2016 Kia Optima Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the failure was related to the vehicle not receiving the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software installation. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

My car has now been broke into twice because of the "kia boys" I have now had to replace two windows, and clean my car out from glass.

Three of the 4 window regulators have unexpectedly failed leaving the window partially open. The passenger rear failed on 11/2022. The driver's side rear failed on 8/2022. The passenger front failed on 3/2023. On each occasion, the window failed where it was partially open. And none of the windows were in the process of being raised or lowered. The gears on each of the regulators had basically disintegrated. The window regulators are around $200 each for just the parts and they are not covered under the warranty. The new regulators come with a blue gear instead of the original white gear.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shifted into LIMP Mode and decelerated with the check engine warning light activated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the knock sensor code was present. The code was cleared and later while driving the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 99,340.

2016 KIA Optima is burning excessive oil. Current mileage ~85K, under power train warranty. The KSDS S/W upgrade has been done. Took car to KIA dealership. Tested twice and confirmed 1/2 quart and 3/4 qt burned in 1000 miles. Limit for service was >1 qt in 1000 miles, so no action taken. Question #1. How/where was this limit established? Clearly hear a knocking sound and blue smoke out the tailpipe upon starting. A copy of video showing the tailpipe smoking was submitted to KIA. The internet references a class-action suit for this problem and NUMEROUS complaints. Question #2: Why has NO recall been initiated for this problem across numerous models and several years, anyone with a 4-cyl GDI engine? Maintenance interval is 7500 miles for each synthetic oil change. This means I will put in more than 5.5 quarts of oil between oil changes??? And this is NOT a problem??? Question #3: Why is this NOT an EPA pollution issue? Finally, the KIA dealership told me to come back in, if the problem exceeds the >1 qt per 1000 mile limit. I asked and there is NO extension of the 100K power train warranty, (in 15K miles) so after 100K, any engine repair/replacement would be at my cost. At 85K, my resale value has plummented and 2-3 nonKIA dealerships that I have spoken to about a trade-in are NOT interested in this car as a trade-in. Question #4: HOW does this NOT qualify as a RECALL? -1) Class action lawsuit on record? -2) Known problem over several years/models with the 4-cyl engine? -3) Engine seizing and shutting down due to oil loss seems like a safety issue to me? Final QUESTION: How do I get involved (after the fact) with the Class action lawsuit? I seem like I'm in suspended animation, e.g. won't fix it, can't trade it, WHAT A MESS!

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the camshaft sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The camshaft sensor was replaced but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 125,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was advised to complete an oil consumption test. The contact declined. The contact stated that upon driving approximately 500 miles after the oil change was performed on the vehicle, there was no oil left in the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that oil was leaking onto the spark plug. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

On 2/24 I was driving on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, I was in the middle lane going thru an intersection, when suddenly while attempting to accelerate to go thru the light, all of my dash lights came on and the gas petal stopped working completely. I had cars in front, behind and on sides of me and I was unable to move out of the way. I attempted to restart the car to no avail. This could have been an incredibly deadly and dangerous situation and was extremely scary. With help I was able to move my car out of the way, call a tow truck and have it taken to the nearest Kia Dealership (Galeana Kia, 14483 Tamiami Trail, Ft. Myers) who advised they would evaluate the car and get back to me the next day. Tuesday I got word that my engine had seized and there was less than 1 qt of oil in it. I couldn't believe this as I just had an oil change 6 weeks prior. The service advisor, Jeff, said when an engine seizes they report it to Kia to see if they will replace but that Kia tech team advised they were declining replacing my engine as I didn't take my car to Kia for service and there weren't enough carfax reports to show proper care. This made no sense as I get my oil changed every 5k and use syntenic oil. I proceeded to send many oil change receipts only for them then tell me "it's owners responsibility to check oil between oil changes" and they aren't going to assist in any way. Sharing this story with others led me to learn that Kia is supposed to warranty these engines to 150k due to this being a known issue and multiple class action lawsuits about the engines burning oil and seizing while driving. I was in the middle of an intersection, that could have cost me my life! I called Kia Corp and they told me to work with dealership and they couldn't do anything for me. This after just replacing 4 window regulators where the regulator dies and your windows fall down (another safety hazard.) I appreciate you looking into and addressing this safety injustice for me.

I submitted a report on this already but haven't had any response and it's a huge safety concern. I see 388 others have reported issues with this vehicle as well and most seem to pertain to the engine like mine so not sure how many need to file before a recall or Kia is held accountable for making an engine that burns oil and locks while driving. I've received zero support from them and they are denying replacing engine which had an oil change 6 weeks prior and only 109k miles on it. With all the complaints and prior class action suit which requires them to cover engine up to 150k I'm very confused how they can deny this and how this vehicle with these engines are safe for the road.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the contact was informed that the knock sensor detection system (KSDS) was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

Number 3 Fuel Injector, burning oil and have no idea where its going, gas mileage affected, VCT solenoid

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH and various other speeds, the contact stated that the "engine oil" light flickered on and off. The contact stated that when he checked the dip stick the oil level was not showing. The contact stated that he checked for oil leaks but saw no evidence of an oil leak. The contact stated that the exhaust pipe was coated in a heavy black crust. The contact stated that he had been adding oil several times and that the failure persisted. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.

Engine is burning 2qts of oil every 500-900 miles. Risk of engine seizing during drive.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as an engine combustion failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

The 2016 Kia optima lx 1.6t has so many issues. First off, The power windows all stopped working within a week of each other. On the way home from work the check engine light came on and as I tried to accelerate the car started stuttering to go, it ended up jerking as if I was pressing the gas and then brake. I had to get it towed home. There has been oil spilling into other parts of the engine like the intercooler and the throttle body which could mix with gas which is a huge fire hazard. The high pressure fuel pump needs to be replaced. The car will no longer drive, the throttle position sensor needs to be replaced as well. The oil burns so fast, after a brand new oil change it doesn’t even last a week. We have over 5 codes popping up when they did a scan and they are all misfires and fuel pump related.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 5 MPH. The contact depressed the accelerator and the vehicle started to vibrate but failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence at 5 MPH. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer replaced the spark plugs and the battery. The vehicle was repaired; however, the dealer informed the contact that any repairs related to the recall would only be performed if the engine failed. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

Window stop working and will not stay up.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, there was a knocking noise coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle failed to restart, and no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Soonroof/Moonroof closed rattle noise. When the Soonroff/Moonroof is closed at highway speeds or windy weather it make a rattle noise to inside of the car, i try to do their reset method and nothing worked, i being looking in kia forums and most of the people had complained about this issue, and that kia doesnt wants to fix. I will like an investigation of this issue and if you can start a repair campaign recall due this soonroof parts are really pricey. And i think is a manufacturer problem.

Car burns oil before oil changes, no warning light comes on. Technician at jiffy lube stated that this model vehicle has issues burning the oil with no warning light coming on. Have taken the car several times to get oil change services and they warn me of the same issue every time. no oil leaks coming from the engine itself. Car engine burns the oil which can cause issues with the engine if left unchecked.

While driving vehicle on the freeway there is a sudden lots of power. Excited freeway and tried driving slowly on streets. Check engine light came on. Vehicle knocks and losses power during acceleration and while driving at speed. Problem diagnosed as bad knock sensor. Had knock sensor replaced in November, 22. Two days ago exact same problem. Mechanic believes that it's engine malfunction. How's it's covered by Kia recall, otherwise recommends engine replacement, but cautions used engine might have similar malfunction.

engine has seized. incident happened while driving. engine also burns excessive amounts of oil which require adding oil every 1-2 weeks.

Hi my car start making this thiking noise on the engine out of nothing i have heard that there was a recall for 1.6 turbo engines but sadly my car donst have any recalls at the moment and the engine replacement is a kind a expensive 8500 dollars to be precise so what can i do if the engine has exactly the problem that kia described a problem with the pushrod thanks

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 74 MPH, the vehicle made abnormal metallic banging sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle began to lose motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road and added engine oil to the vehicle. The contact drove to a nearby parking lot and parked the vehicle. The contact's friend, a certified mechanic, diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the oil, which led to engine failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as he failed to complete the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software update. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

Code P1326 (Knock Sensor Detection System) appeared on scanner after knocking and jerking randomly occurred one night. When researched was performed on if there have been recalls in the past, saw there was a recall for Knock Sensor Detection System back in 2021. Recall issues don’t appear to be fixed with the KSDS despite prior recalls on this part.

I got the car oct 2022, car drove fine for months. Got oil changes regularly. On or about late Dec my car started getting this code "check active air flap" it didn't stay on it was quickly flashed on my dash and went away. So I thought it wasnt important, then it came on again really quick and disappeared again. So then I start to worry and start searching what exactly was a air flap. I found out it was something that allows air flow to the engine. So I parked my car and didn't use it so I could get them money to take it in to have it looked at. On Jan 4h me and my 2 sons were on our way to have it looked at and while on the way there my car was making a weird like ticking noise which I didn't know what it could be so I am still driving just being more cautious and Bam my car is on fire! Freaking out cause no one would let me over to safely pull off the road. No check engine light ever came on no oil light nothing but air flap check.

I was driving my car and it just slowed down on the freeway and wouldn’t go pass 60mph I went to my nearest autozone And received code p1326 I was told it was the knock sensor and got it changed. I checked my oil and noticed it was low even tho I got an oil change not even a month before. however the problem didn’t change. I decided to go to the internet and notice many other kia have had these problems and have received a recall

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the oil level was checked every other day. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was oil and fuel in cylinder #4. The O-rings, spark plugs, valve cover, oil, and filter were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the same local dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel injector was stuck open and spraying fuel. The O-rings and spark plugs were replaced but the failure persisted. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer but failed to receive a response. The failure mileage was unknown.

This car we still owe 20000.00 on and the rings are no good we took the car to kia who said the engine is no good but our extended warranty place denied the claim. The oil consumption is a problem in all kia's. I know we are not the only owners complaining about this issue.

My vehicle is a 2016 Kia Optima, I keep regular oil changes. In between oil changes I have to add 5 to 8 quarts of oil because of loss. There is no dripping, no smoking. I am told it is a engine problem in all Kia models. But this is getting expensive and tiresome. I hope someone can resolve this issue.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at unknown speeds the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle did not respond and began to hydroplane. The vehicle swerved left and right, when the vehicle in front moved to the side, the contact's vehicle continued to roll until the brakes responded. The vehicle came to a stop and no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they did not diagnose or repair it. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was stated that new tires may help and the tires were replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

After just purchasing this car from dealer. I was driving on Christmas Eve to my mother-in-law's. I noticed the car was smoking. I had checked the oil before we left been about a 45-40 minute drive. Went to pull off the road and it would had to be towed back to my house. I had both my children in the car and my fiance and the smoke was coming through the cabin. It had not been running correctly for a while and went to take it to the mechanics to find out that the engine had seized.

Knock sensor failure and misfiring

1 month after purchasing the car we noticed it was having oil consumption Problems. In December of 2022 we took the car in and were told by the kia dealership that the rings in the car were no good but when the issue was reported to our extended warranty the denied the repairs trying to say it is something else. This cars engines should have recalls on its engine just like all the other cars. We owe 20000.00 on a car that's engine is no good.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the vehicle was consumer 3 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

I had a catastrophic engineer failure that was reporting a DTC to replace the spark plug/ignition coil. This failure is miss mapped and had no previous Indicator warning the customer of a engine failure that would potentially leave the customer in an unsafe condition stranded. I had to have my vehicle towed in for service and the dealer informed that the vehicle needed a new intake valve. The intake valve failure at 118k miles is a little outside of warranty but still considerably young for an engine. There could be a number of reasons for this failure, material quality could make the valve brittle, manufacturing so the retainers could not seat properly in the spring. All the reasons are not customer induced nor at the stage in engine life that would be appropriate. After reviewing the Kia main social media account and talking to several dealers this type of failure is not uncommon for this product line as early as 30k miles. I believe that the volume of failure is large enough population that Kia should investigate 1) the mapping of DTCs/Indicator warning to the customer and 2) the actual engine failure population is large enough it should be reviewed by the government.

My 2016 Kia Optima has been consuming oil every 1.5months. I have multiple times had to replace my oil because my oil light kept coming on. I’ve checked it every single time and it is barely anything there. I have my breaks mess up and not work as properly with my safety and others being comprised. I have brought this up to my Kia dealership but they have just brushed it off and charged me for an oil change. I have seen and heard many cases like mine and it has happened worse to them to the point where the car stops in the middle of the highway. My car has been checked by others and they have all noticed the same thing - the oil levels extremely low only after 1 and a half months or way prior to when my next oil change should be made. Having this happen is expensive and life threatening when the brakes don’t work as they should or when my could possibly bust. I have received no help and would like to make this known .

We purchased the car used (private party) in July. Afterward, we noticed it was using oil rapidly. We checked & refilled the oil several times. We also noticed a slight ticking sound when the car was running, but we did not think it was a problem. The day of the incident, the oil had been checked & topped off. Our college-age daughter was driving the car 70mph on I-75 north when she noticed a sound of high revving rpms while on cruise control. It continued to get louder over the next 2 minutes & became very concerning. She exited the freeway. The oil & engine lights came on at the beginning of the ramp. She was able to continue coasting through the light & into a parking lot, though the engine had limited power. Smoke filled the cabin & a strong smell, so she immediately exited the car. Smoke also came from the hood. The car could have caught on fire at this point, but we are glad it did not & our daughter's life was not harmed. We are thankful she exited the freeway when she did or she could have gotten into a wreck. These safety issues have occurred to some owners of this vehicle upon engine seizure. We had the car towed to Kia of Grand Blanc, MI. Upon inspection, they determined the engine had seized. They never opened the engine to look inside, only hooked up it for error code diagnostics. There was no record of the KSDS product improvement update being performed prior to the incident, so Kia Corporate has refused to replace the engine. Not the original owner of the car, we never received notification regarding this update. We had no way of knowing about it since we did not take it to a Kia dealership for maintenance (not required per the Magnussen-Moss Act (1975)). Prior maintenance was regularly completed at a local repair shop, & the previous owner provided us with all the records they had. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone other than Kia. We are requesting an NHTSA inspection asap to pursue a covered engine and/or recall. Please contact us.

My 2016 kia is using a lot of oil I get a oil change and 100,000 miles later my oil light comes on and I have to put more oil in the car. I’m told to check my oil every week an to get an oil changed every 150,000 miles. All my spark plugs have blown (I was told it’s due to oil starvation) an my car started shaking real bad as I was driving. I was told to get spark plugs changed in order to get an oil changed and sometimes turned away twice because I had no oil in the car. Its not keeping enough oil in the car to keep it running smoothly which could cause a fire or even engine failure. I also noticed that there’s a lot of smoke coming out of exhaust pipe when the car starts up in the back an that could be a problem one Macanic said. I was told to change my pvc valve to help with the increased oil consumption this didn’t help but it was clogged up glad i changed it. This kia is starting to be to much money with me having to keep a 5 gallon oil bottle to ensure im never out of oil. Still making payments and keeping the thought in my mind that this kia could possibly break down with my child in the car. I need help with this fix I like the style an the look but the everyday drive and problems I can pass off on a Kia.

Too much oil consumption. Consuming 3 quarts of oil in 3000 miles. No leaks. Did oil consumption testing through Kia dealership. Kia dealer says it needs a new engine and the vehicle is only 6 years old with 73k miles. Still under extended warranty and Kia dealer will not cover the cost of the engine.

EXCESSIVE oil consumption. Just got oil changed last week oil is already gone and check oil light is on again.

I have a 2016 Kia Optima FE and I keep up with regular oil changes and maintenance. My oil light has been flashing when I accelerate and when I turn, but turns off when idling. I’ve had this car 9 months and 2 weeks after getting it, that’s the first time I’ve brought it to get serviced. I’ve always complained about the flashing red oil light when I’d get an oil change, but no one ever told me that my car was consuming oil until NOW. After they did the oil change, the car would be fine for about 900-1,000 and then it would come back on. I would always have about 3,000-4,000 miles left before I was due to get it serviced again. So, I would just get oil changes in between oil changes because that seemed to fix the problem. I went to the Kia dealership near me and they told me that my engine is consuming oil. He showed me the dipstick and it was bone-dry. I should not have to drive around with my daughter in this car that can blow up at any second. I’ve looked on forums where other people have had the same issues and all of them say that it’s because of “faulty pistons.”

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who replaced the spark plugs and coil pack; however, the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 124,000.

Heavy Oil consumption and adding oil every week

Driver window back window (driver side) passenger window won’t let down and need window regulators. I’ve had one replaced before

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was no oil in the engine; oil was added. The contact stated that several weeks later, the oil warning light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was no oil in the engine. The mechanic found no oil leaks nor the cause of the failure. The dealer was contacted and stated that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.

I have been having some issues with my Kia Optima. It is consuming so much oil. Constantly have to get oil changes. Recently, my engine light went on. Was told it was because of all the oil that is burning. Car does not perform properly. It does not want to accelerate. It feels like it will turn off. I get scared driving. What if my car stalls in the middle of the busy LA traffic? I have gone do dealership so many times. Whenever, I say the reason why I need an appointment, they tell me they have no available time slots. They just told me they will see me next year!! I say its because Kia doesn't want to fix it. Several mechanics have informed me that my engine needs to get replaced because of the excessive oil consumption. Kia needs to pay for it. They know it’s their fault.

Failed connecting rod bearing. Happened on the freeway my car shut off and steering wheel locked up. It almost caused multiple crashes as other people got out of their cars to try and help me move my car out of the freeway. I take very good care of my car and maintenance was up to date. I still owe over 9k on the car and it only had 130k miles. Kia has a class action lawsuit I was unaware of and promised a lifetime warrant for my engine but now refuse that warranty. I had to get out of my car on the freeway or risk getting hit from the back. Other cars on the freeway were constantly passing at 80mph. Multiple people had to help me push my car that would not turn and kept shutting off. This was very sudden and random I had no check engine lights or any lights on my dash board at the time. This all happened within the matter of 2 minutes and I’m very happy the person who was behind me had distance enough to go around me or else the would have been an accident.