KIA Complaints

On the evening of December 5, 2024 my 2012 KIA OPTIMA's engine completely seized out of no where while traveling on a very busy road where the speed limit is 50mph putting my life and other drivers that share the roads life in danger. Thank god I was able to succesfully merge over into a safe place as the car came to a hault. Previous to this incident the car was running perfectly fine with no dash lights on what so ever. Once I was in a safe place I called KIA headquarters immediatly, I was told that I have to pay to have the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership and that I would be reinbursed depending on the issue of the vehicle after being diagnosed. The very next morning I called KIA corporate to open a case for the vehicle, in which i was told that my specific year, make and models engine was under a lifetime warranty. I then recieved a call from the dealership Decmember 6, 2024 and i was told my optima would be diagnosed and if the issue is due to the KIA engine class settlement that the engine would be replaced free of charge and if it is not then I would have to pay $380 to have the engine repaired under the lifetime warrantly & that the car could not be looked at until December 16, 2024. Once December 16, 2024 came around I recieved a call from the KIA dealership and I was told that my vehicle could not be diagnosed due to the time frame in which i bought the vehicle and that I needed to have my car moved from their lot or I would get charged $80 a day storage fee so I had to have my vehicle towed back to my home where it is currently just sitting. To this day (January 22, 2024 I am still dealing with trying to communicate with KIA CORPORATE AMERICA to have this matter resolved for I am very aware of the engine recall issue for my specific year make and model. My vehicle has yet to be inspected and the only time the warning lamps came on was once the engine completely seized, all of the dash lights popped on.

On a day which had a high temperature of 16F our Kia Carnival Hybrid SXP, after not being used most of the day, when driving would not exceed 31 miles per hour. The engine would not rev loudly or give any indication of an error but would not go over 31 mph even with the gas pedal fully depressed. After pulling over and turning the car off and on the problem did not repeat.

Today I had an issue with my 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige where it would not allow me to accelerate past 31 mph. I was on an on-ramp to the highway with my baby in the car and I was flooring the gas, yet it still would not go past 31 mph. I put on my hazards and pulled off, and checked that the max speed setting was not on. I even tried setting the max speed to something higher like 50 mph, and the screen confirmed this, but the car still did not go past 31 mph. Luckily I figured out that cruise control still works past this speed limit, but it was super dangerous getting onto the highway going 25 mph slower than everyone else. When I eventually got to a red light I turned the car off and on and that seemed to solve it, as I was able to go past 31 mph. Later that day on a different drive, this exact issue happened again where I could not accelerate past 31 mph. I am taking my car to Kia in a few days to get it checked out. There was no warning messages and the screen's max speed did not match with what the car was actually doing.

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at 13 MPH from an exit and entering a roundabout, a right turn on an incline was attempted to be made when the vehicle veered in the left direction independently violently. The contact also stated the driver assist was engaged and the vehicle went off to the side of the road and over an embankment where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact mentioned that the driver assist failed to disengage to give the contact control of the vehicle and the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. In addition, the wheels locked. The contact sustained bruising on the left side of the body. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but no diagnosis was completed. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed. The contact mentioned there was a case filed with the insurance company. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (ENGINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 140,000.

It was snowing and an icy day Jan. 21 in Atlanta, Georgia. I was driving on Buford Spring Connector going southbound. I was on a bridge and it was completely white and icy. I saw there was a car stopped in front of me. I tried to put on my breaks and my car would not slow down. I was getting closer to the other vehicle still trying to break. I tried to use my electronic emergency brake and it did not engage. The car did not even try to break for me which it normally does if I moving faster than a stopped car in front of me. I rear ended the person in front of me. I just wanted to let someone know as the forward collision did not work in this case and the accident could have been avoided.

My brake lights are continuously going out. I replace them and immediately they are out again. There is nothing wrong with the bulb. There is something going with the car. Every time I change the bulb they go out and this has been a few times already

Coolant and oil are mixing. Coolant was over flowing from the reservoir. High oil consumption. Oil was just topped off about 1000 miles ago and is very low on the dipstick now. Coolant mixing with oil seems like the issue the 2016-17 3.3 V6s are experiencing with the stripped head bolts. HEAD GASKET/ENGINE FAILURE is imminent. Extend the warranty to all 3.3 liters not just 2016 and 2017 (15 years/180,000).

Brought in vehicle to complete safety recall SC327 per letter that was received. When I got to the dealership, they advised me that it was completed on 1/9/2025 at the dealer that I purchased the vehicle from. This is not the case as I purchased the vehicle in Indiana but I live in Michigan, this was my first dealership visit since purchasing the car. When the technician checked the car, they found that it was not updated for SC327.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V612000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the shift lever was easily moved without the brake pedal being depressed. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was rescheduled several times. The contact stated that once the parts were available, the dealer informed the contact that there would be a charge to replace the shifter assembly, even though the VIN was included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and assisted the contact with scheduling an appointment with another dealer. The failure mileage was 134,000. Parts distribution disconnect.