2011 Kia Optima Complaint Log

Unknown. The vehicle has this recall and Kia still doesn’t have a solution. It’s been more than 6 months and I want to ensure my car is safe to drive. I am unsure if there are any issues with my car, I am simply just wanting a remedy for this part if the car is being recalled.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

HYDRAULIC ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (HECU) can start a fire, I was informed not to park the car in a garage or near other cars, also it can also catch fire while driving the car!! I was notified months ago of this problem !! I called a KIA dealer that got me no where !! KIA recall #SC284TF

Defect discovered by KIA September 2023 Affected owners not notified until November 2023 As of March 1, 2024, no updates. After six months, if no "fuse" is available, entire HECU should be replaced. Vehicle's exterior has significantly deteriorated since being required to park outside. Additionally, seriousness of fire hazard restricts use of car.

The contact's fiance owned a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while her fiance was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's fiance went outside to push the vehicle from behind while the contact steered the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact's fiance then noticed there were flames coming from underneath the hood and pulled the contact out of the vehicle. The vehicle was then engulfed in flames. No injuries were sustained, and medical attention was not received. The police and fire department arrived on the scene, and the fire department extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard; however, the insurance company was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 222,000.

I saw low battery due to fire risk or overheated cause of oil change. I don't know what's wrong with my car. Engine knocking bad if warranty coverage accepts. I hope safety recalls will be approved. Please help me!

My car won’t crank. Starter is not working. Ask if warranty or recall. Let’s see if they accept warranty for starter replacement. My car towed to Kia of Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska where the car parked there right now. Please contact Kia at Lincoln and I better hope warranty are accepted and diagnostic are free too. Thank you!

Engine is knocking with check engine ligh on. Kia has a recall on my car for metal shaving in the engine during manufacturing process. I took it to Kia dealer but they refused and said they wont cover it because it's a Salvage tile, and I thought Salvage tiles are covered if it's a a safety recall but they said it's not covered because Kia wont pay them for the repairs or the new engine.

Merging onto the highway & the car had rod kncok & went into limp mode very dangerous & a good thing we weren't hit by traffic. This is the SECOND engine kia has installed after allegedly "FIXING" thier issues the first time!!

Could be the barons

The contact owned a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after his wife started the vehicle, she smelled a burning odor within the interior of the vehicle, prompting her to quickly exit. After a visual inspection of the exterior of the vehicle, the contact's wife observed flames emanating from the engine compartment. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. A police and fire report was filed, with no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss. No warning lights were illuminated; however, the contact stated that he observed an intermittent check engine light in the months prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the high-pressure fuel pump, and the vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics), and the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.

The wheel fell off when I was driving the key axle completely broke the pipe off but I still don’t have it fixed I only had liability

Low beam headlights on my 2011 KIA Optima with 150,000 miles are bright to look at them, however the beam pattern on on the roadway is terrible. I have tried replacing the bulbs with brightest bulbs, checked voltages and grounds. After checking over 10 forums I have found that the reflective service on the headlight housing has degraded and lost its reflective value causing a very safe condition. 1 person disassembled the headlight unit and installed foil tape, stating this corrected the issue. I have attempted to contact KIA with out a return response. I feel this should be a KIA recall issue.

After driving the car over 15 miles, the Check Brake Light comes on, activating my emergency brake, slowing the car down and preventing me to accelerate. This happens on the freeway, where traffic is fast and my decelerating car puts me and those around me at risk of collision. Once it occurs the first time, it happens again a few minutes later. I have to frequently veer off the side of the freeway, turn off the car, and then turn it on again for the Check brake light to go away and for me to travel once more. This has been a problem for a couple of years with me trying to get the issue repaired, and documented in my visits. Kia and other service operatives have repeatedly not been able to replicate the error in their care, however they never drive it long enough for it to occur. I’ve spent a lot of money now trying to fix this problem and have videos and photos of it occurring. The last time it was inspected they only drove it 6 miles and said there were a lot of little codes going off but weren’t again able to replicate the problem I had been describing. It first appeared 2 years ago and I can feel it start to come on when I’m not able to accelerate my car any further like there is an added resistance. This then amounts to the check brakes display to appear with the emergency brake icon always accompanying it. It makes a scraping, gargled sounds and slows down the car. Overall it has affected the overall drive of the car and braking system as it is growing harder to stop the car when driving. The brakes have been repeatedly checked as well as the fluid and it’s normal, so it should be braking normally. This car has had other issues in the past that have been fixed but this has continued and has been a growing issue that is not being resolved. I’ve googled this issue with others expressing the same issue without ANY viable solution from Kia so I know I’m not alone in this. It’s not safe to drive. Also I tried uploading the videos but it only allowed the pictures.

Blinking check engine light at 113000 miles on the car cuzs stalling while driving was worried about an engine fire I did read about on same model.

The headlights fail to light up safely and can cause serious injuries or even death. You are unable to see 10 foot in front of the car on deem and bright lights you can only see 15 feet at the max.

As I would drive the vehicle a rattling noise would occur when every time I accelerate from stopping at a traffic light. Then the engine light appeared on the dash board. When I went to have the engine light checked the results came back about an oil gasket. I then got an oil change soon after. The rattling noise and the same acceleration problem still occurred. Soon after it gotten worst to the point couldn’t go faster then 10 mph and then the car kept shutting off.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated while reversing, the contact heard a popping sound, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an impendent mechanic, and he reinstalled the inner shaft. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Engine shakes and engine light flashes

While driving our 2011 Kia Optima on I-185 at highway speed, the vehicle suddenly had unresponsive accelerator and had decrease in power. Gauges were all normal range, no warning or indicator lights illuminated. I pulled over to the highway shoulder to clear traffic and placed car in park. Immediately light gray, then black smoke poured out from the hood. My wife and I evacuated the Kia just before the front of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The engine had been replaced in Sept 2021 due to a previous recall, and up to this incident the Kia performed within normal parameters.

It appears I have a defective oil pump in the car which I think is what caused the engine to go bad to begin with. I am requesting that KIA of Denham Springs be authorized by the main office of KIA to install a new oil pump in my car after the new motor is installed, otherwise the new motor will probably go bad and will result in Kia having to install another motor for the car. I hope you can step in and assist me in getting a new oil pump installed as this would be a safety issue of the car breaking down on the road and could result in myself or other passengers possibly stranded on the highway . A engine compartment fire could happen if the engine gets too hot due to the deflective oil pump no keeping all engine parts oiled properly by the defective Oil Pump. I am requesting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's office look into this matter. Thanks for your assistance Tommie McMorris 985-969-8995 email: tommieap@charter.net

I was driving out of town and when I went to accelerate and the engine had seized, the brakes had locked up and I lost power steering which almost resulted in an accident. On the dash was showing the engine, oil, and esc light, which were not on the dash before and there was nothing wrong or weird going on with the car prior to the first incident to even indicate that something was wrong. Had to get the car towed home then realized there had been a recall on the engine. Contacted the kia manufacturer and they had towed it to a kia dealership where they replaced the engine. Waited 2 Months to get my car back, the dealership let me leave with the ABS and Eps light on the dash, and couldn't give me a reason why the lights were still on. I had it for 3 days, it drove okay and now it no longer drives nor does it start. I was stranded because the car wouldnt start again giving the same issues as before the recall repair was done, with only accessories turning on. On the dash it only shows Engine, Oil, Eps and battery light. Found the Serpentine belt already coming apart and misplaced, found strips of the belt laying in the bottom of the hood. Also had found out the entire engine block ROCKS BACK AND FORTH while car is in motion. If I had driven the car any longer the belt would have completely snapped and would most likely result in an injury or worse. With the Engine movement that is also going to cause other damages to the car and more safety hazards. I have not even known about the engine recall on this car until after everything happened and when the car was purchased no one had notified me in anyway about the recall. Now they refuse to cover towing costs back to the dealership because the "5 year warranty had expired" When this in no way is my fault. Second incident was Oct. 17th 2022.

My 2011 Kia Optimas engine light started flashing and the car lost all power and had no RPMS over 1000-2000. I took it to the dealership where I was told it had a code P1326 and they replaced a knock sensor. The same day that I picked my car up from them I was going down the interstate and it shut completely off and wouldn’t crank. I had it towed back to the dealership where they said I would most likely need a new engine. A few days later they call and say the engine won’t be covered under the recall because of some hose they claim was leaking for the cooling system. They said it now had a blown head gasket which I’m not sure how because it never ran hot. This is absolutely ridiculous for customers to deal with so many delays and problems just to get the repairs on their vehicle that Kia has agreed to make. If my vehicle needed a knock sensor then obviously the damage to the motor is because of faulty manufacturing of parts and I shouldn’t have to pay for a new motor!

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the steering wheel seized. After the steering wheel was released, an abnormal sound was heard coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had previously had the steering column and steering rack replaced at the dealer; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V363000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The contact was then informed that the VIN was also included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). Upon inspecting the vehicle, the dealer informed the contact that there was bearing wear and the vehicle would remain at their location for two months for the repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact’s daughter stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would produce a clicking noise and shaking coming from the steering column. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the flex coupler replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 252,000.

I as driving on the highway and all of a sudden the car would not accelerate. The engine light, oil light, air bag lights etc. all turned on. The speed quickly dropped but I was able to to move into the safety lane. The card finally stalled and would would not start. I tried turning it back on, but the engine would not crank. The lights, radio, AC would still turn on, but the engine would not start. I have maintained it's scheduled maintenance and I was under miles until it's next oil change considering I had just changed it a month ago. I took it to get checked and was advised there was no oil and the engine was seized. I never received a warning the oil pressure was low. My car is over the 10 years and/or 100,000 k warranty as it was purchased 8/2011.

When accelerating in traffic car will completely shut off for about two seconds. This kicks off the traction control and power steering is lost. This did not start happening untill the engine was replaced in June 2021.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with metal shavings in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

On NOV. 26TH 2021, I was driving my car and upon trying to accelorate, my car felt as if it was about to stall out. I pressed the gas and I barely moved. My engine light went on immediately and it's constantly flashing now. The cars RPM's do not go past 1-1/2 RPM's. I can not pick up speed like before, like I should. My car now hesitates and I'm scared to drive it. I feel that it's dangerous cause I can not keep up with traffic. I found a RECALL letter that I have from July 12, 2017 in which I took it to the dealer at that time I received it. I alo found 2 other recall letters ( see pics ataached). I guess at that time when they checked it nothing was wrong BUT now I am having an issue and I feel it could be related. The recall number is: 17V224 follow up letter of one of the recalls. The recalls prior to that does not have a # on it: it states: ENGINE CONNECTING ROD on of the recalls. I'm hearing some knocking but it just happened and I havent driven it since Nov. 26th. a.m.The code that comes up as P1362, knocking sensor and can be a number of other things. And everything I read says the KNOCK sensor detects vibrations indicating an onset of excessive connecting rod bearing wear. and can severly damage the engine. I'm very concerned and I feel that this recall back in 2017 is now happening to my car. I have uploaded the recall I have in my possession. According to William Garcia( Billy ) the service guy I always usually worked with at Gunther Kia, all of my recalls were checked and soem weere fixed. These particualr ones he said were done and or checked but nothing was repaired as you'll see in my history of service on recalls with them.

2011 Kia Optima caught on fire while driving. Car started smoking which was the only indication something was wrong then all the dashboard lights came on and brakes no longer worked. About half a block later I put the car in park and it slowed down enough for my 3 kids to jump out although the car was still moving. I was able to exit a few seconds later when it came to a full stop. Within minutes it had flames coming from under the hood that continued until the fire department was able to put it out. They said something electrical had caused the fire.

[XXX] While driving my vehicle it looses power and becomes inoperable at any time and any speed. The brake, engine and oil lights come on simultaneously and there is no longer power to the gas pedal. The vehicle then has to coast to safety off of the road. This is extremely hazardous and could potentially cause an accident. When applying the brakes during this time it makes a grinding sound as if the emergency brake has been engaged. My vehicle has been to the dealership and numerous of time but they say it’s not a problem. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I pulled out from a parking lot into traffic and not less then 5 seconds later the car sputtered once and then completely shut off in the middle of traffic. I was able to coast into the bike lane but was in fear that I would be rear-ended and possibly might incur injuries or harm would be caused to others due to the the manner in which I had not control or could prevent an accident occurring. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic and was diagnosed on with Engine Failure/Engine Lock Code P1326 w/ Internal Kia Code SC147. The vehicle will not move. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms that would indicate engine failure and risk of a possible accident.

The safety of myself and other are put at risk being that my airbag light is on which means it is defective.

My kia optima got on fire while I was driving it

I have been getting a whiff of gas when I would drive it’s but recently it has been worse and my check engine light has showed up and the code for it says that it could be the fuel filter.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was consistently topping off the engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was no smoke or abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that upon entering an interstate highway at 65 MPH, the vehicle ceased with the battery and oil warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. As the vehicle shut-off, the contact was able to coast the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway. After the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the recall for the failure had expired and referred her to a Kia dealer for inspection. Upon investigation, the contact linked her failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle remained in possession of the independent mechanic unrepaired. The failure mileage was 116,000.

Driving down Highway car shut off won’t start back up

Safety: It appears the vehicle in question has had Engine, Electrical, and Driveability issues within less than 8,000 miles of it being on the road the First record of this vehicle show's one owner, purchased not from a Kia Dealership but a third party. The Carfax history showed there has been a driveability issue an ECM Module has been replaced twice? less than 30,000 miles? It's Believed that the warranty or millage has been used as a reason to deny repair and or Because as the Recall on the engine states it is undetermined as to what is causing a malfunction but it has or will result in fire. This becomes a liability for those who offer works on the vehicle. Something within the vehicle is without warning causing the vehicle to randomly fail while descending from 65-85 miles an hour. There are also sudden jerks that randomly accrue. rendering the car hard to maintain direction. Imagin a first-time driver attempting to handle this on a busy Highway in Texas - The day we acquired the car we took it to KIA to do a full inspection - oil change, etc- The report given was that there are no problems identified but a computer module may need to be changed. We also asked that they give us an appraisal it was at that point they said that the car had a salvage title. Which the seller who sold it us ARELLANO AUTO SALES sail the title was clean. Last year a recall on the engine was issued. the insurance company determined the vehicle a total loss since how the car was branded a lost because it appears Kia refused to Fix the car, While everyone else says they can't recreate the issue for fear of liability. So here are with a car that has an undetermined engine issue that causes other electronics to malfunction. The vehicle has been seen at KIA dealerships according to the carfax. It's been seen. By two other service facilities and all have come up with something that may needed to be service while nothing has fixed the car

THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE EXTREMELY DIM. IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO DRIVE IS WITH THE HIGH BEAMS WHICH ENDANGERS OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER KIA OPTIMA DRIVERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM BUT KIA WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE OR FIX THE ISSUE. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT.

On May 28th I was on my way home and out of nowhere my steering wheel locked up and the car died while in motion. A week later we notified Kia about it and they had me tow my car so they could find out what was going on with my vehicle. We waited 12 days to find out was wrong with it and they told us the engine was seized and we had just found out that they had a recall for seized engines. After finding that out we tried to get the vehicle fixed through them and they told us that they could not fix it because it doesn’t no longer have an warranty and that they sent out an report about the recall on my car. We never received any information about a recall and we bought the vehicle March 2020. We have been making phone calls to Kia and they denied to fixing my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and had seized. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Unknown. I just checkes the VIN # on this vehicle because I just bought it and saw that it has 4 recalls. But recently I have been smelling gasoline when I drive it long distances and sometimes when I am in town. It gets bad, even my kids complain about the smell. Im not sure if there is a problem but if so I would like for it to be corrected.

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON A HIGHWAY AT TRAFFIC TIME WHEN I NOTICED A SMALL GAS ODOR MY BRAKES GOT REALLY HARD AFTER THAT I PULLED TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND WHEN I PULL THE HANDLE TO OPEN MY HOOD SMOKE AND FLAMES IMMEDIATELY CAME OUT, THE CAR ITS TRASH NOW POLICE TOOK IT TO IMPOUND BECAUSE OF THE FLUIDS THE CAR WAS LEAKING AND SAFETY ISSUES.

ON JANUARY 4TH 2021 MY CAR STOPPED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE AUTO REPAIR IN MY CITY AND THEY INFORMED ME MY ENGINE HAD A RECALL ON IT. THE AUTO SHOP THEN INFORMS ME THEY DON'T WORK ON ENGINES SEND IT TO A KIA DEALERSHIP SHIP I DID THAT. NOW THE KIA DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THERE WAS NO RECALL DIDN'T EXPLAIN MUCH SAY YOU JUST NEEDED AN BATTERY AND THE FRONT O2 SEN-OR REPLACED I PAID THE $450 THE CAR WAS UP AND RUNNING I DIDN'T THINK NOTHING ELSE WOULD GO WRONG. MARCH 19 2021 MY CAR STOPS AGAIN WHILE DRIVING GET IT TOWED TO THE REPAIR IN MY CITY THEY SAY I HAVE A BAD ENGINE THAT WAS ALL THE HELP THEY COULD GIVE ME. NOW MAY 3 2021 MY CAR IS CURRENTLY DOWN IT'S NOT IN THE AUTO SHOP AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE THE ONLY THING THE AUTO REPAIR SHOPS WAS SAYING IS THIS WOULD COST ME $4500.IN JANUARY I WAS INFORMED I HAD A RECALL ON MY ENGINE.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD MY CAR KIND OF SPUTTERED AND SHUT OFF...NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS UNTIL THIS...REPLACED THE BATTERY AND STARTER TO NO AVAIL

CODE SHOWING IS P1326 - KSDS - ROD BEARING WEAR. ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING AND VEHICLE HAS WENT INTO LIMP MODE/LOSS OF POWER.

MY KIA HAS A LONG ACCELERATION LAG. IT IS SO DANGEROUS TO OPERATE THIS VEHICLE. WHEN I PRESS GAS PEDAL VEHICLE DOESN'T ACCELERATE RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES ACCELERATE BUT SOMETIMES NOT. I DON'T HAVE ANY WARNING LIGHTS SHOW UP. NO CODES. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS WARM NEVER WHEN COLD. WHEN WARMER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE THE MORE OFTEN I FEEL THIS ISSUE. LAST MY VISIT TO THE KIA DEALER DOESN'T RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THEY SAID NO CODES NO DIAGNOSIS. IN MY POINT, THIS IS A SOFTWARE OR CONTROL MODULE ISSUE. READING A LOT OF FORUMS I FOUND THAT OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ACCELERATION LAG PROBLEM. ALSO, I'M FEELING THAT THIS ISSUE IS A SERIOUS CONCERN THAT CAN CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT.