2013 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

ONE WEEK AFTER AN OIL CHANGE, I WAS (30 MILES AWAY FROM HOME) DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 55MPH. I FELT A VIBRATION BEGIN. I TURNED OFF THE HEATER AND TURNED OFF THE STEREO. IMMEDIATELY I HEARD A HORRIFIC METALLIC BANGING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR CEL ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE STALLED AS I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND I HAD TO TRY TO PULL IT SAFELY TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. I WAS ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE TO A BUSINESS, SO I TRIED TO START THE CAR TO GET IT SAFELY OFF THE ROADWAY. IT TRIED TO START, BUT MADE AN EXTREMELY LOUD "KA-THUNK" SOUND AND THEN STARTED SMOKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I TURNED OFF THE FLASHERS, CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND A RIDE HOME. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC NEAR MY HOME AND CALLED FOR A RIDE FOR MYSELF. ONCE I ARRIVED HOME, I CALLED KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT. THEY PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER AND STATED THAT I WOULD NOW NEED MY CAR TO BE TOWED TO A KIA DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE KIA DEALER DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A LOANER VEHICLES, SO I AM WAITING UNTIL MONDAY TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED IN HOPES I CAN ACQUIRE A VEHICLE AT THAT TIME UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO DETERMINE IF KIA IS GOING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. IN THE INTERIM, MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DID A QUICK INSPECTION AND STATED THERE ARE METAL SHAVINGS IN MY OIL AND IT APPEARS AS THOUGH MY ENGINE "BLEW A ROD." MY VIN DOESN'T MEET THE RECALL CRITERIA, BUT RATHER THE PI1803 BULLETIN. 2013 KIA OPTIMA SXL; I'M THE SECOND OWNER. IT'S BEEN BABIED, APPROPRIATE OIL CHANGES, 93K MILES.

HEADLIGHTS ARE CONSTANTLY GETTING DIMMER, CAN ONLY SEE ABOUT 2 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN, FOG AND AT NIGHT. I HAVE CHANGED THE BULBS SEVERAL TIMES THINKING THIS WAS THE PROBLEM BUT CLEARING IT IS NOT. THERE IS A PROBLEM AND I FEAR DRIVING AT NIGHT AND IN FOG AND RAIN FOR FEAR OF SAFETY. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER AND THE PUBLIC. THIS ALL STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS MY VISION BUT MY HUSBAND AND SON BOTH AND A MECHANIC HAVE CONFIRMED THE SOMETHING IS CLEARLY WRONG THIS THE LIGHTING SYSTEM IN THE CAR.

THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A CLICKING SOUND WHEN YOU TURN IT WHILE STATIONARY AND DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES REALLY BAD AND MAKES A REALLY LOUD RATTLING SOUND.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVIUNG APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND BLACK SMOKE STARTED TO EMERGE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE POLICE WAS PRESENT AND FIRE DEPARTMEN EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT AND THEN TO THE RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

CAR WAS LOSING POWER DRIVING FROM THE DEALERSHIP WHICH INDICATED TO BRING CAR BACK IN THE NEXT DAY DUE TO ENGINE KNOCKING NOSE. ON THE DRIVE BACK HOME I WAS AT A STATIONARY STOP LIGHT AND ALL THE ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON THE CONSOLE AND THE CAR DIED. IMMEDIATELY WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON ALL SIDES OF THE CAR AND INSIDE THE CAR WITH A CHEMICAL BURNING SMELL. SMOKE CONTINUED FROM UNDER THE HOOD FOR A FEW MINUTES. JUMPTED OUT OF THE CAR AS THE ENGINE WOULD NO LONGER START AS IT HAS SEIZED. CALLED A TOW TRUCK, HAD THE CAR TOWED AND NOW IT WILL NOT START AS THE ENGINE IS LOCKED. DEALERSHIP WILL CHARGE $1500 TO DIAGNOSE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE BUT WITH ALL THESE COMPLAINTS ON THIS VERY ISSUE THE POINT REMAINS THE KIA ENGINES SIEZE FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND NO RESOLUTION FROM THE KIA DEVELOPMERS/AUTO MAKERS. PLEASE RECALL THESE ENGINES SO THE CUSTOMERS CAN GET THEIR CARS FIXED AND FULLFILL CUSTOMER SERVICE SATISFACTION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY DECELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED A CODE NUMBER: P1326. THE CONTACT CALLED THE NATIONWIDE KIA DEALER, LOCATED AT 1600 YORK RD, LUTHERVILLE TIMONIUM, MD 21093, AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE LOST MOTIVE POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED HOWEVER, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND LOW OIL WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STARTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS ADVISED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V22400 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

THE STEREO SYSTEM MAKES BEEP SOUNDS WHEN YOU PUSH THE BUTTONS BUT THE MUSIC SOUNDS, RADIO, AND PHONE WON'T COME THROUGH SPEAKERS AT ALL. I DO KNOW THAT THE KIA SOUL HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM AND WAS RECALLED FOR IT OUR CAR HAS 95,000 MILES ON IT SO I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS HAS HAPPENED

WAS DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL FOR THEATER PRACTICE ON A SUNDAY AND WITHIN LESS THAN 1 MINUTE OF PULLING OUT OF OUR DRIVE ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON IN MY CAR AND IT WAS TOTALLY SEIZED, IT DIED . WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. ONE OF THE BUSIEST ROADS IN NASHVILLE ..AND WE HAD NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. WE WERE TERRIFIED WE WERE GOING TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. WE MADE A TURN AT THE LIGHT.. COASTING AND TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF ANOTHER BUSY ROAD .. WHERE WE BLOCKED A FAST FOOD DRIVE. THAT'S AS FAR AS IT WOULD GO. I TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT COULDN'T TELL IF IT WAS ON OR OFF. PUSH BUTTON IGNITION WAS NOT WORKING .. THEN SMOKED STARTED ROLLING OUT. WE JUMPED OUT AND CALLED 911 AS IT'S MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION AND BEING A SINGLE PARENT CAN'T AFFORD FOR IT TO BURN UP. IT SMELLED LIKE BURNED PLASTIC OR WIRES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME BUT THE FIRE WAS OUT. THEY COULD SMELL WHERE IT HAD BURNED AND THEY HELPED ME PUSH IT INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT TO GET US OUT OF TURNING TRAFFIC. I HAD NO POWER STEERING AND ALL THE POWER WORKED BUT THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED.. OUT OF NO WHERE. HERE WE WERE STRANDED AND CRYING. SHE WAS CALLING SCHOOL AS TO NOT GET IN TROUBLE AND I WAS CALLING MY PARENTS FOR A RIDE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC VISITED RESIDENCE AND AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, INFORMED HIM THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.