2016 Kia Optima Complaint Log

3 of the 4 windows have had failures in the window regulators and the windows do not work.

The engine was has blown twice the first day 95000 miles and again at under 6000 miles. And there is still a bad knock and major vibration and ticking noise coming from the car. We told the car we no longer have faith in this car and didn't want it no more and all he did was see if he could get us another loan to trade it in. We're now scared to really ride in to and can't get no one to help us on this my man is about to lose his job over this car

At 95000 car had problem accelerating and then all of a sudden on the side of the road did that 2 had 2 engine rebuilds done no but the problem is still there and the fuses all look burnt and half my lights don't work.

Both rear windows, independently and at different times, have needed to have the gear inside the door panel that rolls the windows up and down replaced due to spontaneous stripping and total failure. The dealer has replaced the offending parts, which are sold only as part of a much larger / very large component panel, i.e. it is not possible to replace only the small plastic stripped-out gear. My safety was at risk both times because the window would not go up, resulting in my inability to lock and secure my car. If I had small children who ride in the back seat (I don't, but surely others who have this car do), I would not be able to secure their safety inside the vehicle. The problem has been inspected, confirmed, and repaired by the dealer. It is a known recurring problem by the manufacturer Kia, but they refuse to issue a recall. The first time it happened the car was still under warranty so there was no charge to me. With the second window the car was no longer under warranty and I had to pay the full cost of the repair. There were no warnings of pending failure; the windows were rolled down and just failed to roll up. I wish to state for the record that although this is a 2016 model and therefore is now 7 years old (in 2023), it has only 14,000 actual miles on it, i.e. I drive the car only around town for errands, etc. From 2017 (when we purchased the car) through mid-2020, I drove it 18 miles per week to my part-time job very near my home. I retired in mid-2020 and drive the car even less now. Furthermore, I've had riders in the back seat probably less than a dozen times in 7 years, my point being that the rear windows are rarely used. Mostly they have been used by me as the driver when I want to release built-up heat from the car when it has been sitting all day in the NC summer sun and I'm going out once or twice a week to drive it somewhere (like the grocery store). This failure should not be happening with a car with so little usage on it!

2016 Kia Optima engine failed on freeway, ECU triggered limp mode had to get towed into dealer. Now dealer verifies engine failure issues but insists on having us drive it 1000 miles then come in to have engine oil consumption measured and do the same again for a total of 3000 miles before they honor engine replacement. Or engine completely fails within the 3000 miles. Car already shows heavy oil consumption, very dirty oil before mileage due to be changed, loss of MPG at least 5 miles per gallon after ECU upgraded. Car is sluggish and hesitates on acceleration, engine knocking noise. Bearing clearance test passes at this time. I feel I am driving a ticking time bomb getting ready to leave me somewhere stranded.

I brought the car may 13 2023 and July 11th the car caught fire on the eway around 9-10am. I was trapped in the car due to the doors not unlocking and had to get help by others around. The car didn't have any problems. No check engine light no nothing. Happened unexpected

I was driving and the car’s electrical completely cut out and locked my steering wheel up and ran us off the road and we hit a big rock on the driver side and then the power kicked back on and the steering yanked super hard to the right about 4 times and caught a fallen tree on the right side then completely died with me and my young kids . Took it to Kia to be serviced and got it back and it started to do it again

Excessive oil consumption, loss of power. Went in for a tune as previous owner never did one and car would not crank back up. In fact it didn’t respond to the key turn at all. SENSOR read wouldn't read a problem. Later found out engine was basically gone. Burned excessive oil, started coming out the tail pipe. Dash was not illuminating when there was insufficient oil. Has not been fixed

The headlights failed and yes it can be inspected . The headlights while my 16 year old daughter was driving at night. She could not see the road there were no streetlights. She had to hit her brakes turn the car off and restart and the lights came back on . This put her life in danger I cannot believe there are no recalls . We have called numerous mechanics to fix and they have not heard of the problem. I do not trust Kia to fix this . She could have died . Before this happened the dash showed the lights changing themselves from auto to on to off . This also happened to me while driving at night . We now do not drive this car at night out of fear .

On July 4th, my vehicle lost engine power and flashed a quick prompt of "engine warning" before turning off completely, smoke from under the hood which resulted in a fire. I was able to extinguish it fortunately. I have since discovered there are three open recalls, which I received no notification about. I frequently check for recalls and all sites say there are none.

There's an oil consumption problem... I'm burning through a quart of oil about every 300 miles. there are no leaks. Just burning the oil way too fast... There's been numerous people with this problem and no one has issued a recall... The car started doing this at around 60,000 miles. there's still plenty of life on this engine. It should in no way be burning this much oil... We need help. I was told it's part of an investigation already... We need this to be labeled a recall... This is not normal and thousands of people are having this problem with this model 2016 Kia Optima LX

Oil light continues to come on only after 1 month of a 5 quart oil change. Only driving about 300 miles a month. Have taken it to a kia dealership where they said there was no oil leak. Took it to a private mechanic for a second opinion where I monitored my miles after an oil change and they found that it is an engine problem and the engine is burning my oil. This has been happening for the past 6 months. I did not have the mechanic fix the issue as it should be covered through the manufacturers warranty.

This will be the second time this has happened to my vehicle my vehicle just randomly stopped while driving and will not start back up. It keeps showing on the dashboard “check hybrid system stop car and turn off engine” this happen 4 years ago and then a safety recall came out for it to get fixed this should have been fixed from the safety recall and never happened again unfortunately it happened again. The dealership is booked with appointments so my car will not get fixed for about a month or two. It is very dangerous for the car to just caught off in the middle of the road.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the trunk door locking mechanism had failed and the door would not remain securely closed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V594000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 60,000.

I bought my car in 2016 brand new. It now has 47,000 miles on it. I took it in in 2018 to address a recall. I took it in 2019 when it had 19, 776 miles on it because of lack of power and they determined the VCMA motor was faulty. The car is now rattling and consuming oil extremely fast. An oil change is only lasting 2 weeks before I have to top it off. I’ve had my spark plugs replaced. My mechanic (not Kia) has told me there may be an issue with the piston rings. The cost of repairing a car with less than 50,000 miles on it is getting ridiculous.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the sunroof fractured without impact. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the sunroof needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact learned of a lawsuit regarding the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

My kia Burns lots of oil. I'm having to refill oil every 300 miles. And the oil isn't on the ground. It's burning out on my sparkplugs and oil pac coil. It's even shut off engine light came on. Got it towed to SONS of Kia. Had it diagnosis and Was told it's needed sparkplugs and coil pac replacement. Full tune-up. Oil change. Later. Having the same issues. Having to continue replenish oil. Over and over. Where is it going. Oil sputtering out of my tail pipe. Oil and water from tail pipe. Took it to Amoco Transmission. For diagnosis and was told that this need to be reported to kia. A major recall. Oil is burning from engine issues. My sparkplugs are loaded with oil and coil pac. Why I've always got my oil changed every due time. Later after 300-400 miles. I'm having to add oil again. Something wrong with this. I travel and my wife have to check oil consumption every week to make sure oil is in the car. She's very stressful about this situation. The car be studder when this happens. And some time want crank. It's nothing of her end. It's the manufacturer of the car. Burning oil consumption. AND NOW ITS AT AMOCO TRANSMISSION WAITING ON WHAT'S NEXT. TRULY WILL LOVE KIA TO DO THE RIGHT THING. MY WIFE LOVE'S HER KIA. AND ARE THINKING ABOUT BUYING A SUV FROM KIA IN THE FUTURE. My other paper work are in the car. Will update more information later.

Engine failure; oil consumption, misfire, smoking, losing sped, no acceleration. Problem has been diagnosed by 3 mechanics in a mechanic shop. Only warning was the check engine light

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rod bearings were knocking. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, neither the VIN nor the model year was included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated before gaining motive power. The vehicle was also shuddering and vibrating. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but became a recurring failure. Additionally, the gear shift lever was difficult to shift into reverse(R). The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and then the gear shifter was able to be shifted into reverse(R). The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle after several attempts, the contact checked the engine and checked the oil level and found that the oil was extremely low. The contact added 3-quarts of oil and was able to start the vehicle. The contact observed that the vehicle would intermittently lose power and nearly stalled. The contact became aware that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and was adding 2-quarts of oil every two weeks. The contact checked for oil leaks and found none. The contact stated that the check oil warning light had illuminated once. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where an oil consumption test was conducted. The consumption test determined that the vehicle was consuming a high amount of oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer. The local dealer stated that there was no engine oil in the oil pan, which caused the engine to seize. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.

A straight line crack about 4 inches long appeared suddenly on my dash. The crack is directly over the dash mounted airbag. The car has been parked in my garage since I bought it new in 2016. In addition, my work location has an employee garage so it is hardly parked out in direct sun. It is in mint condition. I took the vehicle to the local KIA dealer and they said it was not covered by the warranty. My concern is that the crack may impede the deployment of the airbag in a critical situation. I feel it should be investigated because there are a lot of exact same complains on the internet concerning a crack at the same location.

Starting to burn oil started it at 40,000 miles it burns 3 quarts in less than a 1,000 miles worrying that it might be one of this that catch on fire

Pearl White paint on hood is flaking/delaminating.

5/9/23 appointment for 4 recalls -completed 2 and ask if we could bring back next day to finish and we said no because granddaughter in school so service manager said important to get it back in and finish and sent granddaughter home with car 5 days later while driving car caught on fire and lost brakes and transmission and swerved into vacant parking lot smoke and flames coming into car and girls had to jump while car was still moving both girls checked on sight for smoke inhalation. 15 year old had to go to emergency room for road rash and nerve issues. we have documents ,911 tapes, videos, text ,,,witnesses, pictures. very negligent on service dept. for sending car out without completing issues. we came ready to leave it but they sent it out.

Engine started making knocking noise and then started stalling took it to Kia dealership and they are refusing to replace it under lifetime warranty even with ksds recall installed. The consumer tried several times to get the recalls fixed but the Kia dealership refuses to fix them.

Shortly after I purchase this vehicle, my driver side window stopped going up and down. I was disappointed but it was what it was there in about a month and a half later the rear passenger side, the rear driver side stop going up and down and then a week after that, the driver side front step going up and down if I knew it, none of my windows would go up and down if my air conditioner goes out, I am, in trouble I live in Florida I cannot drive without air-conditioning or through the windows being able to go up and down. I made a complaint to Kia. They hung up on me neither Kia nor Honda where I purchased his car wants to do anything to assist me I have read the door multiple complaints regarding the windows and his cars. Why isn’t anything being done ?

Several times, while driving, the vehicle light panel starts flashing, the car looses power & starts shutting down. The car was taken to the dealer and they said it has to do with oil being low, it a way to protect the engine. This has happened several times, they have done an oil consumption test & they SAY it is within specs. However, the last time the DEALER completed the oil & it was "full" it was at 77121. Now, the mileage is 78360 and the oil it 2 quarts low. This oil issue has been going on for 2 years & they refuse to accept any responsibility and will not repair or replace anything.

Vehicle is using excessive amounts of oil and only has 80000 miles and KIA dealership says it is probably due to bad rings.

We received a recall notice for our KIA Optima to get the software upgrade to restrict operation of the vehicle without a key. We took the car to the dealership on 5/5/2023 for the recall and picked it up on 5/5/2023 from the dealership at 3:30pm. On 5/8/2023 our car was stolen out of our driveway. It was recovered on 5/12/2023 by our local police dept. and it was stolen by using a USB cord and starting it without the key. Obviously the recall does not work. There is now damage inside and out of my car. I did notify KIA corporation last week that it had been stolen and have not heard from them. I also sent an email this morning letting them know that the car was returned and confirmed that they stole it they way the recall was suppose to fix so that it could only be started with the key in the ignition. Obviously that did not work.

All four windows are not operational and ceased function within 2 months of the initial rear window failing. Three of the windows are currently propped up by door stops and the driver window is stuck all the way down. I spoke to Kia Dealership and they are familiar with the problem. It happens a lot in warm climates. They can repair all 4 windows for a cost of $2000.00 to $2400. Kia vehicles are defective and dangerous because the power window regulators fail and cause the windows to fail. There is currently a class action lawsuit against Kia for this Issue. Michael Le Beau, et al. v. Kia America Inc., Case No. [XXX] filed in California. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1. The engine seized and went into Limp Mode. I was driving and randomly the power to my vehicle was low and had to drive slowly to my house (1 mile) going 20mph. It is available for inspection upon request. 2. I was driving off the highway going 40mph off the ramp at the time with cars in front and behind. I was truly scared and worried that I would end up in an accident due to the vehicles performance. 3. KIA Dealership confirmed the issue is the engine, but is trying to blame me for the issue due to oil issue with the car. This doesn't make sense as I have had the car serviced at 79k miles for an oil change, and the dealership is saying that there wasn't oil in the vehicle. The vehicle was at 82k miles at the time of this incident. How did the car go through all the oil in 3k miles? On top of that, the oil light never went off once, as a consumer I should be able to rely on the vehicle to tell me when issues are coming up so I can do this to fix said issue. 4. If KIA Dealership counts as manufacturer, then yes, if not, then no. 5. No, the first issue of warning lamp was when the Check Engine Light started flashing the same time my car seized and went into Limp Mode. With all this happening, KIA is saying that it is not their responsibility and not covered under the warranty of the engine of the vehicle and want me to pay $13k for a new engine. This is ridiculous. The car is worth the same as a new engine?

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started making an abnormal metal to metal squealing sound. The contact pulled the vehicle off the roadway and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality during the failure. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed back to her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Burning oil at a rate of 4 quarts per 300 miles. The vehicle has had all the required oil changes and has even had a $400 top clean to help the oil burning problem, nothing has helped. Now the car is malfunctioning while driving wo codes.

The car was diagnosed with a knock sensor problem in the engine. At that time I was told it was a recall regarding that matter. 2 months ago I took it to Kia Mall of Georgia in Buford, GA. At that time they said they fixed the sensor within 3 hours. The car wasn’t accelerating past 50 mph, the engine light was on and in struggled going up hills. After I got the car back, the next 3 days the engine light came back on and the car starting doing the exact same thing again! I called and told them and they told me to bring it back to them. So I took it back to them. After my car being there for 2 1/2 almost 3 weeks they told me they would have to replace the engine with a new one. At this time no one offered to get me some type of loaner car. On the third week they claim they were still working on it but the mechanic didn’t show up for 2 days. He left on Friday June 30th, 2023 and didn’t come back until Monday July 3rd! When he left on Friday I was told by Andrew Aycock that the car would be ready that Saturday, July 1st 2023. No one called so I ended up calling them Saturday and I was told the mechanic didn’t come to work so the car would be finished on Monday July 3rd. Of course that was a lie as well. I asked about a loaner they said they would get me one, that they had to call Hertz rental. They called me back and told me they couldn’t provide me with a loaner. So I still NEVER got a loaner and they had my car right at a month!! They called me Friday July 7th and told me the car was ready. I picked the car up on Friday. They said they put a new engine in it. Today is July 18th and it’s been a little over a week and the engine light came back on today!!. The same problem again. I have been so inconvenienced throughout this entire ordeal. It’s very hard to get in touch with anybody up there regarding my vehicle. Now I have to take it back up there, but something needs to be done asap! If it’s not the engine maybe it’s the car itself also I need a loaner Immediately!

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light started flashing. The contact stated that smoke was coming from underneath the hood and an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that he pulled over, stopped, and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had previously had a software upgrade for the knock sensor performed; however, the dealer stated that the engine had already suffered engine block damage and the vehicle did not qualify for an engine replacement. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,769.

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the TPMS warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact's daughter that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

This car has less than 60,000 miles on it. One night a few weeks ago the engine died on the freeway leaving my step-daughter stranded on a dangerous freeway. We towed it to Kia where they said the engine was blown but this particular VIN was not part of the major recalls for bad engines. They want $13,000 to put in a new engine! We don’t have the money, and my step-daughter is under 25 so can’t rent a car. We had a 2012 kia optima this same thing happened to, and Kia replaced the engine. We ask that kia add this as part of the recall and replace the engine asap before our daughter loses everything. The $22,000 car is sitting worthless while she has to try to find a job that doesn’t take a car just to make payments on it and try to pay rent.

Every window regulator is broken, 2 of them in the middle of the highway and the other 2 when I parked the car.

The vehicle hesitated to move after a stop. I have escaped hitting the incoming vehicles when taking a left turns as my car drives very slow after a stop and there are chances of hitting with the vehicles coming from other direction.

I have been continuously having the car checked because it burned oil and all mechanics even outside of dealership brushed it off. turns out it was a cylinder leak from the exhaust valve and now a new engine is needed. given Kia's history with Engine problems on the Optima i wanted to report this as this seems like it could have been a caused because of engine block, crankshaft, and bearings, connecting rods and bearings, and pistons issues that then ultimately led to the exhaust valve issue. But of course my issue falls right out of the lifetime warranty

I most recently started noticing that my oil changes were not lasting at around 46,174 miles. I found this to unusual in a car with low mileage. I had to result to buying oil from a local store. The light indicator started coming on when ever I apply the brakes. When I checked my oil, it was completely dry. So I started monitoring the oil intake, even after I had oil changes at the dealership in which I mentioned that it appears to be taking in an excessive amount of oil. What I noticed was that I was adding oil every week. I did not detect any outward appearance of a leak. In addition, I experienced on several occasion what felt like the car was having a seizure. As soon as I filled up the gas tank. The car froze up, steering wheel would not move and the car was in drive but not accelerating. I immediately shut the engine off, then restarted the car. That seem to alleviate the problem for that time. It then got really bad, that it shook and was running rough as if it was falling apart. So I drove it the dealership, explained the two problems I had, running rough and a high level of oil being used in between oil changes. I was given a diagnosis on cylinders misfiring and needing spark plugs replacement, and ignition coils. Nothing about the oil issue. I was later told that would be an additional diagnosis charge to check. I asked about engine warranty and possible complaints or recalls, and was told that my issues would not be covered under the warranty. I purchased the items they indicated needed to be addressed and took my car to someone else. That's where it was discovered, when the spark plugs were removed, that oil was sitting in each pocket or cup that holds the spark plugs. All of them were soaked in oil. Though the spark plugs have been replaced and the rough shaking of the car has subsided, the acceleration is still questionable and I'm still having to fill my car with oil weekly. I'm not due for oil change until 51,174 miles and I'm currently at 51, 098.

The engine failed as I was driving and the car stopped accelerating and slowed to a stop on a busy road at night. I purchased the vehicle from Parkside Kia in Knoxville in December 2020. I was notified in March 2021 by my personal mechanic to take the car to Kia for high oil consumption rates and future engine failure but Kia told me nothing was wrong with it. I had the KSDS update in June 2022 after it went into creep mode/stopped accelerating on the highway when I was out of town in Asheville, NC, and the spark plugs went bad a few months later because of the same faulty oil consumption issue. Kia is manufacturing bad engines and putting their customer’s safety at risk. They ignore when asked and act like they don’t know anything about the engine settlements. They are playing dumb and not being forthcoming with information or safety notices. Parkside Kia in Knoxville sold me a lemon which was a safety risk from the moment they sold it to me in December 2020, after the recalls and updates were issued to the first owners. I never was notified and found out by an unsafe situation driving alone on a busy highway.

I have to put 4 quarts of motor oil in every 2 weeks (approximately 600 miles) no black spots at all on the concrete drive at all. So it’s definitely burning it.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side window failed to roll up as needed. The contact’s spouse pulled the window up manually. The contact stated that months later while driving approximately 65 MPH, the rear driver’s side window fell into the door. The contact’s spouse manually pulled the window up. The contact stated that several months later while driving approximately 75 MPH, the failure occurred with the driver’s side window. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic and was informed that the window regulator failed and that the window panels needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

Engine is rapidly burning oil. At a sudden stop or on an sharp incline I noticed the 'oil warning light' come on. I checked the dipstick and it was showing no oil. If the engine seized and stopped the vehicle on a highway this could be a safety issue. It appears others have had the same issue, yet Kia does not offer any help. It is listed as an issue with premature O-ring failure. Vehicle has under 59,000 miles on it.

The vehicle was sold to me with a known recall issues. I have taken it to the kia dealership close to me during the recall time period. They never told me about this issue coming up on their system. There was a certain time period that the recall was supposed to fixed, now kia is telling me that it's my financial responsibility to fix.

Unknown. My oil light started to turn on while I was still 1200 miles before my next oil change. I check the level of my oil and it was completely empty.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle failed to go over 2,000 RPM. The vehicle was shaking and shuddering violently. There was a loud knocking sound detected at 1,500 RPM. There was an abnormal odor detected from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated and flashing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced on three occasions. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer, who replaced the engine and catalytic converter. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Kia Coughlin of Lancaster (784 N Columbus St., Lancaster, OH 43130), where it was diagnosed and determined that an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 144,635.