2014 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

The contact's stepdaughter owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his stepdaughter was driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began to stall and she started to hear an abnormal sound. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The driver parked on the side of the road until the contact drove to her location. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 20V519000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which was related to the failure. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that since she was not the first owner of the vehicle, the recall repairs would not be honored. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the recall repairs would not be honored. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

On 5/23/2021, while driving my Optima on US94 in Indiana, I noticed a clicking sound. Uncertain if it was my car, or somerhing else, I turned off my media, and realized it was my car. I decided I would exit the next available exit, when I saw black smoke behind me. I realized I wouldn't make it the one mile to the exit, so I decided to pull off unto the shoulder of the highway. The instrumentation panel showed the coolant on normal, right in the middle of H and C. The Electrical Panel indicator was no longer in the middle as normal, which is right in the middle of H & L. Instead, it was berween the middle and Low. As I began to slow down, the panel showed a message of "Turn off Hybrid Now", then the red engine light appeared. I wasn't stopped yet, slowed to about 40 mph when I suddenly lost power. I coasted and brake to the shoulder, when I began to see smoke coming up from the hood. Mostly from the passenger side of the hood. I popped the hood of the car, then went out and opened the hood. I saw flames under the engine, more towards the passenger side of car. I grabbed my purse and ran to the field away from the car. The car burned up completely within about 5 to 8 minutes.

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE CUT OFF AND I HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE FINALLY STARTED. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED.

MY ENGINE SEIZED, I HAD IT TOWED TO A KIA DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID KIA WOULD NOT REPLACE THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF RECALLS NOT DONE BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR THIS ENGINE, BUT I HAVE TO PAY OVER 8,000 FOR AN ENGINE TO BE PAID BACK, I STILL OWE 10,000 ON THIS CAR. I CALLED KIA AND ASKED HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT RECALLS MADE BEFORE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE, THEY SAID I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR BUYING A USED CAR. I'VE HAD MY CAR IN AT A KIA DEALERSHIP A WEEK BEFORE ENGINE FAILURE WITH 20 POINT INSPECTION AND NOTHING SAID ABOUT RECALLS. I WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY ENGINE QUIT, LOST ALL POWER. HAD TO DRIFT ACROSS 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET MY CAR TO AN EXIT, AND COAST DOWN THE OFF RAMP. PIPED THE HOOD AND SMELLED SOMETHING MELTING, MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME. THIS IS DANGEROUS, NOW I'M LEFT FINANCIALLY DEVASTATED AND WITHOUT A CAR BECAUSE KIA CAN'T FIX THEIR WRONGS. EVERY ENGINE THAT HAD THE RECALLS DONE HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH OR WITHOUT THE UPDATE. THE ENGINES ARE BAD. IVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR A YEAR.

CRANK SHAFT BEARING WENT BAD CAUSING ENGINE TO FAIL IN VEHICLE AND ALMOST GET HIT BY TRAFFIC CONTACTED DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON EVERY MODEL OF MY CAR EXCEPT MINE BECAUSE IT WAS THE GAS HYBRID WHICH STILL HAS THE SAME ENGINE AND PROBLEM AS THE ONES IN RECALL J BOUGHT THE CAR FOR AROUND 13K AND ONLY HAD IT FOR BOUT 3 MONTHS BEFORE THIS HAPPEN DEALER WON'T REPAIR WORK UNDER RECALL BECAUSE IT DOES FALL UNDER THE RECALL FOR MILLIONS OF OTHER BECAUSE IT IS HYBRID AS WELL AS GAS ? DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AND I GOT SCREWED OUTTA 13K AND COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED AS WELL AS MY 2 KIDS THAT WHERE IN THE CAR WITH ME

A CLICKING NOISE IN THE FRONT END STARTED WHEN THE WHEEL WAS TURNED TO THE RIGHT. THIS WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED A JOINT AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER THE NOISE STARTED AGAIN, BECAME WORSE AND THE STEERING FELT LOOSER. THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL ALSO FELT LOOSE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. THEY REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN AND SOME OTHER RELATED PARTS. THIS TIME THE STEERING WAS LOOSER, THEY HAD TO REPLACE A BOLT AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. AS SOON AS I LEFT THE LOT I HEARD THE SAME NOISE BUT VERY FAINT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WASN'T AN ISSUE BUT IT GOT WORSE OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. THE RIGHT WHEEL HAD THE LOOSE FEELING WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AGAIN. BY THIS TIME THE NOISE HAPPENED WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE SAME PARTS AS BEFORE AGAIN. THAT SAME DAY I COULD HEAR THE FAINT NOISE AGAIN, DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS FINE AGAIN. THE CLICKING NOISE BECAME WORSE JUST AS BEFORE AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THEY DIDN'T THINK IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT THEY OBVIOUSLY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR IT. IT HAS BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS SINCE THEIR LAST ATTEMPT AND IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE. WHEN GOING OVER THE SLIGHTEST BUMP THE FRONT WHEELS HAVE A LOOSE FEELING WHICH IS ALSO GETTING WORSE. THIS LOOSE FEELING IN THE FRONT WHEELS HAPPENS WHEN TURNING AND GOING STRAIGHT. SPEED DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A FACTOR IN ANY OF THE PROBLEMS.

ON APRIL 9, 2021 MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING MY KIA ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY. THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING AND MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO (BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH) VEER OFF TO THE SHOULDER. EVENTUALLY THE CAR WAS TOWED TO DIFEO KIA IN LAKEWOOD. AFTER ABOUT 1 WEEK OF TESTS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE HAS SEIZED AND IT "SHOULD BE" COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT APPROVAL FROM CORPORATE WOULD HAVE TO BE ESTABLISHED PRIOR TO ANY WORK BEING DONE. ON MONDAY APRIL 19, 2021 I WAS TOLD BY KIA THAT CORPORATE IS NOT COVERING THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF AN UNRESOLVED RECALL AND THAT THE NEW ENGINE WOULD BE $6,000+.. THERE IS AN UNRESOLVED RECALL ON MY KIA FROM AUGUST 2020. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS RECALL, IF I DID RECEIVE NOTICE ON A RECALL, I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO GET CHECKED LIKE I DID IN 2018 FOR A DIFFERENT RECALL. I HAVE FULL SERVICE RECORDS THAT CAN PROVE HOW I TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY CAR, AND WOULD HAVE HAD THE CAR CHECKED HAD I EVER RECEIVED A NOTICE. THE PRESENT RECALL ON MY CAR IS FOR A HECU ASSEMBLY ISSUE, NOT AN ENGINE SEIZING. I DO KNOW THAT KIA HAS RECALLED NUMEROUS KIAS DUE TO MACHINING ERRORS DURING ENGINE MANUFACTURING WHICH CAN CAUSE PREMATURE BEARING WEAR WITHIN THE ENGINE. MAYBE MY CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE AS WELL (?). I AM THANKFUL THAT MY HUSBAND SURVIVED THAT DAY ON THE PARKWAY, AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN GIVE TO HELP ME RESOLVE THIS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO HIS HOME AND ANOTHER MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE WITH THE SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS THEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED HIM TO THE LOCAL DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE. TRIPLE J AUTO GROUP (470 NORTH, MARINE CORPS DR, TAMUNING, 96913, GUAM) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED HIM THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) WHICH HE LINKED TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.*DT

PAINT HAS BEGUN BUBBLING AND PEELING IN SEVERAL AREAS. BODY SHOPS HAVE SAID IT IS DELAMINATION.

ENGINE DEVELOPED ENGINE KNOCK AND LOW COOLANT. STILL RUNS BUT NOT NORMALLY. I CAN BE REACHED AT [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).