2007 Kia Optima Electrical System Problems

VEHICLE BURNS OUT BLINKER BULBS AND HEADLIGHTS AT AN EXTREMELY ACCELERATED RATE: ONE A MONTH. ADDITIONALLY, THE WIRING HARNESS IS HEATED TO THE POINT OF BEING MELTED. THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD. I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A VOLTAGE REGULATION OR GROUND ISSUE.

2007 KIA OPTIMA,CUTS OFF WILL DRIVING STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP, UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE IN ANYWAY, THEN IT TURNS IT SELF BACK ON. THE IGNITION SWITCH JUST SHUTS OFF. VERY DANGERS.THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, AND HAVE READ SEVERAL REPORTS ON THIS SAME PROBLEM. I DONT WANT TO DIE!

I BOUGJT THIS CAR IN 2014. I HAVE REPLACED BOTH LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS, TWICE, A BRAKE LIGHT, BOTH REAR BLINKERS, A FRONT BLINKER, AS WELL AS BOTH HIGHBEAMS. I HAVE NEVER REPLACED EVEN HALF THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS IN THE ENTIRE LIFETIME OF OWNERSHIP OF ANY VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED IN THE PAST. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS RECALL ISSUE BASED ON SAFETY AS WELL AS QUALITY IF KIA CARED. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE WORKING I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH MY HIGH-BEAMS ON AND I NEVER GET FLASHED OR PULLED OVER. IT IS EXTREMELY HARD TO SEE VS. ANY OTHER VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN THE CAR AND HAVE SHARED THE STORY. AND EVERYONE SAYS THE SAME THING, ITS LIKE THE BRIGHTS IN THIS CAR IS EVERYONE ELSE'S REGULAR LIGHTS. IN FACT, MANY PEOPLE SAY THE HIGH-BEAMS ARE NOT AS BRIGHT AS MOST VEHICLES LOW-BEAMS. IT IS RIDICULOUS AND UNFAIR THAT US OWNERS HAVE TO SPEND $10-$35 ON A BULB OR TWO AN AVERAGE OF EVERY 5-8 WEEKS. CRAZY....KIA STEP UP AND FIX THIS QUALITY AND SAFETY ISSUE. GOV'T I GUESS WONT STEP IN WITHOUT SOMEONE DYING FIRST AND IT MAKING THE NEWS BECAUSE I SEE I AM NOT THE FIRST BY ANY MEANS, AND WONT BE THE LAST!

HAD ONGOING ISSUES IN WHICH THE CAR GOT "STUCK" AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 25 MPH, EVEN IF I "FLOORED" IT. I HAD TO TAKE MY FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE GAS PEDAL, WAIT A FEW SECONDS (BY THEN THE CAR WOULD BE DOWN TO 10-15 MPH), THEN TRY TO ACCELERATE AGAIN, WHICH SOMETIMES TOOK SEVERAL TRIES. I WAS VERY WORRIED ABOUT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT WHEN THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WARNING AND IF YOU SUDDENLY STOP MOVING AT THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC WITH NO INDICATION YOU ARE SLOWING DOWN, YOU COULD EASILY BE HIT. IN ONE CASE, I WAS TRYING TO PASS A SLOW-MOVING VEHICLE GOING 25 IN A 40. I ATTEMPTED TO GO AROUND THE VEHICLE, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PRETTY LOW-SPEED PASS, AS I ONLY NEEDED TO GET UP TO ABOUT 35 MPH, BUT THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING AT 25 AND I COULD NOT GET PAST. I HAD TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS, WAIT, TRY AGAIN, AND REPEAT THIS A COUPLE TIMES BEFORE THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE AGAIN. THIS BECAME A VERY SCARY SITUATION BECAUSE BY THAT TIME, THERE WAS ONCOMING TRAFFIC APPROACHING AND I WAS LITERALLY STUCK IN THE PASSING LANE. I ALSO HAD THE CAR JUST COMPLETELY LOSE POWER AND SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS AT A RED LIGHT AT A BUSY URBAN INTERSECTION. TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP. THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A THROTTLE POSITION SWITCH PROBLEM, AND IT COST ALMOST $800 TO GET IT FIXED. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I JUST HAD BAD LUCK, BUT I LATER FOUND THIS MESSAGE BOARD IN WHICH PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME MODEL DESCRIBE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. HTTP://REPAIRPAL.COM/FAULTY-THROTTLE-POSITION-SWITCH-355 ACCORDING TO THIS, KIA RELEASED A PART TO FIX THE SITUATION. IT SEEMS THAT LOSING ALL POWER/THE INABILITY TO ACCELERATE IN TRAFFIC POSES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. IT BOTHERS ME THAT KIA APPARENTLY KNOWS ABOUT IT AND WOULD JUST ISSUE A NEW PART THAT COSTS OWNERS SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO REPAIR (COST PROHIBITIVE TO MANY PEOPLE), RATHER THAN ISSUING A RECALL, OR AT LEAST NOTIFYING OWNERS OF THE ISSUE. *TR

THE BACK TURN SIGNAL, BACK LIGHTS AND FRONT LOW BEAMS CONTINUE TO BURN OUT. THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES BY PROFESSIONALS AND CONTINUE TO BLOW. I WOULD GUESS THERE IS A SHORT SOME PLACE. RECENTLY THE RIGHT LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, HAD IT REPLACED AND IT BLEW FUSES. ONCE THE FUSES AND RELAY SWITCH HAD BEEN REPLACED THE LEFT LOW BEAM LIGHT WILL WORK IF THE RIGHT ONE IS DISCONNECTED. I HAVE COME ACROSS MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY CLAIM THIS IS NOT A COMMON ISSUE, AND WANT $115 TO RUN TEST. ALSO THE BLOWER MOTOR FOR THE HEAT/AIR MAKES LOTS OF NOISE AND I WAS TOLD THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS, I KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE. WHEN ITS COLD OUT THE CAR MAKES LOTS OF SQUEAKING NOISE AND I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT'S IS "NORMAL". I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN 2008 I HAVE APPROX 67,800 MILES AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES 3 TIMES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA OPTIMA. OCCASIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHEN HE PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THEY INFORMED HER THAT WHENEVER SHE PARKED THE VEHICLE, THE FOUR WHEELS HAD TO BE IN A STRAIGHT LINE OR ELSE IT WOULD NOT START. THE KIA MANUFACTURER WAS NEVER CALLED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7895.

THE HEADLIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS/TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS BURN OUT REPEATEDLY. AT LEAST ONE OF THEM BURNS OUT EVERY 2-3 MONTHS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA OPTIMA. SIX MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE THE IGNITION WOULD LOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND A TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT THE IGNITION WOULD LOCK BECAUSE THE WHEELS WERE TURNED WHILE PARKED. HE ADDED THAT SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE THE WHEELS TURNED LEFT OR RIGHT WHEN PARKED AND TO ENSURE THAT THE WHEELS WERE PARALLEL WHEN PARKED. NO REPAIRS HAD BEEN MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000. THE CURRENT WAS 9,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED CAUSING THE KEY TO REMAIN LODGED IN THE IGNITION OR MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN IN ORDER TO START THE VEHICLE. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED IN PLACE AS WELL. THE CONTACT CONTINUOUSLY TURNED AND PULLED THE STEERING WHEEL TOWARDS HER BODY IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE KEY BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE KEY AND ADVISED THAT WHEN PARKING THE VEHICLE, THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WERE STRAIGHT IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE KEYS FROM THE IGNITION. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVEN TIMES IN REGARDS TO THE FAILURE TO NO AVAIL. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR ADDITIONAL REPAIRS AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.