2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A KNOCKING SOUND EMERGING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN HOME AND THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY CHECKED THE OIL. SHE NOTICED THAT THE OIL WAS VERY DARK AND HAD A BURNT SMELL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS LOOK LIKE FLASHLIGHTS WITH WEAK BATTERIES, YOU CAN ONLY SEE ABOUT 6 FEET IN FRONT OF CAR. THE LENS ON THE HEADLIGHTS ARE CLEAR LIKE NEW ONES, BUT THE HEAT FROM THE BULBS DESTROY THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT. THE ONLY WAY TO DRIVE AT NIGHT IS WITH THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ON. THE ONLY FIX IS TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHTS. WHEN YOU GOOGLE THIS PROBLEM MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT.

MY 2011 OPTIMA HAD 106,214 MILES AND WAS ALMOST DUE FOR ANOTHER 3000 MILE OIL CHANGE (WHICH WAS DONE REGULARLY) AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS ETC. IT STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING I WAS ABLE TO PULL IN A PARKING LOT. I TRIED TO START IT AND IT WOULD NOT START. I CALLED THE KIA DEALER THAT WAS NOT EVEN A MILE AWAY AND THEY SAID THEY WERE CLOSED AND COULD NOT LOOK AT IT. SO I HAD IT TOWED TO ANOTHER GARAGE, THEY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID THE ENGINE WAS "SHOT" IT DID NOT HAVE OIL IN THE TOP (?) THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE ONLY REPLACEMENT ENGINE THEY COULD FIND WOULD BE CLOSE TO $3000.00 AND WAS OUT OF STATE, SO I WOULD HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING AS WELL AS LABOR. I SINCE HAVE HAD IT TOWED TO MY HOME AND HAVE LOOKED ONLINE FOR ENGINES AND HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO OTHERS WITH THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL OF CAR. I ALSO FOUND THAT THE SAME EXACT ENGINE WAS PUT IN THE 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA, AND THAT IT WAS RECALLED BY HYUNDAI. KIA KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAS HAD MANY COMPLAINTS THAT ARE ALMOST EXACT WITH VEHICLES WITH EVEN LOWER MILEAGE AND STILL REFUSES TO RECALL THE ENGINE.

TRAVELLING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH (HAD JUST TURNED ONTO ROAD)WHEN ENGINE SEEMED TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. PRESSED BRAKE PEDAL (HARD) AND DID NOT SLOW CAR AT ALL. CONTINUED TO PRESS BRAKE AND ALSO PUMPED BUT NOTHING SLOWED VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH SAW TRUCK WELL AHEAD OF ME STOPPED, I COULD DO NOTHING TO STOP OR EVEN SLOW DOWN. I WRECKED INTO BACK OF TRUCK STOPPED AHEAD OF ME WAITING TO TURN. APPROX 8000.00 DAMAGE TO MY CAR MOSTLY DUE TO TRUCK HAVING A SIZABLE TRAILER HITCH ON BACK THAT BUSTED THROUGH A LOT OF FRONT END PLASTIC, COOLING SYSTEM, ETC AND BUCKLED HOOD. NO INJURIES BUT IF WOULD HAVE HAPPENED AT HIGHER SPEED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC. OFFICER UPON ARRIVAL ALSO NOTICED THATBRAKES SEEMED TO FAIL AND NOTED IT ON HIS POLICE REPORT. I HAVE SINCE FOUND INTERNET SOURCES INDICATING THAT SOME 2011 KIAS HAD IN FACT HAS A TSNB ISSUED FOR UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. I NEVER RECEIVED SUCH A BULLETIN AND HAVE HAD NUMEROUS SERVICES PERFORMED AT KIA DEALERSHIP. ALSO, HAVE HAD BRAKES CHECKED MULTIPLE TIMES AT DEALER AND DELAER INSPECTION NEVER INDICATED ANY PROBLEMS. I HAV EALSO FOUND DOCUMENTATION ONLINE THAT SAYS IF YOU HAVE AN UNINTENTIONAL ACCELLERATION, PRESSING THE BRAKE HARD IS THE FIRST STEP TO DO, BUT ONCE YOU LET OFF THE BRAKE, YOU TOTALLY LOSE BRAKE PRESSURE. WHO POSSIBLE WOULD KNOW THAT ? THIS ACCIDENT IS TOTALLY THE RESULT OF A SYSTEM FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE AND I AM ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE IN PERSUING MY DAMAGES AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE.

IF THERE IS LIGHT WHEEL SPIN UPON TAKEOFF (ESPECIALLY TURNING AND ACCELERATING, SUCH AS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A ROAD) IT CAUSES CAR TO LOSE POWER FOR A FEW SECONDS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS ACCELERATOR CAN BE DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR AND VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE POWER AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE. CAR ALSO ACTIVATES ANTI-LOCK BRAKES WHEN LIGHTLY PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE DRIVING OVER A SMALL BUMP AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 25 MPH. THESE SYMPTOMS OCCUR WITH STABILITY CONTROL ENGAGED (DEFAULT SETTING WHEN CAR IS TURNED ON) STABILITY CONTROL / TRACTION CONTROL IS OVERLY SENSITIVE, AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

MY FAMILY WAS ON HWY 75 RETURNING FROM THANKSGIVING VACAY WHEN WE DISCOVERED THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON. AFTER PLACING A CALL TO KIA, I DISCOVERED THAT APPARENTLY AIRBAGS AREN'T COVERED BY THE 130,000 MILE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. NOW THE IGNITION HAS AN ISSUE. OFTEN TIMES, I HAVE TO HIT MY KEY IN THE IGNITION IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE KEY. I AM WONDERING IF THE IGNITION ISSUE AND THE AIRBAG ISSUE ARE RELATEABLE AND NEED TO SEE IF COVERED BY WARRANTY. THERE ARE 90,000 MILES ON THIS CAR AND I HAVE HAD IT FOR LESS THAN A YEAR. WE PURCHASED IT USED FROM DRIVETIME. THANKS

HARD TO STEER, ALONG WITH A NOISE INSIDE THE CAR THAT SOUNDED LIKE A LOOSE PIECE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. CAR HAS 64,000 MILES ON IT. DEALER SAID PART IS A STEERING COLUMN COUPLER AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. COST WAS $332.00.

THE STEERING WHEEL IS VERY LOOSE AND THUMPS WHEN I MOVE IT BACK AND FORTH. I ALSO HEAR A THUMB UNDER THE CAR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEN I BACK UP AND WHEN I COME TO A STOP.

MY MOTOR BLEW AT 102K MILES WITH NO WARNING. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF LOSING POWER, NO KNOCKING, THE OIL WAS FULL.... THE CAR STALLED AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULDN'T RESTART. THIS OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 29, 2015. I HAD TO WALK HOME AT TEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT AND HAVE THE CAR TOWED HOME THE NEXT DAY. WE THEN HAD THE CAR TAKEN TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC. HE MANAGED TO START THE CAR WHICH IMMEDIATELY STARTED KNOCKING. I CALLED BACK LATER AND FOUND OUT THAT THE CAR HAD THROWN A MAIN BEARING AND THAT THE MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I THEN PURCHASED ANOTHER MOTOR WITH 48,000 MILES ON IT FOR $2,000 AND HAD IT SHIPPED FROM PENNSYLVANIA. THE MOTOR WAS INSTALLED AND RAN FINE. LESS THAN TWO MONTH'S LATER (ON DECEMBER 25TH TO BE EXACT, THE CAR STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY (ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT). I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR, IT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN KNOCKING. I CAN ASSUME THAT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED WITH THE SECOND MOTOR. THE COMPANY WHO SOLD THE SECOND MOTOR IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR ANOTHER TO REPLACE THE ONE I PURCHASED BUT I HAVE TO EAT THE LABOR COSTS INCURRED WHICH AMOUNTED TO OVER $1,000 ALONE. HYUNDAI HAS A RECALL ON THIS EXACT MOTOR BECAUSE OF THE MAIN BEARING BUT HYUNDAI (WHO OWNS KIA) WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS JUNK MOTOR EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE REPLACING HYUNDAI'S WITH THE SAME MOTOR. AND KIA WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BAD MOTOR EITHER BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT IT'S "NOT A HYUNDAI" AND IT'S 2,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. I STRONGLY FEEL I SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO A REIMBURSEMENT. EVERY INDICATION IS THAT THE 2.4L GDI MOTOR IS A BAD MOTOR. I STILL OWE $7,000 TO KIA FINANCE FOR THIS CAR WHILE IT HAS DRAINED MY FINANCES AND CONTINUES TO DRAIN MY FINANCES. THANK YOU. *TR

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR DIED AFTER PULLING OFF TO THE SHOULDER TRIED TO START THE CAR AND ALL IT WOULD DO WAS CLICK. TOWED THE CAR HOME THINKING IT WAS AN ALTERNATOR OR SOMETHING SIMPLE. NEXT MORNING LOOKED AT THEN CHANGED THE BATTERY AND TRIED TO GET IT STARTED IN SLIGHTLY TURNED OVER BUT NOT ENOUGH TO START CALLED THE DEALER TO DROP IT OFF AND THEY SAID CAR WAS SEIZED OUT OF WARRANTY AND NEEDS THE ENGINE REPLACED. AFTER SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET AND LOOKING AT COMPLAINTS FOUND THAT MY ENGINE WAS BUILT AT THE SAME PLANT AS THE HYUNDAI SONATA SAME ENGINE, WHICH IS RECALLED FOR THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM . I AM WONDERING WHY KIA ACTED LIKE THE CANT BELIEVE THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED ALSO . WHAT CAN BE DONE HERE ? I WILL NOT LET THIS GO IT IS WRONG KIA'S SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO AND RECALLED