2013 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

HAVING PURCHASED THE CAR ON 12/11/14 MY DAUGHTER DID NOT HAVE MUCH EXPERIENCE DRIVING THE CAR.... ON DECEMBER 27 SHE "LOST CONTROL" OF THE CAR, AND RAN INTO THE WALL ON A BUSY HIGHWAY IN CHICAGO. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON A DRY EVENING, AND SHE EMPHATICALLY STATES THAT SHE DOES NOT KNOW HOW SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR, AND THAT IT WAS PULLING TO THE LEFT. THE ONLY RATIONALE CONCLUSION WAS THAT SHE MIGHT HAVE HAD A TIRE BLOW OUT. THAT IS, UNTIL A FRIEND RECOMMENDED I CHECK THE WEB, AND CHECK IF OTHERS MAY HAVE BEEN OR ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING. ALTHOUGH I HAD DONE MY DUE DILIGENCE WHEN RESEARCHING THE CAR E.G. RECALLS, KNOWN PROBLEMS, ETC. PRIOR TO PURCHASING THIS CAR, I DID NOT CHECK SPECIFICS SUCH AS STEERING. LONG OF THE SHORT, TWO DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND WHEN I GOOGLED STEERING PROBLEMS, THIS SITE HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/KIA/OPTIMA/2013/STEERING/STEERING.SHTML WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SHOW UP. I WAS AMAZED TO FIND 35 COMPLAINTS IN REFERENCE TO THE SAME STEERING ISSUE. AFTER READING THE COMPLAINTS I AM I CONVINCED THAT THIS STEERING ISSUE IS THE CONTRIBUTOR TO MY DAUGHTER'S ACCIDENT. IT IS THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION OTHER THAN A BLOW OUT. I THINK THIS MAY BE A RESULT OF THE STEERING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2013 OPTIMAS. I WONDER HOW MANY ACCIDENTS OR DEATHS IT IS GOING TO TAKE FOR KIA TO ADMIT SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT AND DO THE RESPONSIBLE THING? IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH THERE NEEDS TO BE A MANUFACTURERS' RECALL BEFORE A FATAL ACCIDENT OCCURS, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY .... *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ETERNAL SAULT PCM SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

SHORTLY AFTER GETTING ONTO THE FREEWAY ON MY WAY TO WORK IN THE MORNING I HEARD A LOUD POP FOLLOWED BY WHAT SOUNDED LIKE LIGHT RAIN HITTING THE CAR AND THE ROAR OF THE FREEWAY. WE QUICKLY PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND UPON LOOKING AT THE ROOF OF THE CAR THERE WAS A HUGE HOLE IN THE CENTER OF THE CAR'S SUN ROOF WITH SHARP SHARDS OF GLASS TILTED TOWARDS THE SKY AND LARGE CRACKS EXTENDING FROM ONE SIDE OF THE SUNROOF FRAME TO THE OTHER. CONDITIONS WERE RAINING, 7:30AM AND ABOUT 50 DEGREES F OUTSIDE. THE CANVAS SCREEN WAS CLOSED TO CATCH THE FALLING GLASS SO NO GLASS FELL INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, AND NO DEBRIS OR OTHER CARS IN THE AREA. *TR

THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM IS DESIGNED SO POORLY THAT WHEN I PULL INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP I HAVE TO DISABLE THE SYSTEM COMPLETELY OR RISK BEING A SITTING DUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. IT SEEMS THAT IF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM DETECTS ANY AMOUNT OF TIRE SLIPPAGE IT CUTS POWER TO BOTH WHEELS COMPLETELY. YOUR INSTINCT IS TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR HARDER TO MAKE THE CAR GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION WHICH CAUSES THE WHEELS TO SLIP WHEN THE CAR REAPPLIES POWER AND THE WHOLE PROBLEM STARTS AGAIN AND YOU ARE STILL IN THE INTERSECTION. THE POWER IS CUT SO DRAMATICALLY THAT IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED AND VEHICLE OCCUPANTS LURCH FORWARD. AFTER A SECOND OR TWO THE VEHICLE GRADUALLY REAPPLIES POWER. THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID THIS IS TO DISABLE THE SYSTEM WHICH HAS TO BE DONE EACH TIME YOU START THE CAR. IF YOU FORGET TO DISABLE IT YOU ARE FUMBLING ON THE DASH WHILE DRIVING TO DISABLE IT. WHEN I REPRODUCED THE EVENT AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS HOW THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO WORK. ALL IT TAKES IS A COUPLE ROCKS ON THE GROUND, A LITTLE RAIN, OR EVEN A HEAVY FOG AND THE SYSTEM WILL COMPLETELY KILL THE POWER FOR BETWEEN 1 - 2 SECONDS WHEN YOU START OFF FROM A STAND STILL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. ONCE THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL, HE LOST CONTROL AND THE VEHICLE SWERVED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. AS A RESULT, BOTH FRONT TIRES WERE BEGINNING TO WEAR. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING SYSTEM. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE . THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR IN JULY 2013, IT WAS LESS THEN TWO WEEKS AND I TOLD THEM AT CENTURY KIA SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE STEERING. I LATER TOOK IT AND HAD THE ALIGNMENT LOOKED AT I WAS TOLD IT WAS OFF JUST A LITTLE BIT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER IT IS SWAYING ALL OVER THE ROAD, I CALLED CENTURY KIA AND SPOKE WITH THEIR REPAIR DEPARTMENT AND EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM TO HIM AND HE SUGGESTED IT SOUND LIKE MAYBE A SUSPENSION PROBLEM AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE BUT HE TOLD ME THEY WOULD NEED TO CHECK IT OUT TO MAKE SURE, I WAS GOING TO TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE TO SEE IF IT'S THE SAME THING BUT WILL ALLOW THEM TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN. HOPEFULLY I WILL GET SOME REAL HELP BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE MY CAR AS WELL. *TR

REAR SEAT BELTS IN CLOTH SEAT CONFIGURATION DO NOT HOLD THE BUCKLE IN AN EXPOSED POSITION SO THAT A CHILD OR AN ADULT CAN REASONABLY OPERATE IT. MOST VEHICLES HAVE A PLASTIC SHEATH THAT HOLD THE BUCKLE EXPOSED SO THAT IT IS ACCESSIBLE. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT A CHILD SEAT ON THE SEAT AND THEN ATTEMPT TO BUCKLE A CHILD IN PLACE. THIS DESIGN IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS USERS WILL BE FRUSTRATED AND OMIT USING THE REAR SEAT BELTS. *TR

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

ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO MY FUEL PUMP WENT OUT. I HAVE A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. I WAS AT 62,000 MILES WHEN IT WENT OUT, WHICH MEANT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I HAD IT REPLACED AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, IT COST AROUND $800.00 TO REPLACE. NOW LESS THAT 2 MONTHS LATER I AM HAVING SOME HESITATION AND JERKING IN THE CAR. HAD THE CAR TROUBLESHOOT AND IT'S NOT THE TEMP SENSOR. THE CAR IS TOO NEW FOR THINGS LIKE THIS TO HAPPENED. ONCE I GET RID OF IT, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER KIA, OR WILL I ALLOW MY FAMILY AND FRIEND TO. *TR

PROBLEM IS ONGOING. VEHICLE WANDERS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. CONSTANT STEERING CORRECTION NECESSARY. YOU CANNOT DRIVE THE CAR IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THIS HAPPENS ON PERFECTLY FLAT ROADS WITH NO WIND. THE VEHICLE DRIFTS INDEPENDENTLY IF THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT HELD TIGHTLY. I CONSTANTLY HAVE TO NUDGE THE STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY LEFT OR SLIGHTLY RIGHT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE. IT BECOMES A STRAIN ON MY ARMS AND MY WRISTS ACHE AFTER A LONG DRIVE. THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. WHY ISN'T KIA ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE? I DON'T TRUST GOING TO THE DEALER BECAUSE, FROM ALL THE REVIEWS, IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING IS OR CAN BE DONE. I HAD A HYUNDAI SONATA FOR YEARS AND LOVED IT. I WENT WITH THE KIA DUE TO THE NEW LOOK, PAYING GOOD MONEY FOR A QUALITY CAR. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BOTH THIS PROBLEM!!! *TR