2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

STARTED HEARING MY ENGINE KNOCKING THE NIGHT BEFORE. KNOCKING STILL EVIDENT, FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY 2 ENGINE STALLS ON THE HIGHWAY! VEHICLE HAD TO SIT ABANDONED OVERNIGHT UNTIL A TOW COULD BE ARRANGED, WHICH RESULTED IN CANCELLING AN OUT-OF-STATE MOVE!

ENGINE LIGHT ON. KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. CAR WON'T START ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. ENGINE "RATTLES" AT ACCELERATION AND STALLED TODAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING GOING ABOUT 60 MPH.

USING OWNERS MANUAL PROCEDURE FOR STARTING THE ENGINE. VEHICLE IS PARKED, TRANSMISSION LEVER IN PARK POSITION. FOOT DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL, PUSH BUTTON FOR STARTING ENGINE ON DASHBOARD IS DEPRESSED = NO ENGINE CRANK & NO START ! INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY FULLY ILLUMINATES & "IMMOBILIZER" ICON 'LIGHT' IS DISPLAYED ON PREVENTING ENGINE STARTING. KEY FOB IS PLACED ON THE DASH DURING ABOVE STARTING SEQUENCE...PLACING THE KEY FOB IN THE GLOVE-BOX OVERRIDE "BY-PASS" PORT ALSO WILL NOT START THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A VERY "INTERMITTENT" PROBLEM & HAS OCCURRED 5 TIMES IN RECENT 2 WEEKS STRANDING US AT SHOPPING MALLS & GAS STATIONS. THE OPTIMA HAS BEEN TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES & SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMS THEY ARE UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM OR HAVE THE DEFECT HAPPEN IN THEIR PRESENCE. I SEE MANY OWNERS HAVE POSTED VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.COM WITH EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM AS WE ARE EXPERIENCING. THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING & UNACCEPTABLE...ESPECIALLY WITH WINTER CONDITIONS ARRIVING IN 2 MONTHS ! PLEASE INVESTIGATE ASAP !

VEHICLE IN MOTION ON FLORIDA I-10E DOING ABOUT 70 MPH. CAR STARTED MAKING A TICKING SOUND AND GAS PEDDLE STARTED PULSATING. TRIED TO MAKE IT TO NEAREST EXIT 112 BUT NOISE KEPT GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER AND THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. WHITE SMOKE APPEARED, ENGINE AND OIL LIGHTS CAME ON, AND CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO SIDE OF ROAD AND CALLED FOR TOW.

I WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. ALL ELECTRICAL WAS WORKING. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND TRIED TO RESTART. NOTHING. NO SMOKE, NO CLICKING. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS FINE. I HAD THE OPTIMA TOWED TO THE CLOSEST MECHANIC, WHEN TRIED TO TURN THE CRANK AND FOUND THAT THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED. OIL WAS FULL, NO OVER HEATING WARNING. I STILL OWE ON THIS CAR.

2011 KIA OPTIMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE REPLACEMENT RECALL NOTICE AND SEEKS REIMBURSEMENT INFORMATION. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE FAILED AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE 17-V224 AND REQUESTED TO BE ADVISED IF THIS REPAIR WAS ALREADY COMPLETED. UPDATED 09/11/2017*JS

THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN YOU TURN TO EITHER SIDE HAS A LOT OF PLAY BEFORE RESPONDING TO TURN THE WHEELS AND HAS A LOUD CLANKING SOUND LIKE IT'S EITHER ENGAGING OR SLIPPING, AND IT GETS WORSE EACH TIME I DRIVE IT, AFTER TALKING WITH A FEW DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND LOOKING UP SIMILAR ISSUES THE KIDS OPTIMA HAS A PLASTIC STEERING GEAR INSIDE OF THE STEERING POWER BOX THAT IS WEARING OUT AND GETS WORSE AND WORSE OF COURSE UNTIL YOU HAVE NO STEERING, I'VE FOUND WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUES AND THE HIS CAN NOT BE IGNORED, A MAJOR ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING THIS CAR!!! I HAVE WENT AHEAD AND BOUGHT NEW TIRES, NEW BRAKES NEW FRONT ROTORS NEW FLOAT PINS FOR THE CALIPERS AND THE CAR ALIGNED ALL FOUR TIRES AND NOTHING HELPS LIKE I SAID IT'S THE PLASTIC GEAR IN THE STEERING POWER BOX, IT HAS VIDEOS ON LINE OF THIS AND WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN FIXED??

MY PASSENGER FRONT DOOR KEEPS GOING OUT OF ALIGNMENT. I HAVE HAD IT RE-ALIGNED MANY TIMES. MY BODY SHOP HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE HINGES NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE , IF THE DOOR IS NOT ALIGNED IT MAY OPEN AT ANYTIME. I HAVE INFORMED KIA , THEY HAVE REFUSED TO ASSIST ME WITH THIS ISSUE. PLEASE ASSIST ME WITH THIS ISSUE.

PROBLEMS STARTING A FEW YEARS AGO. HEARD KNOCKING, BROUGHT IT IN FOR RECALL, AND IT WASN'T DOING IT ANYMORE. HAD PROBLEM WITH EMISSIONS. RECALL WAS DONE AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM LED TO ENGINE PROBLEMS. NOW ENGINE IS BURNING THROUGH OIL, AND LOCAL TRUSTED MECHANIC SAYS IT IS GOING TO NEED A NEW ENGINE BY WINTER. IN RESEARCH HAVE SEEN OTHERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

WELL MY 2011 KIA OPTIMA EX STALLED IN TRAFFIC AND WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT INTO A PARKING LOT TO BE TOWED, COME TO FIND OUT MY ENGINE WENT OUT ON ME. I STARTED TO HEAR A KNOCKING NOISE THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE AND THEN MY CAR DIED AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. COME TO FIND OUT THAT I HAVE A RECALL ON MY VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM. I AM VERY USPET TO FIND OUT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A YEAR OR SO AND HAVE NEVER EVER BEEN NOTIFIED OF IT VIA MAIL OR ANYTHING! I COULD OF KILLED SOMEONE LET ALONE MYSELF OR MY FAMILY! I HAD TO DO REPAIRS O N8/19/17 BECAUSE MY CAR OUT OF NOWHERE STARTED MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE AND BATTERY DIED. I HAD TO GET A NEW BATTERY AND THEN HAVE MY CAR CHECKED OUT WHICH ALL COSTED $350 AND STILL DIED ON ME AND MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON NOW THEN... ONLY TO FIND OUT MY ENGINE WAS BAD. I'M LOOKING INTO LEGAL ACTION.