2007 Kia Optima Visibility & Wipers Problems

PASSENGER SUN VISOR STOPPED WORKING AND STAYS DOWN AFFECTING VISIBILITY ON RIGHT SIDE.

THE MECHANISM INSIDE THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE AND THE VISOR WILL NO LONGER STAY UP. THIS BLOCKS VISIBILITY TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I SEARCHED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FIND THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2006-2008 KIA OPTIMA AND ALSO HYUNDAI THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL SO KIA REPLACES THESE VISORS BEFORE THEY BREAK AND EVEN AFTER WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. IF THE VISOR BREAKS WHILE SOMEONE IS DRIVING IT CAN CREATE A HAZARD AS THEY DRIVER CAN'T SEE OR NEEDS TO HOLD THE VISOR UP WITH ONE HAND WHILE TRYING TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE. *TR

BOTH THE DRIVERS SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE VISORS WILL NOT STAY UP. THEY HANG DOWN MAKING IT UNABLE TO SEE THE SIGNAL LIGHTS. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BUT HAVE NOT SEEN A RECALL. *TR

THE VISOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE ALL OF A SUDDEN DOES NOT STAY IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. IT JUST HANGS OBSTRUCTING MY VIEW. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED BECAUSE I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR KIA OPTIMA'S. THE DEALERSHIP IS GOING TO CHARGE ME OVER $200 TO REPLACE IT AND I DID NOTHING TO BREAK IT. I JUST USE THE VISOR NORMALLY AND DO NOT HANG ANYTHING FROM IT. I WAS DRIVING NORMALLY ONE DAY AND IT JUST FELL DOWN. MY CAR IS A LITTLE OVER 5 YEARS OLD SO IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND I JUST FINISHED PAYING IT OFF SO THIS IS VERY UPSETTING. I FEEL THAT IF THE DRIVER'S VIEW IS OBSTRUCTED THEN IT SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW WORKING PART. IT IS VERY DISTRACTING TO DRIVE WITH THE VISOR DOWN ALL THE TIME. IT GETS IN THE WAY. MANY PEOPLE PROBABLY DO NOT REALIZE THEY CAN REPORT THIS ISSUE SO I AM PROVIDING SOME LINKS FOR FORUMS WHERE PEOPLE ARE STATING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. PLEASE REPORT THIS ISSUE. THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE! HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/KIAMOTOR/OPTIMA/WIPER-PROBLEMS.PHP HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/KIA/OPTIMA/2006/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/SUN_VISORS_WILL_NOT_STAY_FOLDED_UP.SHTML HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2007/KIA/OPTIMA/VISIBILITY/PROBLEM.ASPX. *TR

AFTER REGULAR USE, BOTH SUN VISORS HAVE LOST THEIR TENSION. ALSO ON THE DRIVER SIDE THE CYLINDER THAT CLIPS INTO THE HOLDER AT THE TOP JUST CRACKED AND BROKE OFF. THEY WILL NOT STAY UP, AND JUST FLOP AROUND. I CAN NOT SEE WHEN I AM APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT IF IT IS RED/YELLOW/ETC.IF I PUSH IT TO THE SIDE , IT HITS ME OVER THE SIDE OF THE HEAD WHEN I MAKE A TURN. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND KIA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING HERE. TO REPLACE BOTH WOULD COST ME ABOUT $200 OR MORE, WHICH I SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS WOULD FALL FROM THEIR HOUSING SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS ADVISED THAT THE SUN VISORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,450. *TR

BOTH SUN VISORS ARE UNABLE TO STAY IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. I WAS UNABLE TO USE BOTH VISORS AS THEY WOULD HANG LOOSELY DOWNWARD FLAPPING ABOUT AIMLESSLY WHILE DRIVING. I HAD TO ANCHOR THEM TO THE ROOF OF THE CAR TO DRIVE. DEALER STATES COST TO REPAIR IS ALMOST $500.00 AND THEY NEED MY CAR FOR THE DAY. PARTS MUST BE ORDERED TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE VISOR WILL NOT FOLD UP OUT-OF-THE-WAY. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME SORT OF TENSION PREVENTING THE VISOR FROM BEING PLACED IN THE FOLD-UP POSITION. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR CONTAINS A DEFECTIVE COMPONENT AND DOESN'T REMAIN IN A LOCKED POSITION. WHEN I TRY TO MOVE IT TO THE LOCKED POSITION AGAINST THE CEILING, IT FALLS DOWN INTO CLEAR SIGHT. THIS IS GREAT WHEN THE SUN IS IN YOUR EYES, BUT NOT DURING ALL OTHER TIMES. IT SEVERELY DECREASES VISION WHILE DRIVING. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB AND KIA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT THEY HAVE OFFERED NO RESOLUTION OR RECALL FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE SUN VISOR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR WOULD NOT REMAIN UPRIGHT, IMPAIRING THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY OF THE ROADWAY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SUN VISOR ALSO BEGAN TO PRESENT THE SAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE SUN VISORS WERE NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE WAS REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,000.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NO LONGER STAY IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. I DROOP ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN OBSCURING VISION. MUST BE HELD UP BY HAND. *TR

KIA IS FULLY AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH THEIR SUN VISORS. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH WILL TURN UP THOUSANDS OF CASES. THE VISOR COMPONENTS BREAK CAUSING THEM TO HANG LOOSE, OBSTRUCTING VISION. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE DEFECT HAS EXISTED FOR A LONG TIME (MY WIFE?S 2003 SORRENTO EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE IN 2004) AND IT CONTINUES TODAY. MY 2007 OPTIMA HAS BOTH VISORS HANGING PRESENTLY. THERE IS NO RECALL ON THESE VISORS, AND THE COST TO REPAIR THEM IS 100-200 EACH. *TR

SUNVISORS BOTH WILL NOT STAY UP. *TR

BOTH SUN VISORS BROKE AND WILL NOT OPERATE

DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE AND WILL NOT STAY IN THE UP POSITION, THEREFORE IT HANGS IN MY VIEW WHEN DRIVING. I'VE LOOKED ONLINE AND HAVE OTHER OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THIS COMPLAINT. HOW MANY COMPLAINT DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO GET HURT ? *TR

DRIVER SIDE VISOR CEASED TO REMAIN UPRIGHT WHEN FLIPPED UP OUT OF THE WAY. ONLY WAY TO KEEP FROM BLOCKING MY VIEW WAS TO FLIP IT OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE. A FEW MONTHS LATER, SAME THING HAPPENED WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR. KIA NEVER RECALLED THIS ITEM, BUT IT HAS FAILED ON THOUSANDS OF THEIR VEHICLES. DEALER WANTED OVER $500 TO REPAIR. INSTEAD, I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND NEW REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR $206.50. I ORDERED THEM AND REPLACED THE VISORS MYSELF--I SEARCHED AND FOUND DIAGRAMS FROM KIA'S PARTS INVENTORY AND FOUND POSTS ONLINE FROM OTHERS WHO'D HAD TO REPLACE THEIRS WHO EXPLAINED THAT YOU POP OFF THE OVAL-SHAPED PIECE HOLDING THE ARM OF THE VISOR WITH A BUTTER KNIFE (SLIP IT UNDERNEATH) OR FLAT-BLADE SCREWDRIVER TO ACCESS THE SCREW UNDERNEATH AND UNSCREW TO REMOVE THE OLD VISOR AND SCREW IN THE NEW ONE IN ITS PLACE. MY CAR WAS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND YET ONLY HAD APPROXIMATELY 36,000 MILES ON IT (I ALTERNATE DRIVING ANOTHER VEHICLE); THIS PART SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED SO SOON. GIVEN THAT SO MANY OF THESE FAILED SO EARLY ON, KIA SHOULD RECALL AND REPLACE THEM FREE AND THEY SHOULD REIMBURSE THOSE OF US WHO'VE ALREADY REPLACED THEM OR HAD THEM REPLACED. *TR

DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE AND WILL NOT STAY IN THE STORED POSITION, THEREFORE IT HANGS IN MY VIEW WHEN DRIVING. I HAVE TRIED TO SECURE WITH VELCO FOR THE TIME BEING, BUT IT DOES NOT HOLD. THE PASSANGER SUN VISOR HAS ALSO BROKE AND WILL NOT STAY IN THE STORED POSITION AND THEREFORE BLOCKS MY VIEW AT STOP SIGNS AND WHILE LOOKING IN THE PASSANGER MIRROR WHEN CHANGING LANES

MY 2007 KIA OPTIMA DRIVER AND PASSENGER VISORS DO NOT WORK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE THEY ARE IN MY VIEW OF DRIVING. I HAVE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALER WONT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT SINCE IT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH EVER AGAIN. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *TT

DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP OR POSITION ... SHOULD BE WARRANTY ISSUE EVEN @ 80,000 MILES. NO EXCESS USE OR ABUSE. JUST NORMAL EVERYDAY USE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE SUN VISORS WOULD FALL FROM THEIR HOUSING SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SUN VISORS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.