2016 Kia Optima Complaint Log

Driving along the interstate approximately 70 mph, the vehicle jerked with knock sound then lost acceleration speed. At the same time, the check engine light started blinking. I pulled over to the side of the interstate put the car in park. I put it back in drive and slowly attempted to accelerate again. I was able to make it home because I was only about a mile and a half away, but I the acceleration was very slow and there wasn't much power behind it. At a speed of about 45-50, the vehicle barely seemed to have much power.

Right passenger window dropped down. It came off regulator track for no reason with a child in a car seat sitting at that window putting that child's safety at risk.

I had my car for about 2 years and it had 1 owner before me. At first it was a great car no issues, but soon it became a nightmare. First thing I noticed was my lights would turn off by themselves whiles driving at night. I usually kept them on auto and they would randomly go off and I would have to turn they nob off and back on to get them to come on again. Soon after that I noticed that I would have to get oil changes more frequently. My oil light would come on and start to flicker only a few weeks after an oil change. My car was burning oil like crazy and it only got worse until it began to leak. Any time I had it serviced I was never told that I had a leak and my car would run fine for a few weeks and then the light would start to flicker again, usually anytime I pressed the brake. Not soon after that my car started to have problems accelerating and shaking really bad. I had the spark plugs changed and it ran fine for a few weeks and started to do it again. I took it into the shop and they told me that I needed a whole new engine and that it wasn't covered under the warranty. I would have to pay $5500 to get it fixed. So now it's just sitting because I can't afford it and Kia doesn't seem to care to do anything. I don't understand when I've read so many complaints with people having the same exact problems that I had. Now I'm stuck with a car that I can't drive and still owe on and have to find a new way of transportation to get to work. This is messed up that Kia knows about this and refuses to recall this car. Its a crap car and they couldn't care less about it. I've read other stories about the car locking up or stalling while people have been driving. This is a very dangerous and serious problem. I drive my kids around and their lives were in danger and I didn't even know it. Kia needs to do something!!!

The car has had issues for a long time. It had gone into limp mode multiple times and they fixed it and then would do it again later. Not long ago, it was acting badly again like it was going to die and they had me spend over $1,000 on new coils and plugs. Then the oil light was coming on. Took it in for check and did oil change at valvoline. They said it was empty. It was under 3k miles or just at I believe. Then 3k miles or less light comes on again. I took it to Kia they did new oil change and said I had to do 1k mile test. I brought it back at 1k miles and they said it was 2 quarts low. Said I should spend 700 or more cleaning the engine. I said I just spent over 1k fixing it and no one mentioned anything about cleaning. I do all suggested maintenance and recalls and oil changes with synthetic at about 3k. So they said someone would call me and didn’t give me a paper. They also had said the engine was most likely bad. At the time I spoke with three employees one of which works in the garage. I never got a call. I emailed and messaged and never heard back- except to get the paper simply saying to check at 1k miles. It also had an employees name who I had not talked to. I took it back 1 k later and new guy said was quarter of a quart low. He showed me a dip stick with oil on it and said I should spend hundreds to clean it. Wouldn’t explain why suddenly oil fine. Now at about 800 miles oil out. Took it to valvoline and oil out. Last Kia I drove engine blew. This feels unsafe. I have no other car. I don’t trust them telling me there is oil and pushing more expensive needless things. The engine is obviously bad. It is just under 100k and have a letter saying engine extension until 120k. Original owner.

Complete power window failure (driver and 2 rear windows). Estimated repair cost is $2,084.90. This model has a history of power window defects that Kia Motors is well aware of. Over time, this defect becomes increasingly severe until you have a complete without warning failure like in my case. Kia Motors refuses to acknowledge problems and stated there is no recall by NHTSA. I want a full reimbursement for my out of pocket payment for untimely repair cost.

On Sept. 21, 2021, my Kia Optima Hybrid ex shut down and would not start. I took it to King of Hybrid EV Auto Repair where they ran a diagnostic test and found that there was an issue with the Hybrid System affecting the transmission and the High-voltage system. I paid $3,000.00 out-of-pocket. On October 26, 2022, while driving 75mph on Hwy 15 to Las Vegas, my car randomly shut down. The dash warning lights read "STOP VEHICLE TO CHARGE BATTERY". I was in an unsafe position with cars speeding past me. I was afraid that I would be rear-ended by another car. I had to have my car towed. I believe that these cars have issues with faulty high voltage systems and transmissions. Please investigate. Thank you.

On Sept. 21, 2021, my Kia Optima Hybrid ex shut down and would not start. I took it to King of Hybrid EV Auto Repair where they ran a diagnostic test and found that there was an issue with the Hybrid System affecting the transmission and the High-voltage system. I paid $3,000.00 out-of-pocket. On October 26, 2022, while driving 75mph on Hwy 15 to Las Vegas, my car randomly shut down. The dash warning lights read "STOP VEHICLE TO CHARGE BATTERY". I was in an unsafe position with cars speeding past me. I was afraid that I would be rear-ended by another car. I had to have my car towed. I believe that these cars have issues with faulty high voltage systems and transmissions. Please investigate. Thank you.

My 2016 Kia Optima sx engine lost significant power while on the highway at 65mph. Lost of power at highway speed was very dangerous. The engine suddenly ran increasingly rough, shaking the vehicle and drastically changing its performance. My girlfriend, myself, and other drivers on the highway were put at risk as I attempted to maneuver out of traffic and pull off to a safe area. Fortunately I was able to do this without collision or loss of control. I had my car towed to the dealership. There was no warning or engine light on before the incident. The dealership has diagnosed a cracked valve and no firing in cylinder 3. They recommend a new engine. They do not know what caused this issue. The vehicle has about 78,000 miles on it. I am the second owner, warranty is expired, and it is not covered under an active recall. The vehicle is currently at a Kia dealership and available for third party inspection upon request. Please help.

Engine stalled while driving on main highway. It is available for inspection Safety: was on major highway when vehicle stalled other cars on highway had to swerve around me to avoid hitting me. no it has not been confirmed no it has not been inspected no there were no warning light

Unknown Driver’s window does not operate either up or down.. Making a noise when I tried to put the window down in order to open it. Only 23,700 mileage on my 2016 Optima This is a safety issue and my VIN number needs to be placed on the recall list. There has been a gear breakage issue on 2016 optima I cannot afford to repair this, being a senior citizen on fixed income

10-17-2022 * failure is plugged coil or spark plugs due to heavy oil consumption. Vehicle is available for inspection * driving when vehicle completely stalled and would not restart while on a 4 line highway barely got off the road almost hit by other cars as the vehicle just stalled Has happened before, has heavy oil consumption have been told it is due to faulty piston rings * At this time it is at the garage for investigation of problem *No *No

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and was running on three instead of four cylinders. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consuming oil and fowling the spark plugs causing the vehicle to lose power. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who stated that the coils and spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact had the spark plugs replaced. The failure persisted causing the contact to add oil every 1,500 miles. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

2016 Kia Optima was towed to Kia Dealer after it became inoperable; on 10/22/22 diagnostic done and found engine failure. Kia Motors denied claim for repair/replacement. Not sure why not covered under class action settlement, and/or extended warranty, or subsequent technical bulletins regarding Kia's defective engines.

My vehicle's engine stopped working on October 15th as my son was driving us 80 mph on I90 headed east just outside of Rochester MN. The cruise control was on but then the car started to decelerate on its own and he pulled onto the shoulder. It smelled like burnt oil. I opened the hood and saw nothing substantial; waited 5 minutes and tried to start it again and although it was turning over, it did not start. Check engine lights came on when the problem started and it vibrated violently twice. AAA took 3 hours to get us which was beyond stressful and scary watching in the rearview mirror as semis and cars in the right lane past us at 80 mph. The Luther Kia dealership in Inver Grove Heights MN stated eventually that the 2 cylinders have no compression and there is a broken exhaust valve. There is only 115K miles on it and I had it into the Bloomington Luther Dealership a month prior. Initially for the front collision sensor that wasn't working but when I pulled in, it smelled of burnt oil and the service tech and I discussed that I had notice it sputtering every once in a while when I accelerated from a dead stop. They said they fixed it by changing the gasket covers. Now Kia wants me to pay $9,000 for the engine to be repaired because my warranty doesn't cover it. I've researched and spoke to people and have heard comments have been made that these engines are constantly failing and they know about it. I would have never put my 15 year old son behind the wheel if I thought it was going to possibly die while we were going 80 mph.

I was driving at night when both of my lower beam headlights went out at the exact same time. My high beams work but not the low beams and it wasn't a blown fuse. Also, my engine has been consuming 2 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles since it hit roughly 58,000 miles. The excessive oil consumption started about 2,000 miles before my next oil change was due. The oil indicator light never came on to indicate my engine was low on oil. The oil indicator light flashed on and off one time as I was slowing down to turn which is what prompted me to check my oil because I knew something wasn't right that the oil indicator only flashed but didn't stay on.

Was driving my car and it just lost all power and cut off. It will not start now. It only has 1 click. The car has used a lot of oil since I've owed it. I do regular oil change and the oil lights still go off and on. I researched why it had power failure and replaced the starter but that didn't work. I started looking into the engines for 2016 kias n found out some have a recall. I hope my car falls in that recall bc I need it fixed . my car gave no warning signs that anything was wrong . just cut off all of the sudden and will not start . had to have it towed to my home

Kia Optima Hybrids from 2014-2016 and most likely the two previous model years all have defective taillights. I know this because I've had two Optimas and I've had to replace 9 taillights in 4 years. The Kia dealer service department told me that that was quite typical of these cars. The light assemblies are not water tight and they fill with moisture on rainy days. This eventually causes the LED ribbons to fail and then the light has to be replaced. Kia will replace them under warranty for the first 60,000 miles but after that the car owner is on the hook for a part that costs approximately $500. A taillight that will not light up is obviously a safety problem. Kia should be forced to replace these pieces for free for as long as these cars exist. I tried to attach two photos but the system wouldn't allow me to continue until I removed them.

I have been having problems with my vehicle since 2020 (when it was still under warranty). My engine is burning oil and there has always been carbon build up on the engine parts. I followed their recommendation and did the combustible engine clean and was never given a pass or fail result. Since 2021, I have replaced cylinder 4 spark plug 7 times. My warranty was up in December 2021 and now the problems are just getting worse. I have been told that I have a bad engine but until a knock sensor comes on or my engine fails, Kia will not do anything about it. I am driving an unsafe car as I have no way of knowing when the engine will fail. When my spark plug fouls, I am unable to drive the vehicle and have to have the car towed to the dealer (which has now been five times). I am now replacing the same spark plug (cylinder 4) every three days because of carbon buildup. The dealership has no solution or fix for this problem besides replacing the engine. My engine is still burning oil and they have no solution for that either, besides replacing the engine. Kia is doing nothing about this problem, when they know that these engines are bad.

I have a 2016 Kia Optima within the 2nd year all my window motors fail within a 6 month timeframe. My car in the 4th year started to burn oil quickly the oil light would not appear until I begin to hear a knocking sound. Also, in the 4th year of having my car there has been cracking in my passenger side (I think it is where the airbag is located). All of the areas could put my life in some type of danger or a family member if KIA doesn't see fit to remedy these areas. In 2018, my warranty was out and I didn't know until I received my bill the service person didn't advise me of this issue. So, I ended up paying $700 for a battery installment when I advised him that it was the issue, he insisted I get a diagnosis done.

Car has been burning oil since purchased. Over a quart in 1000 miles. Engine rattled during acceleration and sometimes stalls at red light. Every time I take it into Kia they state nothing is wrong. They performed an engine cleaning around 80,000 miles but won’t help me now that my car has 107,000 miles.

Emergency break stopped working. Engine misfires and heavy oil consumption or burning to quickly. Gets really really hot more than normal than any other car I owned.

My car is experiencing excessive oil consumption, engine knocking and shifting delays, grinding or jumping during acceleration, the car jerking on the road.

Every 2000 miles I need to put in a quart of oil. When car down shifts to 35mph the oil light flickers. At downshift of 10mph there is a slight shutter and the oil light flickers.

On Saturday, 09/17, I took my vehicle in for a standard oil change & alignment with a 3-party mechanic (pepboys). Once the work was done I was informed by the mechanic that the Driver's side window was in the down position and would not go back up. I was informed that it was because the Regulator went out and it is a Kia only part. Kia is unavailable on the weekends so they would get the part on Monday. On Tuesday, 09/20 Pepboys was able to get the part and repair the window to the tune of $822.67. The part alone was $542. Today, Thursday, 09/22 on my drive into work the back Driver's side window began to slide down while I was driving. This is a severe safety hazard that needs to be address by Kia. The Window Regulators will fail without warning & while the vehicle is in motion. I have 60k miles, this is not a high mileage vehicle.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated upon activating the heater while driving, she smelled an abnormally strong gasoline odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to Kia Independent Recall Campaign Number SC172 (High Pressure Fuel Pump Outlet Inspection). Additionally, the contact stated while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond and then lunged forward abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that she needed to pay for a diagnostic test and the repair cost because the VIN was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

This car has developed P0010 code which stands for "A" Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit/open bank 1. Car idles roughly, shifts weirdly and has less power than before. I found that there is a TSB from KIA for the same issue but only for cars made in South Korea in 2016, mine was built in Dec. 2015 in Georgia plant so it doesn't qualify for this TSB and I'll have to pay out of pocket to fix this issue.

extreme oil consumption. Burning oil like crazy and occasional knocking

I took my car in for an oil change and it was extremely low on oil, I found out that Kia has a class action law suit for excessive oil consumption. I had the test performed at a Kia dealership and it does in fact have the oil consumption issue, it was down 2 quarts within 1000 miles. Kia is saying that they will not cover it or perform the necessary fix that is required (replace the engine or at least perform the combustion cleaning procedure). This in my mind is a safety hazard and Kia should back their product of a known issue. My wife drives this car and if the engine locks up she could be stranded or injured if it happens on the road.

My car was just confirmed by the dealership it is burning 2 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. I am consistent with getting oil changes, and just recently, my check oil light would start flickering when I was needing an oil change. It slowly started happening sooner and sooner until the repair shop recommended me to go to the dealership. I was told by the receptionist that this issue did not involve my warranty (which conveniently just expired May 2021) and that I would get my engine replaced if the Oil Consumption test failed. I just brought it in for part 2 and was told this was incorrect and all the repairs would be 100% my responsibility. The service guy told me to constantly add more oil, and if my engine fails CATASTROPHICALLY, Kia might step in to help. I am afraid to drive my car and feel like no one is stepping up to help?!

Paint of the hood of my kia optima started peeling off as of Sept 5th,2022, there are small peelings on top of car and trunk. Took car to mvp paint&body, San Benito, tx to see if I needed to make an appt and he stated that he has dealt with this kind of problem and insurance companies and dealerships are paying for damages. I called Bert Ogden kia in harlingen and they told me there was no paint recall and until I got a letter to bring vehicle and letter. This is my dilemma and will now contact my car insurance carrier, Texas farm bureau, San Benito,tx to see if they can help, I don't want this to get worse and car gets rusty with more problems.

Was driving car and started knocking and shutting down. Engine light came on and car was acting weird. Stopped to check oil and fluids which were full. Started car to try to get to a safe spot but car would not move. Took to a independent mechanic and he stated car had throwing a rod and motor was no good. All maintenance was done on time and accordingly. There is a faulty motor problem

Engine suddenly failed. Heard loud tapping sound and engine stopped working. No assistance from KIA,

Engine has no leaks but is consuming oil at an alarming rate. Oil must be added every 3 weeks

I purchased this vehicle about a year ago upon purchasing vehicle I noticed I was having to get an oil change every other week and when I would go in I would have no oil. Fast forward to now I am buying 5g oil from Advance Auto parts every week my car is burning through oil excessively and causing my sparks plugs and coils to go bad from the oil. I have had to get my coils and sparks plug replaced three times in 5 months. I took the vehicle to get an oil consumption test at the Conway Kia dealership and they said nothing was wrong which is inaccurate because no car is burning 5 g oil each week. My car is currently at 80,000 miles I know once it reach 100,000 my warranty voids and at that point Im left with no recourse on this vehicle

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had scheduled a service appointment for an unknown recall repair on the fuel pump. The contact stated that the dealer informed him that the recall repair could not be completed until the fuel neck was repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 77,700.

Three power window regulators have failed over the course of a year. Without warning the window suddenly drops down and cannot be let up. On each occasion, the regulator gears appear to have just desecrated. The car windows are rarely let down. The passenger side rear was the first to fail. The driver's side rear failed 4 months later. The passenger side front was the third to fail 3 months later. It seems like this is a very common problem, but Kia has not set up a recall. Instead, they are raising the price of the window regulators. Interestingly enough, the new regulators have a blue gear instead of a white gear.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while depressed. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact's daughter drove over a curve to stop the vehicle. The contact's daughter pulled into a parking lot and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The engine consumed 5 quarts of oil for every 5,000 to 7,000 miles driven. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle accelerated quickly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change, and the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and that there were no leaks found. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with an unknown warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally overheated while the coolant level was full. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to a faulty low-pressure fuel pump. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

Two of the four window regulators failed. The rear windows fell down within weeks of each other. The car has 46000 miles and the rear windows are rarely used. It appears to be a known defect according to the internet. I contacted Kia and they said to notify NHTSA.

I have a kia Optima Hybrid that has an Open Recall for the engine according to Kia's website' which they failed to address or informed me of it needing it on 07-30-2022 which was installing the KSD update for the engine. The engine started knocking on 09-12-2022. The informed me that they do not make the KSD sensor update available to customers anymore since it is passed the campaign in dates in 2021, and that is why it was not installed. Although the owners site shows the recall and asks if I want to make and appointment for it. They are doing this with multiple owners. I am also curious as to why my car doesn't show this recall on here and it shows on Kia's owner site as being and open recall along with another recall. Kia case #15050283

On July 27, 2022 the oil light on my 2016 KIA Optima came on intermittently. I called the dealership and they told me to have it towed in. So I had it towed to the KIA dealer. The car had only 37,075 miles on it that day. It was not due for an oil change until 39,647! After they had it for a week they told me that it was burning oil. To fix the problem I would have to get a new engine installed! They told me that this was not covered by KIA or my Extended Warranty. They added oil -- that was it. Their recommendation was that I should put oil in it more frequently. So the oil light went off. I read that when cars burn oil inappropriately the residue can affect the engine and other parts. Putting more oil in doesn't solve the problem of excessive oil burning! I am afraid to drive it now. I've read that some vehicles with this problem stop right in the middle of the road. That is dangerous.

Despite maintaining the vehicle and replacing the battery, the car will have weird acceleration jumps during highway and city travel. It will also not start properly on occasion where it will idle rough and stall when trying to shift into drive or reverse.

The oil is leaking into the engine, was taken to a kia dealer for repair $542.45 unsuccessful , I am putting oil in my car every 3 weeks. Purchased the car in April and over $2500 spent. The oil is still going into the engine, no leaks on the ground. Was told to deal with it and wait until my engine pops by Thomas kia of highland indiana

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was previously taken to the dealer due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and diagnosed with total engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,281.

140000 miles motor will not start. Oil leak has been an issue and having to stick a quart of oil in every 1000 miles. Vehicle went into safe mode and wouldnt go faster than 35 mph. Then vehicle proceeded to cut off mid drive and will not start back.

check engine light lit up when I was driving on a freeway, causing vehicle stalling. knocking noise was present when it occurred.

Headlights will randomly turn off when set on automatic lights. Turn signal might be part of the issue. Headlights will turn off when driving on winding road or randomly when you turn on the turning signal. I was driving rounding on the hillside when my headlights randomly turned off. So scary because I could have driven off the cliff. No specific dates because it happens consistently. I will enter the most recent but it goes back about 2years. I should add for safety sake, that it also happened when I was driving on a relatively straight-smooth road

Using a qt or more of oil every 1000 miles or less. Kia told me that was normal. There are no puddles or spots where I park but it's obvious there's about problem. Has had plugs replaced 3 times in last year and today I had a flashing check engine light come on and lost power with a suspected misfire. Car will need to go to dealership again. I have lost all trust in Kia and their engines. With all these these problems there should be some kind of resolution to get these cars fixed at no charge. I currently have 112099 miles. I have been to the dealership many times prior to car going out of warranty with them telling my oil consumption was normal.

The trunk latch stopped working won’t lock