2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

(DIMMED HEADLIGHT) I HAVE OWNED MY 2011 OPTIMA SINCE 2013 AND SUMMER OF 2016 NOTICE MY HEADLIGHTS WERE REALLY DIMMED TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CANT SEE PAST 10-20 FEET IN FRONT OF YOU. REPLACED 2 HEADLIGHT BULBS W/ SYLVANIA SILVERSTAR BULBS AND HEADLIGHTS ARE STILL VERY DIMMED. LOOKS LIKE THEY REFLECTORS INSIDE THE BEAMS ARE BURNT/MELTED CAUSING THE LIGHTS TO LOOK DIM. I WOULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE I CANT REALLY SEE ANYTHING ON THE ROAD. IT WOULD BE NICE IF KIA LAUNCHED A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT FOR HEADLIGHT PROBLEM SINCE I WOULD CONSIDER THIS A DESIGN/ENGINEERING FLAW SINCE IT WAS FACTORY BULBS WERE ORIGINALLY IN THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. UNSAFE HEADLIGHT VISIBILITY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED DUE TO THE OIL CONSUMPTION AND THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN ON CITY STREET WHEN SMOKE APPEARED OUT OF THE HOOD OF THE CAR. CAR WAS DRIVEN TO A SAFE SPOT IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD TO ASSESS THE PROBLEM.FLASHLIGHT SHOWED A LARGE HOLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE. CAR WAS TOWED TO KIA DEALERSHIP AND INSPECTED. ALL OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS WERE SUBMITTED AS PER DEALERSHIP REQUEST. DEALERSHIP SUBMITTED CLAIM TO KIA HEADQUARTERS TO SEE IF ENGINE WOULD BE COVERED, I. E.,REPLACED. NEXT DAY ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS APPROVED AT NO COST TO ME. IT HAS NOW BEEN OVER A MONTH, THERE ARE OTHER KIA CARS AT THIS DEALERSHIP WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND STILL NO REPLACEMENT ENGINE. I SPOKE TO KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE IN SO. CALIFORNIA AND WAS GIVEN A CASE NUMBER AND THE MESSAGE THAT THE ENGINE IS ON BACK-ORDER. NO ETA CAN BE PROVIDED AND APPARENTLY THERE IS A BACKLOG OF CARS WITH THIS CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WITH NO END IN SIGHT. ANY ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR OFFICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND THE STEERING FAILED. THE MOTOR SEIZED UP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MOTOR SEIZED UP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE PARTS WOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE, BUT THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE LABOR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000.

THE OPTIMA IS NOT EVEN 5 YEARS OLD - THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN MAKING AN ODD NOISE WHEN STATIONARY WHEN TURNED SLIGHTLY LEFT OR RIGHT. THEN, TRAVELING ON NORMAL CITY STREETS, A LOUD NOISE COULD BE HEARD COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN OVER SLIGHT CRACKS OR BUMPS, AND AT LOW SPEEDS. BUT NOW, THE CAR'S STEERING COLUMN IS VERY LOUD AND SHAKES VIOLENTLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS - STARTING AT 50MPH. IT IS SO LOUD I CANNOT HEAR THE RADIO AT ALL. I CAN NO LONGER GO ON ANY TRIPS WITH THE CAR.

AT APPROXIMATELY 118,000 MILES, THE CONNECTING ROD AND ENGINE FAILURE HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELLING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON RHODE ISLAND STATE ROUTE 114 IN EAST PROVIDENCE, RI. THE ENGINE SEIZED COMPLETELY AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE I THEN REQUIRED A TOW TRUCK. THANKFULLY IT WAS 1AM AND NO CARS ON THE ROAD. NOBODY WAS HURT. BALD HILL KIA IN WARWICK, RI NOW HAS MY CAR, BUT NO ETA ON WHEN IT WILL BE READY. THEY TELL ME THAT THERE ARE TWO OTHER OPTIMAS WAITING FOR ENGINES AHEAD OF MINE. THIS IS 100% UNACCEPTABLE. I SPENT $26,000 ON THIS CAR IN GOOD FAITH AND KIA WILL NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY THEY EXTENDED ON THE ENGINE IN A TIMELY FASHION. WHILE THEY HAVE OFFERED A LOANER CAR FOR NOW, THEY WILL NOT PROVIDE IN WRITING THAT THE LOANER WILL BE OF NO COST TO ME. I AM NOW STUCK WITH THE OPTION OF HOPE AND WAIT THAT KIA DOES THE RIGHT THING, OR TAKE MATTERS IN TO MY OWN HANDS BY CONTACTING NHTSA AND CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF A NEW VEHICLE.

THERE'S A TICKING IN MY MOTOR WHEN FIRST STARTING UP N LAST ABOUT 5-10 MINS AFTERWARDS AND ALSO A CLANKING AND POPPING SOUNDS IN STEERING EVEN WORSE WHEN HITTING A HOLE OR GOING ACROSS INTERSECTIONS OR RAILROAD CROSSINGS STEERING SLIPS SOME GOING DOWN THE ROAD AT VARIOUS SPEEDS

DRIVING DOWN ROAD 55 MPH ENGINE SHUT OFF HAD TOWED TO DEALER. ENGINE SEIZED FROM FAULTY CONNECTING ROD REPLACEMENT ENGINE 2 MONTH BACK ORDER. *TR

OUR 2011 KIA OPTIMA STEERING WHEEL STARTED MALFUNCTIONING AT ABOUT 78000 MILES. MOVES FREELY WHEN IT SHOULDN'T, SLIGHTEST BUMP AND STEERING WHEEL JUMPS UP AN DOWN AND MAKES A LOUD CLICKING NOISE AND EFFECTS SAFE STEERING. CAN'T FIND A RECALL, THOUGH I FIND THIS PROBLEM IN NUMEROUS WEB SEARCHES. THEY GONNA WAIT TIL PEOPLE ARE KILLED OR INJURED ( IF NOT ALREADY) UNTIL THEY TAKE REPAIR ACTION? ! I UNDERSTAND IT'S A $4 PART WITH AVERAGE AROUND $600.00 LABOR TO REPAIR.WHO HAS THAT KIND OF MONEY TO FIX THEIR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM? HELP PLEASE THIS NOTICED UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS DRIVING TO WORK ON NORMAL MAIN STREET. *TR

THERE IS A DEFECTIVE PART IN THE MOTOR WHICH CAUSES THE MOTOR TO FAIL AND SEIZE AT ANY SPEED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN WITHOUT WARNING ALL LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH AND MY WIFE HAD TROUBLE JUST GETTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GETTING THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE EXACT SAME MOTOR WHICH IS IN THE HYUNDAI SONATA.