KIA Complaints

I was driving down the road with my 3 sons in the vehicle and all of a sudden the vehicle and engine seized completely up and turned off. I contacted kia dealership who advised me to bring it to kia of Johnson. I took it there and my vehicle has just been setting there. It's under warranty and backed by a theta2 class action lawsuit. And they still won't touch it and are very rude.

I was driving down the highway and the engine light came on. The car suddenly wouldn't accelerate or go above 1500 rpm. There was also a rattle noise. I limped home and checked the oil. It was bone dry. I get regular oil changes every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. The car burned oil way too fast and gave no warnings that the oil was low and there was no leaking. I'm unsure of the extent of the damage. I'm adding oil and taking it to a mechanic for inspection. I fear I may need a new engine.

2020 kia optima caught on fire in gallipolis ohio after insurance paid to fix car it continues to leak oil stall and is dangerous to drive12/24/2022

On October 26, 2025, Sunday, I was cleaning my windows. I discovered both rear windows would not roll up or down. I took it to Valley KIA on October 27, and it was diagnosed that I needed to replace both rear windows with new window regulator. It will be installed on October 29. I told my tech advisor about the window regulator recall on the 2017 KIA Optima and Sportage. He told me there was no recalls on the 2017 Sorento. I had to pay out of pocket to have my vehicle repaired. How could my rear window regulator fail within 4 years? It seems really perplexing for both rear windows to fail at the same time. How can I recover the cost of repairs - because 2017 KIA Optima and Sportage had the same problems. On October 22, 2025, Wednesday, I took my car to KIA Riverside regarding a voluntary recall for a multi-function switch. The rear window regulator behind the front passenger side failed on May 24, 2021. I took my 2017 KIA Sorento to Valley KIA, Fontana. The mechanic made the diagnose and replaced with new window regulator and it was installed on May 25, 2021. It poses a safety hazard if baby, children or adults are in the back seat, and windows does not roll up or down unexpectedly. It is a safety hazard when I cannot secure my vehicle. It is a safety hazard if I had things in the back seat, and it would fly out the window. It is a safety hazard when unable to open or close the window when it is hot, cold, or raining. There was no warning prior to failure. I just heard a grinding like sound, or like sound of plastic breaking when I pushed the button on driver seat to lower or try to roll the window back up.

10/25 I was traveling, and my car sudden loss of power, while in traffic.. almost causing accident. 10/28 I was traveling on interstate, and my car sudden loss of power, while in traffic.. almost causing accident. This is ridiculous.. When I hit the gas sometimes, feels like it fluttering and jerking. I’ve reported multiple times over the years and this one having hesitation when driving this car. Manager drove it was concern, mechanic talking about it’s the way the car supposed to be.

I was driving on Interstate I-40 when the closed sunroof spontaneously shattered. Nothing external or internal hit the sunroof. Due to the explosive noise, I was distracted and almost wrecked. Luckily, no one was injured, and no property was destroyed other than the shattered sunroof. This is an extremely unsafe issue and needs prompt attention to rectify before someone gets seriously hurt!

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated that upon routine maintenance with a local independent mechanic, it was discovered that the vehicle had low engine oil. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that an oil consumption test was needed to determine any failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that engine oil was added almost every 2 weeks. The message to "Contact the Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to Team Kia of El Cajon (541 N Johnson Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020), where it was determined that there was engine oil leaking onto the catalytic converter. The contact related the failure to a Kia recall related to a connecting rod bearing failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,400.

Paint is peeling on the roof of my 2021 Kia Soul - for no reason. I have read that other KIA owners have this problem and Kia is not taking responsibility for this.

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 55 MPH, they crashed into a buck. The hood came ajar and shattered the front windshield. The front end was smashed, and the radiator was leaking. The airbags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The contact sustained injuries to her neck with spasms and reversed neck and back pain; medical attention was provided. The collision alert was illuminated. The collision message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The towing company referred her to the NHTSA hotline. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I am consuming excessive oil consumption and the oil consumption tests have failed twice. This usually leads to driving and hearing noises and the car shaking which could lock up the engine and or cause a safety concern if locks up while driving and sudden stop.