect in kia motors paint on this models that was painted with white. while driving i seen paint start to fly off my hood of car. my car is kept inside so this should not be happening. i contacted kia motors and rep stated they are aware of issue but cant paint all cars with flaking or peeling paint. i asked if their is a known issue or problem with model and year why would you not offer some type of reimburse/ assistance or recall to correct. she stated to hold and came back to say her boss said the company would go broke. after the conversation phone hung up. i have called left message with live person that say they would call back and no one has. in looking for the number to contact kia motors. i ran across a forum that other have contacted kia motor about same issue. can/will you help with this. the problem /issue is with kia motors white pearl paint on 2011-2016 cars and trucks. they all are peeling inf=g flaking in the saime area. top back trunk, driver side back quarter and hood. the link if you would look into is (1) https://kia-motors.pissedconsumer.com/2013-kia-optima-sx-paint-chipping-and-flaking-off-201802151190418/2.html (2)https://kia-motors.pissedconsumer.com/2013-kia-optima-sx-paint-chipping-and-flaking-off-201802151190418/3.html (3)http://www.carproblemzoo.com/kiamotor/optima/paint-problems.php (4)https://3dbodyworks.com/pennsylvania-can-fix-peeling-snow-white-pearl-hyundai-chevrolet-toyota-kia/ (5)https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/kia-motors-bad-paint-c644680.html thank you for your time

Upon acceleration the motor seized and started smoking. i had to quickly apply the brakes and get off the interstate due to an 18 wheeler being right behind me.

On aug 2nd i was driving thru utah on my way to tn. i car starting having some sputtering/hesitation issues when going from a complete stop. i there was no warring on my instrumental panel. all electronics (ac, radio, etc) were working fine. i continued on and shortly there after my car started not accelerating at all while driving down a major freeway. i had no power at all. still no warring on the panel. i managed to get off the freeway and barely made it to a side street near a gas station. i was almost hit due to the fact i couldn't accelerate my car. i preliminary inspection of the car by a mechanic reveled that i had a blown motor. i got it towed from the mech shop to the dealership, and began working with kia consumer affairs. at present i am being told that this is a maintenance issue and not part of kia's motor issues. however i always get my oil changed with full synthetic oil and a kia oil filter. this is done about every 5k miles. additionally i had kia do the 90k mile recommended service on the car. this is not a maintenance issue and so far kia has refused to fix or acknowledge their poor manufacturing of this turbo gdi motor.

The gas peddle stops working and the vehicle decelerates as you are in motion. after stepping on the peddle a few times it begins to accelerate again.

Brake light switch malfunctioning. brake light on all the time rendering cruise control and electronic stability control inoperable. loss of power in engine as it thinks brakes are applied making it dangerous to drive. root cause is brake pedal stopper (kia part 32876-36000) developing a puncture hole over time making the brake switch believe brakes are applied. known issue on other kia models. believe the sorento already have a recall for something very similar.

About 4 years ago the headlights on my 2012 kia optima sx starting getting dim. i took it in to the dealer and they replaced bulbs which made no difference. i took it in again about 2 years ago because it was becoming difficult to see at night. they couldn't figure out the problem. they had my car overnight so the service tech drove it that evening to see how bad it was. he told me that he turned up a dark road, turned the car around, flipped the high beams on so he could find his way back to the dealership. he told me that it scared the you-know-what out of him and he was sorry but all he could do is replace the entire headlight assemblies and it would cost me $2500.00! i went online to see if others were having this problem and i see hundreds of complaints about this problem. i no longer drive the car at night and have to rely on my husband for transportation after dark. i might try to trade the car in for something with real headlights but i'm afraid that i won't be able to trade it in this condition. i did find a tbs #ele181 that says it's part of a warranty extention wty014 that replaces the headlights for this very condition on my car model and year but when i called the dealership they said it only applies to korean made vehicles. mine is an american made kia that, obviously, has the same issue. why wouldn't all kia optimas with this extremely hazardous problem be eligible for this warranty extension? help! i'm at my wits end!

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 60 mph, the panoramic sun roof glass fractured and fell onto the rear passenger seats. there were no injuries. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 101,119.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 18v363000 (air bags) and 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline, engine). the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair as the recall notice was received over a year ago. gervais kia (6 industrial ave, lowell, ma 01851, (978) 454-1202) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. the manufacturer was contacted several times and was unable to confirm when the parts were to become available. while driving 20 mph, the contact noticed an abnormal clicking noise coming from the steering wheel and the engine stalled. the contact had to veer to the shoulder of the road to turn the vehicle off and back on in order for the vehicle to resume normal operation. all the warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the same dealer who confirmed that parts were unavailable. the dealer updated the engine module software, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 13157669. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000. vin tool confirms parts not available.

We were driving down the highway and the car started acting funny. it said to pull over and stop driving. it was a very hot and humid day and we thought the motor was just hot. we started going again and it seemed okay. we made it to our destination okay we drove going home the engine started acting up we didn't make it home we had to get a tow truck , the motor had died..

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 55 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle started to decelerate before it began to resume normal driving. the failure continued to persist throughout the duration of the drive. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the contact called valley hi toyota (14612 valley center dr, victorville, ca 92395, (760) 241-6484), but the dealer had yet to respond despite numerous attempts to have the vehicle serviced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the contact would have to pay to have his vehicle towed and serviced at the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000.

While driving the vehicle began to decelerate (brake) on its own. when i pressed on the gas pedal the car would not accelerate. i was almost rear ended when i attempted to merge into traffic because my car immediately began to decelerate while pressing the gas pedal. it happened once again while driving on the interstate at about 65 mph and within seconds decelerated to about 40 mph without ever pressing the brake pedal. the brake lights are on even when the car is turned off. due to this it appears my "traction control" warning indicator becomes illuminated. i am aware that a recall was issued for this exact same thing but only for the 2012-2014 kia forte (recall number 17v773000). this is a major safety issue/hazard for which the recall needs to be extended to the 2012 kia optima as well.

Car makes a humming noise when going 20 to 40 mph

On 4/9/19, my vehicle caught fire while i was driving it from my work on way to simi valley first kia dealership. i was on 118 freeway westbound in slow lane in chatsworth, ca. onto freeway shoulder to call aaa when a stranger pulled up ahead of me, got out of his car, ran towards me shouting to me to get out, the car was on fire beneath level of the windows so i couldnt see the fire.. i got out, it blew up, & was totalled. no collision occurred. my witness saved my life. he took a video.

I have a 2012 kia optima hybrid. drove great at first now the car is off and on.. while driving the car lunges often and as others have said there is a delay 2 second from pressing the gas to the car actually accelerating. the car also loses power when driving on the highway. i've noticed the engine will not charge the hybrid battery when it is getting low and the car become immobilized unable to accelerate. i have had dash lights only appear once and when the car was taken to the dealership they were unable to find the cause. this issue is extremely dangerous to myself and others. attached are a few pictures you can see the hybrid battery had 1 bar it appears to be charging but then goes to 0 bars because the battery is trying to power the car while only the engine should.

While driving on the highway my 2012 kia optima hybrid slowed down to 45mph and engine started to make noises. this came with no mechanical warning, no "check engine soon" or other warning lights, and had been driving perfectly before it was parked. checked oil and oil level was perfect. called mechanic and he asked me to take a close look at oil. oil had small shiny metal shavings on stick that transferred to fingers when rubbed. had car towed over 30 miles to nearest kia dealership. car was diagnosed with "engine failure" due to rod end bearings. i am the 2nd owner of this car the i bought from a master mechanic at a lexus dealership. we are very meticulous and take very good care of our vehicles. this is not a owner problem. dealership wants $10,000 for a new motor, $4,000 for a used (although there are none currently b/c there is a shortage), or $6,000 to rebuild current motor. service manager was "surprised" to hear about the metal flakes as they didn't see that during the diagnoses. both kia dealer and kia corp are standing behind the no recall on hybrids. said although the engine is the same, they were made in different factories, but could have shared the same parts. service manager stated, "you have a lot of miles on this car"......146k.......i mean, if i can not trust to get 150k out of a kia why would i ever want to purchase one again??? i asked him to explain how this could happen and his response was, "it is a mechanical piece of equipment". kia needs to stop putting blame on its owners and take responsibility of their faultily engines for the hybrids as they have on the non-hybrid models. there are too many other complains having the same results and stories for this to be an owner problem. it has been a month now, and no one is budging.

I brought my car to the dealer on 10/05/2018 for change oil, front brakes and recall campaign. but it looks it wasn’t done because the airbags panel light is on and the brakes never feel thighs like when you have a job done. i let the dealer know about it but they want to charge me just to check and fix. when before it wasn’t like that

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle decelerated on its own. when the accelerator pedal was released and depressed again, the vehicle would accelerate normally. in addition, when accelerating from a stop, the vehicle started to rattle, the oil warning indicator flickered, and the rear brake lights would remain illuminated when the vehicle was turned off. the vehicle was taken to atlanta west kia (located at 1301 thornton rd, lithia spring, ga 30122, (678) 715-5399) where it was diagnosed that the high pressure fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notifed. the approximate failure mileage was 166,000.

Noise in the steeing when i turn the wheel in motion

Vehicle's abs brake activate randomly illuminating the abs brake signal on dashboard,while in motion and without touching the brakes. this causes the vehicle to decelerate and has made the vehicle come to a near complete stop. even if the gas pedal is pressed to accelerate the vehicle will not increase speed, only decrease. the issue happens 8/10 times while making turns and approx 5/10 while driving straight on freeway . this issue has been occurring for the last 4 months. for example on friday 10/11/19 the abs brake system activated, causing the car to come to a sudden deceleration 12 times within a 30 mile distance. the local dealer states there is nothing they can do. vehicle just hit 127,000 miles. second owner since 32,000 miles. regularly serviced and professional maintenance.

During my last visit to the kia dealer for an oil change and tire rotation, they informed my that i had no oil indicating on the dip stick. no leaks detected so must be burning oil. every time i drive, i can smell burning oil and tail pipe are completely black.

There is a click or clunk upon turning the steering wheel in either direction. this happens when still or turning anyplace.

Failure date: 06/25/2019 my 2012 kia optima engine shut off while i was driving and luckily i didnt get into accident and was able pull off the road to wait for a tow truck. this is very scary and dangerous. i had it towed to an auto repair garage they changed out the started and changed out the battery it just made a clicking sound but wouldn’t start. i started reading on line that this exact situation has happened to other kia optima vehicles. my vehicle has 99189 miles so it falls within the power train warranty of 100,000 miles

May-2018 my car was making a knocking sound, & i called the valley kia dealer. the service department said (the car has no recall, & no warenty) 10-2019... i called the salesman where i bought the kia. frank wong said yes i had warranty, but expired 11-2018... i could of got my car fixed...

Kia has now settled their class action suit for all the other vehicles, yet the hybrids are still being left out of any recalls. there is plenty of evidence in the complaints here that something is wrong. i sunk $7000 that i didn't have to spare into getting a new engine put in this car. only to have the transmission blow right after i got the car back from kia after waiting 6 months for an engine. the transmission cost another $5000, and it took them three transmissions to install a non-faulty transmission. i almost lost my job because i couldn't reliably get to work on time, if at all. kia themselves have said that the engines weren't manufactured correctly and that labor being done in kia dealerships wasn't being done correctly. hybrid engines should absolutely not be blowing rods at 60000 miles, or 80000 miles, and not even 100000 miles. kia is knowingly delaying any sort of recall and forcing people to go into further debt or lose jobs.

There are two (2) issues that are possibly connected. the first is excessive oil consumption. the kia dealership confirms that i am using approximately 1 quart per 250 miles, but they state that they cannot do anything for the issue. additionally, the car has also become sluggish. acceleration time has been greatly increased and car hesitates when the gas pedal is depressed. both of these issues have me concerned for my safety in normal driving conditions and also when i need to accelerate quickly.

Car being driven by my daughter suddenly stopped in the middle of traffic with a pull over and safely shut off vehicle warning. she however could not move. the vehicle also showed an error to the vehicle charging system. we towed the immobile vehicle to the local kia dealership and were told there were no codes and the battery was fine. they requested that i allow them to remove the valve cover to check on belts. i approved. i called the dealership the following day to check in because i have not heard. i was told the hybrid parts were covered under warranty but that the engine was locked up. no reason or explanation, no warning. my child could have died due to her vehicle stopping in the middle of traffic.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 40 mph, the brakes lost power and caused the vehicle to crash into the preceding vehicle. the abs indicator illuminated prior to the failure and remained lit. the air bags did not deploy. there were no injuries and a police report was not filed. the contact's vehicle was damaged and towed to the contact's residence by aaa. the other vehicle was not damaged. the contact called texas motorcars houston texas at 832-794-0499 (located at 11031 bissonnet st, houston, tx 77099), but no assistance was provided. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. the vin was unknown.

The engine knocked and it make a noise.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle began to hesitate and seized in the left turning lane. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine seized. the vehicle was towed to kia of carson (located at 22020 recreation rd, carson, ca 90745, (424) 277-0368) where it was currently being diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) on september 23, 2019. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 93,371.

10-15 mph t boned a car that ran a red light. air bag didn’t go off

2012 kia was taken in for a engine recall in 2017. kia informed me that it had passed inspection and released the car. 2019 the engine seized without warning, traveling 40mph on a busy road. luckily, i was able to maneuver to find a somewhat safe location. my engine began to smoke very badly from a possible small fire. after a week without a car, out of pocket tows, diagnostics, rentals, etc. kia confirmed it was an engine issue related to the recall. my safety was placed at risk after i felt all the recalls had been taken care of. i could of very well been in a serious accident, and luckily i did not have my children that day. today, my car has had a replacement engine, yet i do not feel comfortable. i am still trying to recover the out of pocket expenses. i have been spoken to very rudely and in a unprofessional manner from kia. the company is not willing to pay for all of my expenses while the car that i have purchased from them put me in harms way. i will never buy another kia again and am considering a law suit.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. when the contact's wife started the vehicle, the "hybrid system warning safety stop and do not drive" message appeared on the instrument panel. also, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, an abnormal noise was heard and the vehicle would not accelerate more than 10 mph. the vehicle was taken to san francisco honda new & used sales (1595 van ness ave, san francisco, ca 94109, (415) 687-0174) to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 89,979. *as

I have had multiple issues with my 2012 kia optima hybrid for the past 3-4 years. the transmission has been replaced at 74k mi. numerous occasions car lost power on the highway. taken car in to kia dealer each time and they could not duplicate the problem. my car stalled out 1 month ago on the freeway and towed to the dealer. now at 125k mi dealer is telling me my engine is seized, hybrid battery and regular battery are dead. and also replaced the emc for $2500 prior to figuring out the engine/battery’s were dead.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 65 mph with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle began to decelerate and made an abnormal noise. the contact was able to park on the side of the road and turn off the vehicle. the contact stated that the check engine warning indicator was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the failure mileage was 138,000.

Until now (only 84k miles), my 2012 kia optima hybrid has been a great car. when leaving a driveway going about 15mph, a light tapping began when the gas engine started. a sound it was not making when driving under electric power (before the engine started). the sound quickly grew to a loud knocking, accompanied by a noticeable loss of power and throttle response. the check engine light never turned on, even after the engine blew up. all signs are pointing to a manufacturing defect, similar, if not the same as the one regarding metal filings being left on the block. this is the same engine model and year that triggered over .5m cars being recalled. now the same issues are happening with this model, which for some reason wasn't included. a modern and well-serviced car should last more than 84k miles. this will be a safety hazard until all models containing these engines are repaired.

I have a 2012 kia optima hybrid at 80,xxx, and have always kept up with the scheduled services/maintenance. i barely drive my car nowadays, and just ride my bicycle to take public transportation that is 1-mile away. my wife and i were driving on the freeway, going 65mph, 47-miles into our drive, our car started jerking. we have about 3-4 miles left to our destination. when you pressed on the gas, it sounded like it was just accelerating and not shifting to the next gear. there were no warning lights or notification as to why that was happening. we exited from the freeway and stopped at a local plaza to try and reset the car, and gave the car about 20-mins before driving again. when we tried driving about the last 10-mins, even at 20mph, it was still jerking and still sounded like it wasn't shifting to the next gear, and still no warning lights. we ended up towing our car back home because we didn't want to risk getting stuck on the freeway at 1-2am. unfortunately, i am the 2nd owner, however, i do have extended warranty, so i hope this issue is not that serious. i will definitely contact kia and raise this concern because it is a safety hazard.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving, the contact stated that there was play in the steering wheel when turning left and right. also, while driving various speeds, there was an abnormal rattling noise when driving over bumps in the road. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. the failure mileage was 80,000.

Idk who is going to read this but hopefully someone can tell me a little something about my kia op.hybrid! about 2 months ago, a truck hit my car and my abs light came on. my car was taken to hubcity hagerstown md they fixed the body repairs, then they took it to kia hagerstown md to get the abs system fixed (which my warranty company had to pay for it). about a week ago i took it to kia letting one of the service managers know it’s having some push back when i’m driving that it wasn’t having before he accident such as on the highway it will feel like it doesn’t want to go. i’ll be going a certain speed for a while, it’ll give push back rev all the way up to 5rpm acts like it doesn’t want to keep going then it goes back down to a lower number and acts fine. then a few times now i’ll be at a stop light or stop sign i’ll press on the gas it didn’t go i’ll let go of the gas it revs up, jerks and goes by itself!!!!!! almost making me hit the vehicles in front of me. he drove my car felt how it was driving and said certain things could have been from the car accident and to bring it back asap. i was driving on the highway on the 14th of this month i was driving about 65 70 it was actin a little jerky and wasn’t going anymore then the dashboard light came on again and said hybrid system warning do not drive and the car literally wouldn’t let’s me go anymore. i got stuck middle of the highway and fredrick md highway patrol had to assist me. out of all the troubles i had almost hitting a few cars in front of me (which wouldn’t of been my fault each time it’s happened) and my car just turning off in the middle of the highway has been the worst since i’ve had it. mind you this is all within a 2-3 month time frame and my car wasn’t like this before. june 14th was the day my car got hit since then has been hell with this car

My 2012 kia optima on multiple occasions has shut off while the vehicle was in motion. while driving, as i decrease my speed, suddenly the car will experience jerking and then suddenly shut off. this has occur while driving on the freeway and traffic has slowed down to 10 mph or less and while approaching a light or crossing and intersection and traffic is slowing down. while the car is at steady speed, at 20 - 40 mph the car jerks as i’m trying to maintain with the flow of traffic. my car has had routine maintenance and mechanics have been unable to identify or remedy the issue. my last two incidents were 8/21/19 freeway while in the fast lane next to the carpool lane and now 8/29 on city street. i also experienced this on march 3,2019 (had a fuel pump replacement which still did not remedy the issue)

Was driving and the air bag light on.

I was driving yesterday and as i came to a red light the car died and all the dash lights came on, i was able to start it back and had no problems. tonight i was in the interstate at about 70-75 mph car lost power and engine made terrible knocking sound.

Ac air conditioning unit: we have owned this vehicle since day 1. when utilizing ac air conditioning system during hot temperatures, fan begins to blow hot and humid air even at the lowest temperature setting. this has occurred throughout the time we have owned the vehicle and when reported to the dealership, they always state that the unit is working as it is designed. their only solution is to bring it in each time it happens, which is absurd since it sometimes happens after they are closed. when i asked to diagnose the electrical system that correlates with the ac unit, they state that i would need to authorize the work and they do not know how long it would take. it could take 2 or 4 hours. at mechanical rate, that would be around $500. the most recent event was on august 28, 2019 when the car had approximately 88000 miles. i will taking it back for warranty issue on the clicking of the steering and will have them do their basic diagnosis because a tear own would be at my cost. because i maintain my cars to keep them beyond 100k miles, i am concerned at the cost of an ac unit that has shown to not work properly. i was willing to live with loose steering issue, but this is more problematic since my wife is in menopause.

As i drive the car, she has a tendency of going either to the left or the right. i have to forcefully rectify my steering wheel and someone behind me would see that i'm drivimg erratically. it is annoying while driving to have to give to the steering wheel a notch to the left or to the right when actually you want to go straight. is there a recall on the problem. i bought the car 2 years ago and they told me that was the only problem they had with it.they had to change the rack and pinion. and now she's doing it again. it does that on any street or highway.

The steering column is making a clicking noise like something is loose inside it. i am afraid it will break completely and i’ll lose all steering while i’m driving. it makes the noise when i hit a bump or veering left or right. it feels like it jerks. i travel quite a bit and have a one year old child. i’ve also read many complaints about this model having the same issue with other people. i am writing this complaint because i feel that this is not an isolated problem and am asking someone to look at this problem and address it. thank you for your time.

Every time i turn my wheel left/right, or hit a bump it clicks loudly.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle started hesitating and the rear brake lights were illuminated without the brake pedal being depressed. the vehicle was taken to local dealer shawnee mission kia (7951 shawnee mission pkwy, merriam, ks 66202, (913) 384-9100) where it was diagnosed that the shift solenoid needing to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer had been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was 107,408.

Kia optima 2012 with 43000 miles horn doesn’t work while steering wheel turned to the right. it works fine while steering straight/left but the moment turned right horn will only click/ no sound. i do have the airbag light on don’t know if it is related. worst case is, i have my state inspection due and with the srs light and no horn, it will definitely fail. i guess that’s what i get for owning a kia .

Side mirror stopped working driver side. the motor from power fold mirror keeps running non stop making the grinding noise and also causing the battery to drain.

When i was driving suddenly i heard knocked noise from engine and noise got high and high. i came home and i didn't drive it my oil level and condition was good

Air bag light on. clock spring defective. diagnosed and repaired at local kia dealer ($389.39)

My starter would not turn over to start my car after driving it. when i got to my destination i couldn't restart the car and there was smoke coming from under the hood. i had 2 starters put in thinking that was the issue and after the 2nd starter was installed the car still had smoke. the electrical wires were burnt and burning and the car still will not start.

The problem: in affected kia optima vehicles, a condition may exist where drivers may feel a “notchy” or "clunky" sound or “slipping” condition when turning the steering wheel left or right. it is believed by other kia optima owners and or mechanics who may be familiar with the issue that this may be due to either a software glitch in the optima’s electronic steering system or a faulty power steering motor assembly, u-joint in the steering assembly, or the steering coupler. owners are unable to find any known recall on this issue, but mechanics believe that this is a very common fault in the kia optima years 2011-2014.

Theta ii engine failure while driving at high speeds (50-65mph) the engine began to make a loud knocking sound. soon after, the check engine light illuminated as well as the oil light. i did pull over and contact my local kia dealer and was advised to drive the vehicle to the service department. upon inspection i was advised the vehicle needing a new engine. it had bearing damage due to metal shavings... surprisingly 3 months ago the vehicle was previously inspected for metal debris / engine bearing failure and no issues were found by the same local kia dealer.

Takata recall, i was driving my vehicle and when i went to speed up the engine seized, causing me to pull over in the break down lane on the highway and turn the vehicle off completely and when i tried to turn the vehicle back on it would not fully turn back on, all the lights in the vehicle started flickering, i tried jumping my car and it did not work i had to get it towed to the nearest kia dealer

2012 kia optima with 43000 miles # airbag warning light stays on and checking different seating position/ restarting the ignition the warning light still stays on. # steering wheel feels sticky while driving straight, which needs immediate correction by moving left /right. if not it keeps going towards one direction constantly. dealership recommended to get the wheel alignment done, but no improvement as per steering wheel even after getting alignment done.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed oil leaking from underneath. the vehicle was taken to kia of des moines (located at 4475 merle hay rd, des moines, ia 50310, (515) 270-0706) where it was diagnosed that the oil feed line that entered the turbo needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 61,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 20 mph, white smoke appeared from the rear of the vehicle and the vehicle began to lose power. the vehicle was taken to stones kia (1222 n woodruff ave, idaho falls, id 83401, (208) 524-2400) where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the engine was rebuilt in 2015. the manufacturer was contacted and declined to have the vehicle diagnosed or repaired due to the engine previously being rebuilt. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

I was driving the vehicle on the beltway 495 in maryland and the vehicle came to a stop without any warning on the dash. i attempted to start the vehicle but it wouldn't start. i check the motor, checking the oil stick showing that the vehicle had no oil in it. i never received a warning light about low oil or anything was wrong. i had my cousin bring me some oil. i put four cans of oil in the vehicle and it still wouldn't start. i had to get the vehicle taken off the highway to my cousins house near by. i purchased a new battery thinking that was now the problem. the started to turn over but wouldn't start. the next day i connected a check engine machine to the car, a actron auto scanner #cp 9575but no codes appeared. a friend who in the past raced cars check the motor from the attempting to start and stated it was the bearing in the engine. it would start and again i had no warning lights about the oil or engine before the problem with the engine. i checked the computer an founded out that other kia's had similar problems with the warning lights not coming on to let you know about the oil was low. kia had a problem with other vehicles 2012-2017 not showing a warning light on the dash.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle failed to respond when the accelerator pedal was depressed. also, the check engine indicator illuminated and white smoke bellowed from the tail pipe. the vehicle was taken to summit place kia (located at 4200 interpark dr, auburn hills, mi 48326, (248) 682-6002) where it was diagnosed that the high pressure fuel line and fuel pump needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline). the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 73,565.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 55 mph, the engine stalled and the vehicle shook from side to side. the contact was able to pull the vehicle over to the shoulder as smoke appeared from the engine. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle would not restart and was towed home. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 172,000. the vin was unknown.

I have intermittent problems with the car starting. i have read through some of the forums and see others are having the same problem. if i have the power "on" and put it in drive them back in park it starts after several attempts. i have had the started and battery tested and they are not malfunctioning. this happens almost everyday for the last several months.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving, the vehicle leaked oil and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to shottenkirk kia of west burlington (309 south gear avenue, west burlington, ia 52655, (319) 249-6627) and the oil filter was repaired, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer stated that they could replace the engine if it failed. the failure mileage was 137,000. the vin was not available.

I was driving on the freeway in the state of utah. i was going 65 mph on the freeway when the car started shaking, followed by a stall on the engine that forced me to slow down and park on the side of the freeway. i have no idea what happened but i heard cracking noise coming from the engine. now the car won't turn on.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 60 mph over a bump in the road, a rattling noise was heard from the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to a dealer. the dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

Driving on the interstate going about 80mph. the engine seized and all the warning lights came on in the dashboard. car lost power and had to coast to the shoulder of the road and use the emergency break to stop. tried to restart the car right after heard clicking noises like the car was trying to turn over. after waiting about 20mins i tried restarting again its started without issue. and i continued to drive to my destination. the next day driving on the interstate again i tried accelerating to about 60mph and the engine stalled and i heard knocking noises coming from it immediately. pulled over and got it towed from there. prior to this i never experienced any engine issues and never had the engine lights come on. car only has 44k miles.

Stationary at stop light and engine light came on, then all the lights on the console came on and car died. immediately white smoke came from under the hood on all sides of the car with a chemical burning smell. smoke continued from under the hood approximately 3-5 minutes.

My car stopped running at a large intersection. i had it towed to the my ase certified mechanic shop whom i had used before. the lead technician said the variable valve timing solenoid is full of metal and it sounds like motor is froze up. the car will not run.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving through an intersection, the vehicle shut off without warning. the vehicle was unable to restart. myrtle beach kia (4811 us-501, myrtle beach, sc 29579, 843-444-8000) diagnosed that the motor seized. the vehicle was not repaired yet. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling), although the failure was similar. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the failure mileage was not available.

Have to put oil in my car every 300 miles. car is burning oil extremely fast. afraid that the engine may seize while driving. has been that way every since my purchase in april of 2018.

In 2017 we had the kia towed to selma kia motors because of the recall of the engine,because of shaving in the engine and our turbo went out and was burning.the car stop on us in traffic on a city street we could of died that day. they had to order the engine which took two months. they finely put the new engine in. april 2019 the same thing happen again, they told us there was shavings in the engine once again and the turbo was out also, that was another defected engine. they also told us we had another 10 year warranty on this engine because it was new. well they called us and said that the corporate office in irvine told kia in selma not to fox this car. what irvine corporateofficetried to do to us was black mail us,they said if the give us $12 hundred dallas that we cant go to the attorney general,the manufacturing plant,tv or any other consumer department. we refuse, this type of thing going on. people lives or being taking because of this defected car. we paid $30,000 dallas for that car, that's clearly a defect car. we contacted the attorney general, office once again and 20/20. it seem know matter what there is no help out here for the hard working consumer i'm a veteran also, this is how the country treat us we fought for this country. i need your input on this situation as asap. sincerely, [xxx] redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *cc *tr

My car has two recalls and the car stop unstable.

Making a nocking noise on the steering wheel.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated while driving 25 mph, when he saw and smelled smoke coming from the engine. the contact stated he was able to park the vehicle on the side of the road. the contact stated he opened the hood and saw fire on the oil cap. the police department extinguish the fire. the fire department was contacted and filed a report. the contact stated he saw a gasoline leak on the engine. the vehicle was not drivable. the contact called grand kia located at 1950 w 104th ave, denver, co 80234, (720) 943-1144, were notified of failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. a dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer had not been informed of failure. the failure mileage was 154,000.

Engine is making knocking sound. sounds like piston. it's a 2012 and keeping up with oil changes and tender loving care. it's 7 years old there's no reason the engine should be knocking and turning off in the high way at speed 65 mph with my children in it. i am very mad this should be taken care for free (xxxxxx) parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

While parking my car into the garage i notice as i was turning my steering wheel to the right to straighten the car i heard a clunking noise. i also notice it while i moved the steering wheel side to side stationary i will still hear the noise on the right.. i've never heard this noise until today.

Steering wheel shimmies violently at about 50 to 60 mph . this is not an alignment or wheel balance issue . i had a kia service person that works in another dealership and i was told this is a known problem that is not being dealt with by kia .

Car drives with loose steering and clunking noise that fairfax kia refuses to test drive it long enough to hear. jerks left suspension on rough pavement on left side only. there are lots of big bolts on the left strut and i believe these bolts are either dangerously loose or the strut itself is broken. noise is suttle. have complained 3 times to dealer.

My 2012 kia optima sx-tgi is in “limp home mode” due to a sensor in the engine that detects some sort of engine problem. but it’s not specific on what it is. now my wife cannot is her car that she has had only for a few years. it has already had two manufacturer recall repairs and now i feel like there is another defect that is explained in a few articles online where the engines had caught on fire. and this “limp home mode” allows the driver to drive for a short period of time at low speeds to keep from further damage. these engines were replaced on kia’s like mine that were manufactured within a certain time frame. please be aware it’s a very scary matter.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact took the vehicle to don franklin somerset kia (60 highway 2227, somerset, ky 42503, (606) 679-1177) to be repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). after the repair, the vehicle stalled multiple times while driving various speeds and all the instrument panel indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed back to the same dealer where the alternator, battery fuse, and battery were replaced; however, the failures persisted. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Check engine light comes on and upon check the the fuel pump sensor has made 3 different sensors go. my fuel jumps all over the place. from a full tank to empty or the reading changes while driving. there is also a smells of gas that can be smelled while driving as well coming from the vents.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact noticed a strong odor of fuel through the air vents when driving. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 18v907000 (fuel system, gasoline). the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 103,861.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. contact noticed car was making a weird sound, consumer's check engine light came on, and the oil light flashed every time contact pressed the gas. the contact stated that there had not been any failures with the vehicle until it was serviced for per nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). within weeks of the vehicle being serviced, the check engine indicator illuminated, the vehicle was in a limp mode and it failed to operate over 10 mph. the vehicle was towed to shaker's kia (1230 main st, watertown, ct 06795, (860) 417-0900) where it remained for over a month. the dealer provided a loaner vehicle. the contact informed the dealer and manufacturer numerous times that the remedy failed to provide a permanent remedy. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was retrieved by the contact and the check engine indicator illuminated again and vehicle would not move at all when the gas pedal was pressed. engine was replaced with old engine components like the sensor, throttle body, etc. the dealer advised disconnecting the battery as a temporary remedy and stated that the throttle body may need to be replaced because the wiring pens were wet. the failure mileage was not available. *tt “parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).”*jb

All of a sudden one day i went to pump gas and it is spitting the gas back at me, i only got to put in like $1.80. went to another gas station, same thing, it will not let me pump gas into it. i try the next day and i get a little bit over $2.00. i called kia, took it in for service and was told it needs a fuel tank, fuel pump and a canister, with labor cost me $1436.76. my daughter gets gas the first two times after this service and lets me know it is still spitting out gas towards the end of filling up. so the next time (which was a month after service) i go to fill the car. immediately it kicks the gas back out. i try pumping like a second or two seconds of gas at a time, the gas is bubbles up and it literally takes me almost 20 minutes to pump $27 in the tank. i have already called the kia store after gas trip number two and he then says he doesn't know what else they can do because everything is new. so at this point i feel helpless!! and i am not selling this car to get out of it to burden someone else. i already see things online that scares the crap out of me just driving this kia with other issues reported. now i have a fuel issue, i am a single mother with a single daughter and we can not afford a new car but i do not know what to do.

I was driving my car in union nj on september 25 2018. i was on my way to pick up my next passenger doing uber. when i get to the stop light less than a mile away from the customer i start seen smoke coming from the hood of the car. i accelerate the car so i can look for a safe spot to get out and inspect the vehicle. i took a right into the school parking lot and when i came out the vehicle the car was on fire! there was a police officer minutes within the car catching on fire and called the firefighters. police called back up and another patrol officer came. firefighters came in about 5 minutes and turned the fire off. the vehicle in totaled, everything in the engine bay burned. the police called a towing company and seton towing inc came and took the car.

In november 2017 i continuously took my vehicle back and forth to the dealership due to my vehicle not started, and/or needing a jump. jim marsh kia had me replace my battery after 6 weeks of complaints and complications. only for a week later to have me and my kids life at risk, heading south bound on i-15 my car flashed a warning sign stating do not start engine hybrid battery undetected and shut off while a semi truck was behind us. by the grace of god i was going down hill so i swerved to the side of the dessert and road to spare our lives. just to have kia tell me 4-5 different excuses as to why my engine failed.

I've been maintaining the health of my 2012 kia optima ex since i purchased in 2014 like clockwork. last month, i experienced all the dash lights come on while in motion on city roads and i was unable to use the gas pedal. i frantically pulled over and turned the car off then tried to start it, only to be met with a weird sound and a cloud of smoke from the hood. my starter was fried, according to my mechanic. i had it towed to my mechanic and when he changed the starter, the new starter burned again as well as the engine locked up/seized. after finding out a recall (sc147) was active at the time, i called kia consumer assistance and they replaced the engine issues after confirming that was the problem. once i picked my car up, i noticed the car was starting up in an odd manner but thought it was due to the engine replacement. about 3-4 days later, my car did the exact same thing as the first time (same smell, sound, and smoke cloud but luckily i was parked at the time). i assumed the starter would be a part of the recall since it broke down the exact same time as the recalled engine, i took the car back to kia, who told me they wouldn't pay for a new starter even though the engine recall caused it to burn up in the first place and is considered a component of the engine. i contacted kia consumer again and the case was given to an escalation manager. i had to speak to about 8 different agents and put an email in action to her supervisor to get her to even contact me on this issue. it took her almost a full month to contact and tell me kia is not responsible for the starter. i'm confused as to why it would not be covered because i've never had an issue with my starter until the engine failed. i am at a loss as to what i need to do to get kia to see who is really at fault. my mechanic also stated this is the 1st time he's ever seen those 2 parts break simultaneously.

Brake switch recalled on 2011 models, but my 2012 will not start mostly when it gets cold outside, brake pedal stiffens and wont decompress for engine to start, push buttn wont start car brake lights dont work. vehicle will leave stranded without warning. it will work and then not work, intermitten.

I have a 2012 kia optima sx. i brought it in for the engine recall the dealer said it passed no need to fix. a month later i was driving home from work. all of a sudden car gauges went crazy and engine seized. i saw smoke and popped the hood. i than saw a fire ignite inside the engine. by the time the fire department arrived the whole front end of car was burnt up. i see this is an ongoing issue with kia vehicles starting on fire for no reason.

When operating the vehicle the steering column gets stuck and clicks.it prevents you from turning the steering wheel and makes it unsafe when attempting to turn the wheel.it does this every time the vehicle is in operation.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 55 mph, the engine shut off and the engine caught fire. the fire extinguished on its own. there were no injuries. the contact stated that the vehicle exhibited the same symptoms as listed in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was not towed and a police report was not filed. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. it was unknown if the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened investigation number: dp18003. the failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Traveling on a divided highway, approached slowing/stopped traffic. attempted to stop, but roadway was slippery, abs did not activate had to resort to pumping brakes and steering to avoid accident. was rear ended and pushed into another car. non of the air bags deployed. there was no compartment intrusion into the passenger compartment, but the rear of the car was completely collapsed.

Locked out of car automatically while key is in the car on two separate occasions. in the first instance (july 2018), i was en route and stopped briefly, got out of the car with it running while the key was still in the car. as soon as i closed the door, the car doors locked me out automatically. this was inconvenient and caused much distress because i was away from home picking up my infant child from preschool, and did not have the second key available. this was also embarrassing as my phone also was locked in the car. in the second instance (december 2018), i used the remote start to start the car in my driveway. after i put my infant child in the car seat and closed the door, the car turned itself off and all the doors locked automatically. my key was locked in the car with my child. this was a terrifying experience and it was colder than 40 degrees outside. i had to wait over 30 minutes to get my child out of the car. this is not just concerning, it is negligent for the manufacturers of this car to put unsuspecting car owners in this dangerous and unsafe position. the first occurrence i thought was a freak accident, but then it happened again. i researched the issue and found many issues and complaints from other owners similar to mine. this problem needs to be addressed immediately. there needs to be some owner awareness issued on how to rectify this and resolving this all together.

2012 kia optima sx. consumer writes in regards to engine failure. *ld the consumer stated the vehicle filled with smoke and the dashboard set on fire. the vehicle was a total loss. *js

On december 10th, 2018, my daughter was driving the kia optima 2012 from san antonio to houston on i-10 e. at 4:15 pm cst, the engine light and multiple other lights suddenly came on in the display and the car slowed to a stop before exit 591 (schertz). she was able to pull it to the right-side curb of the highway while the car was slowing and it stopped completely. she tried restarting the car a few times, it would not start, and she quickly noticed smoke coming from the front hood so she immediately exited the vehicle. she then called 911 as the smoke got worse and a few nearby drivers helped her quickly get as much of her stuff from the car as possible. then they all moved across to a safe place and within 10 minutes the car had caught on fire (by 4:25 pm). see pictures attached. the police arrived and blocked the highway and after a while the fire truck arrived. it took some time to put out the fire as they were waiting until the half tank of gas completely burned. i had a few recall letters from kia, so i had taken the car on november 30th to the dealership in conroe (cowboy kia) and they took care of all the recalls – a total of 3 items including the acu wiring extension installation. the dealer also did a multi-point free inspection and reported everything was in good condition. the car had around 54,000 miles. i also had an oil change recently on september 15th, 2018.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while driving 50 mph, the contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. the contact pulled the vehicle over, turned off the engine, and exited the vehicle. seconds later, the vehicle caught on fire. there were no warning indicators illuminated. there were no injuries and a police report was filed. the fire department extinguished the flames. the vehicle was towed. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was totaled. the cause of the failure was not determined. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while the vehicle was being towed to a repair shop, the contact was informed that there were metal shavings in the oil. the contact was informed by the repair shop that the motor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 73,000.

On december 9, 2018, i attended my son’s soccer tournament on a cold sunday afternoon (approx. 30 degrees). during half-time i decided to sit in my 2012 kia optima to warm up. after 10 minutes or so, i smelled something burning like the smell of a burning engine. i then noticed greyish blackish smoke coming out from the hood of the vehicle which quickly turned into flames. i immediately shut my car off and barely exited the vehicle in time. the entire bottom of the driver’s door, driver’s front wheel and hood was on fire. within a matter of minutes, my entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. it should be noted that i got a brand new engine (so they say) installed by kia just 8 months ago due to the recall. the car had been making a horrible noise so i took it to kia and they informed me that my engine was bad and part of a recall. they ordered the engine and had it installed in a matter of days. once again this was just 8 months ago!! i am currently working with my insurance company and the local fire department to determine the cause of the blaze however, due to the severity of the damages, we may never know what the true cause of the fire was is what was told to me. kia needs to give me and the hundreds of others who have experience this type of trauma some answers as to why this is happening and how they plan to rectify this situation! this should not have happened. i should have been able to sit in my car in 30 degree temperatures for hours if i wanted without it going into flames. i am pleading with the federal government to investigate immediately. please review all of the photographs below

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 65 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle did not respond when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the contact stated that the vehicle began to decelerate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. palm springs kia (located at 68130 kyle rd, cathedral city, ca 92234, (760) 844-7200) was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 125,725.

Steering is becoming more and more unresponsive, increasing rotational of play from the steering wheel. initially noticed july 2017 but has been steadily increasing. while driving on interstate the delayed response of the steering wheel made it difficult to avoid a vehicle swerving into my lane.

"takata recall"while driving this car on the highway i notice noise coming from the front. i've had problem with this same thing since 2012, first the string it would pull left and right on its own while drive straight. kia said they would fix it. there was a recall on this problem,now my rack and pinion is broken,and that's because kia refuse to fix that problem back in 2012 with the string. kia sent us a settlement letter , which states they will paid us $531.95 by means of a check, it states it is understood and agreed that this settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and does not constitute, an admission of liability on the part of kia. we did not sing that letter because kia cars are no good! and there has been recalls since that letter was sent. they tried to black mail us we didn't fall for the scam. the company know this car is no good. if you need that letter sent to you i can do that to. someone could die because of this problem its dangerous,i work in the mountains this problem needs fixing now not later now!!!. sincerely, need this problem fix *tr

Driving my 2012 kia optima on the highway. noticed the smell of smoke then visually saw smoke. began to pull over and flames began to billow from under the hood. the brakes were not operational. rolled to a stop and exited the vehicle. car was fully engulfed within a minute.

My car just turned off with several flashing lights while driving. i tried to start the car and nothing but a slight tick. i returned to the car with jumper cables to see if it was the battery and before i tried the jumper cables i tried one more time to start and the engineer caught on fire. the car did not turn over or seemed to be running.

Engine light came on while driving. when starting car, it’s not starting as it should and staking lugging and sluggish while driving. country road driving approximately 45 mph..

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and could not be restarted. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer (superior kia, 260 w. mitchell ave, cincinnati, oh) where it was diagnosed that the engine was faulty. the engine was replaced and the failure was remedied. later, while driving approximately 65 mph, a loud booming noise was heard and smoke and flames were present coming from the engine compartment. the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. after exiting the vehicle, a loud explosion occurred from the vehicle. the fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. the vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed. the front driver sustained a minor head injury, which required medical attention. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the local dealer was not notified of the crash. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 118,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 40 mph, the contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. the front end was severely damaged, but the air bags did not deploy. the driver sustained minor injuries to the head and right hand, which did not require medical treatment. a police report was filed. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 60,000.

Steering wheel would click when turning. the beginning of the turn was not smooth.now the steering column rattles whenever i hit a bump in the road

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle shook and stalled without warning. during the failure, a knocking noise was heard from the engine compartment. the contact exited the vehicle, lifted the hood, removed the oil cap, and noticed smoke. furthermore, the contact smelled a burning odor as smoke escaped from the vehicle. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. a dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

While driving, steering makes noise and rattle. contacted kia dealer in fremont and kia corporation about the issues. no response.

Engine seized

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving unknown speeds, the steering wheel made an abnormal rattling noise. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the local dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 114,000. the vin was not available. **tr consumer steering wheel makes abnormal noises when driving over bumpy roads and turning even when car isn't moving it, makes a noise just by moving steering wheel. updated 10/26/18*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 30 mph, the contact heard a knocking and clicking noise coming from the engine. the engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to coast the vehicle to a safe area. the vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer or certified mechanic. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 120,600.

2 day ago i was driving to work on the freeway and my car start acting weird like it wanted to stop, i paid no mind. so then that night coming home from work it start acting up again, this time i saw my brake lights turn on and my car started slowing fiwn. i had lost acceleration i had no response to the gas pedal. i would step on my brakes then release and the lights would go back to normal. this happened the whole 45 mins back home. so the next morning i was doing some research on what could cause this found out that the brake sensor stopper would not work properly on the kia forte. but it seems that this happen to the kia as well. it is very dengerous trying to drive like this especially on the freeway.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed black smoke coming from the tail pipe. the vehicle was taken to value kia (6915 essington ave, philadelphia, pa 19153, 215-937-1000) where it was diagnosed that the cooling and electrical systems failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 55,630.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the engine indicator kept illuminating and an abnormal noise was heard from the engine compartment. the vehicle stalled. the contact was unsure if the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling) although the failures were identical. months later, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 18v363000 (air bags). the dealer (destination kia, 760 central ave, albany, ny 12206, (518) 478-8036) stated that the part was not available. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the engine assembly failure. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was not available. parts distribution disconnect.

While my family and i were driving home at a speed of 45mph we lost engine power and brakes. upon the vehicle finally stopping, black smoke began to pour out of the engine compartment. we immediately exited the vehicle and saw flames begin to spread from the engine. we were notified by an off duty deputy that he was going the opposite direction when he saw us with a fire underneath our vehicle while still moving. the vehicle ultimately went up in flames along with everything we had inside.

We bought this car brand new in 2012. it is 6 years old. we were notified of an engine related recall in 2017. we took the car in to get the recall (s) looked at (there were 3 other recalls too) in october 2017. they notified us that our engine was fine and did not need replaced. in may 2018 i was driving in a 70 mph area of the interstate, tried to accelerate, heard a loud clicking sound, all of the warning lights come on and the engine turned off. i turned on the hazard lights and was able to coast to the shoulder, luckily the traffic around me was light and two young children were not in the car with me. the car is right outside of the warranty period. i no longer have a vehicle, even though i just bought a brand new car that is only 6 years old. i am extremely disappointed in kia and will never recommend buying a kia.

Kia optima 2012 lx complaint..i like to start off saying that the right passenger side up front stop working. all of a sudden, it will not whine down or up sometimes. it is an issue and more. the car sounds like when i crank up, it is a weird noise when warming up stand still. that goes for the window and car overall stand still. it has become an burden for the window can not go down.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 55 mph, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the vehicle before it stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the abnormal noise persisted. the vehicle was towed to the dealer (west palm beach kia, 735 s military trail, west palm beach, fl 33415, (561) 433-1511) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and the modem needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 89,000. the vin was not available.

While driving on the highway(60mph and above) steering wheel appears to stick around 12 o'clock position. have had the flex coupler repaired under the recall. i started to notice this shortly after it was replaced. seems to be increasing in frequency.

The passenger side of car is flooded due to a clogged pipe or disconnected pipe. water is pouring out into my car and not small amounts but large amounts of water on the base of my floor.

Radio paneling and charging do not work

There is a loud clanking sound coming from the steering wheel whenever it is moved, shaken or turned. it makes the sound when the car is both moving and stationary and it occurs while on all road types, at all speeds.

I was driving down a residential street at 35mph and heard what sounded like a loud explosion. i literally thought a gun shot had been fired towards me and hit my vehicle. i tried looking around and nothing seemed to be shattered until i saw my arm bleeding slightly. and small shards of glass on the seat. i pulled the car over to the side of the road and the sun roof was completely shattered. i am able to tell that there was no impact from a rock or anything as the glass is blown outwards and not inward. i am not sure how the glass “blew up” or shattered if not from any impact but this is very concerning as i do have small cuts on my arm from the glass coming through.

My car has a knocking noise in the engine, the car was taken to the dealership to get inspected for the recall september 2017. team kia of el cajon; the dealership said that the salvage titles aren't covered under recall warranty. 4/18/2018 while driving in the fast moving traffic , my car's engine shut off. after meeting with the mechanic today i was told the engine went out. these signs indicate to me that the engine went bad due to the recall issue that the dealership refused to replace. i've owned the car for less than a year and provided preventative maintenance on the car at the scheduled times. prior to purchasing the vechile the car received a engine clearance through kia dealership and through my private mechanic, saying the engine was good. now 8 months later after hearing continuous knocking noise and almost getting into an accident i feel like im not receiving fair treatment or getting my car's engine replaced.

This started a week ago that when i would turn right, by door open indicator would come on for my driver's side front door. now it is constantly coming on and off, more on than off. it doesn't matter if it is interstate driving or in town. and if i am stopped it will occasionally come on, then unlock my doors because of thekey being in the ignition. what is causing this?

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. the vehicle was restarted and able to drive normally. a mile down the road, the failure recurred. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was not notified of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 185,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the headlights failed to illuminate and there was extremely poor visibility. also, the oil light randomly illuminated several times. the dealer (ossett kia south, 2680 mt moriah rd, memphis, tn 38115, (901) 328-8173) was unable to determine the cause of the failures. the contact replaced the headlight assemblies more than five times, but the visibility was still poor. the contact also noticed an abnormal odor in the vehicle. the dealer indicated that without the check engine indicator illuminated, they would not replace the catalytic converter. the contact stated that the warranty expired without the part being replaced. the fan also failed to function, but the failure was not remedied. the dealer also performed a repair per an unknown recall regarding the steering; however, the remedy failed to provide a solution for the steering coupler and the steering wheel was no longer straight. also, the sun roof and moon roof glass had a crack going down to the driver's side of the vehicle where it met the windshield. there was also an abnormal noise progressing due to the failures. the manufacturer and dealer were notified of the steering failure, headlight failure, and moisture in the rear camera. the failure mileage was not available.

Car seems like is burning oil and also oil level is going down pretty quickly.

The 2012 kia optima ex continuously shuts off at random times while driving without warning. i have done basic maintance and non have solved the issue. this is a safety issue because there is no warning and it could cause a serious accident amongs other involving me and my car.

While driving on the highway i have noticed that the steering wheel sticks when i am trying to keep the car going straight in my lane. it's tricky to move the steering wheel while driving especially at high speed. the steering wheel doesn't move freely to perform short steering corrections. you don't noticed this in the turn but on straight road driving

As i was driving with absolutely no warning at the time or prior to the car stopped accelerating completely and will not start back up. when plugged up yo cables lights and all indicators come on but the car never starts and there is no noise coming from the engine . i was just leaving my driveway on a regular side street proceeding foward at maybe 15mph

Brakelights come on, even when car is turned off. when brakelights came on during driving, the gas pedal would not work to accelerate the car. brake lights came on without ever touching the brake. apparently the kia forte 2012-2014 has a recall for this exact issue but none has been issued on the optima. this is a safety issue because the car unexpectedly loses acceleration power. very dangerous, specially when merging or passing on an expressway.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 70 mph, the steering wheel shook and the check engine, low battery, oil, and electric power system warning indicators illuminated all at once. the vehicle lost all power and was coasted to the side of the road. the contact waited approximately four minutes and attempted to start the vehicle; however, it cranked, but did not start. the vehicle was left on the side of the road. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 112,000.

Front low beams very dim, can barely see at night. have to use high beams in order to see, which is dangerous to on-coming traffic. i have read on various forums that this is a well known issue due to a defect and that the cost is upwards of $2k to fix when this is a hazard and should be covered due to manufacturers defect.

Driving home on highway about 70mph and engine just stopped. vehicle was in drive, but coasting. got to shoulder. put car in park, engine would not turn over. called tow, then noticed smoke coming from hood. hung up, called 911 for possible fire. after hanging up with 911, smoke began coming through vents. got out of car, saw some flames through grill, called 911 back and told was definitely on fire and with mins entire engine bay was engulfed. car was a total loss.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving and making turns or just turning the steering wheel when the vehicle was parked, a knocking noise was heard from the steering wheel. there was no warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Original hid headlights became dim to the point it failed a virginia state safety inspection. dealer service department states the reflective material in the headlight housing has diminished.

Driving vehicle and engine started knocking , did not have check engine light and vehicle was not over heating . vehicle suddenly shut off with no warning on i-10 -exit 505 kerriville texas and thick smoke started coming out of the hood. vehicle would not start. never have had any issues with vehicle and did personal oil changes.

I was driving on the highway and while doing 70 mph the vehicle suddenly decelerated and and could not accelerate. my traction control light came on and off. a couple of miles it did it again. i then placed my foot under the brake pedal and my car drove fine. after inspecting my car i noticed that the brake stopper was worn. i did some research and found out that while you are accelerating and the brake stopper is bad, it can cause your car to go into a safety mode because it thinks you are braking and accelerating at the same time. this affects the power and can cause a rear end collision.

Engine shut off without warning 02/23/2019 6:05 pm pst engine/vehicle mileage: 151,409 fuel/gas gauge shows one quarter full while waiting at a traffic signal (vehicle was completely stopped and engine idling) on a city street, engine shuts off without any warning(s). first time ever happened. all maintenance and repairs completed by a kia dealer.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle became stuck in a patch of snow. when the contact began moving the vehicle back and forth to free the vehicle, it caught fire under the hood without warning. the fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed. there were no injuries. the vehicle was deemed totaled by the contact's insurance company. the cause of the failure was not determined. the failure mileage was unknown.

Kia optima 2012 has very sticky steering wheel issues. it just drift left or right constantly on the straight drive . it happens on any speed limits and more noticeable on straight drives. it just stucks until you correct with extra force.this is very serious and scary . this model does have electric steering so i don’t know if that is the problem. i have seen many owners have complained about the same issue and got it fixed after replacing coupling lower shaft steering shaft . this could cause serious accident.

I found this recall because of colleague at work, kia never send me nothing on this recall. please advise.

Broken clock spring in the steering which will not allow the airbag to go off. airbag light constantly stays on which results if i got in a car accident the airbags will not deploy.

On january 24, 2019, my car had to be towed to shakers kia in watertown ct again. i had been in ct visiting family when i got stuck there due to car issues. i dropped my car off december 7, 2018 for an engine replacement due to a recall and i got it back december 31, 2018. i drove my car home to nc on january 4, 2019 and came back 2 weeks later for my son's surgery scheduled for january 23. on january 22, three weeks after i got my car back, my check engine light came on and my car went into limp mode while driving and had to be towed to shakers kia. they texted me at 9:08am january 23 with a link to a video saying my car was ready. i picked it up around 5pm after my son's surgery. i didn't have the car 4 hours when it did the same thing again and had to be towed. shakers told me that i was gonna be responsible for replacing my throttle body because i still have old components from my old engine and my throttle body was part of that. i didn't understand how i have old components if my engine was replaced, so i called kia headquarters. shakers replaced my throttle body, no cost to me. well, when i picked my car up on january 30, i asked about the fuel leak recall and if my car was inspected as kia told shakers to check mines even though my vin number wasn't included because my car needed to be checked because my engine was replaced due to the recall. i was told by the technician hector that my car was fine and it didn't need to be inspected because he was very confident in his work. he stated that people were having engine fires because mechanics don't know what they're doing and are installing the engines wrong. my car doesn't run the same after having my engine replaced. it runs and idles rough. i put in numerous calls to kia about issues with my car and i'm told over and over again that my case manager will call me but it's been weeks and she hasn't called yet.

Vehical has had problems starting in cold weather for 3years now. we’ve taken the vehical to a kia dealership numerous times only to be told they don’t know what’s wrong with it or (it would do it for us/ well it started for us). most recently the vehical was at the dealer ship for 10 days while we were vacationing and they returned the vehical only for it to not start the following morning. it’s a push to start and as a safety feature the brake pedal must be pressed in order to start the car. when the problem first started there would be a light on the dash that would indicate there was not key witch was not the case. you could have the key phob in the car and still wouldn’t start. this was only on cold days. it would start just fine unless it was below 20 degrees. more recently the car will show no indicator on the dash and won’t start if the temperature is below 30-35 degrees. above that everything works fine. we changed keys and replaced batteries in keys and moved them all over the car but nothing would get the car to start until the temperature rose above freezing. most recently this morning i went outside to start the car (around 30 degrees and rising) as i pressed the brake and hit the start button i heard sparks and a loud poping noise followed by hissing and sizzling the vehical then began to fill with smoke. i exited the vehical and took a few steps back. about 10 seconds after initially hitting the start button the car then started with me standing about 20ft away while still smoking. i never saw flames but could smell an electrical fire and was waiting for the car to burst into flames from the amount of smoke that was coming from it. majority of the smoke seemed to becoming from driver seat area (underdash and along driver side quarter panel). after a few minutes the smoke died down and the event seemed to be over. i haven’t touched the vehicalsincemornin

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle emitted a loud noise under the hood while driving, as if a part had separated from the vehicle. the contact coasted the vehicle onto the road shoulder, opened the hood, and found that the engine was emitting flames.. the contact was able to locate the part that separated from the engine and extinguish the fire. the vehicle was towed to stafford kia of fredericksburg (5204 jefferson davis highway, fredericksburg, virginia, 22408, 540-891-7400) where it was diagnosed that the engine caught fire. the part that caused the engine to catch fire was not given to the contact. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling), but the contact had not received a recall notification. the approximate failure mileage was 65,046.

Driving one day pulled into driveway.heard knocking on lower part of engine. opened hood you can hear knocking, when i accelerated knocking got louder, a spun bearing. i have been a certified mechanic all my life. 40 years of experience. car was well maintained. at 76,000 miles, this should not have happened. thank you [xxx]. the consumer stated the oil pan contained brass colored metal pieces, the oil filer had particles, the piston cap became hot enough to turn it black. the connection cap bearings did not have a oil flow hole. there were also scratches on the piston walls. *js parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road where the vehicle was able to be turned off and restarted but the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was not contacted and made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Steering wheel shakes while in motion ( 60-80 mph ). ride is smooth until tires roll over imperfection in road. steering wheel and front-end begins to shake violently. shaking stops when turning right or left and begins again once vehicle has straightened out.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving various speeds at night, the low beam headlights failed to illuminate brightly. the illumination prevented the contact from viewing the road while driving. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 122,597.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle experienced a loss of engine power and the oil pressure warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was towed to lawrence kia (1225 e 23rd st, lawrence, ks) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

My wife was driving on the freeway at 6:20 p.m in the slow lane at 65 mph when she heard a loud explosion and the sunroof shattered. there were no vehicles in front of her or around her that could possibly have kicked up a rock or debris from the road. she was also not passing under an overpass or bridge. luckily, she was able to control the car and was not physically hurt in the incident. this vehicle has a panoramic sunroof and the moving part of the glass sunroof shattered.

Turbo and turbo oil return line is defective. leaks oil and over heats engine. dealerships admit this is a serious issues that they’ve seen daily with the sx models but refuse to address it until a recall comes out. anytime the vehicle is driven, it constantly leaks oil. whenever it is parked, it leaks oil. it’s only from the turbo feed line.

‘takata recall’ i’m currently buying a kia optima 2012 and everything was working fine and had maintenance up to date at kia of orange. then i did full service which i payed 600$ or so and after the car started giving me problems, i went to my friends house and my boyfriend got off to get tools from the house it took him ten minutes to come back. the car was on and i was windows up and ac on when he came out he saw fire under the front left light. it got on fire and we were scare for our life’s and we manage to run around and find anything that will help we had water and it wouldn’t turn off, we didn’t know it was electrical so it was melting plastic until we manage to find a fire extinguisher while i was calling 911 we thought the car was going to blow up. second of all we fix it insurance cover. we call kia they told us our insurance had to pay it. so we did next i took it to get maintenance update and oil change, we took for a drive to chino hills california and then the car turn off by it self on the freeway i was 65 speed limit and my steering wheel got hard and all the lights were on. i could of lost my life. i manage to move it slowly to the side and it was on fire when i open the hood something was burning again. a sheriff help us turn it off with his fire extinguisher. the engine had blew up a wrot blew maybe because of no oil or idk i’m not mechanic that’s why i take it to kia. i believe they didn’t do their job right and my insurance doesn’t wanna cover it, now i’m careless and i have a daughter to feed and i need help to get this out there if anybody has the same issue please make this go viral. highway 91 east

My electronic stability control light on dash came on and remains on. i took to martin kia in newark delaware for diagnostic and they said the codes were c1259 and c1260 and that i need to have clock spring assembly, steering angle sensor and the steering column assembly replaced because it looked like my car had been in an accident. (i did strike a small deer, but damage was cosmetic to left front fender and did not affect steering or drivability, and was repaired in a professional body shop). the esc did not come on until months after my accident. dealer would not certify that the vehicle is safe to drive with this condition, nor did they offer another less expensive repair such as just replacing sensors. they wanted an estimated $1370 to hold my safety hostage. since the light has been on, i have experienced a few episodes of instability when driving in inclement weather. i now leave esc off when weather is bad.

While we were driving on a busy freeway, the hybrid engine seized with less than 120,000 miles. dealership stated that they have had seen several hybrid engines that have seized, but kia has not issued any recalls.

Waste gate rod goes out of correct specs causing loss of power on vehicle. not able to accerlerate from take off while check engine light stays illuminated

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 35 mph, the contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. there was no warning indicator illuminated. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. five minutes later, the vehicle burst into flames. the fire department extinguished the fire. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 18v363000 (air bags). the contact took the vehicle to kia of cherry hill (1803 marlton pike w, cherry hill, nj 08002, (856) 471-1054) and the air bag indicator was illuminated; however, the dealer found other failures that would have cost the contact $8,500 to repair. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who stated that the $8,500 worth of repairs were not all needed and the air bag failure should have been repaired. the contact called the manufacturer and was given a case number, but was not called back. the contact brought the vehicle back to the dealer to have the air bags repaired. the dealer repaired the air bags, but the indicator remained illuminated. the contact was informed that she would have to pay for a diagnostic test to determine why the indicator was illuminated. the failure mileage was 129,853.

Steering is loose, clicks, wheel shakes while stationary or in motion

My 2012 optima pops and makes a clicking noise when turning and is harder to turn them normal and rattles over bumps. based off my research online it’s a bad cheap plastic steering coupler. there are numerous complaints online as well as youtube videos addressing this safety issue. i believe it is the same problem that the soul got recalled for. here is just one link of many videos i found on google. https://youtu.be/bmmvjlf2zro please get this issue resolved for the people that can’t afford the $600 the dealership charges to replace it when it shouldn’t be an issue. this should not be a wear and tear piece of equipment. i hope kia can fix this in the future and fix the cars out there that have faulty steering with a cheap piece of plastic, it’s to dangerous to cut corners when it comes to the steering of a motor vehicle and from what i’ve seen it’s a big problem with a lot of there products. please recall so they can correct this to prevent future accidents and maybe so they change this for there future vehicles. it clicks while moving and stationary and sometimes is harder to turn then others which is not safe because you never know how hard you have to jerk the wheel or not.

Kia of savannah on december 3, 2018 i took my vehicle in for recall 18v363 to have an airbag wire harness installed per the recall. upon attempting to pick my vehicle up i was told the airbag control module had shorted, my airbag light was on, and it needed to be replaced at an expense of $825.00. i was told by the service associate, elisa france, the airbags may or may not deploy unless the repair was done. i asked how the module went bad when they were fixing it with the new wire harness and was told a "tech" would need to answer that question. i asked for service manager who was unavailable. i called kia customer service and was told the module wasn't under recall or warranty.and i needed to pay for the repair. my complaint is: prior to the recall my airbags light was not on. we recently had the vehicle serviced for another recall and was not told the module was bad. but now, after the wire harness recall was performed, the airbag control module is suddenly bad. feeling the vehicle was unsafe to drive, due to the airbags possibly not deploying, i left the vehicle at the dealership awaiting to hear back from a service manager or service tech. today marks day 4 they've had my vehicle and i've received no call.

When i turn my steering wheel it makes a clicking noise & vibrates at time. makes noises when ii ma driving on less that supremely smooth roads

Sxt model 82k miles. was driving on the highway and was accelerating to move into right lane when the engine cutoff. i was able to coast to the shoulder luckily without getting hit. the car would power on but the engine would not start at all. check engine light and oil light were lit up. called for tow. the next morning kia evaluated the car the next morning and told me it was affected by the engine and cooling recall 17v224000. i had taken my car in months prior for the same recall but was told that i was not affected. this is a very dangerous thing to have happen to drivers especially after being told you are not affected.

Clockspring failure causes on-steering wheel controls to fail. kia service did not find any service codes produced when the steering wheel volume control switches, cruise control switches and cellphone switches displayed intermittent functionality. failure of the switches generally displayed upon initial start of the car after sitting overnight or at the end of a work day. temperatures were consistently over 100 degrees f. during an approximate 1 hr 15 min surface street and freeway commute (each way),switches would function after a few minutes driving, but then fail again. correct functionality was inconsistent. and did not persist. car was taken in several times for these issues but no codes were produced. service rep suggested that the clockspring may be involved, but recommended only the replacement of the faulty switches. volume and cruise control switches replaced, but again showed intermittent failures that would not produce codes. finally, the replacement volume switches and the cellphone switches completely failed; again, no codes were produced. kia service noted that the clockspring is integral to the correct functioning of the steering wheel airbag system along with all the steering wheel switches. kia service now confirms that a faulty clockspring shorted out the steering wheel switches; a new clockspring, volume controls and cellphone controls are being installed. again, prior to the repair, no codes were generated for kia service to observe. prior to releasing the car, the switches were checked for correct function, but failed. at that point, the clockspring replacement was initiated. note: kia service also performed the recall work on the acu wiring harness during this service incident.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving the vehicle, the steering wheel began to veer left and right without warning. the contact stated that while making turns, the steering wheel jerked and resisted, which made it difficult to control. the dealer (university kia, 6519 university dr nw, huntsville, al 35806) was contacted and advised the contact to bring the vehicle to them for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was also contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 40,590. *tt*jb

I was driving on the highway at 65mph when the pinging started. after getting off the highway it got louder as the rpm dropped. becoming loudest at 3,000-4,000rpm. at this point the pinging became very loud. i pulled over to confirm noise coming from engine. engine became rough as knocking continued. power loss ensued and i drove the car several miles to my mechanic. he confirmed it was a rod knock. i was told a year ago, at san diego kia, that my engine would not suffer the recall issued for my model. this was a year ago. maintenance has been kept up with and no accidents have occurred since i acquired the vehicle.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled and completely shut off. also, the contact heard an abnormal noise under the hood without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then taken to kia of greenville (2424 laurens rd, greenville, sc 29607, (864) 516-2700) where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. the dealer stated that the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was repaired. after the engine was replaced, flames were detected under the hood of the vehicle. a police report was filed. the fire department extinguished the fire. there were no injuries sustained. the vehicle was towed to a local tow lot and declared a total loss. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 141,000. *tt vin is invaild *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated while driving. the contact also stated that the buttons on the steering wheel failed to function. the vehicle was taken to kia of cerritos (located at 18201 studebaker rd, cerritos, ca 90703, (562) 860-2424) where it was diagnosed that the air bag switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 18v363000 (air bags). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

I have noticed that when the car is not moving and i move the steering wheel from side to side i can hear a light popping noise. also the steering wheel has excessive vibration and raddling when i am driving between 65-75 on the highway, it decreases at 80 mph. this also happens if i have to brake suddenly. it is not an issue with the tires or alignment.

Brake lights stayed on when car was off cruise control light stayed on problems with acceleration took to dealer they said it needed new brake pedal sensor $160 to replace

Airbag warning light came on and stayed illuminated.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 35 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the contact safely pulled over as the body of the vehicle veered from left to right due to the loss of power steering ability. in addition, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to selma kia (2775 auto mall dr., selma, ca 93662, (559) 891-2300) where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed replacement. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the failure mileage was 155,000.

Continuous clicking noise while steering at all speeds. sounds like something is loose in steering column. was told it could be steering coupler/

The morning of july 19th, 2018, i was driving my kia optima to work. i had just gotten on interstate 20 and was driving in the right most lane during rush hour. my sunroof shade was open but my actual sunroof was closed. suddenly i heard what sounded like a shotgun going off in my car with the windows closed and somehow, i was able to drive fairly straight without jerking the steering wheel and causing a multi car pileup. glass was flying around inside my car, all over me, the seats, floorboards, and console. i pulled the car over into the emergency lane so that i could figure out what had happened. after i exited the car and looked at the top, i noticed that the sunroof had a hole the size of a softball protruding outward. i looked around inside the car and nothing but shards of glass covered most of the interior. i then got back in the car and shut the sunroof shade so no more glass would fall inside the car and pulled off the nearest exit, which was very close to my office location. once at work i searched online to find out if this was a common occurrence with other kia optima owners and as it turns out it appeared to be a well-known and documented problem. i then called the nearest kia dealership and asked if there were any safety recalls associated with exploding sunroofs and was told ‘no’. he said that he was aware that they sometimes occur but it was not a recall. even though i have not incurred injury’s or expenses (just aggravation and inconvenience because i had a second vehicle to drive) i feel that it is necessary to report this occurring due to it being very unsafe. the average driver probably would have pulled the wheel and possibly been killed or injured themselves or and others. apparently, kia does not appear to be very concerned about the issue and the safety of others, therefore something needs to be done to force them to address this problem.

“tamara recall” i owed the vehicle for not even 1 year after financing it from a used car lot. i drove the vehicle from my home town colorado springs to fort riley ks after purchasing vehicle. this is where i was stationed. i drove from fort riley ks to albuquerque nm for easter in april 2017 to visit family. when i returned home it started shaking and making noises and check engine light came on. the error codes were read and indicated it was a cylinder misfire. the same time this issue happened i got a recall for metal shavings in engine crankshaft. i took vehicle to kia and they said they will not fix the recall until the cylinder misfire is fixed. they recommended a completely new engine. if i buy a whole new engine then they get out of doing the recall. i was then deployed to poland for 1 year and recently returned and there is still nothing done about it. sounds kinda fishy to me. kia is heating around the bush. i can not even drive the vehicle.

The steering column inside started making noises like something cracked inside nowthe sterling wheel make noises on every turn.

Driving on interstate 84 w. car suddenly caught on fire october 20, 2017. passenger saw smoke from front seat. driver pulled-over. we got out of car. saw fire underneath. moved away, car gradually became engulfed in flames. filed report in connecticut. incident number 17-0000359 sandy hook fd fire department responded. 61,852 miles

While driving on many city streets 0-45mph and interstate 0-70mph service engine light comes on and goes off periodically. when the light is on, car shakes and sputters as transmission gears shift (not engne). appears to be something to do with the transmission. caught the light on and read code p0711. according to tsb 043 [rev ] /2/2013 this is an internal problem and must be corrected by a licensed mechanic.

Problems start in 2012 engine recall in 2017 was replace,steering recall in 2018 steering coupling was replace how ever my rack and pinion was affected and needs to be replace. we call them in 2012 regarding the steering wheel witch they didn't fix at that time which caused rack and pinion to wear out. we went to three different dealer ships regarding this car and nothing was done. this car is still giving us problems and we want the manufacture to either give us our money back or fix this problem this car is a hazard to our family, if something ist done some one is going to get hurt in this car!!! . this car stop on us in traffic someone could of gotten hurt ,aaa had to pull this car to the selma dealer ship at that time. on the freeway the steering wheel would pull side to side that's dangerous. from 2012 until now this car is still giving us problems. we have all the paper work that was done on this lemon.why don't someone help these consumers out here with these problem on the kia. i need help as asap. sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *cc *tr

I drove my vehicle home from work (12 miles), parked in my driveway (vehicle turned off, not running) and walked inside. i sat down and within a couple of minutes i heard a loud pop, i looked outside to see flames coming from under the hood of my car. by the time the fire department arrived and put out the fire, the car had burned to the ground and had melted all of the siding off of the front of my garage.

The low beam headlights are dim and make it difficult to drive safely at night.

Motor is locked up,shouldn’t have happened

My steering wheel shakes when i am coming to a stop at a high speed.

There is a knocking noise coming from my steering wheel for about 7 months

At highway speeds, intermittently , the steering will get stuck in the 12 o'clock position for approximately 1 second, repeatably happens once it starts happening, until off highway. steering can be fine for months, and then issue can come back. then when dealer inspects it, issue is gone. this is a very unsafe and serious issue, even a split second of reduced response time can mean the difference between life and death. dealer said they performed the steering logic improvement update, but issue still happens on occasion.

My vehicle starting making knocking noise and i pulled over parked and checked under the hood it was running fine but still making the noise. i turned it off and on and then the engine light came on. when driving it to the shop the vehicle about 10 miles the vehicle started to stall out and i had to put into park shut it off and turned it back on.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 65 mph, the contact heard a clicking sound and the steering wheel began slipping. the contact drove home and called geweke kia (1234 sunsweet blvd, yuba city, ca 95991). the dealer stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. the manufacturer was not aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 142,000. *tt *tr

I was involved in a life threatening accident that caused my car to be totaled when the engine made a loud knocking noise and the engine seized while in motion on a busy highway at a speed of 65 mph without any sudden warning and my family in the car we had less than 1 minute to escape before another driver smashed into the car at 65 mph. the car stopped so fast there was no time to pull over to saftey or a soulder

Since i got the car in may of 2016, it has made a clicking sound when i turn the wheel. as time has gone on the sound is getting louder. i have seen a number of videos regarding this issue. i believe it is suggested for the part to be replaced. i believe this is a safety issue.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 45 mph, smoke was suddenly present inside the vehicle. after stopping the vehicle, flames were discovered under the vehicle. the fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. the vehicle was destroyed. the cause of the fire was not determined the manufacturer and local dealer (difeo kia in lakewood, nj) were notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Break lights stay on at all times when parked and even when in montion every time.

When ever i turn the steering wheel right or left there is a clunking sound coming from the steering it seems like the steering coupler on this cars go bad within time. this happens all the time in motion or not.

1 stumbles on acceleration 2accelerats when shifting reverse--drive 3 accelerates on right hand turn .these problems happen randomly it.has. .happened 5 times in motiom, city streets

When in motion there is a knocking noise in steering wheel that sounds like something broken inside. also motor for right passenger windows on both front and back seat do not work and from driver's panel.

I first noticed a problem with my vehicle when the cruise control would randomly disengage while going down the interstate. then a couple of weeks later i was making a left turn across a two lanes of traffic on a city street. when i first pushed the accelerator the car started to go and then suddenly i lost all acceleration. i let my foot off the accelerator and then pushed back down and was able to go. this was a very dangerous situation as i was stuck in the middle of two lanes of traffic for several extra seconds longer than necessary. a similar situation happened a couple of more time and when i parked the vehicle at home i noticed that brake light was staying on after i got out of the car. i took the car to the local kia dealership and they replaced the brake sensor which fixed all of the above problems. i would like to not that hyundai issued a recall on the nearly identical sonata for this same issue and did so years ago and yet nothing for the optima.

When turning the steering wheel just slightly and going either way it makes this small slipping or clunking noise and i am concerned about safety of the steering. happens in motion when turning even slightly and either direction and when it is stationary. city street, highway, freeway, backing up, going forward and turning. and it has happened now for approximately 2 - 3 months. i am told by internet that it may be flex coupling in steering. i am not mechanic. still happening. on-going.

Clicking in steering column while making turns.getting worse each time. when in motion or not.clicking is always there. started a week ago.

Vehicle recalled under sc147 on july 13,2017. new engine received by dealer week of september 25. last update i received on october 20th from kia corporation was new motor installed however could not get the vehicle to run. some compression testing indicates that the new motor installed was bad. i requested kia to provide me with a new car with similar sx limited and technology package. kia dealership has now had my vehicle for over 3 months. only updates i receive is if i call kia corporation

Due to a recall, i had my engine replaced by kia patterson in july of 2017. about a week or so after getting it back, the airbag light came on and the horn does not work. naturally, i contacted kia patterson regarding the matter and was told that it had nothing to do with the engine replacement. i'm now being told that it may be a defective airbag or clockspring, both of which are expensive repairs. i have found that several kia vehicles have suffered the same fate with no resolution. my car does not fall into the previously recalled models yet it seems to have the same problems. my level of frustration is so high at this point and i don't feel safe driving with these problems. unfortunately, i will have to do so until i am able to save enough money to have it fixed. shame on you kia!!!

The engine seized while driving on the highway. this has als resulted in the climate control system including the defrosters and radio to malfunction

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving various speeds, a loud noise was coming from the steering wheel without warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Engine locked up had a warranty they fixed it and after i got my car back the the horn didn't work or any of my controls on the steering wheel worked i notified them and they did nothing to fix it. when i turn the car over to kia dealership everything was working and after they put the new engine in everything went wrong the abs system went out the horn stop working the turbo in the car wasn't any good my airbag and engine was on and still is and i notified them again even took it to management and they did nothing about it. i'm not a satisfied customer at all can u guys please help me. i'm a hard working man have a family and just trying to have a car that we can enjoy.

Electrical rack and pinions recall. steering wheel feels loose. steering wheel starts shaking at approximately 65-70 mph

Brake pedal releasing as i am pushing down on it coming to a stop. hard to get the car to come to a stop at times. car is missing on acceleration. camera does not work 80-90% of the time. a/c stops working when sitting still or parked.

2012 kia optima. consumer writes in regards to engine connecting rod safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the turbocharger had to be replaced. the consumer requested to be reimbursed for the cost of the turbocharger replacement. *js

Engine losing all of the oil within a couple weeks of getting the oil changed. completely gone before an oil change is needed.

October 2016, was driving down the interstate when the car engine stopped running. there was no warning, no flashing engine light, no warning whatsoever. i had it towed to my local shop. they found wires to the starter burned and assumed that was the issue. they installed a new starter and found that the engine was seized. my issue is the timing of the kia recall. hyundai had recalled the same engine in 2015. i was out of warranty, so the engine replacement was at least $4,000 for a used engine that would have likely had the same issue. i had to sell the car for salvage. kia should reimburse owners for the value of their car at the time the engine seized. they knew there was an issue with the engine, but waited until many of us were out of warranty before they had the recall. that is fraud at some level and should be treated as such.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and was pulled over to a fuel station. the vehicle was towed to the dealer (kia of greer in greer, sc, 864-879-3800) where it was diagnosed that the engine was clogged and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the engine was replaced for free. six months later, on august 14, 2017 and driving approximately 55 mph, a banging noise was heard under the hood and the engine caught fire. the fire department extinguished the fire. a fire report was filed. the front end of the vehicle was completely destroyed and the vehicle was towed to a storage lot. there were no injuries. the vehicle was totaled. the same kia dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and sent an investigator to inspect the failure. the manufacturer made a good will offer, but the contact protested the offer. the issue was not settled. additionally, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the failure mileage was 87,500. parts distribution disconnect. ..updated 10/11/17 *bf updated 10/13/2017*js

2012 kia optima. consumer writes in regards to takata airbag safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the engine seized. the dome light in the vehicle inadvertently turned on. the camshaft failed. *js

I have just recently started having a problem when i hit bumps in the road or a rough road. the steering wheel makes a noise and i can feel a shaking sort of. i clicked on suspension because of how rough it feels riding right now and i dont know if im just feeling the steering or if its affecting the whole ride. it has been very comfortbale since bought new in 2012.

My fiance was drivingdriving 55 down the i77 highway north getting ready to turn off the exit and she heard a loud bang. next thing she knew she had glass all over her.the powered sunroof exploded!!!!the glass cut her hand in a few spot but thankfully she is ok and didnt wreck the vehicle and that our kids weren't in the car. my fiance called the police and said there was nothing they could do and my insurance has a 1000$$$ deductible.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 25 mph, the engine suddenly shut off. the contact was unable to restart the engine. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. the local dealer was not notified. the failure mileage was 108,000.

Oil feed pipe/tube to turbo leaks on to the engine causing a possible fire hazard. had to take the car in to have the tube replaced. (car was sitting and noticed oil leak and burning oil smell while driving and sitting still)

I was notified by kia earlier this year that my vehicle was involved in a recall because the engine could seize causing a safety issue. on 6/12/17 i took my optima to camelback kia for recall work and inspection. on 8/1/2017 as i was driving northbound on az sr51, my engine stalled while moving about 40 mph in rush hour traffic. i then pulled over to restart my vehicle, a short time later i noticed smoke coming from under the hood. i was told by kia upon their inspection that the starter is where the fire originated due to the seized engine. the vehicle burned and is now a total loss. this caused a 3 lane closure on the freeway at 5pm as well as a crash due to spectators.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of engine power. the contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle. during each attempt, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. the vehicle was towed to car lock kia (located at 4301 greensboro ave, tuscaloosa, al) where it was diagnosed that the engine assembly, battery, and starter were defective and needed to replaced. the vehicle was repaired. upon doing research, the contact found that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

When driving the steering wheel makes a loud clicking noise and if you hit a bumb its louder. if you barely turn the wheel while driving you can hear it make a clicking sound. when you hit a bumb it intensifies the sound and and makes you think something is loose in the steering column.

Loud clicking noise when turning the steering wheel both ways making steering and driving very unstable.

I was driving straight on the interstate at 70 mph when the car lost the ability to accelerate and started making a knocking sound. i pulled the car over and shut it off. tried to restart and it immediately shut off. the oil light flashed a few times and that was it. the car had 75,000 miles with 30,000 put on within the one year i have owned it.

Steering wheel makes clicking/popping sound every time its moved in either direction. also, when going over any speed bumps or holes, very loud clicking and tension felt in the steering wheel. i have been researching this issue and i have found that many customers have this issue and it seems like kia has not done anything about it. i drive on the highway everyday for about 65 miles both ways. i am very concerned for my safety and passengers.

While driving 45 mph down the highway, car stalled, towed to dealership where they claimed there was sludge in engine and would not replace, called kia who stated that we would have to get all service records from day 1 or they would not cover. i brought this car brand new and while i have most service records from 2013 on, i do not have any from before that because our house burnt down in april 2014, now its been 5 months since my car broke down and my 2 choices are, save up 5k while still paying for the car or pay for a very expensive paper weight that doesn't even fit in my house. kia is going to kill someone if they don't take action!

2012 kia optima caught fire while driving 45 mph & was unable to accelerate/brake. recently was taken for service with no items that would cause the issue...updated 10/04/16 *bf *tr

While driving on interstate at roughly 75 mph, car stalled. would start up but heard loud knocking sound. car was towed to nearest repair shop. after diagnostic, was told engine rod blew at 71,560 miles. called kia corp office and was told that there was an engine recall, kia picked up the car and towed it to the nearest dealership. next day, we called to get a status and the kia is unable to locate any record of the phone call and now saying that there is no recall for the engine. not sure what to do at this time. car was purchase less than 3 years ago. new engine is estimated at $6,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled and the instrument panel failed. the vehicle failed to restart. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 44,935. updated 09/30/16*lj *cn

Engine cut off passing someone traveling at 70 mph. engine seized with 110,000 miles on it. towed it to dealer. all maintenance was performed timely. because the dealership had performed all maintenance kia is replacing engine. kia knows of the problem with this engine that is why warranty was extended for this issue. this is a huge safety problem. hyundai recalled their cars with this engine. when i picked up my rental car there were three rentals out for the exact same reason. i am glad i was driving instead of one of my daughters or my wife. i am glad i wasn't passing another car on a two lane road when this happened. kia needs to fix this before someone gets killed.

At 60k miles, steering has become difficult to maintain, steering column is loud and makes a popping noise, and now there is some type of clunk in the front suspension that can be heard when steering angle is being altered while simultaneously bridging a bump. steering wheel sticks at speeds above 55mph, and thus over-steering is necessary in order to maintain tracking. dealer informs me that some $4 plastic gear needs replacing somewhere, but that it will be $400 in labor to replace, but they can't even guarantee replacing this part will fix the issue. what a joke- this is my first and last kia/hyundai product.

Airbag light came on and took car to dealer. clock spring is faulty and needs replaced. cost to replace is $350 according to kia dealership. i've read that kia has had a recall for this on prior models and want to file a complaint. car only has 74k miles and should be covered under warranty since it directly impacts the safety features on this car

2012 kia optima lx ****(electronic power steering)****this is very unsafe and is an accident waiting to happen. what in the world is kia waiting for, does someone have to be killed or seriously hurt from their negligence to recall these problems!!!! the steering wheel started to make a loud popping/knocking noise, sticks, play/ very loose when turning left to right, while driving or parking the vehicle. have taken it to a service center where it was diagnosed that the steering column, tie rod and flexible coupling needed to be repaired/ replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle has not been repaired as of yet. the failure mileage was approximately 242,000. however, i purchased the vehicle in 2014, the approximately mileage was 208,412. just prior to that this vehicle was strickley used for fuel testing/studies only, in a climate control building, where it was on a dino machine. these problems need to have a resolution and be recalled asap.

Steering is knocking and making loud noises while driving vehicle. have not yet taken to dealership, but from reading other complaints kia has not acted on this problem for a resolution.

Purchased a used 2012 kia optima on 5/18/15 with 20,000 miles on it from a kia dealership which certified that the engine was covered under warranty. car was serviced for oil changes at the recommended intervals. the last oil change occurred on 5/24/2016 for which i provided a jiffy lube receipt. the engine failed on 7/4/2016 at which time the car had 39,520 miles. prior to the oil change on 5/24/2016 i had the oil changed on 2/26/2016 for which i provided a hand written receipt as the garage is not a national chain and doesn't have computerized receipts. kia motors is refusing to honor the warranty because they said i don't have sufficient proof of regular maintenance. i provided them with the proof i had regularly maintained the vehicle but they refused to accept it. this car shut off at a major intersection. a notice flashed to put the car in neutral or park and restart the engine which i did. the car restarted and i drove another 10 miles and it cut off again in the middle of a busy highway and would not restart . i went on the internet and discovered that there is a warranty bulletin 2016-09 on this engine extending the warranty to ten years 120,000 miles . they extended the warranty because there is a problem with the engine and are denying customer's warranties by rejecting proof of regular maintenance thus not fulfilling their warranty . they position is the oil was dark but i looked at the oil and engine and it looks fine to me... it's dark because it had been driven not because of neglect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 5 mph making a left or right turn, the steering wheel made an abnormal noise without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

While driving on the highway we started hearing a popping noise coming from the steering wheel and there also has bee some slack in the steering wheel.

I am an officer (off. [xxx]) with the madera (california) police department. i investigated a traffic collision where the driver of a 2012 kia optima collided with a parked vehicle going approx. 35 mph. the impact sent the parked vehicle forward approx. 3-4 feet into another parked vehicle causing damage to all 3 vehicle. the kia sustained significant damage to the right front bumper / fender area and sheared the right front tire off. the impact was enough for the kia to roll over and cause damage to the left front tire and rim from grinding into the roadway. the parked vehicle it collided with sustained moderate damage to the left rear and driver's side area. when it was shoved forward it sustained minor front end damage and caused minor damage to the back bumper of the second parked vehicle. there was centrifugal rim marks from the kia after impacting with the first parked vehicle. the right front tire was broken from the axle. the kia was heading n/b and came to rest in an almost total e/b position from the collision. my concern is that the airbags did not deploy with such an impact and damage sustained. the driver was wearing his seatbelt and did not sustain any injuries. this occurred on a city street. the report # is madera pd incident [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

While the vehicle is in motion, the steering has become very loose and making a clunking noise when turning the wheel or going over slight bumps, such as a reflector in the road, this is during any speeds.

Play in steering column making a noise when turn steering wheel right and left defective flex coupler

Driving the vehicle through an intersection at approximately 45 mph and engine just shut down/off. thankfully, we were able to pull to the side of the road. had the vehicle towed to a kia dealership. service dept had the vehicle for 2 days and weren't able to diagnose the cause or problem but notified me that i had metal shavings in the engine. they changed all fluids and reset the computer, so the vehicle would run, but when they test drove the vehicle, the tech said it still wasn't running smoothly. they said we needed a new engine for $7000, or else we could just drive the vehicle until it quit running. we drove the vehicle for about another 100 miles while trying to decide whether to repair or replace, and vehicle seemed to be running fine but then suddenly shut down again. we had purchased the 100,000 mile warranty, and vehicle was at 110,000 miles. we were able to show routine maintenance and oil changes. after researching, we realized that these are the same engines and same "metal shaving" problems that were found in the hyundai sonatas, and hyundai has issued a recall for vehicles under 10 yrs/120,000miles. kia is having same problems from the online comments/reviews, but they haven't issued any recalls.

I have sent in complaints on my kia many of times and the one just came out about the latches, mine is not on the recall list. i have had the middle part of my glass crack the windshield that was and still under warranty and more but it seems i am being over looked on my car. i guess the only action to take is a class action lawsuit against kia america. when you have the proof they still do not believe you.

I was driving home on memorial day weekend from a nice visit with my family and when i was almost home i could hear clicking/tapping sound and the engine stalled on a major interstate. i was able to quickly restart and get to the shoulder. started up again and took off but when i tried to accelerate to the flow of traffic, the car would not accelerate and was losing power. i was close to a kia dealership and was able to milk it to the service garage. upon inspection, they found metal shavings paired with a ton of copper on the valve timing solenoid. crankshaft bearings are shot, causing low oil pressure, stalling and erratic behavior. engine is toast! after doing some research i came across this: http://www.hyundaiproblems.com/trends/sonata-engine- failure. same engine, same problems and hyundai stands behind their product. i take great pride in my vehicle. i take it in for regular maintenance and oil changes. i am not at fault. i will be escalating this to the national team at kia corporate office and kia consumer affairs to get a case number as i feel they need to be held liable to pay for the engine.this is obviously a known issue and it's sad that kia is putting the blame on the customers instead of taking responsibility for a factory defect. no car with 111k miles on it with proper maintenance should have the engine just blow! kia not only put my life in danger but they also put my daughter's life in danger!! i'm lucky i was in the right place at the right time on a major interstate on memorial weekend or the results could have been much worse!! my daughter and i are ok, but i fear the next kia optima this happens to will not be a good outcome. major safety issue and a recall should be instated.

Driving approx. 45mph on a busy city street, vehicle suddenly began to decelerate and a rattling noise began getting louder and louder from under the hood and finally engine completely cut off and would not start again. while attempting to get over to a safe area which happened to be the turning lane, the car rolled to a complete stop. with my family in the car with me, i had to push the vehicle over to prevent from being hit due to the vehicle stalling and the back end of vehicle was still in way of on coming traffic. after being towed to a service center, i was notified that the rod bearings seized up and my only option was engine replacement. vehicle with such low mileage should not need engine replacement.

While driving home the car suddenly lost all power for no reason. got the car jumped and it started but was sluggish. no indicating lights ever came on. drove the car to work for the next 2 days (approx 450 miles) with no issues so i though it weird but a fluke. two days later approximately 2 blocks from my house the car suddenly locked up for a split second (heard the tires chirp) but kept rolling. the car had no power, all lights, radio, etc stayed on but the engine was not running. i let the car coast into my driveway to park it. the car starts fine but the engine is definitely shot. sounds like the connector rods are bent. loud knocking and sometimes a squeal that sounds like metal on metal. checked the oil and there was minimal oil but again no indicating lights ever came on. the car is only 4 years old with 127,000 mile but has always been maintained to kia specs. upside down on the loan already which i wouldn't have a problem with if the car ran. now i owe on a loan for a car i can't drive.

Clicking noise and pulling when i turn or hit a bump in the road. sounds like my steering would come apart. lots of play in the steering wheel. very unsafe. i drive the interstate to work everyday and i am normally traveling between 70 and 75. i fear my car is an accident waiting to happen with the defective steering.

I have had my (2012) kia optima since 2012. i have not had any horrible problems until now. the steering wheel clicks and you can hear and feel any bumps because when you even hit a small hole in the road the steering wheel will also click and make a loud noise. i have not had any work or repairs done to the car other than the normal oil changes, tire rotation, new tires and alignment, brake replacement. i have taken care of my vehicle and to be told that the steering wheel clicking is something that isn’t covered or that no one is looking into for a recall is something i don’t understand. i have always backed kia and even bought 2 for my kids, but now i am starting to wonder about the quality of the car. i have read 63 other complaints with the same problems and still nothing from the company with a recall. i guess it takes someone getting killed or seriously injured to get something done about the steering. i could see if it was a interior light but wake up people there is a steering problem. how would you feel if it was you or someone that’s close to you in a vehicle that has faulty steering and something happened to them.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while the driver was driving at 65 mph, the steering wheel began to shake violently with a loud noise. the contact coasted over to the side of the road. the contact was able to resume driving. the failure recurred twice. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was wear and tear in the steering and needed to be repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 73,853.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving, the engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where an unknown part needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of power without warning. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that two cylinders had no compression and the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. prior to the failure, the engine was previously replaced due to the same failure. the contact observed steam coming from the engine during the failure. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 15v568000 (engine); however, the vin, year, make, and model were not included. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. when turning the steering wheel in either direction, a clicking noise was present coming from the steering column. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a coupling within the steering system was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 73,000.

On 5/13/16 i walked out to my car without notice and got in. as of then i noticed a long crack starting at the bottom running upwards over half way and out to the middle cracks. i called the police to get a report but the officer said it had not been hit from the out side and take it to kia. i took it there and i was told i was hit by something like a rock or ball. the man at kia said take it to my insurance company. i took it there and the agent said it was hit but i had to pay $100.00 before it could be fixed. a man from the glass repair came to look at it and he said it has been broken from the inside and he could tell better when the old one has been removed. he came out on 5/3/16 to replace it and he said that whoever told me that window was broken on the outside did not know what they were talking about. after looking at it very close he said that what broke it and made the cracks was the laminated plastic that holds the two pieces of glass together and it was a defect in the glass. kia always tells me when i have a problem, that in no way the problems was from kia's making the car. this is my third problem with that car that they tell me they either cannot find the problem like with the trunk opening up, the battery they replaced on me by taking out almost a new one and replacing it with a older one. now i had to pay out of pocket $100.00 when it was no ones fault about the glass but kia because i still have seven months warranty left on the glass and they did not want to have to install a new one so they could save money and time and keep people thinking that kia is number 1. this kia with under 19,000 miles is junk to me and with some recalls on the make, model and year of this one, not but one single recall was ever made but you did not have to have it done. on this and other kia's they should make kia america rebuy all those cars.

While steering at slow and high speeds the steering wheel makes a loud knocking noise that can be heard and felt. the steering wheel often gets stuck and requires additional force to get it to move. the steering wheels sometimes jerks itself and oversteers in the direction i'm turning it in. it started about a month ago and was happening intermittently but now it's happening all the time.

At 60,100 miles the engine failed. no check engine light no oil light ever came on. i have an extended warranty that denied it along with kia corporate. premature engine failure. maintained to kia standards as well with oil changes. with every oil change i was told the oil was fine and nothing seemed wrong or amiss with the oil in the car. i took my car to have an oil change the day before my engine blew. i was driving to work when it made a very loud knocking noise and i was unable to make it to work. i had the car towed immediately to the nearest dealership. i have owned the car for 18 months as the second owner. i am still making payments.

Trying to state a short version of this brutal situation!! purchased the car with 60,000 miles my car is now out of warranty has not reached 100,000 miles and the engine is gone. of course kia will not fix my car i woe $24,000 on.

The steering wheel makes a clicking sound and sticks every time i turn the steering wheel. while driving it can be a challenge to steer with the steering wheel as it will grab and make that clicking noise and you have to use some force to steer.

While driving down the highway at appx 60mph the car suddenly stopped on us, and all of the indicator lights on the dashboard came on-for the first time ever. there was no knocking sound prior to this happening (we found out there should have been after taking the car to the dealership) after having the car towed to our kia dealership, we were informed that the engine had seized, but there was oil in the car. i am now having to replace the entire engine. after reading multiple stories of this happening to other people as well, it sounds like kia needs to issue a recall.

I own a 2012 kia optima on april 5, 2016 i was driving home from work and my sunroof exploded. at the time i was driving on cline avenue (912). i was not doing anything out of the normal. there were no car around me to hit me there was no falling debris from anywhere. i heard a loud explosion sound and when i looked up i saw my sunroof with a huge hole and two more loud pops came after that. since that time i have contacted kia usa the corporate headquarters and have not gotten anywhere with them. they have not owned up to the fact that this is happening in their vehicles (2011 -2015). i discovered this while researching on line. once the explosion happened i contacted the dealership where i purchased it and where i have it serviced on a regular basis. they held my car from monday, april 11, 2016 until friday, april 15, 2016. nothing was done to it. they claim that they were instructed to hold it so they could an investigation of the car. i have given 3 depositions over the phone to kia with a promise that someone would get back to me soon. that has not happened yet. in the mean time i had to give the dealer ship a deposit so they could order the glass to fix the sunroof. they are telling me that it will cost $440.00 for the class and $80.00 dollars labor. this may not seem like much, but to me it is and i feel like this is kia's responsibility. when i was doing my research on-line i found article of others car makers having the same problem but they paid for the repairs. i was told that my warranty does not cover glass and since the total cost is $520 and my insurance deductible is $500. so this is money i have to pay out of my pocket and presently i am driving around with a piece of plastic for a roof.

The first thing would have to be the steering wheel like it has been noted before when you sit still it has a clicking sound. and all driving the highway at 75 miles an hour it sticks and you have to jerk it back witch is no safe i have had it aligned many times but does not fix the problem. my car has 112,113 miles on i take care of replace thing that need to done and oil changes every 3,000 well after i hit the 100,000 mark my car sounds like it has no oil .. are i have seen on the internet that it sounds like your rpms are really high but there not ... it starts when i'm going 20 mph another thing that is weird when i'm turning left the noise goes away

I have a knocking sound in my steering wheel. the noise happens when i turn the wheel back and forth. also, i have noticed an odd grinding/slipping sensation in the front left wheel when i accelerate on a right turn from different elevations. pulling out of a parking lot on a "decline" while accelerating to the right to enter traffic is a good example. 73,000 miles currently but i've noticed the grind/slip a lower mileage.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the windshield area near the vehicles antenna was fractured and deteriorating. the contact mentioned that only the first layer on the rear windshield was fractured as large the size of a baseball. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 47,000. the vin was not available.

As reported in many previous complaints, when i drive at highway speeds, the steering wheel gets "stuck" and stiffens and jerks, requiring me to turn the steering wheel back to center so that i can drive straight ahead. it's very dangerous and very tiring. the kia service manager said this is the way the electronic power steering is supposed to work and i have to "live with it". i have had this car for 4 years, have 33,000 miles, and this problem only just started. the kia usa consumer assistance agent said there's nothing kia can do, it operates as designed. he said many of their customers love the way the electronic steering handles. really? what's to love about not being able to control the steering of your car on the highway at 65-75 mph??? this is a travesty on kia's part. i notice that there are many complaints on this web site about this problem, and zero investigations. how many complaints does it take to initiate an investigation? does there have to be a major auto accident to get anyone to acknowledge that there's a design problem?

When driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel feels like it sticks and it takes a bit of force to break it free. it is also nearly impossible to keep it going straight down the road. you must continuously keep adjusting the steering wheel to stay in your lane. i did some searching and there are a lot of complaints on this problem. i don't ink this is safe and should be fixed. i told the dealer about it, but they said they didn't find any mechanical issues and maybe it was the alignment. i had already had the alignment checked, which was ok. they said maybe it was the tires. i bought new tires which didn't help. i have had the car for about 1.5 years, but didn't really drive it a lot on the highway. this isn't nearly as noticeable when driving at in town speeds, just at normal highway speeds.

On march 23, 2016 at approximately 2:50 pm i was traveling in heavy traffic on a highway in my 2012 kia optima ex when the panoramic sunroof shattered, in a trajectory resulting the the glass pointing upwards consistent with an explosion outwards. the sunroof was not in use (as it and the accompanying sunshade were completely closed). i became aware of the issue as it occurred very suddenly, sounding almost as if a gunshot had occurred before thentering glass shards landing on the sunshade became apparent by rattling while my vehicle was driving. at the time of the incident, i was traveling at no more than 50 mph as traffic was heavy and we were traveling through a road construction zone characterized by reduced speed. the weather was sunny and approximately 75 degrees. no other windows were open at the time of the incident. passengers in the vehicle included myself (driver) and my toddler daughter who was secured in her rear-facing carseat. there were no overpasses or large improperly secured vehicles nearby (such as a dump truck) from which a projectile could have originated to shatter the window. as stated above, the shatter pattern of the glass is consistent with a trajectory of the break from outwards from the vehicle. i have several pictures attached documenting the damage. it is my belief that this break occurred due to a manufacturing error or defect in the glass of the panoramic sunroof free from any penetrating or projectile objects or variables. i was not informed by kia nor my servicing kia dealership that this is a result of any defect or recall and that all repairs would need to be made out of pocket by myself.

Another problem with my 2012 kia optima ex. i started my car two weeks ago fine and drove to the store 3.1 miles away. after getting back to my car i click push button to unlock the door on the car, nothing happen. i had to remove the key from the key switch i carry to get in. i pushed the break to start it but no start. words came up above the mileage telling me to insert key. when i bought the car i was told that in the glove box was a key charger and that was it. i got a person from the service department to come out to check it and he said it could be the battery in the key that might be dead. he replaced the battery in which they had one and it still would not start. he then said put the key in the charger, i did so and it started. this makes the second problem at this time that seems to be a electric problem with this car. any help or has anyone had this problem on a keyless switch?

Back up camera needs replaced at a cost of $350 with a $99 dealer look at fee. at less than 90,000 miles there is no reason that a camera needs replaced at this point. recall needs thrown as its apparent many 2012 kia optimas are dealing with this issue.

"takata recall" i have a rather new kia optima. at 70,000 miles my high pressure fuel pump completely went out. this affected my ability to start the car and accelerate as it ws very hesitant and shaky. the car was stationary when i realized the problem. i was attempting to start the car and realized that it took a very long time to start. after realizing this, i immediately took my car to a mechanic to have it inspected and told that the high pressure fuel pump went out. i asked how it happened and he informed me that it had nothing to do with my driving and that it is very likely the product of a faulty fuel pump because that usually doesn't happen with a car with only 70,000 miles on it.

The steering wheel sticks!!! hard to stay in your lane and over correcting happens every day. just like everyone elses. wheres the recall???? i've got bids from $450-$650 to fix this crap. kia will cost people their lives.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. when starting the vehicle, it had a hard start. while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began to lose acceleration and the pedal stiffened. the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump failed and needed to be repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 60,000.

When turning the steering wheel there is a knocking noise in the steering column and appears very loose where i have to turn the wheel almost an extra 1/8-1/4 turn. the steering wheel is loose and then seems to lock up at speeds of 55-60. i first noticed this about a year ago but after today the knocking noise became worse.

Last week, during an oil change, i was told that my transmission cooler hose was leaking and needed two new ones. in addition to that i would have to pay for the cooling service which would be a total of about $200. no telling how long the car was without coolant, but my car has never over heated. coincidentally, i received an email that there is a recall on the kia/2011 for the same issue! i was told that there was nothing kia would over if it was not included in the recall which it most likely should be by looking at online reviews. please investigate.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the steering wheel column was defective. the steering wheel emitted a loud clicking noise and vibrated while turning. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

While driving at highway speeds with steering wheel at 12 o'clock position, the steering wheel feels like it is stuck or locked when trying to make minor steering corrections. i have to somewhat jerk the wheel at which time the steering appears to wake up and respond. it feels as if the electronic power steering module shuts down giving the feeling of a locked/stuck steering wheel. by jerking the wheel to "wake up" the steering it creates an over compensated steering correction issue and a concern for safety at highway speeds.

As i was driving on the overpass and merging onto another highway my car would not accelerate, i put the car in neutral and was able to veer off the freeway to a side street when i stopped the vehicle and a lot of smoke started coming from the engine and the car would not restart. before this i had no indication that anything was wrong with the vehicle. i had it towed to kia where i was told this was due to lack of maintenance as there is metal debris in the oil filter and oil pan. the vehicle only has 71000 miles on it and i have oil change records to prove maintenance every 5000 miles or sooner on the car. it has now been almost 2 weeks and i am still waiting for kia to respond if they are going to fix my vehicle. since i am considered the 2nd owner (even though the first owner was the dealership i bought the car from) i only have a 60k mile warranty. i have read multiple stories on 2012 kia optima's doing the same thing to other people and kia needs to step up and fix this problem!

Im having intermittent electrical and suspension problems along with sudden increases of power increase and decreases. i was driving to my local mall before my evening class and noticed my car radio and instrument cluster where not operating no lights but car was running fine. i hit the brakes while coming to a stop light in a busy intersection hit a small bump the car decided to accelerate and it felt as if the suspension was loose on the left front side i heard it rattle now this bump wasn't big by any means as i hit the break i could feel the brakes fight with the engine the brake pedal also shook at my feet. i quickly put the kia in neutral and shut the car off still at the light. put it in park and restarted my car all light and instrument cluster came on along with radio.my optima felt ok . but later i went to class got into my car and she wouldn't turn over i had to press on the gas to get it to start. i took it to the dealer they said they couldn't find anything besides my high temp fuel pump was giving low pressure codes. i only have 80k on this vehicle but kia said they will not cover it. this a serious safety issue why if my kids where in the car and i did get into a serious accident with them . this needs to be addressed. something needs to be done before there is a death no after the fact.

The steering wheel is loose when i hit a bump feels like the car just wants to turn. seems like if the wheel could just lock up or will just completely not turn at some point

Driving north bound on major highway. car starts losing speed, i pull over into a gas station and my car dies, it restarts instantly with no service lights i continue down the road on the service road, the car dies at a red light. starts up once more. i hear a knocking noise coming from my engine. i was able to make it home but now the noise is much louder, its coming from the rear of the engine on the right side. i take it into the dealership. the connector rod to a piston is destroyed. the car has plenty of oil. i've read on forums many people have had this same problem.

I was driving on i10 driving 70 mph today and my sunroof exploded. the road was smooth. nothing seemed to hit me, it just exploded, like a loud gunshot above my head.

Motor driven power steering coupler replacement needed

Driving at approximately 50 mph on the parkway, engine stalled without warning and would not re-start. i had the car towed to a shop where they informed me the engine had seized. there was definitely oil in there as i had an oil change within the last couple of weeks,. the car has 72k miles on it and i am the second owner so not covered by kia's non-transferable 10yr/100k mi warranty. working with kia customer service, waiting to hear back from a supervisor.

Takata recall

Sudden engine failure without warning lights. knocking sound. parked car and had towed to dealer. car has 63,000 miles on it. dry of oil, and oil was changed within past six weeks. same engine (theta ii) from same plant (ala) as the hyundai sonatas covered by recent recall. symptoms are also the same. kia refusing coverage under warranty because not original owner. working through their consumer affairs to escalate. so far, no results. i believe we are seeing an identical problem in my car with identical engine to sonata and kia should fix

Urgent: steering wheel constantly sticks while driving. this is a safety hazard!!!!!!!!!! i see there are dozens and dozens of similar complaints from other optima owners!!! does someone have to have a fatal accident for this to become a recall item ????

The steering wheel sticks, and it makes it hard to keep the car straight. there's no smoothness when turning the wheel. it's like the steering wheel turns in increments.

I've been driving my car for some time now when it reach 60,000 + miles, i notice the car steering would stick when slightly turn or a full turn. it also drifts and there is a clicking noise when the steering wheel is turning left and right . i had front end line meant done. that did not stop the noise or sticking steering column. this happens while driving or sitting.

The vehicle hit 63,000 miles during this incident. as i was merging onto the expressway at 50mph, i got the vehicle to 60mph and the speedometer gauge froze at 60mph. then, the rpm gauge dropped to 0. suddenly the engine lost power, the brakes locked up and before i got the car off to the shoulder at a complete stop, the engine cut out completely. the engine would not start at all after it cut out. i then brought the vehicle to a dealership where they deemed a new engine as the current engine blew.

Urgent: from when i purchased it new, steering wheel constantly sticks while driving. this is a safety hazard!!!!!!!!!! i filed a report with nhtsa when i bought it, but never heard back from anyone. i see there are dozens and dozens of similar complaints from other optima owners!!! [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).” *jb*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 50 mph, the engine stalled without warning and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 117,000. updated 02/10/16.*jb updated 04/08/16*lj updated 05/03/18*jb

Unsafe loose steering. i first noticed this issue while driving on i75 shortly after purchasing my car in june of 2012. the car pulls to the left, when corrected, it then pulls to the right or viceversa. it's almost impossible to keep this car in a straight line. i reported this issue to my local kia dealer about 4 times (during ever service visit) their response is always the same: "the car is performing according to manufacturer's specifications, we couldn't find anything wrong with it" i disagree but couldn't do anything about it. today, 3 years later, it's worse, i hear a loud clicking noise coming from the steering column when i turn the wheel. this situation has escalated to severe. i fear for my life when driving this car. please help!

Wanders off center, either right or left. will not stay straight. wears you out continually correcting the drift or wandering.

When cranking up car engine makes loud noise, then if driving at a normal speed the car slows down on it own,also the dash board lights goes from bright to dim to almost no dash board lights at all, driving

Just bought my car this year with 26350 miles on it. when it got to 30000 needed new tires. the car check engine light keeps coming on. i have took it to the shop and they turn it off. then when i drive it and it comes back on again. it has broke down on the road four times. twice i called road side help the other two times someone has helped me. it runs hot because it is bubbling if i drive for more then a hour. bought the car from power of bowser

Metal debris in engine oil, scorch engine- same engine problem as parent co. hyundai motor recall. on sonata. a 2.4 liter engine., manufactured before april 2012. engine needs to be replaced. engine failed on freeway during normal use.

I was driving on i 95 on our way home from florida. we were passing fayettsville ,nc when my car engine made some knocking noise and then the engine light came on, before i can pull to the shoulder, the car stalled,lost power at 70 mls per hr. we were lucky no one hit us as i was slowly navigating to the shoulder. i had it towed to a kia dealership in fayettsville,nc. they said engine seized up and needs to be replace. the car has 71,000mls but kia denied my warranty claim so i end up paying $5,700 for a remanufactured engine.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while reversing out of the residential driveway, an abnormally loud clicking sound emitted from the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering wheel was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 29,000. the vin was not available.

My engine sounds like a truck ,i took car to kia dealer ship and they claimed it was it was serpentine belt tensioner loosing tenion and ideler pulley bearing .said they fixed these problems but i'm still have the same problem,and said there was no recall on my car.but there is a problem with the the one i bought.

Exiting hwy 71 east bound to woodward decreasing speed the vehicle in front of me had a car cut in front of her. i had a safe distance and slammed my brakes. my brakes did not grab as usual my car did not stop and i hit the vehicle in front of me. i truly believe my brake system failed. i will take my car into kia when i get it back.

Noticed in october 2014 the car started drifting and the steering wheel began to lock up. it has become progressively worse and now i'm hearing a knocking noise in the steering wheel. i was told by my coworker who has a 2011 optima that he has the same problem and he was told by the dealership that it was a plastic gear in the steering column and would cost roughly $300 to fix. upon research with this issue i have come across several owners that seem to have the same problem which kia knows about. i feel that kia should correct this problem at their expense before this issue kills someone.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 65 mph, the temperature gauge went to the hot side and smoke started to emit under the hood. the contact stated that the engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the coolant clamp on the radiator was not properly fitted, causing the engine to fail. the engine needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

I was driving with my wife at approximately 70 mph on a flat, freshly paved highway with no overpasses or others cars nearby when all of a sudden an extremely loud crash (sounded like a gun shot) occurred right above our heads. all of a sudden the sunshade on the interior roof started flapping around wildly in the wind and hundreds of pieces of shattered glass started raining on my wife and my head and body. the sound and falling glass was so sudden and distracting that i nearly swerved off the road, but luckily was able to maintain control of the car. as my heart beat out of my chest, i quickly pulled over to the side of the highway to calm down and assess what had happened. upon further inspection it looked like the sunroof had spontaneously exploded outward from the cabin. we have no logical explanation for why it occurred other than that it was a pre-existing manufacturing defect, which sounds consistent with other instances i have read online. doing some additional research i found that there are apparently hundreds of cases of this occurring in kia models and a class action lawsuit is being built. despite all of these instances being reported i was never alerted by kia that this was an issue or possibility. my car is in the shop now and kia is investigating whether or not they will cover the repair costs (they better after all we went through). my wife and i both suffered several punctures/splinters on our head, arms, and legs from the tiny glass shards. my wife also received a gash/cut on her palm from a piece of glass. kia needs to address this very serious issue before it happens to others who may not be as lucky as we were to walk away relatively uninjured.

Tl* the contacts owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 57,000.

I was stopped at a stoplight on a small street when a very loud hissing noise started coming from my air conditioner vents. as i accelerated through the intersection, the hissing noise got quieter, but as i stopped at the next intersection, it got louder. by the time i pulled into a nearby parking lot and stopped, my air conditioner was no longer blowing cold. the heat index is currently well over 100 degrees here, so driving home with no air could be very dangerous to many, especially if we had taken the car out of town, as we were intending to do just a few days later. luckily, i was close to home and did not have my children with me, so i was able to endure the ride home, but others may not be so fortunate. after returning from my out of town trip (for which i had to use another car), i took my car to the dealership, who said originally that fixing a broken a/c was under warranty, but then he returned and said a rock or debris had put a hole in my condenser, and it would not be covered by my warranty. instead, i would need to file an insurance claim or pay almost $900. i emphasized that this happened as i was sitting still at a small intersection, not while driving at a high speed. he claimed that it is possible it could've happened earlier but was just then under enough pressure to push through the hole. i have found hundreds of kia owners online with supposed "punctured compressors" that couldn't see the puncture or couldn't explain when or how it could have happened, and many in cars owned for less than a year. kia has been receiving complaints about this since at least 2011 and refused to cover it in the warranty. this could be prevented with a cheap wire mesh to protect the compressor, but they have instead chosen to get paid $800+ each time it happens and leave customers vulnerable to being stranded in 100+ degree heat with no a/c due to faulty design. *tr

I have noticed a lot of play in the steering of my 2012 optima in the last few months. i took the car into the dealer for new tires,alignment and balance while the mechanic was putting on the tires ,i asked him about the play in the steering wheel and he said it was because of a fiber gear in the steering motor that is on the steering column and that it was a warrenty problem and would be repaired free of charge there is a small fiber gear about the size of a quarter that the teeth break off of and will cause a clicking that i had herd and could cause the steering to lockup. when the unit was taken apart, the gear had a lot of teeth broken off and after it was replace the steering wheel was fine again with no play in the wheel i saw no recall or warnings but it seems that this happens at about 25000 mile give or take. thought i would share this with other owners it can be repaired at no cost on a warrenty bases

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving 50 mph, the sun roof glass exploded with a loud bang. the contact was uninjured. the manufacturer and dealer were made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,050.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 55 mph, the contact heard a loud pop and the sun roof shattered without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Jerking and loss of acceleration when driving and when shifting in parking/reverse. when shifting in reverse it makes a jerk and make a thud. same thing in drive but a little more harsh. jerking also just when shifting to drive after starting the car. even when i drive it would give a jerk a few times when switching gears, and also when i brake to slow down it does it. i also remember the car shaking one time when i turned it on. it also lost acceleration while driving to work in a 45 mpg area. had to pull over and shut/restart the car a few times. taken in to kia each time this happened. last night, june 30, was the forth time. kia can't figure out what's wrong with it. it is scary and unsafe as i feel it can cause a rear-end accident.

Car will jerk hard when changing gears. it happens while going in speeds below 45 mph. the car will jerk really hard while driving and the rpms will jump from 2-3 straight up to 6. it has happened several times in the last week. i am taking it to the kia dealer to see if they can locate and fix the problem. based on what i have read here, there doesn't appear to be a fix. i am really concerned it will accelerate and cause me to have an accident.

At 20000 miles my fog lights would not work , the weird put the directional signal to turn right they would come on for a short time, replaced bulbs nothing they don't work. also had to replace brakes and the tires, tire brand are junk, poorly made they were beyond the limit for safty, then at 40000 miles both front wheel bearings had to be replaced, now at 78000 miles the struts are making a horrible clanking and the ac is blowing hot air even after 2 cans of the stuff the mechanic said to add. i travel on the highway to work 36 miles one way daily hense the milage but the high way is smooth as well. very disappointed kia owner, when called to ask about the fog lights was told your problem so im sure the struts will be and the ac will also be my problem . sadly thought they would back up there product

I noticed when i was driving in the freeway i had to keep over correcting the steering wheel. it would get stuck and you needed to kind of jerk it to unstick.

Vehicle has trouble maintaining proper steering at highway speeds. the steering needs to almost constantly be turned right to left to try to maintain straight driving. the steering will also occasional lock when turning and you have to manually turn the wheel back straight. the constant need to over correct the steering makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. i could see it easily causing an accident in the correct conditions.

We purchased the car on 4/3/15 hendrick chevrolet in cary nc drove 5 miles home back to dealer ship next morning for paperwork to finish. left dealership headed to main highway interstate 40 noticeable as soon as you get at highway speed the steering was tight had to hold on with both hand the car was weaving lane to lane as the was no center for you to drive straight. immediately called dealer we took the car back left it. today is a few weeks out 4/23/15 the have reset steering code, align and rebalanced tires a few times and yesterday replaced the whole steering column and we today still does the same thing. they said today they will replaces the tires and see his this goes. from the start they said no one has reported this issues but i showed them online of the hundreds of complaints. kia is involved but i think they just want us to take the car and go. its not safe and i am not driving it. it will sit there till tires rot. they are suppose to call kia foe more things to they but they didn't act lime they are in a hurry. if i would have known this car had complaints l. would have never purchased it. did research the car before purchase did not see any issue until i googled the problem and man the internet went crazy. i want it fixed and safe or kia to offer me a similar car with no issues............... *tr

While taking a curve on the interstate, the steering wheel would hold itself in position as if it were almost in the locked position. had been driving the car for almost 2 hours when this occurred. took next exit to check power steering fluid and tires. everything checked ok. got back on the interstate and it continued to happen until the car was shut off and parked overnight. very dangerous, especially for someone new to driving. the steering g wheel would hold itself into any position i left it in. it would never try to re-center itself while driving. may be coincidence, but the cruise control would not maintain the set speed at the same time this was occurring. dealership stated no error codes were stored on the cars computer. *tr

The waste gate actuator on kia optima turbo model failed. there are thousands of complaints about this defective part online and kia has not address the issue of this defect. to replace the defective part which is not covered under the powertrain warranty is $500. do not purchase a kia until they have addressed this glaring defect. i've had 8 cars in my life 7 hondas and 1 kia. the kia was a big mistake. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clock spring needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

The steering wheel sticks at hwy speeds. i have to pull the wheel hard to be able to change lanes. it drifts from left to right with out even turning the steering wheel. this is a major safety concern for me and everybody else on the road. it would be a real bad situation if i could not turn in the event of something in my way. i have also notified kia of this problem. i have seen post dating as early as 2012 about this problem and still kia has not notified me that this could be a real concern. i am posting along with alot of other people in hopes that this will become public not only for my car but for everybody else who does not know about this situation before its to late for somebody else. *tr

I have a 2012 kia optima hybrid of which i purchased at the local kia dealer (ontario, ca) and even purchased an additional "platinum 100k mile protection." on december 31st my car started to move while in park and the ignition on. i hit the breaks and there was no break pressure at all. the car started to flash codes regarding the brakes and i had to engage the emergency break to stop the vehicle. the dealer could not find the issue and returned the car. another month later the car did the same thing and i video taped it. the gauges started illuminating and delluminating repeatedly and all the lights on the dash started to flash. the "check brake" code came up again! i now have proof of the vehicle doing this and brought my car back to the dealer now they have admitted something is wrong but they're still unable to duplicate the error. they are keeping the car for further diagnosis but have not done anything but tell me they do not know what is wrong with it yet and that my warranty "may not" cover it. they have told me repeatedly that they will not be able to fix it or do anything for me until they know what is wrong, nor have they offered me a rental car. i want my car back but it is unsafe! what if the brakes go out at a high rate of speed?! please help me nhtsa so we can save lives of others that may experience this problem as well. *tr

I was hit in the back while stopped in traffic. *tr

This started in june 2014 during the mid summer. the trunk would come open while just sitting there or come open while driving. so far no one has been hurt by it opening up while i have been driving but it could come open while i am driving and if i was to travel on the interstate at 70 mph and it was to open it could cause my back window to break or fly off and hit another car causing injuries. last year during the night we had heavy rain the whole night and when i got up it was still raining hard and i noticed after going out the trunk was open wide. the mat in the trunk was soaking wet, back and front mats and inside where the tire goes had a little one 2 feet of water. i cannot give the dates for all of the time except 4 which was on 10-14-14 where ford kia had to remove the water and dry out parts. i was stuck with the bill in which i have the bill and in october 8, 17, 24 november 4,12,19,27. december 10,15.18 22, 24.31. january 2015 2, 8,15,17,18. i have contacted the dealership here about it and i was told there was nothing that could be done and i told them that the people that lived next door had a wireless key that they could open, turn on my lights inside and out and a couple that lived two doors down had a car and when they moved in that he could open his doors and such which would unlock my doors and turn on the lights and open the trunk and they said at the shop that the freq on my car cannot be changed. it seems that i got a car that many of the people can come and try their key and get inside and just push the button and take off. it happens during setting and driving so the speed i cannot state right.

Unable to steer the vehicle in a straight line at highway speeds. car consistently drifts from left to right and right to left. steering wheels feels as though it becomes locked in position. as you attempt to correct the steering, the steering wheel randomly breaks free causing over correcting which could very easily result in a crash. has been taken to the dealers and they say the car is within specs and you don't have any warning lights on so therefore there is no problem with it. this is going to result in someone losing their life. *tr

Electric power steering intermittently malfunctions at highway speed causing a snapping sensation in the steering wheel and inability to hold a a steady heading. steering becomes sticky requiring g constant adjustments as the car drifts from one sticky heading to another. dealer repeatedly unable to diagnose.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving between 60-65 mph, the vehicle swerved independently towards the left and without warning. the dealer stated that there was no failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 23,682. the vin was not available.

I was driving on the interstate. had been driving for about 40 minutes when i was on the interstate going up a small hill and tried to accelerate in speed and my check engine light came on and my car started jumping and then would not keep the speed i was at. the speed in my car kept descending. it wasnt until i was going 30 mph before i could get over into the slow lane to then get in the emergency lane. i had the car towed from where it broke down in baileyton tn to bristol tn which is about a 50 min drive and was then told they would not be giving me a loaner car and it hadnt even been 1 month since i purchased car.. no one seems to be willing to help. they said they will not trade my car in for a different car even tho they claim there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.... grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving 40-45 mph, the steering wheel seized causing the vehicle to sway abnormally. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 49,000.

The vehicle is very hard to steer when you go over 45/55 miles per hour. it becomes so uncontrollable that i have to drive it with both hands as i continue to try to control the vehicle from either going into another lane or hitting the one coming traffic. the steering wheel gets soooo tight /stiff that the car cannot travel down the highway without me constantly shifting steering wheel from left to right. any slight over pull / correction of the wheel is going to cause someone there life or a horrible accident .i pray that kia corrects this before someone or cause someone to lose their life. hope this will be recalled before it's to late. i was on the highway fighting to stay in my lane and crossed over into the oncoming traffic (which could've caused me my life)and it was a sheriff deputy. he immediately turned around to stop me. he thought i was dui. this was very embarrassing .i explained to him that i had the txt the dealership where i had got the car from and they tried to put it on the highway/ tires but they suggested i take it to kia dealership closer to me. the officer suggested i get it checked asap and didn't charge me . not only am i afraid to drive the car but i'm exhausted and body extremely tired from driving it. no one should feel this way. kia please listen to your customers because they can make you or break you. please don't be like that other car company and someone had to lose their life first. please listen!!!!! *tr

2012 kia optima sx car went into auxiliary mode first, but upon pushing the button the push start button a second time the engine turned over and started. *mw the consumer had to replaced the tires, there was an issue with the turbo actuator and the radio was making a strange noise. the consumer stated the vehicle would not start. the vehicle went into auxiliary; where the ac, radio and lights were on. she turned them all off and pushed the start button again. the vehicle turned off, went out of auxiliary mode and she removed her foot from the brake. on the second attempt, she realized the pedal was still engaged, she tried pumping it, to release it, but it would not. she verified the gear was in park. upon pushing the start button again, the vehicle went into auxiliary mode again. after five attempts, she was able to start the vehicle. *jb

Vehicle is hard to hold straight at higher speeds. the steering locks into a position and requires extra effort to turn the wheel causing over correction. *tr

The interior overhead lights periodically come on and go off while operating our 2012 optima. this occurs with the switch in both on and off position and the lightbulbs tend to become overheated.they do not respond to manual operation, but go off on their own and this malfunction repeats several times in a ten minute drive. best-case scenario results in the bulbs burning out prematurely, but i believe there is a real chance of a more serious short-circuit and potential interior fire. *tr

I have noticed over twenty times that the trunk would open by itself. it would be found open after i get to my car or while driving it would just open up on its own. last month my trunk, was shut, doors locked, we had a heavy rain that night and the next day i went out, and the trunk was open up all the way. the trunk flap was soaking wet and under it, there was a foot of water and kia does not give you a tire when you buy a new one. it cost me $80.00 to get everything dried out and water removed. there is a problem with the trunk opening and the kia dealer said that they could do nothing could be, done with it or the key that opens it told me. kia said they could not fix the frequency for the keys and there are two people, which have different cars that their key will open my trunk doors and even turn on my lights. the trunk can be shut and you driving down the road at 55 mph and it will open up and block your view and it could cause a wreck if you are changing lanes. *tr

I was driving down the i77 north at 70mph with the sunroof and shade shut when there was a loud explosion and the shade started going through the sunroof and glass came raining down on myself (i am 7 months pregnant) and my 13 year old daughter. there were no cars around us. it was sunny around 80 degrees. *tr

I was driving home from gulf shores, al to atlanta, ga. i stopped at a rest area. when i started my car back up there was kind of a buzzing noise as i accelerated, but it would stop once i reached cruising speed. after about 15 miles down the road from the rest area, my gas pedal just stopped working. the car coasted until it lost speed and then just turned off. after i was eventually towed to the nearest kia dealership, i was told that the engine had died and i would need to have a new one installed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the engine stalled without warning. in addition, a strong electrical burning odor emitted inside of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis. the mechanic informed that the starter and associated fuses were completely burnt. the vehicle was repaired. the contact stated that after the repairs were performed, the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who recommended the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

Driving vehicle at 35-40 mph. all of a sudden engine stopped. there was heavy smoke coming from under the hood and smelled of an electrical fire. smoke dissipated after 15 minutes. vehicle was unable to be restarted and had to be towed to kia dealership in turnersville nj. spoke with dealership on 9/23 and was told starter and engine needs to be replaced. *tr

Cruise control "cancel" button needs repeated pushing to activate. a single push of the cancel button actually seems to accelerate the car. *tr

Key fob was placed on the roof of the car to enable female adult to place child into safety booster seat. key fob was left on roof by accident, but the car was still allowed to start. the car gave no audible warning that the key was still outside the car. the car was driven 10 miles. in the intervening time, the key fob flew off the top of the car and was lost. no audible warning was given to the driver that the key left the car's proximity. upon arriving at the destination, the female adult and her child were stranded. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima equipped with hankook optimo h431 tires, size 225/45r 18v. while driving 20 mph, the tire gauge indicator illuminated. an independent mechanic found an air bubble in the rear driver side tire. the tire was not replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin and dot number were unavailable. the approximate vehicle failure mileage was 36,000 and the tire failure mileage was 7,000.

I was accelerating vehicle an stability light came on and car would not accellerate. when i tried a loud noise came from the front. dealer says nothing was wrong. *tr

My satellite radio has been cutting in and out ever since i bought the car. dealer says antennae was replaced. problem still exists. i have brought car back several times and they were not able to duplicate. *tr

I have had this vehicle for over 2 years now and have about 30,000 miles on it. i took this car to the dealership within a week after i bought it for problems with steering and it's inability to stay straight on the road without having to continually adjust the steering wheel. i was told that there was nothing they could find wrong with it. but after finding this website, i now understand that i am not the first one to have this issue. recently i have had an issue with the air conditioner. it works fine when the car is driving but when it is stopped or idling, the air suddenly blows warm air and doesn't start to blow cold until a few seconds after the car has started moving. *tr

Driving down the freeway at 70 mph, sunny clear weather, temp 85. no overpasses or other vehicles in sight. the sunroof exploded showering an enormous amount of glass on top of my head resulting in a few minor cuts. either i was struck by a meteorite or kia has defective glass. the dealer replaced it for $550.00 and no explanation. as there are several other posts with similar descriptions i feel kia has defective glass and this should be investigated.. i very nearly lost control of my car at freeway speeds. *tr

I was on i-40 going about 75 mpg. temp was about 75 and the driver side window cracked a little. the shade was not down on the sunroof, but the sunroof was not lifted.i was about to pass a vehicle to my right. all of a sudden there was a loud bang in the back of my head. i was so thrown off, i almost let go of the wheel. it echoed in my head. i panicked and pulled over on the interstate and flagged down a state trooper. the trooper checked... my car was not hot. nothing flew in my car. nothing flew out of my car. there was no other damage besides the hole in the sunroof. but you could tell that the explosion came from inside the car. the trooper was speechless. i was terrified to drive the car anymore because i didn't know what caused it. we concluded that it had to be some kind of air pressure that caused it. again, i'm not an expert but i do know that i didn't do anything to cause this. i keep my car in great condition. after seeing the other reports, i'm glad i heard about this site. please mandate a recall or rebate for people who have had this issue. the is extremely dangerous. my hearing in my right ear was "fuzzy" for a few hours, i had a massive headache, my ear is sore, the whole right side of my body hurts. thank god i didn't have any cuts or bruises, but it felt like it (weird). i could have caused a horrible accident if i took both hands off of the wheel. and it's sad that kia has not addressed this with so many complains. we shouldn't have to pay a deductible for a manufacture flaw. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that when making a turn the vehicle shook violently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 34,000.the vin was not available.

I was driving on the highway with the sunroof open. i heard an extremely loud pop, as if someone popped a balloon right next to my ear, and i was showered with glass. the sunroof had exploded. *tr i wasn't around a bridge or overpass, and there weren't cars around me. i don't recall seeing anything on the road in front or me. there was no damage to the sunroof prior to my trip. it was about 80-82 degrees outside with clear skies. i've read that this has happened to other people with kia optimas, hyundai velosters, and other car manufacturers. my car is at the dealer now, and kia is aware of the issue and is investigating. luckily i remained calm and pulled over to the side of the highway to clear off the glass and go to the dealer. that sound and shower of glass could have easily startled someone else and possibly caused an accident. i do have a picture of the sunroof prior to breaking away the additional, broken glass. please contact me for it, should it be needed.

I was parked in a secured police parking garage that no one has access to except police officers. upon getting into my car, placing it into drive and beginning to move forward out of the parking space, there was a loud noise that sounded like glass shattering. i exited my vehicle to find that my sunroof had exploded into thousands of pieces. there was nothing that struck the glass that caused this to happen. upon doing research, i discovered that this is a problem that the kia vehicles sunroofs have. kia is aware of the problem and is telling me that i will have to pay for the replacement. my vehicle is still under warranty which does not seem to matter to kia. kia is telling me that this incident occurred because there was an object that caused this to happen. i told them that i was in the vehicle barely moving when this happened. they do not want to take responsibility for the problem. *js

Vehicle is hard to hold straight at higher speeds. the steering locks into a position and requires extra effort to turn the wheel causing over correction. this causes mental and physical fatigue on longer trips and could cause an accident. *tr

While traveling from knoxville tn.we noticed the smell of gasoline while traveling on i-75.as we continued on the smell went away.we refueled in sweetwater tn. and continued on.at a redlight in madisonville we noticed the smell again.i pulled into a wendys parking lot and checked beneath the hood.there was no gas smell or leaks.we continued on to hwy 68.near farner tn. the car had a hot smell and within a few seconds went up in flames.we pulled onto a side road and exited the vehicle.there was no warning lights, and the car did not miss or shut off.no warning whatsoever.we were able to get out only.flames consumed the car immediately after we exited the vehicle. *tr

All 4 hankook optimo 225/45/18 tires that came with my 2012 kia optima sx vehicle developed a bubble in the sidewall within 18 months. due to safety concerns and advice from the dealership all 4 tires were replaced around the 2 year point from purchase of the vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel became uncontrollable, causing the vehicle to sway abnormally. the contact mentioned that the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. the failure recurred several times. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 24,000.

2012 kia optima. consumer writes in regards to structural defect in vehicle tires. *smd the consumer stated while pulling away from a stop sign on a snow covered, but plowed street, the vehicle went into a very dangerous skid in a busy intersection. he completely lost control of the vehicle going 5 mph. fortunately, there were no cars or pedestrians nearby, but while the car was skidding, he crashed into the diagonal street corner which caused the rear fender to be scraped and the tires misaligned. there were several other occasions, where the vehicle skidded and hydroplaned always causing him to lose control of the vehicle. the consumer also noticed a bulge in the rear tire that did not hit the curb.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a residential garage, the sunroof exploded. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was being diagnosed and repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 38,000. the vin was unavailable.

Vehicle steering wheel control has abnormal nonfluent consistency. the driver has to continuously correct steering to continue to keep the vehicle traveling straight, otherwise vehicle will start to drift immediately. when correction is made to keep vehicle traveling straight, steering wheel has to be turned with more than normal force, which then results to a oversteering response due to the incapable of making a minor adjustment. this continues to make vehicle to drift from side to side excessively while driving which in turn can make the driver appear impaired or distracted. the problem is felt in the steering wheel causing the wheel to stick in place near center placement. for example, it is like riding a bike on pavement then transitioning to mud, one has to apply more peddling motion to get through the mud, and when they are back on pavement suddenly, they jump to an unexpected speed, faster then what they intended. this is how the steering reacts to minor adjustments that need extra force to unstick the steering wheel which concludes that the electric-assisted power steering is not functioning properly. the vehicle's air pressure in all 4 tires are equal and at 35psi, wheels are properly balanced alignment is at manufactures specifications. this problem did not exist when the car was bought new (because no one would buy a $30,000 car that does not drive straight) and just currently started to act up. *tr

At, highway speeds, the steering wheel seems to stick when making minor corrections. it is very annoying and tiring on the arms. going around corners or bends in the road it seems fine though. it only happens at highway speeds making minor corrections in the lane. this is something kia should take a serious look at because it seems like a lot of the complaints are around this issue. i put 10,000 miles but it has been happening since we bought the car new and it currently has 16,000. have not had dealer look at it yet. *tr

Wife was driving home from work in early evening on normal daily commuter router when very loud explosion noise. incident scared wife enough that she called husband for advice on situation. sunroof shattered. no overpasses within several miles at time of incident. no flying road debris. nothing unusual about circumstances. reported incident to kia dealership and took car in for repairs. repairs took about 2 weeks because "no sunroof in stock". received call from kia corporate office regarding incident after 2 or 3 days asking for details. just after picking up the repaired car, received call and suspicious letter (email) asking for us to sign and return essentially a liability release. we did not sign it. suspect that kia corporate intended to have us sign letter before returning the car to us. *tr

Vehicle had random abnormal jerking, bucking and clunking by the transmission during normal acceleration, which causes abnormal deceleration. this could cause an issue with normal driving and can cause a rear end accident. the cause of this after vehicle was taken to the dealer, is the transmission temperature relay. apparently the mechanic advised that other vehicles have been brought in with the same relay issue and there has been no recalls on the part. *tr

Making a call with my bluetooth equipped in the vehicle, looked down to verify connection, by the time i looked up i was a foot away from a parked vehicle, i swerved as to the left as much as i could but it was too late, i slammed into the vehicle causing damage, my hood and engine were practically crushed in and along the passenger side of my vehicle, my car came to a hault before jumping over the median. none of airbags deployed. i was going speed of 50-60 miles per hour. *tr

I noticed on monday that the car seemed to be struggling with acceleration. it seemed to be slow and sluggish. i drove the car home not exceeding 40 mph. next morning when starting the vehicle the dashboard is lit up with an indication of engine malfunction. i only had to drive the car a mile so i continued on to work but i had no power at all. the car was struggling to make it up a small hill and i had no speed on level ground. i am afraid to drive the vehicle at this point. i have scheduled an appointment but the next question is how much is this going to cost? wow i have only owned camry's for the past 15 years and thought i would try a kia. they look nice. not sure i will keep this vehicle much longer. *tr

10549868 continued: another way to describe the steering problem follows. when i move the steering wheel left to right, back and forth ever so slightly, all works fine. steering is easy and takes little force to correct. if one was to measure the required force, it would be slight, lets say 2 units. when the steering wheel has been stationary for a couple of seconds, and i try to make a minor correction, the force required is much greater, lets say 12 units. so while driving and the car is drifting to the right of lane. making the correction, overcoming the stuck feeling, the car starts to drift towards the left of lane. this back and forth process needs to be continuously performed, however, as speed increase, this process has to happen more often, causing fatigue in the arms and wrists and making the driving experience quite stressful. it?s as if the steering assist of the electric ps motor goes to sleep when the steering wheel is stationary, thus the added force required when making a minor correction is to wake the motor up. i am taking the car back to the dealer with these two descriptions of the steering problem. they will have the car for 4days at least. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would sway from right to left. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 32,000.

Most noticeable while driving on paved highways at mph over 45. steering seems stuck near straight ahead position and when attempting to make minor correction to remain in lane, a slight over correction occurs due to getting past this sticky position. of course the over correction requires another slight movement of the steering wheel, which again meets resistance, and so the over correction occurs again. continuing this left and right movement of the car in the lane creates stressful driving at best, and painful wrists, at worst on long drives. when engine off and in a quiet location, moving the steering wheel, left and right regardless of steering wheel position or wheel position, you can both hear a slight snap and feel it when overcoming the stuck place. this problem is always present, however not as noticeable in local traffic or while actual turning around a bend for example. dealer could not duplicate the problem last year, and hopefully when i take it in for the 20,000 mile check up, my more complete description of the problem should help. i did call the dealer about 6 months ago, and they sent me to someone higher up. his comment was that he gets many calls every day about this, and that it's the way it is. *tr

The sunroof exploded while i was driving down the highway shortly after 7am et. it sounded like a gunshot. i pulled over and looked at it and then drove straight to the dealer. *js

There is a knocking sound that seems to be on both sides of the front end. i have had the care aligned and it does not seem to be part of the alignment, also indications from others is that it is related to sway barn ends. others on the kia forum indicate similar problems.. http://www.kia-forums.com/3g-2006-5-magentis-optima/43806-g3-annoying-front-suspension-noise-7.html. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel suddenly became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 28,000. the vin was not available.

I was driving in the left hand lane of a major thoroughfare when my kia just lost power. i was able to pull over to a side street and called my dealer. they recommended turning the motor off and then back on, which did fix the problem and it has not recurred, but it was very frightening when it happened. *tr

After 15,000 miles tire developed a huge bubble on the side wall of the front left tire. bought the car brand new with original tires from dealership(nexen).these tires should be outlawed. right after i got it to a mechanic shop, it exploded and was sitting on the rim. i was very fortune to not be driving on the highway when this occured. i can send picture also. i have had two flat tires within the first year of purchase. not including the 2nd pair that the bubble developed at the front. the nexen tires tread life is very short too.. they seemed to drive better in slightly wet conditions than dry; odd. :/ i received no compensation from the kia dealership i bought it from. *tr

While driving my 2012 kia optima sx t gdi i lost accelerations on the highway. i was driving at 55 mph because the car wouldn't accelerate, but it did decrease in speed to a dangerous 20 mph. i tried to use my paddle shifters in hopes that would work, to no avail. i depressed the gas pedal to the floor and the speed did not change. i eventually reached a safe place and shut the car off, waited several minutes and attempted re-starting the car. the car sputtered and paused before eventually starting, then allowed me to drive approximately 100 yards before having the same decreased speed situation again. i was fortunate to drive home at 45 mph and avoid being run off the rode or rear ended by another vehicle or worse . . . a truck. the next morning i took the car to the dealership and after a diagnostic was informed that the fuel pressure sensor needed to be replaced. not such bad news but i was shocked that the price quoted to me, by the service manager, is $900.00. unbelievable!!! i searched all over the internet and found all the parts that are related to this type issue and nothing, not one part, cost $900.00. the proposed cost to repair my car is greater than the car payment. as a matter of fact, it cost more than the car payment for my wife's ml500. i have visited kia forums that speak to problems with the kia and it seems that a manufacturer is in order. incidentally, the part is no longer covered by the warranty because i recently passed the 60,000 mile mark. i feel like i am being ripped off to have the car repaired for what will be less than an hour of work to replaced a minor part, that incidentally has a cost of $900.00. i will be willing to provide any other additional information related to my experience with my 2012 kia optima. i should be purchased and audi. *tr

Kia optima, has too much chrome on the dash board and on the doors handles. when driving you get blinded when the sun is out. this cause your eyes to hurt and can cause temp blindness. please do a study on this subject. it should be against the law to have chrome inside the dashboard and door handles on the inside. *tr

I was driving the 2012 kia optima and turned a corner and my knee pressed on drivers door and the interior dome light came on and this has continued to happen ever since. it is an issue when it happens at night. we have taken the car to a dealership where they said door was not adequately installed. it was fixed for a few weeks and now it is doing it again. the battery completely died a few months ago because of the sensor which would not allow me to lock the door.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that when applying the brakes, the vehicle would surge forward and the engine rpms increased to 6000. the contact stated that the floor mat was not source of the surging. the contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer or mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the contact did not contact the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 4,800. updated 06/18/13*lj updated 06/21/2013 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned and caused the vehicle to drift from side to side. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who along with the manufacturer, stated that the vehicle was operating properly. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 18,000 and the current mileage was 35,000. *tr

While drive above 45mph the car wonders left and right, making it very hard to keep the car on the road. it also feels like there is a catch in the steering making it very easy to over correct the car. i have had it into kia to have the car looked at twice now. they have checked the alignment, tire pressure... they drove a salesman's car and a car off there lot and they tell me this is the way they all drive. i find this very hard to believe, (its a workout to keep the car on the road). i have been doing searches on the internet to try and find a solution for the problem, while doing this i have found a lot of other people that are having the same problem and are getting the same feedback from the dealers. from what i have found is its a known problem with the 2011, 2012, 2013 kia optima's. *tr

I was driving on highway during rush hour when i heard a loud explosion and sound of glass rattling. at first i though i had a blowout on one of my tires, so i manage to pull over to the emergency lane. i then did a walk around of my car and saw the busted sunroof. there was nothing overhead nor did i see any flying rocks or debris at the time of the explosion. there was nothing other than the explosion. the glass was bubbled up like it blewout and not in. there was a hole the size of a basketball in the middle of the sunroof. there were no rocks or anything inside the flap between the glass and interior. also the flap cover is very thin and flimsy, if something had fallen on it, it would have hit me on the head because it is just a thin material cover. furthermore, it was a sunny day, at roughly 73 degrees. all i can say is for a sunroof to explode outwards, the glass has to be defective in some sort of way. it scare the living lights out of me, it was such a loud explosion. if i had the cover undone, i would have been hurt by the broken flying glass. i took it to the dealer and the manager there took pictures and then made a comment that he would forward the pictures to the dealer but that it would be denied because the last kia that came in with the same problem the dealership claims person he was planning on forwarding the pictures to had denied the claim and it looked the same! this shows me that kia is very aware that their product (sunroof) is defective and has a potential to explode but of course they will not claim their product has any defects because it would cost them too much. i am not the only one with this incident obviously. i need for you to begin an investigation into trying to determine if the glass is not tempered enough to withstand certain temperatures or if there are other defects that cause it to explode. *tr

The horn is under powered. it one of those "road runner" "meep-meep" sounding horns and cannot alert other drivers effectively. the 2013 optima sx vehicle has a regular "american" horrn sound. why not recall to change the horn type? *tr ## vin passed ## kia optima sx 2012 ##

Steering is very unstable. extremely afraid of this car - i feel like i am not in control when driving, i constantly have to fight to stay straight. veers/pulls left and right as if im bouncing in between the lines on the interstate. my stomach stays in knots in fear i will hit another vehicle, or worse a concrete barrier in the construction on the interstate. it feels as if 3-5 seconds i am not in control, my arms are exhausted by the time i arrive to my work, home, or elsewhere. have complained several times to kia dealer when having oil changed & i am always told nothing is wrong or cannot duplicate problem. four mechanics have driven my car elsewhere and agree there is a safety issue and kia should recall and fix before it cost someone/a family their lives. my dash lights also surge to maximum brightness at any random moment while driving - all on their own. i recently started having issues with starting my car, i bought my car in march 2012 and currently have 14k miles (highway for work). recently, twice my car felt as if it was not going to start, sputtering, smell of exhaust inside car. i also have issues if i am at a red light/stopped and when i accelerate sometimes the car feels as if it dies out for a second - misfiring. i can not pass in traffic out of fear my car will not respond when i try to accelerate. my car constantly will not connect to my phone, or keeps a call display on the radio after the call has ended (freezes) until i restart my car. i feel there is something terribly wrong with the wiring/electrical/steering with my car and several others according to other complaints on here! toyota recalled only after a death, hyundai/nissan/dodge all just recalled immediately - what about us kia? i have a family in this sedan that is going to end up costing my life or worse, my entire family's lives! please address this problem!!!!! steering is not normal or safe!!!

I am a new owner of a 2012 lx kia optima with 27k miles. my concern is when driving at highway speeds greater than 65 mph you have to use two hands on steering wheel just to keep the vehicle straight and from pulling left or right. it feel as if the steering wheel slips and is quite alarming. i have to work harder to keep it in the lanes making me more tired. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the tire pressure sensor, abs, and the stability control warning indicators illuminated until the engine was turned off. the failure occurred when driving through a car wash and during rainy weather conditions. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 18,000.

2012 kia optima hybrid. has been demonstrating a very nervous steering (left and right pulling), more markedly at highway speeds, even since brand new, but incident date reported was the first time the problem was extremely noticeable. incident event reported was not an accident, but close one. even after installation of new tires, balancing and alignment, steering keeps responding nervously, causing driver fatigue and not imparting too much confidence to the driver at high speeds. *tr

The owner of a 2012 lx kia optima with 14k mi but very concern after discovering that at highway speeds greater than 65-75 mph you have to use two hands on steering wheel just to keep the vehicle straight and from pulling left or right. i'm not a tech but, if i had to guess, my money is on the electronic/power steering device. i love everything about this car and if kia/hyundai motors wants to keep their sells, then they better "own it!" this is definitely a recall/ nhtsa safety matter that should be taken seriously. electronic/power steering is an area that should be looked at and resolved immediately for the safety of the public. *tr

First thing car was not shifting gears. dealer replaced transmission. second occurrence pulled out and car lost power was able to pull off road turn ignition off and restarted car was ok. dealer replaced engine control module. next occurrence nov 2012 car did same thing restarted was ok engine light went off after 2 days. now jan 2013 cold morning started driving engine had no power. i got to a open road slowly pushed accelerator to floor with no response. car is now in dealership i'm waiting for my phone call. *tr

The vehicle drifts left and right constantly and substantially, we have taken it to the dealer more times than i can count. same conclusion every time. adjusted, and vehicle is within specifications. they have not and refuse to acknowledge there is a serious issue. as of january 8th 2013, over one year since purchasing the problem, it still exists. we recently was in a minor accident because of this problem. on a tight road with little or no room for waiver, we struck another vehicles mirror with ours at 70mph. luckily there was only superficial damage besides both of us deciding we are not driving this car again due to the safety of our children and ourselves. we are currently pursuing a lemon claim on the vehicle. bale kia and crain kia both have told us the same thing, could not duplicate and vehicle is within specifications, tsb #032. according to them they are assuming we are making this up. along with the 30+ other complaints found on here. *tr

The drive and passenger seats are to low in this car. almost had an accident because my wife who is 5' tall cant sit higher than the sideview mirrors, and they block her view. i test drove the car when we bought it, so didn't sit to low for me being 6' tall. this is a serious safety issue. *tr

This complaint is about the one of my tires. during an oil change at the dealership where i purchased the car, the dealership representative notified me of a bubble in one of the tires. i purchased the car oct (28), 2011. i don't know the exact date of the tire bubble notification by the dealer rep, but it was during the 2011 calendar year. the rep stated that unfortunately the dealership does not warranty the tires! is there any recourse to have that or all the tires replaced? the tire (all four) is a hankook optimo h431 225/45 r18 . 95v, radial tubeless, made in korea. *tr

After warming up engine i drove onto the road and onto a freeway entrance ram a quarter mile from my home. while entering the freeway, the car "lost power", ie no throttle response, car would not go faster than 60 mph. rpm was peaking over 3,000 rpm (higher than normal). i put the auto/manual floor-shift into manual and the dash showed 4th gear. i shifted back and forth between auto and manual with the same results several times, 4th gear, over 3,000 rpm, loss of power (no throttle response), max speed 60 mph. i nearly got rear ended, cars were dodging me. i was about to pull off the road and everything returned to normal. i read a similar report a few months ago from another "new" owner of an optima and the dealership "couldn't find" anything wrong. i now have read lots of warranty-denied horror stories with kia. this seems like a transmission problem. i imagine it could be a "computer problem" as there are lots of computers in these new cars. i can't find any tsb's listed for transmission related problems, but am wondering how many others have this "elusive" condition? *tr

Strong smell of exhaust inside passenger area of car. smell by 4 of 5 passengers. car was a rental, so i do not know the vin ore even the model year. with < 10,000 total vehicle miles, it may have been a 2012. i did find this note online regarding a similar problem wtih hyundai sonata, that may or not be related. ( fyi-my 2011 sonata smells like exhaust inside the cab of the car unless i keep the button pushed for "inside air circulation". i called the dealer and as it turns out, this is a common problem with this model. a hose has to be replaced on the exhaust system.hyundai is aware of the problem because many people have complained about the same issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, there was a grinding noise coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and after inspection, they informed her that the front axle shaft detached from the transmission. the technicians removed and replaced the right axle shaft, and also reassembled and re-tested the vehicle. the contact stated that the failure recurred twice. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 16,000.

I bought this kia optima sx in may 2012 because it's a beautiful car, basically with no hesitation. my first day driving it, i thought the steering felt a little different, tight, and pulled to the left and right and very hard to keep it going straight. i thought to myself, well it's a brand new car and has to be broken in a little maybe. about 500 miles in, problem didn't go away, took it to the dealer, they inspected the alignment, said alignment was ok, but the psi in tires was a little off and that it should fix the issue. nothing has changed. week later i took it in again. was told everything is up to spec, and was told i am the first person to report this kind of issue with the car. i go home that night and google optima steering problem...the search engine goes nuts!!! this is a issue with the optima since 2011!!! i'm a truck driver and i can barely steer this car!!! how can this be safe on the roads??? there is thousands of complaints of this exact problem!! when my wife drives it she tells me she can't even take a drink of her soda because she has to pay so much attention to holding the wheel straight!! i feel the same way!! come on kia!!! come on d.o.t. it's only just a matter of time before this car causes a serious accident!! obviously the electronic power steering isn't safe!! so recall it!! *tr

Gas pedal would not work. avis puts rubber floor mats over cloth floor mats that have hooks embedded in time to hold the factory floor mats in place. i did not know they had did this. over the course of several hours of driving the rubber floor mat slid forward under the gas pedal rendering it inoperable; i coasted over to side of road and discovered the problem, pulled the rubber floormat back towards the front seat and it happened a 2nd time a few hours later where i lost complete use of the gas pedal so i put the rubber mats in the trunk. i reported this to avis. an avis rep says this is a standard corporate policy so they can save wear on the cloth rug style floor mats. i asked them to reexamine their corporate policy. i hope your agency can review this practice and make a recommendation to avis. with all the issue surrounding car accelerator pedals and after market floor mats jamming them it seems they have taken leave of common sense. *tr

While driving approximately 25mph i heard a loud 'bang'. shortly thereafter, my optima would periodically shift gears very roughly on downshifts. there was also a 'clanking' noise present on the rough downshifts or when the optima was shifted into reverse. upshifts while accelerating seemed to function normally. i immediately brought the car to the dealership where it was purchased. the dealership determined a bolt had snapped on the transmission mount causing the transmission to knock into the engine when it shifted. it was the belief of the dealership that the bolt had been under torqued when it was assembled in the factory. the subframe and a dented piece of the exhaust had to be replaced. this seems very dangerous to me, especially had it occurred on an expressway at a high rate of speed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed the rpms revved abnormally high but the vehicle failed to accelerate properly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 400 and the current mileage was 10,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 5 mph with the economy mode activated, there was a delayed response upon engaging the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was able to continue in operation. the failure recurred on two different occasions. the contact eventually deactivated the economy mode. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer however, the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle remained at the dealer for further investigation. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 200.

While moving forward at approximately 5mph, brakes were applied to stop vehicle and brake warning light illuminated. so far the dealership has replaced the brake boost pump- 3 times, the brake vacuum pump- 1 time, and the parking brake switch- 1 time. none of these fixes has fixed the problem. *tr

Was sitting at light and went to take off car felt like it didn't want to shift into gear and had a loud rough grinding noise, all lights on the dashboard came one. brake light, check engine light, coolant, etc and none of the gauges were working. i stopped at the store and went to leave the car would start up but wouldn't go into gear, it was stuck in park. i had to get it towed to the dealership to have it looked at. i had just had this same problem 1 week ago where all the lights were on and the gauges weren't working and the dealership had supposedly replaced the fuse panel box but that apparently didn't fix the problem. i think that it's a computer or engine issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the floor mat on the driver side of the vehicle bunched up around the brake pedal and made it hard for the contact to apply the brakes. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was given winter floor mats with teeth to help the floor mat grip the floor of the vehicle. the contact stated the standard floor mats were not safe because they would move around too easily. the failure mileage was 250 and the current mileage was 2,000. updated 9/10/12 *cn the dealer installed a set of all-weather mats, which have teeth which grip the floor more firmly. updated 09/24/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently and crashed into the median. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that the front passenger side tire and axle would have to be replaced. the failure recurred four times. the fourth time the failure recurred, the contact crashed into another vehicle. the contact sustained injuries to his right knee. the front passenger sustained injuries to the neck, back and right arm. the rear passenger sustained injuries to the right leg. the passengers were transported to the hospital via ambulance. the driver sought medical attention on his own after the crash. the police reported to the scene and a report was filed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the vehicle was taken to an auto body shop for the body damage repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and assigned an engineer to review the information related to the crash. an engineer did not inspect the vehicle. the manufacturer refused to repair the vehicle because they stated there were no defects within the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 11,000.

While making a left turn from traffic signal, brake warning light illuminated. dealership had just replaced brake boost pump because of same problem. parking brake was not engaged, no other indications were noted. vehicle being reported to the state under the lemon law. *tr

While traveling in traffic at 40mph the brake warning light illuminated. parking brake was not engaged and no other indications were noted. light reset when vehicle was restarted. no stored codes for the fault. still waiting for kia motor company to correct this defect. dealership does not have an answer to the problem and kia contact on website is inoperable, so unable to contact manufacturer. *tr

While accelerating to 45 mph, brake warning light illuminated. parking brake was not on. no other indications noted. dealership was contacted immediately. dealer suggested that new brake boost pump may be defective and wants to replace it again. part is on order. *tr

Driving along interstate, about to merge into traffic when mirror suddenly just fell off! the only thing that kept it from completely falling off was the cable running into the door. took it to the dealer who said "they had never seen anything like this before!" it will be 4 days before my mirror gets replaced! this car is not safe to drive in it's current condition. *tr

While accelerating away from a stop light the brake light illuminated. emergency brake was not on. dealership had just replaced the brake boost pump less than 300 miles earlier because of the same problem. i immediately took the vehicle to the dealership where they replaced the parking brake switch. *tr

For 3 to 5 seconds, no response from engine at idle when accelerator depressed and the car is stopped (e.g., for traffic signal). then, without warning, the engine went from idle (about 800 rpm) to rapid (surging) acceleration, often with screeching tires. this occurred each time i started from a stopped position during a 493-mile trip. there was no problem after i reached my target driving speed. *tr

While accelerating away from stop light the brake light illuminated. no other indicators, no other malfunctions. parking brake was not on. dealer was contacted immediately, but had no solutions to the problem. this is a recurring problem. the dealer has tried several things to fix problem with no results: 1st time- checked for stored code. no codes stored. reset light by restarting car 2nd time- disconnected/reconnected electrical connector at brake boost pump. reset light 3rd time- replaced brake boost pump 4th time- replaced parking brake switch at the current time, dealership has no solutions, or possible fixes for the illuminating brake indicator light. awaiting contact from dealership with possible solution. *tr

I purchased this new car in january and have had a difficult time adapting to the blind spots out of the rear window. the safety features of this car are amazing even with what i believe is 1 exception. the rear headrests of this car were designed too large. even in the down position these headrests block nearly 2 thirds of the rear window visibility. selecting safety over looks i've completely removed both rear headrests (they slide right out) and carry them in the trunk if passengers sitting in the rear request them. my suggestion is that kia produce and retrofit lower sleeker headrests for the rear that are 1/2 as high as the current. dealers could probably swap them out and kia could reuse overseas if they choose. please contact me via email if photos are needed but for the most part your department could look at any 2012 optima and see what i see. once again, this is an amazing car but i see this as a safety improvement / concern. thank you *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that while at a traffic stop, the vehicle was rear ended and none of the air bags deployed. the seat belt did not retract to lock her in, which caused her to strike her head on the pillar next to the windshield. a police report was filed and the contact sustained bruises and contusions. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 6,900.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima hybrid. while driving approximately 10 mph the contact crashed into a curb, causing the front and rear driver side tires to deflate. the vehicle suddenly stalled. the check engine and actuator warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 970.

06/18/12- while accelerating from a stop light the vehicle brake light illuminated. light would not go out until ignition was turned off and vehicle restarted. car taken to dealer who had no solutions. *js 06/27/12- while accelerating up a hill, 30mph, the vehicle brake light illuminated. light would not go out until vehicle restarted. took to dealer with light illuminated, no stored codes, and no solutions. 07/02/12- while accelerating from stop light, the vehicle brake light illuminated. during sudden stop, due to traffic, antilock brakes failed to engage, vehicle rear brakes locked up, and car started to fishtail left. call made to dealer. was told someone would respond. no response. *js

The vehicle steering seems tight which is fine, but when accelerating between 30-45 mph the vehicle veers off to the left. i am reading that this is not normal for this vehicle. this is an issue and i believe needs to be fixed. *tr

The front passenger seat is as low as it can go and there is no adjustment to heighten the seat. the vehicle is not cheap and you would think that the passenger would be able to adjust the height of the seat. passengers can slide down easily with this feature/option gone. not all passengers are under 5'10 and this is not good. *tr

Constant correction of the steering wheel is needed to keep the car on the road. i have been on line and have found many complaints on this issue. will be going back to dealer but based on everything i have read i don't expect this to be resolved. i am sure this an electronic steering issue and i believe a recall is warranted. *tr

Vehicle hard to control and steer straight, especially at highway speeds. severe pull to the left, though occasionally it drifts to the right. at city speeds, the steering problem is not as noticeable. i took the car to the dealer, and they checked the alignment. minor adjustments, and tire inflation change, resulted in no significant change in the problem...it remains severe. if you let go of the steering wheel, then the car swiftly move across to the left lanes. *tr

Brand new vehicle pulled to right and also drifted left to right at 8 miles on highway with a speed of 55. i though all that it needed was a simple alignment i took it back to the dealer at just under 3000 miles and the tech drove it and told me it was fine i just need to get used to it. this car did not drive like the 2 that i had driven before i purchased it. the tech did an alignment and said the rear wheel was off from the factory . the car still did the same thing it felt loose and drifted on highway and straitways. i took it to another dealer that day and the tech drove it for 30 seconds and noticed the steering is was not right.he spent a great deal of time performing an alignment and once i drove it was fine. there was a slight pull to the right but most cars do have that. the tech gave me a print out of the alignment and the front camber was not to factory settings he told me that he could not adjust it. after driving 700 miles later the loose feeling and the drifting returned. i have contacted the original dealer again and i am hoping for a resolution soon. *tr

Brand new kia optima has steering drift (diffuculty driving in a straight line). dealer indicated typical of electronic steering and did nothing but check alignment. very unnerving and dangerous. condition still exists. *tr

Immediately after purchase we noticed an obvious issue with steering - not able to keep control of the car, veering to the left or right, taxing and exhausting effort to just drive the car. called dealership and was told that it was something we'd have to get used to due to the new electronic steering. after a couple of days, we were tempted to take the car back due to being "tired" from driving home each day! after talking with a neighbor who has the same car, he said he had the exact same problem and took it back to the dealership. he said they did some type of special wheel balancing and it fixed the problem. decided to take the car back for a check. asked about tire rotation or alignment check. service cross-rotated the tires and it drives better, but is still a very different drive. *tr

I bought kia optima 2012 in month of january 2012. since i own vehicle i notice that car is steering to it's left side. i called dealer and reported this issue. dealer suggests issue is because of electronic control system. i noticed this problem since i own and dealer advise that it should go away after few thousand miles. in my opinion this is dangerous and must be adversely effecting to tires and other steering mechanism components. *tr

My wife had a flat tire when she had help to get it changed there was no spare tire so the person left because he could not do any thing. that left my wife and my little girl alone on a road in the middle of no where for 4 hours until i could get there and pick them up . i called kia and they said they dont put spare tires in there cars any more the government should make them put them in because it is dangerous for people to be stranded in middle of no where . when i bought the car no body told me there was no spare in the 2012 kia optima. if i knew i would not have bought it. *js

While driving, the backup camera came on. all the functions on the stereo were not working. this is the second time where the stereo malfunction. i took it to the dealship and was told there is a recall. when asked if i would be notified, i was told no. to find out about he recall, i had to bring the vehicle in. i check all the online databases, there were no documentation or any information about a recall. i don't think this is fair. what if the electrical wiring caused other issues? also, what breaking slightly on a downhill, the abs locked up on me for a second causing my vehicle to lunge forward. luckily, there were no cars behind me. like i said, it was only for a sec but it was still not normal. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle did not come equipped with a spare tire. the vehicle came equipped with an air pump and a can of fix a flat. the manufacturer was notified who stated that a spare tire did not come with the vehicle. they offered no other assistance. the failure mileage was 1,000.

I just purchased a brand new 2012 optima from a dealer in coral springs, fla. other than one important problem, i love this car. here is the important safety issue: when you get over 40mph, the car will not go straight- it continues to move out of the lane you are driving in. no matter how small of a steering correction you make- when you hold the steering "completely still"- the car still moves to the left, then to the right when you inch it back- the car steering mechanism seems to not let the car travel straight ahead. the steering will not keep the car going straight, so this is a safety issue because the car keeps automatically taking you out of your lane!!! when i was on the fla turnpike heading home from the dealer today, this situation must have occurred a hundred times. i have owned more than 50 cars over the years, of all makes and sizes- and this issue has never occurred before. i hope you can help get this "safety issue" resolved asap. i will go back to the dealer tomorrow to discuss the problem. thank you. *tr

Car is very hard to keep control on the road. kia dealership says it is the way the new electronic control works. on acceleration , car steers to left into oncoming traffic, and it takes much effort to keep it going straight on road. *tr on the highway it feels as if the wind is blowing it around on the road. it also makes a pull to the left or right on its own.

The electric assist power steering has failed while driving multiple times leaving the driver with reduced control of the vehicle due to the extreme effort required to steer the vehicle. indicator lights include traction control, eps and tco. power steering can be restored by shutting down the car and restarting. dealer's first attempt to correct after three instances of failure and reset involved calibration of the steering indicator. this lasted approximately 200 miles. subsequent failure reported to dealer and the vehicle is currently there being diagnosed for the second time. *tr

Upon the purchase of my 2012 kia optima sx i noticed a pull to the left in the steering wheel. the dealership is approx. 80 miles from my home, driving home i noticed the tug and the car's inclination to veer left. i felt a constant pressure on the wheel to veer. i took the car back within a week or two and had the service dept. check the veer. of course, i was told there is no veer. the car continues to stray, now at 3500 miles. the car will be going in for service next week for the same problem and for maintenance. i have spoken to another dealership's salesman who has confirmed for me there is a definite issue with the optima's steering and to date, they don't know what to do with it. i love this car, i absolutely love it, but the pull is a problem. by the time i drive the car at cruise speed on the highway and get back with it, i literally feel tired in the arm and shoulder from the pressure to keep it straight in the lanes. also, lately at approx. 3000 miles, i've noticed that in reverse, the backup camera doesn't always come on when shifting gears. it has a hesitation that has lasted as long as 30 - 40 seconds before i can see behind the car. anyone who has driven the optima knows, you can't see anything behind you in that car due to the low sitting seats and higher trunk - it has to be tall to see it behind you. i'm taking the car to a different dealership for service next time, from there, i'll decide as to what happens next as far as keeping this car. *js

Steering pulls to the left. i have to always correct. many times i end up over correcting when going through a curve. i made several attempts to correct the tire pressure. tire pressure was 42 psi when i drove it off the lot. i brought it down to 38 psi and seemed to help a little. i finally took all four tires down to 35 psi, and almost drove it off the road while going through a right curve at 50 mph. by the way, the speed limit was 50 mph. the freeway is also an issue. always having to correct the steering bouncing back and forth between the lane lines. this is very dangerous, and should be looked into by the nhtsa. having to over correct is not fun situation to be in. i drove many high performance vehicles, and this is the most concerning. beautiful car with tons of potential. steering needs fixed!!!!!!!! *tr

Right rear suspension makes creaking noise, progressively worse over time. suspension was greased up, but problem recurred after one week. concerns that assemble may come loose while driving. noise worse on uneven surfaces or when eight is redistributed to right side (e.g. drive through windows sometimes elevate from the left causing car to lean on right side; uneven parking lots will cause creaking sound). *tr

I purchased a 2012 kia optima on 1-13-12 and immediately discovered it pulled to the left. the dealer has admitted they do not know how to fix it and today (2-5-2012) the dealer bought it back. i lost $5,000 by selling it back but i am just glad to not have to drive the car any more. kia should have to fix this problem or buy the cars back at the selling price. the customer should not be stuck with an unsafe vehicle or forced to drive it to avoid the loss. this pull left issue is well documented on the kia forum site. i just wish i had checked that site before buying. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact noticed that the vehicle was not equipped with a spare tire and could be hazardous if the contact was left stranded if there was a blow out. the contact was concerned that if there was a blow out while there were occupants in the vehicle, the tow truck would not accommodate the other passengers. the dealer advised the contact to purchase a spare tire. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but failed to offer any assistance. no repairs were performed. the current and the failure mileages were 7,200.

Front passenger seat is mounted far too low in all 2011 and 2012 kia optima cars. a passenger will easily slip under the seat belt and could be seriously injured. kia usa has been contacted and refuses to acknowledge this design defect, although it has been noted repeatedly by owners of these cars when posting on kia optima forums online. *tr

I was driving the vehicle on city streets with the check engine light on, when all of a sudden during a turn in an intersection the engine shut off. the car stopped in the middle of the intersection and i could not restart the engine though the vehicle had power. i had to exit the vehicle and manually push it to safety through the intersection and to the curb on the other side. i was safe during this incident only because it was a small intersection with little traffic. if the problem had occurred in a major intersection or on the freeway, then my safety could have been in serious jeopardy. the dealership fixed a bad coil and some bad wire in the spark plug, but they are not confident on what the origin of the problem was even after speaking with kia technicians. yet they have asked me to take the car and continue to drive it to see if it happens again. i don't believe that this is a minor problem and if it happens again this problem could possibly cause major injury or bodily harm. i do not feel safe continuing to drive this vehicle without extensive testing so i have asked kia for a replacement vehicle (car only had 200 miles on it when incident occurred) but they have refused to do so. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. the contact was driving approximately 60 mph when the front driver side rear view mirror detached from the housing. on a separate occasion while driving, there was a reduction in the engine power and immediately the vehicle stalled. the engine restarted and the contact was able to resume normally. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated a rock struck the mirror which caused the detachment and they refused to repair the vehicle at their expense. the technician was unable to detect a trouble code for the engine malfunction. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 3,653. the vin was unavailable.

There is no spare tire and only a inflation kit. a blowout of the sidewall cannot be repaired with this kit. could be stranded and harm done to the owner. how could it be legal and safe to allow manufacturers to not include a spare tire??? *tr

Kia replaced my engine after it failed while driving. now it hesitates and sometimes jerks like it’s about to run out of gas. the skid light comes on even when it’s dry. the break light pops on even when the vehicle isn’t in use. there is a recall for fuel pipe damage after engine replacement but they won’t acknowledge it or even inspect my vehicle know it can cause a fire