2015 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

On 1 30-30 2023 my vehicle spun a rod bearing no engine light came on no oil light alert. I have a lifetime warranty & I'm just learning of a recall NHTSA SAFETY ID# 21V331000, to which I did not receive any notifications or recall notices

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that his wife steered the vehicle to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to a lack of engine oil. The contact stated that he had never noticed a leak and had followed the maintenance schedule for oil changes. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. Additionally, the check engine, ABS, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 144,771.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. After stopping at a red light, the engine suddenly failed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 88,000.

The lack of an ignition immobilizer facilitated an easy car theft and unauthorized use of the vehicle. A mechanic has confirmed that due to the lack of an immobilizer, anti-theft features were overridden, leading to a car theft. Insurance, police, and mechanics have all inspected the vehicle and state the cars theft was a result of the known fact that KIA ignitions can be started with a USB. The manufacturer, KIA, failed to keep up with industry standards to protect their customer's cars from theft, and now that the problem has intensified, they have not taken action to help consumers affected.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the vehicle made knocking sounds while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the dealer declined the engine replacement due to the vehicle not having the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) product improvement campaign performed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The contact stated that she had not yet received notification of the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) product improvement campaign. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the KSDS product improvement campaign had expired. The failure mileage was 174,811.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the radiator and the radiator hose were replaced; however, while driving two and a half weeks later, the vehicle stalled, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to an unknown recall. The vehicle was towed the dealer, where the engine was replaced; however, the engine smoked while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the engine was replaced for a second time; however, the engine was incompatible with the turbocharger in the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that she had to pay out-of-pocket to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine turned over but then the engine seized. There was an abnormal knocking sound previously detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Anti Theft Security system is non-existent. There is a current known issue on the internet on the ease of theft of any Kia or Hyundai to certain years of manufacture. I am currently a single disabled person that could be a victim of vehicle theft because of a lack of this security software that Kia did not include on my 2015 vehicle. This Kia/Hyundai known issue could potentially leave anyone stranded in a dangerous situation. All other prior and current vehicles are equipped with the security software. Currently Kia & Hyundai has provided Lock bars for certain police departments to hand out, however .. not in my area. I am receiving warning letters from my Insurance company and have heard of some totally dropping coverages on all vehicles manufactured without the security software. This is a very dangerous situation and I believe that ALL VEHICLES AFFECTED SHOULD BE ISSUED AN IMMEDIATE RECALL AND SOFTWARE UPDATE PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURERS AT NO COST TO CURRENT OWNERS OF THESE DEFECTIVE VEHICLES. A proposed class action lawsuit was started in September 2022. In the meantime.. what happens to innocent people who go to a grocery store or doctors office only to find that their car had been stolen while they were inside? Or what happens when they can no longer receive insurance coverage because of the ease of this known lack of security originally promised from the manufacturer? These particular Kia/Hyundai's are missing a "key" anti-theft device..their keys lack computer chips for theft "immobilizer" systems that other car manufacturers have as a standard theft deterrant during those same years of manufacture & currently have on all new vehicles. A MANDATORY RECALL FOR REPAIR SHOULD BE ISSUED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES REFUSE TO INSURE THESE VEHICLES! Anti-Theft technology was included on the sticker price but not installed! I am afraid to go to the grocery store!!

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and stalled upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle remained in dealer possession for months as the contact awaited the repair. The manufacturer was notified and informed her that since a prior service was not performed on the vehicle, she no longer qualified for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 129,000.