2012 Kia Optima Complaint Log

The steering wheel has a loud clicking sound when I drive on the highway as well as when I turn the wheel left or right. It is so loud that I have to turn my radio volume high to somewhat drown it out. The flex coupler is the issue. Apparently this was a recall in the past. Since mine just started acting up, I just found out there was even a recall on this part. Tried to get Kia to replace the part, but was denied. Currently escalating the issue as I do not agree with the decision, waiting on answer. I drive a total of 150 miles to and from work daily. When I hit normal bumps/dips in the road, the steering wheel shakes horribly. The sound is a major distraction to my abilities on the road. I don't think I should have to pay out of pocket for a part Kia knew was defective. It literally feels as though the steering column is going to fall off eventually.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the brake lights continuously remained illuminated. The taillight bulbs blew out on several occasions. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, there were several unknown warning lights flashing. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V560000 (Structure) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list because the vehicle was totaled. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light eventually became illuminated, and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved a fault code for the engine variable valve timing solenoid. The contact was informed that the engine variable valve timing solenoid needed to be replaced. The contact called a dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Because the brake stopper or brake switch are messed up and my brake tail light stays on all night causing it to drain the battery If the car is braking while I’m driving it and the traction control light comes on and the speed is decreasing as I’m driving because the car is braking on it’s own it has nothing to do with the lights Nor the battery the root of the issue is the brake line because the tail light will not cut off because the brakes are still engaged even when the car is off causing the tail lights to stay on so the lights is what is draining the battery the lights stay on all night in a car the battery dies but the battery nor the lights is the issue it’s the brakes

2012 Kia Optima snow white pearl paint. A few months ago the paint started bubbling and then flaking off. There are areas all over the car with bubbles and missing paint. This is a latent defect in the paint process, not a warranty issue. Every area of the car is affected. Kia needs to accept responsibility for their defect and fix this paint problem.

SUNROOF TRIM SEAL LOOSE, The rubber seal/trim catching under the sunroof glass.

Paint is coming off all over the car. You may look at it at any time. This is a safety concern for our environment and to the child in my home. She likes to attempt to eat or at least put everything in her mouth. It is very visable. No No, The first bit of paint started coming off around a year ago and has progressively gotten worse.

My 2012 Kia optima headlamps are extremely dim, even though I’ve replaced the lightbulbs with the highest possible lumens, multiple times, the headlamp assembly continues to dim. This requires that I ride with my high-beams on to drive at night. The lights have been dimming for more than 20,000 miles, but they are almost useless at this point.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his granddaughter was driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that his granddaughter was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that he had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact stated that the vehicle had not been diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder however, the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 143,000.

I was driving ~40-45, mph and my car stopped on its own, a warning ️ came up in the dash regarding ABS and to stop and not drive, luckily no one ran into me and I was able to pull over. I called a service center and they told me I could bring it in and they would do a diagnostic. I turned the car off and back on, the message was gone and my husband came and followed me to the shop. They ran the history and it was a code for ABS, they reset it and I was on my way. Not long after, I started hearing what sounded like a woodpecker under the hood and loud, while the car was on, in route and off. I took it in and service center was unable to diagnose/duplicate the noise and was told I would have to leave it, however, due to not having another means of transportation, I was unable to leave it. Twice more it gave me the ABS dash warning with stop and do not drive. I took it in and was told it Brake booster/ABS was making a noise, however, I need to take it to Kia for further assessment, which is not for 11 more days. According to accounts read online, this is a common issue and is dangerous for a car to stop you while driving.

The engine is knocking and stalling out. Lawrence Kia has had my car for three weeks, and nothing has been done. After investigating the issue, the failure is related to NHTSA Campaign Number 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The recall is to replace engines. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 104,000.

I was driving on the highway and all of sudden my car started decelerating. I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed the brake lights were illuminated although I was NOT pressing the brake pedal.

2012 Kia Optima EX with 67000 miles driver-side seatbelt dash warning goes off even it is buckled securely while driving.

Unknown

Paint is peeling off top of my car and also along windshield and hood of my car.

Desconocido

Car was involved in the class action suite for the motor replacement and had the motor replaced at 156,763 miles on the car. Since the replacement the high pressure fuel pump has had to be replaced twice and is not needing replacement again with only 218,000 miles (62000 miles since replacement). There where no previous issues with the HPFP before motor replacement and KIA will not do anything about the HPFP continuous failure. This appears to be a very common issue with the KIA products and yet no recall has been issued. This is ultimately a safety issue as the vehicle can cut off while in motion causing a risk for collision but has not been addressed by anyone other than a Repair bulleting put out by KIA in 2013 to all their dealerships for this issue so KIA is aware of the issues with the failures. This needs to be addressed before someone is injured or killed due to this re-occurring malfunction part.

.I recently have actually found out about the recall concerning my engine. Manufacture SC148. NHTSA recall 17V224m I called a dealership. When I asked them about the recalls this one was not mentioned. I wanted to ensure I was reading that properly. Can you explain what that means as far as the engine

THE CAR JUST SHUTS DOWN FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND WILL NOT RESTART. IT JUST DIES IN THE ROAD WITH NO WARNING. MECHANIC SAID THERE IS A WIRING ISSUE AND NOONE CAN SEEM TO FIND IT BECAUSE IT STARTS AND THEY CANT FIGURE OUT WHY AND MOST OF THE TIME IT WONT START

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. 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 local dealer was contacted. 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 failure mileage was 129,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Here I explain the problem better, when the car is at a low speed, such as when parking, the gasoline engine starts and it starts to rev up to 6k RPM and after that it brakes and hits hard, this would be dangerous on the highway and another problem is that when accelerating it has a delay of 1-3 seconds, and I want to report this problem to see if there is any solution

My airbag light is on and I have no power to my steering wheel controls including my horn.

The component that failed is the steering coupler. I believe this is a huge issue as it can affect the steering of the car, causing frequent vibrations and jittering of the steering wheel. No, it doesn't need to be inspected, it is obvious as this has been recalled in their vehicles and for some reason this model is not included while many have the same issue. Yes, clicking noises and vibrations at the steering wheel, many videos can be found online with the same issue and a repair for it. It is exactly the same as many others, this should've been recalled in more models. Problem appeared at around 100k miles and 10 years of use.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary in a parking lot, she was unable to close the sunroof and heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the sunroof to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealers; Kia of East Hartford (99 Ash St, East Hartford, CT 06108:(860) 291-7000) and Gary Rome Kia (809 Enfield St, Enfield, CT 06082:(860) 253-4753) and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,500.

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-60 MPH with someone in the front passenger seat, she noticed smoke, and then fire coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact immediately veered to the side of the road. Both the contact and her passenger exited the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire extended significantly and the vehicle burned from the front end to the rear seats. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact could not confirm whether a fire department report and a police report were filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) that she related to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

When attempting to acceleate rapidly, as if passing someone, the car will decelerate and eventually die, leaving you stranded on side of road or in the highway.

The contact owns a 2012 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 contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. In addition, the contact smelled burning fumes on the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact stated that the dealer cleaned up some spilled oil underneath the hood. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I tried to speak with Kia about a recall the engine on my making model I remember seeing it on your guises website this issue was never fixed and I’m currently having issues with my engine and they’re refusing to replace it. I’m trying to avoid a lawsuit and a serious accident because of the way my car is acting up. It is accumulating me a check engine, light, as well as a oil light I’ve brought the car in many times to vanguard kia and they could not figure out what was wrong with the car , and holding it for week the two times i brought it in and it seems as if you’re continuing to drive it is creating more issues because I had to pay $1300 out of my own pocket because my engine started overheating because it has a problem that kia could not find but is showing signs of the recall that was on this year make and model , VIN and everything the car currently will jerk whenever I’m going let’s say this speed limit 60 it will downshift all the way to 30 now this can cause a horrible, horrible accident

My car keeps slowing down while driving. The breaks are squeaking and rubbing and making a loud sound. The lights keeping coming up on the dash board

After careful inspection by certified auto mechanics at the service shop, "American Muscle" it has been determined that my Kia Optima 2012 2.0L Turbo has metal shavings in it from prematurely-worn bearings. While driving, my car suddenly went into limp mode from a knock sensor alarm while on the freeway. I took it to a professional repair shop, and they looked in the oil pan and found metal shavings from the bearings, both gold in color and silver in color. There was no engine light on prior to this event. It happened suddenly under normal, safe operation. It seems very similar to engine recalls of the same year and model due to metal shavings that resulted from engine manufacturing process causing premature wear of bearings. I have photos and video of the vehicle, the engine and oil pan with metal shavings present. The vehicle shows 100,667 miles at the time of the vehicle inspection.

Body paint chipping. Is known issue when speaking to insurance, Kia dealer and paint body repair.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was placed in neutral(N) and steered to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

It has started burning oil, we have to continually check it. There are no leaks but oil burns too fast, we check it almost daily.

My engine has blown. No check engine light warning was given. Now the dealer says they will not replace the engine and it will cost me 10,000 for the repair.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated after pulling up to her residence and exiting the vehicle, the contact observed that there was smoke coming from the passenger’s side headlight. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the dealer could not determine the cause of the smoke. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while her grandson was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started hesitating before the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway. The driver was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts, but the vehicle was idling rough. The contact stated that the near-stalling failure had occurred several times. The contact stated at the recent failure the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed by the contact's son-in-law who retrieved DTC: P1326 (Engine). The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,210.

My engine went out on my 2012 Kia optima hybrid in 2022. I was not aware of a recall on the engines. We paid for repair. Can we get reimbursed? Also we are now having issues with the braking system and the abs light is coming on. I see that there is a recall on this. Can this get repaired? I uploaded receipt well bank statement showing purchase from Martin imports in the amount of $1391. And we were charged $700 to put motor in.

My Kia 2012 optima started having steering problems. The steering started sticking at higher speeds. When I tried to steer the steering wheel felt like it was stuck in the center position and I had to use extra force to steer it either left or right. It felt very unsafe while driving. I research this Kia problem and I found a kia TSB CHA 060 that addresses this same problem. So Kia is aware of this steering safety issue. I contacted my local Kia dealer and I was told that my vehicle was not covered under this. They told me that the safety TSB was only good for 10 years and my car is now 12 years old. I was told that there was another safety recall on my car about the headliner needing repairs and that was covered. So at this point Kia will repair my headliner for free, but not repair my steering safety problem under warranty.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the engine was running however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact pulled off the highway into a rest area. The contact stated that the engine and the vehicle were shaking abnormally. The contact turned the vehicle off and noticed gray smoke coming from underneath the hood on the driver's side near the windshield. The contact stated that he opened the hood and checked the fluid levels, and the oil and coolant were at normal levels. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started to shake. The contact shifted into drive(D) and depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved fault codes P0303 and P0404, related to engine misfire in all cylinders. The mechanic stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer, who declined to replace the engine. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact was advised by the manufacturer that he had five recalls associated with the VIN. The contact researched online and found that he had three recalls associated with the VIN and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

In November 2022, I noticed that my steering wheel would stick after reaching 35 mph. After an unrelated issue in January, a mechanic confirmed this issue. Went for a second option and they confirmed that same issue, stating it was the steering column insulator. After consulting with another mechanic that can fix the problem, he encouraged me to reach out to KIA for recalls, as that he has repaired 3 other vehicles in the past 12 months with the same issue and they all had recalls. KIA does not have any recalls for this, or anything related to steering. They said that a component in my steering was covered but the warranty expired 2 years ago. Still checking for recalls, as that I'm seeing a lot of reports online of the same issue with Optimas.

My vehicle has not repaired. I have not been in an accident. However there are two open safety recalls for my car and I am terrified that myself or someone else is going to be injured or even killed due to this problem has yet to be resolved. The first recall for my car is the headliner plates. I took my car into my local dealership (Stokes Kia of Goose Creek) and they told me it would take 10 business days before they could inspect my car and determine what the problem is (it’s a recall so I don’t understand why they would have to identify a problem that was clear in recall letter). However, I asked if they would repair my car within that 10 day period if they “identified” the problem. They told me it could take an additional 10 business days or longer for the repair (for them to get around to fix it because they were extremely backed up). I asked if I would be provided a loaner vehicle or rental and they told me no. They instructed to try the other Kia dealership which is much further away from me. I ended up trying the other Kia dealership. However, they told me they would not provide a loaner car but they did schedule an appointment for my repair. They told me it should not take long for the repair but they could have my car for about 3 days until they can get around to fixing it. I went along because I wanted the issue fixed so I prepared to make arrangements for the possibility that I wouldn’t have a car for 3 days. However, like the day or so before my appointment Kia Country called me saying that the parts for the repair were on a national back order and that I would be notified when they are available. I have yet to notified. Now there is another serious recall that there is no remedy for. I am extremely uncomfortable with my car with these recalls that can’t be fixed. This is not my fault so I shouldn’t have to suffer or be without a car due to these problems. I want to know what other options do I have?

Oil leaking out top of engine causing it to smoke could cause a fire

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving up an incline at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact became aware of smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the knock sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

New engine installed in 2018. New turbo installed in 2020. Started to loose oil daily. Checked it daily to add oil. The week before engine failure it had no power. Took to a mechanic who replaced the air filter and the sparkplugs. The next day, 10 miles form my house the oil light came on and then the engine light came on and died. I pulled over to the side of the highway. Diagnosis: Needs new engine and Turbo.

The front driver's seat bolts loosened and came completely off the track. This could have caused me to crash as the seat was no longer stable and shifted about the car until I could get to a safe location. If I had gotten into a crash I would most likely not survived as there was nothing that held me in the car despite having my seat belt on. The vehicle is at the dealership now. There were no warnings that this seat was malfunctioning and the bolts were loosening.

Rearview camera does not display when vehicle is in reverse. Is this system required to comply with FMVSS 111 even if it is out of the vehicle manufacturer's warranty period?

Door latches lock you in the vehicle, currently 67k original miles, both front door latches would not allow you to exit car, at 50-51k miles, the window must be down, and to get out, crawl out, or reach out, pull outside handle and open door, then put up window, reset latch so it aligns , close door. If cars on fire and window up from inside, you can’t get out! You will burn up w/car and passengers, because you’re trapped by door from getting out.

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the power steering and power brake assist also failed. The contact stated that the check engine, check oil, and battery warnings were illuminated. The contact pulled over, stopped, and had the vehicle towed to his residence. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.