2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT EXCEED 40 MPH AND AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK BECAUSE SHE WAS CONSTANTLY ADDING OIL IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NALLEY KIA (7849 MALL PKWY, LITHONIA, GA 30038, (678) 374-3820) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE OIL FILTER, ENGINE AIR FILTER, AC REFRESHER, AND TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE SERVICED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE HAD LOW COMPRESSION AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 180,000.

I HAD A FRONT END ACCIDENT ON 1 OCT 2018. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE ON 18 OCT 2018. I HAVE CONTACTED KIA CONCERNING THIS MATTER SEVERAL TIMES, THEY WILL NOT RESPOND TO ME.

WHILE PARKED IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS (ON STREET, AT GAS PUMP, IN PARKING LOTS), AND ON ABOUT 8-10 OCCASIONS, I WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CAR TO START AFTER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE AND START BUTTON ON MY CAR. ALL THE LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE RADIO WENT ON AS WELL - THE REST OF THE CAR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WORKED FINE. THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY STIFF AND WAS HARD TO DEPRESS. I PUT MY KEY FOB INTO THE BYPASS IN THE TRUNK AND IT STILL WOULD NOT START. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE CAR TO START WAS TO DEPRESS THE STIFF BRAKE PEDAL, THEN SHIFT FROM P TO D AND BACK AGAIN. THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO LOOSEN UP AND I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR SUCCESSFULLY. I HAD RESEARCHED THE REMEDY THROUGH YOU TUBE. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS OCTOBER 2, 2018 AND IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 8-10 TIMES SINCE THEN. I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM, BUT NOT OF THE SOLUTION THAT I FOUND ONLINE, THEREFORE I AM UNABLE TO ATTACH ANY DOCUMENTATION. I NOTICED THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKE SWITCH WAS "VOLUNTARY" NHTSA # 13V-114, BUT FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY FIX INSTEAD SINCE IT HAS HAPPENED SO OFTEN TO ME. JUST LAST WEEK WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN, I REMEMBERED WHAT TO DO QUICKLY AS I WAS STUCK IN A LONG LINE AT THE GAS STATION JUST LAST WEEK, WITH CARS HONKING AT ME TO MOVE WHEN I COULD NOT. IT HAPPENED TO ME THE LAST TIME JUST YESTERDAY 10/8/2019 INSIDE MY GARAGE. PLEASE LOOK INTO MAKING THIS A MANDATORY RECALL. I WILL BE CONTACTING MY LOCAL DEALER THIS WEEK AS WELL. THANK YOU.

MY ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AFTER PRESSING THE BRAKE ON A WET STREET WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO GET A OIL CHANGE AND NOTICED THAT MY TAIL LIGHTS DID NOT WORK WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES. MY TAIL LIGHTS WORK BUT THE TAIL LIGHTS DID NOT. I CHANGED THE BULBS AND THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTED. I ALSO CHANGED THE BRAKE LIGHT PEDAL SWITCH BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. MY TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS FAIL TO WORK ALL THE TIME.

MY 2011 KIA OPTIMA EX STARTED MAKING A LOUD RATTLING SOUND IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA. ANY LITTLE BUMP OR DIP MADE IT WORSE AND MUCH LOUDER. THIS PROBLEM IS ONLY GETTING WORSE AND THE STEERING FEELS VERY UNSAFE. I NOTICED THIS WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY.

DRIVING TO WORK AND MY CAR WAS MAKING A KNOCKING SOUND. IT STARTED TO SPUTTER AND I WAS TRYING TO PULL OVER AND IT JUST SHUT OFF.

I HAVE A 2011 KIA OPTIMA WITH 53,000 MILES. I HAVE RECENTLY NOTICED A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHERS TO BE DEFECT FROM A CHEAP PLASTIC PART . I AM READING THAT THIS PROBLEM COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF LIFE. YOU CAN HEAR THE POPPING SOUND WHEN TURNING CORNERS, LEFT AND RIGHT.

I HAVE 2011 KIA OPTIMA SX WITH HID HEADLIGHTS AND THEY HAVE BEEN DIM FOR A LONG TIME. THEY BECAME NOTICEABLY DIM IN 2015 AND HAVE EVER SINCE BEEN DIM AND HAVE HAD A NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN THE LIGHT PATTERN. THIS IS NOT CAUSED BY FOGGY OR YELLOWING PLASTIC AS THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN PROTECTED BY A CLEAR PLASTIC PROTECTIVE "STICKER BRA" EVER SINCE THE CARE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JULY 2011. THE HEADLIGHTS ARE EXPERIENCE THE SAME ISSUE AS OTHER OWNERS OF THE CAR, DETERIORATION OF THE INTERNAL REFLECTOR FOR THE HID HEADLIGHT. AS A RESULT THE LIGHT PATTERN BECOMES ALTERED OR DIM. IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH THIS CAR. THE HEADLIGHT HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE LIGHTING OUTPUT OR PATTERN. THIS IS SIMILAR CONSISTENT WITH MANY OWNERS OF THE SAME MODELS. KIA HAS ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION BUT THE DEALER NEEDS TO PROVIDE A VIDEO THAT SHOWS FLAKING OF THE REFLECTOR BETWEEN THE SPACE WHERE THE BULB IS AND THE CLEAR LENS CAP. THIS IS NOT THE REFLECTOR BEHIND THE BULB THAT WOULD AFFECT THE LIGHT PATTERN. DEALERS DO NOT LOOK AT THE LIGHT PATTERN AS IT IS NOT PART OF THE DIAGNOSTIC STEPS. THEY ONLY LOOK FOR FLAKING OF THE REFLECTOR BETWEEN THE SPACE WHERE THE BULB IS AND THE CLEAR LENS CAP WHICH WOULD SEEM TO BE MORE COSMETIC THEN FUNCTIONAL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN OFF DUTY POLICE OFFICER WHO FLAGGED THE VEHICLE DOWN AND INFORMED HIM TO PULL OVER BECAUSE FLAMES WERE PRESENT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND EXITED THE VEHICLE AS IT BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED THE VEHICLE DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 152,442.

RIGHT LOW BEAM NEEDED CONSTANT CHANGING (1 EVERY 4-6 MONTHS). WITHIN THE LAST 6 MONTHS, I HAD CHANGED THE BULB, 2 WEEKS LATER, THE LOW BEAM LIGHT WAS NOT WORKING AGAIN. NOTICED A WHITE FILM ON INSIDE OF LIGHT ASSEMBLY. UPON INVESTIGATION, I DISCOVERED THE WIRING CAUGHT FIRE AND MELTED THE CONNECTOR FOR THE LIGHT BULB. I PURCHASED A NEW ASSEMBLY, ONLY TO HAVE THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPEN. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. FIRSTLY, THE LOW BEAM LIGHTING IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE IN THIS CAR TO BEGIN WITH, NOW I'M RUNNING OFF OF ONE LIGHT. AFTER LOOKING INTO COMPLAINTS ONLINE, I SEE THIS PROBLEM IS PREVALENT ACROSS THE BOARD WITH THIS CAR. KIA IS A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY, YOU NEED TO STAND BEHIND YOUR PRODUCT AND HAVE THE MINDSET OF PUTTING YOUR CUSTOMERS SAFETY AS A PRIORITY. I WORK AS A FIREFIGHTER/EMT AND I'D HATE TO ARRIVE ON SCENE OF SOMEONE THAT WAS KILLED DUE TO KIA'S FAULTY UNSAFE PRODUCT. ESPECIALLY OF ONE THAT COULD BE PREVENTED BY FIXING THESE PROBLEMS THAT YOU KNOW IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. SHAME ON YOU KIA FOR PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK.