2016 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

View complaints related to 2016 KIA OPTIMA. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 710 complaints submitted for the 2016 KIA OPTIMA. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Spring valley, WI

    2.4 motor burns excessive amount of oil, has a serious loss of power. The dealer informed me the only way to get a new motor or get it fixed is for motor to blow. The dealer informed me that this is a common problem with 2016 kia 2.4 motors. Currently burning 5 qts of oil every 2-3 weeks. Fouling spark plugs every 4-6 months. Car hesitate to take off even with accelerator to floor

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Stockbridge, GA

    Engine failure . Engine failed on highway car wouldn’t go past 15 MPH. Then suddenly accelerated

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Lansdale , PA

    My 2016 kia optima shut off on me and would not start on December 20th 2023. I had the vehicle towed to bergeys kia and they looked at the vehicle and said that it was the engine and it would cost between $6,000-10,000 to replace the engine. The vehicle has never had any problems. I do not bring my car to kia for oil changes because it is really expensive so we do that at home and kia is telling me they can’t fix my engine because I do not have a receipt of the maintenance. The engine has a recall and I was never notified about it. My vehicle was in their shop on September 6th 2023 and I was not notified then either. I am a single mother and I currently do not have a vehicle to take my son to and from school or to get to work. The engine is recalled so I think Kia needs to fix this.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Castle Rock, CO

    While we were driving home (3 people in my car), with no notice, my car lost complete acceleration and broke down while we were on the highway. We hardly had notice to understand what was happening, let alone the other cars/people behind us on the highway where we almost got hit before being able to pull over to the side of the highway. We then had to wait for a tow-truck, again, on the shoulder of a very busy highway. Later, I came to find out that this was "sudden and unexpected engine failure" that occurs in multiple models of Kia and Hyundai that was included in the Hyundai and Kia Engine Litigation, Case No. 8:17-cv-00838, and Hyundai and Kia Engine Litigation II, No. 8:18-cv-02223-JLS-JDE, New Theta II Class Action Lawsuit. Unfortunately, this was the first time I had heard of this, as I'd never received any recalls or notices for my car around this, even though my car is a part of this. As I am in contact with Kia Customer Care attempting to resolve this issue - which has been an awful experience so far - they have informed me that the RECALL CAMPAIGN PI1802B - PI1802 ECU UPGRADE - is a "product improvement" instead of a safety issue, in which I COMPLETELY disagree! This put the 3 people inside my car at the time of the engine failure in danger on the highway with zero notice except for when it happened, as well as the other people/cars on the highway surrounding my car. Clearly this has been a much wider issue for Kia and Hyundai that has called for class action lawsuits, and my experience has been terrible so far trying to get this resolved. I'm extremely unhappy with their customer service and "help" this far, and even more upset that this did cause safety issues that it feels they don't care at all about correcting or taking care of their customers.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Culver City, CA

    My Kia Optima randomly stops working while driving. I get a notice that says, "HEV: Check Hybrid System. Stop Vehicle and Turn Off Engine." Also the gas pedal stops working, leaving me to try to coast to safety. The car essentially stops working in the middle of driving, without warning. Once this happened and blew out the spark plug, requiring a new one. Then, a day or two later, the car returns to normal. The Kia dealership could not reproduce the problem, nor could my service center. They say it's fine. I took my car in for previous recalls, and it is currently "up to date." This appears to be the same electrical issue as a recent recall for electrical failure, but the dealership told me the spark plug was fine and that I should change the battery. I did and this still happened. I do not feel safe driving this car, and Kia won't help me find the problem.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Canal Winchester, OH

    The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle failed to go over 2,000 RPM. The vehicle was shaking and shuddering violently. There was a loud knocking sound detected at 1,500 RPM. There was an abnormal odor detected from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated and flashing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced on three occasions. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer, who replaced the engine and catalytic converter. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Kia Coughlin of Lancaster (784 N Columbus St., Lancaster, OH 43130), where it was diagnosed and determined that an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 144,635.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Niceville, FL

    I bought this car with just under 48k miles September 2023, it had a very small chip on the bumper that I assumed was from a rock. After driving this car for a while, I noticed that chip got bigger and eventually other parts of my bumper and hood started bubbling and chipping as well.90% of my bumper is now lacking paint and it’s starting to chip on my hood more. I’ve only driven it an additional 12k miles since I’ve bought it. Auto body shops are saying it’s delaminating and it’s common in this color.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Grand Junction, CO

    Loss of power. Was driving across a 4 lane intersection and the vehicle lost power. The engine light came on. I stopped and check the oil and it was 2 quarts low. We had just changed oil less than 2,000 mikes ago. I tool the car to parts store and they said it was a p0309 code. That #4 cylinder misfire. It was either coil or spark plug. I replaced both coil and spark plugs 15,000 miles ago. The plug was covered in oil had black oiley substance covered on the spark area. I had similar loss of power due to oil burning 15,000 miles ago. The car has 97,720. This is an ongoing safety issue.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Dayton, OH

    The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact depressed the brake pedal harder and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer the following day and the dealer was not able to identify a failure with the vehicle brakes although the transmission was adjusted. The contact stated that the failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated at the time of the failure. The dealer contacted the manufacturer, and a field inspector was sent to the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was 92000.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 KIA OPTIMA
    - Hammonton, NJ

    The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle after several attempts, the contact checked the engine and checked the oil level and found that the oil was extremely low. The contact added 3-quarts of oil and was able to start the vehicle. The contact observed that the vehicle would intermittently lose power and nearly stalled. The contact became aware that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and was adding 2-quarts of oil every two weeks. The contact checked for oil leaks and found none. The contact stated that the check oil warning light had illuminated once. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where an oil consumption test was conducted. The consumption test determined that the vehicle was consuming a high amount of oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE