KIA Complaints

The airbags failed to go off. I think the vehicle is still available it was towed to Carroll's in Winslow Maine. By the airbags not going off it made the risk of injury much greater. Also lost control of the steering all together. Tried to swerve to miss an animal and the steering assist took over. Yes we have a police report stating that the airbags didn't go off. I am sure budget had their people go look at the car. No warning lights present.

At 2500 miles when checking my oil I discovered flakes of metal on the dipstick. I immediately changed the oil and in doing so found a massive amounts of metal in the filter housing. I took it to the dealer along with pictures and told them on startup the engine was noisy and sounded like it was low on oil, noisy on acceleration and would exabit an engine knock at times when hot. They didn't investigate it at all. Being an auto tech all my life, I know that metal flakes are a sigh of a damaged bearing and by the sound, a conrod bearing. I'm afraid to take it anywhere other than local commutes. This sounds like the same thing as the K4 Tuscan issue in my professional opinion.

Without warning my car went into “Limp Mode” while driving on the highway almost causing a collision as I was forced to pull off the road on the highway. Flashing engine light car would not accelerate and was shaking dramatically. Was forced to wait for a tow on a busy highway. P1326 code. Rod knock. A known issue for the Theta II engine. Many recalls have been made for this exact engine for these exact problems but for some reason the 2020 Kia Optima is not included even though it is the same engine covered by lifetime warranty from the 2019 models due to these recalls and know issues. There’s plenty of recorded cases all over the web and is a wide concern for many affected Kia drivers. Kia does not offer the same KRDS update to 2020 Kia drivers as they do to earlier models even with the same engine failure issues so we don’t even get the benefit of possible early detection. Car is well maintained and inspected at a local American tire depot and I am still forced to deal with unwarranted engine failure on a known defective engine solely because KIA will not offer help for affected customers. The 2020 KIA Optima equipped with the Theta II 2.4L engine is not safe and is a known defective product. Action and accountability are needed.

1. When I go over bumps, the car behaves as if it's about to lose control. It porpoises and at one point it feels like you're about to lose control of the vehicle. 2. We have taken the vehicle to the dealer 3+ times now for the same issue. They claim that it's a glitch in the suspension but there is no know fix. At 55+MPH the vehicle starts vibrating and is completely different than issue number 1 above. They've tried balancing the tires but it has not been Successful. We're hoping to claim the car and Lemon through WI.

When starting vehicle during warm weather conditions, all dashboard alarms light up and beep. Initially, when put into drive mode, steering is extremely difficult. When accelerating, no speed is displayed. During driving there is no speedometer, no operating turn signal and the odometer does not record driving miles.

While driving my car I will get a sign that pops up flashing says “check hybrid system stop vehicle and turn off engine” with a HEV inside of a yellow triangle. Some times it will go off on its own but most times I have to pull over turn my car off and then once I start it back it’s fine. Some times my car will loose power but no too often. It’s very unsafe and happens randomly. I also notice that if I turn my air conditioner on high it triggers my car to do that. I changed my hybrid battery twice and my 12V battery. I’ve taken it to Kia and other mechanics but no one can figure out what’s going on.

The first time I drove this car after getting screwed in my contract , I pulled over in a pullout spot to turn around. I went to back up and it would not move. I tried everything to get it to go. There was a ed malfunction warning on the dash panel.between 5 and 10 minutes later it finally backed up and then trying to go forward did the same thing. I called Kia in medford and took it in, Noone had heard of such a thing and basically just sent me on my way. This is a brand new car. It wasn't even 3 hours and this happened. It happened again. I wanted them to take the car back for this and the fact that my contract was nothing like we agreed to. I want to give it back, already recalls and they misrepresented what they did. There was no paperwork, they didn't find it important, although I was stuck in a pullout lane twice.

While I was driving on a very busy road (hurstbourne parkway in Louisville KY) during 5:00pm rush hour traffic my car stalled and died on me. We tried to jump it but it would not turn on and I had to have it towed. My life was put at risk as this was a high traffic area during rush hour traffic ( I have anxiety and even had an anxiety attack). I had no warning! No warning lights came on, no noises causing concern. I did not even have time to pull over to a safe spot. It literally shut off right there and would not come back on again. The dealer says it needs a new engine. My car is only 5 years old/ I’ve only have it for 9 months with no issues detected at purchase. My car was running fine with no issues, no concerning sounds or lights until it did this. I have taken very good care of this car and can show proof of oil changes upon request. I feel unsafe driving this vehicle with my 6 month old son and 3 year old daughter in it.

There is almost no engine oil in the engine room. This phenomenon does not happen once, but continuously.

My engine failed while i was driving on a busy street almost causing cars to hit me there were no warning signs about the engine, my battery also died as well that is the only sign that appeared.