2011 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

While driving our 2011 Kia Optima on I-185 at highway speed, the vehicle suddenly had unresponsive accelerator and had decrease in power. Gauges were all normal range, no warning or indicator lights illuminated. I pulled over to the highway shoulder to clear traffic and placed car in park. Immediately light gray, then black smoke poured out from the hood. My wife and I evacuated the Kia just before the front of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The engine had been replaced in Sept 2021 due to a previous recall, and up to this incident the Kia performed within normal parameters.

THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE EXTREMELY DIM. IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO DRIVE IS WITH THE HIGH BEAMS WHICH ENDANGERS OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER KIA OPTIMA DRIVERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM BUT KIA WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE OR FIX THE ISSUE. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT.

I was driving out of town and when I went to accelerate and the engine had seized, the brakes had locked up and I lost power steering which almost resulted in an accident. On the dash was showing the engine, oil, and esc light, which were not on the dash before and there was nothing wrong or weird going on with the car prior to the first incident to even indicate that something was wrong. Had to get the car towed home then realized there had been a recall on the engine. Contacted the kia manufacturer and they had towed it to a kia dealership where they replaced the engine. Waited 2 Months to get my car back, the dealership let me leave with the ABS and Eps light on the dash, and couldn't give me a reason why the lights were still on. I had it for 3 days, it drove okay and now it no longer drives nor does it start. I was stranded because the car wouldnt start again giving the same issues as before the recall repair was done, with only accessories turning on. On the dash it only shows Engine, Oil, Eps and battery light. Found the Serpentine belt already coming apart and misplaced, found strips of the belt laying in the bottom of the hood. Also had found out the entire engine block ROCKS BACK AND FORTH while car is in motion. If I had driven the car any longer the belt would have completely snapped and would most likely result in an injury or worse. With the Engine movement that is also going to cause other damages to the car and more safety hazards. I have not even known about the engine recall on this car until after everything happened and when the car was purchased no one had notified me in anyway about the recall. Now they refuse to cover towing costs back to the dealership because the "5 year warranty had expired" When this in no way is my fault. Second incident was Oct. 17th 2022.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was consistently topping off the engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was no smoke or abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.

My 2011 Kia Optimas engine light started flashing and the car lost all power and had no RPMS over 1000-2000. I took it to the dealership where I was told it had a code P1326 and they replaced a knock sensor. The same day that I picked my car up from them I was going down the interstate and it shut completely off and wouldn’t crank. I had it towed back to the dealership where they said I would most likely need a new engine. A few days later they call and say the engine won’t be covered under the recall because of some hose they claim was leaking for the cooling system. They said it now had a blown head gasket which I’m not sure how because it never ran hot. This is absolutely ridiculous for customers to deal with so many delays and problems just to get the repairs on their vehicle that Kia has agreed to make. If my vehicle needed a knock sensor then obviously the damage to the motor is because of faulty manufacturing of parts and I shouldn’t have to pay for a new motor!

The paint is delaminating and peeling in the section just above the windshield. This started in 2019 and has steadily getting worse. My car color is "Snow White Pearl". I have attached pictures. I had assumed that this was due to the age of the car until I started looking for solutions to fix it and keep it from getting worse. I have found that this is apparently an issue with the paint and is not due to age as there are hundreds of testimonials of other KIA owners with the exact same issue, especially owners with the "Snow White Pearl" paint color.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the steering wheel seized. After the steering wheel was released, an abnormal sound was heard coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had previously had the steering column and steering rack replaced at the dealer; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V363000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The contact was then informed that the VIN was also included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). Upon inspecting the vehicle, the dealer informed the contact that there was bearing wear and the vehicle would remain at their location for two months for the repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

[XXX] While driving my vehicle it looses power and becomes inoperable at any time and any speed. The brake, engine and oil lights come on simultaneously and there is no longer power to the gas pedal. The vehicle then has to coast to safety off of the road. This is extremely hazardous and could potentially cause an accident. When applying the brakes during this time it makes a grinding sound as if the emergency brake has been engaged. My vehicle has been to the dealership and numerous of time but they say it’s not a problem. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact’s daughter stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would produce a clicking noise and shaking coming from the steering column. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the flex coupler replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 252,000.