2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED TOO LOW AT NIGHT. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE BULBS; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT READ THAT THE HOUSING FOR THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE BURNING OUT DUE TO THE RECEPTIVE STRIP MELTING WHEN THE FRONT BEAMS WERE BEING USED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HAGERSTOWN KIA (LOCATED AT 10307 AUTO PLACE, HAGERSTOWN, MD 21740, 866-404-6114) WHERE IT WAS CURRENTLY BEING DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING, A KNOCKING NOISE OCCURRED COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

2011 KIA OPTIMA FAVORS A PULL TO THE LEFT WHICH GROWS STRONGER AS THE SPEED INCREASES. THE PERSISTENCE IN REGARDS TO THE ISSUE IS SUBTLY DECREASED WITH A WHEEL ALIGNMENT, BUT QUICKLY RETURNS- RESULTING IN OVER 7 ALIGNMENTS IN 5 YEARS WITH ONLY 70K MILES. 3 SEPARATE KIA DEALERSHIPS HAVE INSPECTED THE ISSUE WITH ONLY A CONTROL ARM REPLACEMENT BUT NO SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION. THIS ISSUE IS DANGEROUS AND REQUIRES CONSTANT PRESSURE ON THE WHEEL TO FAVOR THE RIGHT PULL TO CORRECT THE FRONT LEFT PULL. A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE IS WHEN INCREASING IN SPEED, THE CAR WILL HEAVILY FAVOR A INSIDE PULL TO THE LEFT WHICH IS WORRYING. I'D LIKE A REGIONAL KIA RM TO HAVE A GO AT THE SITUATION.

WHILE ON MY WAY TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER FROM SCHOOL AT AROUND BETWEEN 1 AND 2 OCLOCK PM I WAS STOPPED AT A 4 WAY STOP AT GA HWY 225 IN SPRINGPLACE , AS I PROCEEDED THROUGH THE 4 WAY WHILE IN MOTION I HEAR AND FEEL A SUDDEN JOLT TO MY VEHICLE AND I SKID TO A STOP THANK GOD IT HAD JUST WENT THROUGH THE STOP SIGN AND DID NOT GAIN ANY SPEED. I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND GLANCED UNDERNEATH THINKING THAT I HAD HIT SOMETHING, INSTEAD I NOTICED THAT MY MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION WHERE NO LONGER CONNECTED TO MY VEHICLE ON THE DRIVER SIDE BUT THEY WHERE LAYING ALMOST ON THE GROUND. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED HOME AND MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR MY DAUGHTER. MY VEHICLE WAS ONE ON THE LIST THAT HAD A RECALL ON THE MOTOR THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR WAS INSTALLED AROUND MARCH OF 2017. IT HAS NOT SHOWED ANY SIGNS OF TROUBLE UNTIL THIS.

THE BATTERY INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON THEN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE BATTERY DISCHARGE KEPT POPPING UP ON THE DISPLAY THEN WENT OUT. ABOUT 10 MINUTES FURTHER, I LOST POWER STEERING. I MANAGED TO GET TO BASE EVEN THOUGH I RAN A RED LIGHT AND STOP SIGN BECAUSE THE CAR STARTED SPURTTERING AND FEELING LIKE IT WAS GETTING READY TO STALL. ONCE I MANAGED TO GET TO A PARKING LOT, MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT BUT I STILL HAD DASH LIGHTS. ALL THE ERROR LIGHTS CAME ACROSS MY DASHBOARD. I TOOK THE BATTERY TO ADVANCE, THEY SAID IT WAS LOW. THEY CHARGED IT AND SAID IT NEEDED REPLACED. THE BATTERY INDICATOR WAS STILL LIT SO I TOOK IT AND THEY CHECKED THE ALTERNATOR AND SAID IT WAS DEAD. I TOOK IT AND HAD IT REBUILT. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO WORK OK.

I HAVE CONTINUED TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHT AND TAILLIGHT OVER A 5 MONTH PERIOD. I WAS STOPPED THE OTHER DAY BECAUSE MY BRAKE LIGHT AND TAIL LIGHT WEREN'T WORKING. I REPLACED THE LIGHTS AND THE BRAKE LIGHT WASNT EFFECTIVELY WORKING BUT THE TURN SIGNAL WAS WORKING. NOW TODAY THE BRAKE LIGHT AND TURN SIGNAL ARE WORKING BUT MY LIGHT THAT MAKES THE CAR VISIBLE AT NIGHT ISN'T AND MY YELLOW LIGHTS ON THE HEADLIGHTS ONLY WORK WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKE.

LAST MONTH, I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO OIL IN MY ENGINE AND IT WAS BONE DRY. THIS WAS THE REASON FOR MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THEY SAID THEY DO KNOW WHY BUT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE LAST TIME I RECEIVED AN OIL CHANGE THEY PUT IN THE WRONG OIL. THEY ASSURED ME AND I MADE SURE THEY PUT IN THE CORRECT OIL AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED OFF. A MONTH LATER I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE JERKED AND IT WENT DOWN TO 40. THE CAR DID NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE AND WAS STRUGGLING. I CHECKED IT IN THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE AGAIN. BEING THAT I HAD NO OIL STAINS ON MY DRIVEWAY I WAS CONVINCED THAT IT WAS NOT LEAKING AND THE OIL WAS BURNING OUT.

MY TRUNK LID OPENS MY IT'S SELF. I FIND IT OPEN IN THE MORNING & SOMETIMES DURING THE DAY.

AT APPROXIMATELY 97,000 MILES, MY CAR BEGAN TO BURN AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF ENGINE OIL. BEING THAT MY CAR HAD A WARRANTY UP TO 100K MILES, I IMMEDIATELY REPORTED THE ISSUE TO KIA. THEY CONTINUOUSLY REPORTED THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO EVALUATE THE OIL CONSUMPTION AT 1,000 MILE INCREMENTS. I REPORTED MY CONCERNS IN REGARDS TO THE PROCESS POSSIBLY EXTENDING BEYOND THE 100K MILE LIMITS OF MY WARRANTY. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE RECALL WOULD BE AN OPTION IF I EXCEEDED 100K MILES. UPON EXCEEDING 100K MILES, KIA REPORTED THAT THE OIL CONSUMPTION WAS THE PRODUCT OF "CHEAP OIL" AND KIA WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXCESSIVE OIL BURN. AFTER VERIFYING THAT MY MOST RECENT OIL CHANGES WERE PERFORMED BY KIA, I WAS TOLD THAT EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION WAS NO LONGER A PROVISION OF THE RECALL.

MY SON WAS DRIVING HIS 2011 KIA OPTIMA WHEN A SPARK AND POP NOISE CAME FROM HIS STEERING WHEEL. ALL THE FUNCTIONS OF THE SECONDARY FUNCTIONS OF THE STEERING WHEEL, INCLUDING THE HORN, AIR-BAG, CRUISE CONTROL, ETC. QUIT WORKING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO KIA AND THEY IMMEDIATELY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A CLOCK SPRING WITHOUT LOOKING AT IT, WHICH MAKES BE BELIEVE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. IF MY 16 YEAR OLD SON HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, HE WOULD HAVE NOT HAD A FRONTAL AIRBAG. AND WITHOUT A HORN, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WARN ANOTHER VEHICLE APPROPRIATELY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND KIA HAS DONE NOTHING TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM.