2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

LOW BEAMS ARE VERY DIM DUE TO INTERNAL HEAD LIGHT CUP CHROME WORN OUT , CAN'T SEE MORE THAN 3 FEET AHEAD AT NIGHT , UNLESS I USE HI BEAMS .

WHILE TRAVELING IN A 65MPH ZONE THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH OUT INDICATION OR DASH LIGHTS. VEHICLE LOST STEERING AND CONTROL, PUTTING MYSELF AND OTHERS AT RISK OF DANGER. STOPPED THE VEHICLE. WHILE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE, TURNED THE KEY AND ALL DASH LIGHTS WERE PRESENT BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, CLICK OR TURN OVER. ISSUE RESULTED AS AN ENGINE FAILURE.

I WAS ON INTERSTATE 65 I WAS GOING ABOUT 55MPH AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE VEHICLES ENGINE STALLED. THERE WERE CARS COMING FROM BEHIND I QUICKLY GOT OVER INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND CAME TO A STOP. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS THAT CAME ON PRIOR TO THIS OCCURRING. I NEVER HEARD ANY TYPE OF KNOCKING FROM THE ENGINE EITHER. IT WAS A TERRIFYING MOMENT HAVING THE CAR STOP FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. 4 DAYS LATER THERE AS WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A RECALL FROM KIA REGARDING THE CONNECTOR ROD. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE MOTOR IS LOCKED UP BUT NO ONE HAS TOLD ME WHY. KIA CORPORATION HAS BEEN SLOW TO RESPOND. THEY HAVE SAID THAT ITS NOT AN OFFICIAL RECALL UNTIL THE END OF MAY. THEY HAVE PROVIDED ME WITH A CASE NUMBER BUT THE CASE SPECIALIST HAS YET TO CALL ME BACK.

VEHICLE SIZED ON THE HYW WHILE APPROXIMATELY 65MPH. IT WAS TOWED TO KIA, WHO STATED THEY WOULD REPLACE THE ENGINE WITH A NEW ONE. HOWEVER THEY REPLACED IT WITH A MANUFACTURER OR MODIFIED ENGINE. MY CAR NOW VIBRATES AND HAS INCONSISTENT FULE INJECTION. I HAVE REPORTED TO THIS TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND TO KIA CORPORATION. I HAVE YET TO HEAR BACK FROM EITHER ABOUT CORRECTING THE ISSUE.

ENGINE SEIZED UP ON ME WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING, ENGINE LIGHT ETC, ON I-10 NOVEMBER 2016, CONTACTED KIA CASE # K3330321 HAD ME TOW THE VEHICLE TO THEM FOR WARRANTY EXTENSION WORK FOR THE ENGINE CONNECTING ROD. THEY THEN TOLD ME IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT REPAIR VEHICLE. I CANCELED PLATES AND IT IS STILL SITTING IN MY YARD UNREPAIRED. EVEN HAD THE CASE ESCALATED HIGHER UP WITH KIA WITH NO RESULTS. ONLY INCURRED MORE COST, THEY ESTIMATED ME $7000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TRADED IN DUE TO THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT NO LONGER OWNED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED NO SOLUTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

"ENGINE SEIZING RECALL" KIA RECALL NUMBER IS SC147. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE ABOUT 70 MPH HEADING TO JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA FROM VALDOSTA GEORGIA AND THE CAR BEGIN TO DECREASE IN SPEED THEN AS IT DECREASED SPEED I PULLED OVER AND GOOD THING I DID BECAUSE THE WHEEL LOCKED. I TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN. I WAS IN THE CAR LEFT LANE WHEN THE CAR BEGIN TO DECREASE IN SPEED AND AS I TRIED TO PULL OVER THERE WERE CARS PASSING AND I WAS ALMOST HIT NOT ONLY FROM BEHIND BUT ON THE SIDE BECAUSE THE CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN FAST ENOUGH TO PULL OFF THE ROAD.

THE ENGINE KNOCKING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AND STABILITY LIGHT FOR SPEED CONTROL. TOOK CAR SEVERAL TIMES TO DEALER AND THEY FINALLY TOLD ME ABOUT THE ENGINE NEED WORK DONE TO IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE ALL THEY CAN DO TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I PAID FOR THEM TO REPLACE OIL CONTROL SELENOID AND THE CODE POO11 STILL COMES UP. THE CAR CUTS OFF IN TRAFFIC.

DRIVING ON FREEWAY NEAR NORTH BEND WA. STATE WITH WIFE AND 2 GRANDKIDS IN CAR WHEN PANARAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED. LARGE BLAST FROM NOWHERE AND NOBODY IN FRONT OF ME. IT SHOCKED US AND ALMOST MADE US WRECK. KIA OF AMERICA WAS HORIBLE TO WORK WITH AND TOOK NO RESPONSABILITY FOR THEIR DEFECT.

THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY DIM EVEN WITH NEW BULB REPLACEMENTS. FOUND THAT THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL INSIDE THE HEADLIGHTS MELTED. NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT NEED TO USE THE HIGH BEAMS ALL THE TIME.