2016 Kia Optima Complaint Log

Driving down the highway and lost power. check engine light came on the engine shut down and had to coast a mile down hill no shoulder to pull off to. came to a spot to pull over and tried starting it and it started but made a heck of a noise. took it to the dealership and it needs a new engine 60,234 miles on it no warning at all. just paid it off and received the title to it. in the mail the day before in the mail. lost power steering braking had too put it in neutral and coast down hill for a mile. this is mechanical engine failure and a safety issue. 2.4 liter GDI engine.

My Odometer is going fast.Odometer is rolling very fast. Say if I travel 5-miles Odometer registering 15 miles. Calibrate Odometer.

Purchased my 2016 Kia Optima EX om 10/20/20 with 82,000 miles and right away had issues with the car going into limp mode and check engine light on. Not knowing that there was already an oil issue, we took the car in to a repair shop where they told us the car was out of oil so they did an oil change. A few months later the check engine light was back on, so we took it back to the shop and diagnostics indicated an engine issue, so we took it to a Kia dealership. They had the car for 6 days then called and told us to pick up the car because it was running fine and the check engine light was no longer on. Check engine light came back on a few months later, took it back to Kia they said it needed spark plugs/wires and an engine cleaning which was $600. About 8 months later, the check engine light was back on, brought it back into Kia, they said we needed spark plugs/wires, transmission cleaning and break line cleaning, which was $450. 4 months later, got a regularly scheduled oil change, 10 days later, oil light came on and car was out of oil. Brought it to Kia, they did a combustion cleaning for $350. Did the 1000 mile test, which the car failed. Now Kia is saying I need a new engine which will be around $8500, and of course I'm no longer under warranty. My car has been using 6 qts of oil every 600 miles. Even if I could afford a new engine, I no longer trust the safety of my family in this vehicle. Plus there is no guarantee that a new engine wouldn't have this same issue. We are a one-car family, so this has also cost us in rental car fees and inconvenience. How has this engine not been recalled??? Kia should do the right thing and take responsibility for this engine problem.

My 2016 is burning excessive oil. to the point I have to put oil in every 3 days.

The City of memphis has seen a massive spike in motor vehicle thefts. Which i have been one of the Kia vehicles stolen & damage that cant be fixed quick with the steering column. The Memphis Police Department has described the situation as a car theft “epidemic.” The car thieves’ main targets are Hyundais and Kias, which account for approximately 66% of all thefts across all vehicles. Kia and Hyundai, as well as their joint design center, Hyundai Kia America Technical Center (“HATCI”). As the Complaint details, these car thieves figured out what an entire team of Hyundai and Kia engineers seemingly missed: the companies’ vehicles are designed and manufactured with subpar security measures, thereby making them incredibly easy to steal. These design flaws pose significant safety risks and create a substantial financial burden for consumers. the Complaint alleges that many Kia and Hyundai vehicles are equipped with a defect that makes them incredibly easy to steal. Although local media outlets have reported as much, the Complaint describes in detail the nature of the common defect present in these vehicles, including how the thieves are stealing these cars. Given the incredible public safety threat this has created, we did not want to exacerbate this problem by providing aspiring car thieves, a playbook on how to steal these vehicles. Something has to be done.

Excessive oil consumption shaking of vehicle oil light not turning on. Vehicle shutting off not starting.

We're experience excessive oil burning. The oil is not leaking. Internet searches have led me to many others complaining of the same issue. The engine is at risk of seizing. This can cause accidents if it happens on the road and expensive damage to the engine. We get the low oil indicator lamp and we check the oil levels, it's a good quart or so low. I don't believe we're even getting 1000 miles before the lamp comes on again. We do have the dipstick to tell us it's low. We have not yet had it to a shop for futher investigation to see if a sensor is involved or not, but our mechanics have said burning oil is a common issue.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken for diagnostic testing and the contact was informed that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted but was unable to schedule an appointment to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 102,000.

My oil light would flash on when coming to a stop. I was notified my car was low on oil my last oil change. However I was not made aware as to how much. About 2000 miles afterwards when checking the oil it looked to be empty. The oil light would again flash on when coming to a stop but then go back off seconds later. The dipstick was dry. I added the appropriate amount of oil to show in the safe zone on dipstick and again about 1500 miles later the oil light is flashing on when turning/stopping. Separately, the headlights have randomly turned off while driving at night and set on auto on multiple occasions.

My Seat Belt has never been that good but as of recently it won't retract at all

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of a police patrol. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the contact failed to complete an unknown independent recall prior to the failure. However, the contact stated that she had not received the recall notification. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact’s son owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was being driven approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The driver was able to steer the vehicle safely to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with knock sensor detection system (KSDS) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Car is at Kia dealership waiting from an approved from Kia manufacturer due to car having issues with oil in radiator and reservoir coolant, engine damage, car mileage is 91567 Location kia downtown Car unsafe to drive? I have complained to kia so many times and it looks like my records disappeared from ever getting to NHTSA or the manufacturer due to save money or not trying to fix the issue

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the engine seized and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the power steering, brakes, and accelerator pedal became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in a warranty repair however, parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,798. The consumer stated the vehicle was repaired at the owners expense but remains unsafe. Also, the consumer stated she was guaranteed reimbursement by Kia over 7 months ago, and consistently trying to recoup the cost of the repairs, but to no avail.

All 4 windows in my car has dropped down and won't go back up. Have to put a car cover over it to keep it from raining in it or to keep anything else out of it. I rarely rolled my windows down in this car every since I have purchased it and all of a sudden all the windows just drops down. This is a defect on the company part and not mine and i want to find out why I never received a recall letter to this effect for I have seen and read that there were cars recalled for the same problem that I am having with mine.

On May 30 2022 this incident happened. I have 160,000 miles on my 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid and was running just fine in the morning and later in the day motor seized up with no warning no lights from the dash. I heard while driving a quick squeal and puff of smoke from the belt breaking it was done. I was able to drive under the Electric motor side back to my house. I did not look under the hood until the next day and that is when I found the belt was broken. I did not know the motor has seized up until the dealership informed me and was told this motor is now discontinued.

The engine on my vehicle failed while driving it. I was in the middle of the freeway when it seized up. It was also around a bend so it put my life and others at risk. It is sitting out front of my house and can be inspected at anytime. It has been confirmed by an independent service center that my vehicle is not drivable until the engine is replaced. There was no warning lamps until the vehicle was seizing up while driving. It first appeared that day only.

While driving down major highway the engine failed and the electrical system started blinking and I lost all power. No warning, dashboard just lit all up and engine seized up.

Car was stolen off of the street. No alarm went off, keys were with my person. Back window was busted on the ground and all that was left. From video evidence, we can see that all it takes to steal a Kia is a screwdriver and a usb cord. Kia’s stolen are driven recklessly and harmfully to pedestrians (see #kiaboyz on tik tok or instagram). Problem has NOT been acknowledged by Kia or Hyundai. Insurance providers are aware of the situation.

Car has been burning an excessive amount of oil, first reported by my oil tech. Took to the dealership and they requested an oil consumption test, which I had to pay for. This is at 85000 miles. Drove for a little over a 1000 miles and returned it for a second round, the dealership said it had used a considerable amount of oil and would be escalated directly to the manufacturer. It has no leaks, smokes considerably, and hesitant upon acceleration. We will see where it goes from here, have been told that this is common in these vehicles. No oil light or check engine light ever came on. Just glad it didn’t lock up or blow up with my family in the car.

Every window in my car has come off track within a 3months time period . The motor steady runs in the door and the window will not move up or down.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption. The contact indicated that on several occasions the engine oil light was displayed even though the engine oil had recently been changed. After taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic, the contact was informed that the engine oil levels were extremely low and additional oil was needed. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

We have had numerous problems with the engine. There was a recall on these engines for 2011 - 2014 models. The problems have not been corrected. We've now been told we need a new engine. Do we have any recourse/relief since KIA continues to sell cars with engine problems? What can be done?

In April, 2022, while driving on a major highway enroute to work, my 2016 Kia Optima started knocking and completely shutdown in the middle of high-speed traffic. I had the vehicle towed and was told that the recall for the engine knock sensor replacement hadn't ever been done which resulted in the engine to shutdown.

I purchased a used 2016 Kia Optima EX (89,000 miles) from a dealership in NC on March 12, 2022. On April 11, 2022, the car had to be towed to a Kia dealership due to misfiring. It turned out the sparkplugs needed to be replaced. The Kia dealership refused to cover any costs but the dealership I purchased the car from covered the bill. It was later confirmed that the oil was spilling into the sparkplugs. The car is burning/using oil at a rapid rate. I can confirm there are no leaks noticed under the car. I was told by a local mechanic as well as a service representative from Fred Anderson Kia of Raleigh that this is a known issue. The only way to fully fix this issue is to replace the engine but because the car is no longer under warranty, I'll need to pay to have a new engine installed in a car that I've had less than 3-months. I feel like this is a manufacturer's issue and should be considered a recall.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the driver's side seat would inadvertently lower without driver input. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,249.

Got an oil change bout a month ago. 2 weeks ago my oil light started flickering. Miles on vehicle is 119842 next oil change due at 122,000 miles.just 2 days ago as i was coming to a stop at a stop sign my check engine light came on and my oil light came on and stayed on and car shut off. Car comes on but no longer starts. At the kia dealership now.

My 2016 Kia Optima EX with the 2.4L GDI I4 engine has been ticking for roughly a year. The ticking coincides with acceleration (the harder you accelerate, the faster the tick). I took it my local Kia dealer where I've gotten my service done since purchasing the car. They simply stated, "these cars tick, don't worry about it." So I continued changing my oil regularly and monitoring it. Shortly after this, I noticed my oil levels would be lower than normal midway through an oil change cycle (I check my oil periodically because I do not trust the dealership). I took it back in with a concern and they did an oil consumption test, stating my car is burning excessive amounts of oil. After this service, the dealer said it "passed" and that it would no longer be an issue. Still, ticking persisted and I took it back in and forced them to do a full diagnostic on the vehicle (with a hefty charge on my part) to get to the root of the problem. They then recommended a valve deep cleaning service as the next step in the oil consumption service as my car was "still burning oil". There were never warning lights or any other cause of concern of a failure to indicate something was wrong. This is a HUGE issue with Kia and they will not accept the blame for manufacturing faulty engines. My car is no longer covered under warranty and the dealership states that if the engine blows from an oil consumption issue, Kia will not cover the cost. I expect Kia to issue a recall on these engines as hundreds of thousands of customers across the USA are experiencing the same issue.

My dealership has confirmed oil consumption on my vehicle

issues with all of the window regulators stop working. The gears in the regulators are plastic and become dry rot and strip out not allowing the windows to function.

My steering wheel locked while I was on my way to work early Monday, March 28,2022. I was driving down county road Park Avenue around 30MPH and suddenly, I was unable to move the steering at all. Luckily, I was already in the right lane =; however, it was very challenging to steer to get off the road. I called the local dealership and they suggested I bring the car in for inspection to determine what the cause is. I took the car to the dealership and I was informed the vehicle was not drivable because the Steering Wheel Column Assembly and ECU needs repair. They also informed there was no recall on the vehicle. The mileage at the time was 67,400 miles which was very surprising. I received a letter from Kia Motors in February 2022 (6 years after the car was manufactured about the recall however, most cars at this point were out of warranty and Kia was aware no car met the warrantee qualifications). I was told by Kia Motors customer service that my vehicle was out of warranty at the mileage. I paid $3386 for repairs which should have been covered years in 2019 and 2020 according to other reports of the same incident occurring to other 2016 Kia Optima models.

Starting around 57,000 miles the engine started consuming excessive oil and occasionally experienced some knocking upon acceleration. I took it to the dealership and they put me on an oil consumption check every 1000 miles. After 3 rounds of checks they determined it was an issue with the GDI fuel system needing to be flushed which was performed by the dealership service department. The engine appeared to no longer consume excessive oil after I checked at about 1000 miles. After approximately 2000 miles, before my wife left for a long trip, I checked oil and it was down 1 quart. I topped off the oil and after about 750 miles, I checked the oil level and it was about 1 quart low again. The car is currently at the dealership and I'm told I will have to start the whole 1000 mile consumption check AGAIN! Based on other reports of engine seizing and fires I consider this a very possible hazard.

Over the last year I’ve noticed my car burning a lot of oil, around 1qt every 1000 miles. I’ve also noticed the transmission slipping some. I’ve checked thoroughly for leaks and have found none and the place that changes my oil has said they see no leaks also.

My car keeps running out of oil. I've taken it to kia and my mechanic. Both said I need a new engine. My car is hard to drive. I'm putting oil in my car after 200 miles because it's almost empty after having oil changes. I use 8 quarts of oil every time . My car drives horrible. I'm afraid it's gonna shut off on me when I'm driving and it's gonna cause an accident. I'm scared to drive it anymore and I owe 2 yrs left on it. I need a new engine and it's all been happening to my car after 1 yr of having it

*The vehicle is burning oil at a very speedy rate....much quicker than normal. Perhaps more than a quart per 1000 miles. The car is available for inspection. *Today was the second time that I was surprised to find that there was not enough oil to even register on the dip stick. I don't yet know if there was any permanent damage to the engine. My experience seems to be very similar to many other people who have posted online....a possible flicker of the oil light before finding out about the oil deficiency. It concerns me that others said that this led to their car faltering and/or freezing up while driving. That is certainly a safety risk for the drivers/passengers and other motorists. Some people indicated that their engine was ruined and needed to be replaced. *It was the Valvoline mechanic that told me today that there was an issue with these engines causing high oil consumption. *I have not yet had the engine inspected. I just emailed the Kia dealership to inform them and ask about a possible repair. Last year was the first of two instances where I experienced the low oil level. The first time, I had noticed the oil warning light flicker when I rounded a corner a few times during a week or so. I then took it in for an oil change. Today, I noticed one flicker and went right to Valvoline and there was almost not oil remaining. My second issue of concern is that my headlights have randomly turned off when I am driving at night. The first time I thought that I might have accidently touched the switch. However, it has happened two more times that I am aware of and I am sure that I did not touch the switch. I'm not sure if the headlights would have gone back on on their own because I turned the switch from on to off and back again and the lights went back on. There might have been more instances which I have not bee aware of. I just sent an email to Kia about both of these issues. This is item has not been inspected.

The engine is burning about a half a quarter of oil every 1000 miles. The transmission studers when trying to take off and sometimes lags when you accelerate harder.

White paint is chipping away excessively

My steering wheel will randomly lock in the middle of road while driving. I have to forcefully turn wheel to be able to pull of off the road meanwhile the there is on coming traffic. I have been told my car is having misfire and an engine knock code P1326 I have also got other codes and was told it could be a factory malfunction.

The windows on my car drop on their own while I am driving. First it happened on the driver's window which surprised me because it was so abrupt, I almost had an accident. I had that one repaired and it happened to the two rear windows. I have a grandson who is a toddler and the first time it happened it was pouring down rain. The baby started screaming from being pelted with rain and I couldn't pull over fast enough. I contacted KIA they referred me to a dealer who wanted $264 to look at it and $600 per window to repair their defect. My mechanic confirmed the problem stating it is a common issue with certain KIA's this one included. The vehicle is available for inspection, but I can't afford to pay the diagnostic fee or fix this. KIA needs to repair their faulty windows.

I have a 2016 Kia Optima Pearl White and the paint on the hood just started peeling! It looks awful. What should I do to get this problem fixed?

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that on four occasions while the vehicle was parked and the window switches were depressed on all the windows, the windows failed to roll up or roll down as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver's side window regulator had become dismantled, allowing the glass to move up and down. The contact was informed that the window regulator and panel assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired each time. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

The car engine suddenly started making a lot of noises, so we immediately pulled over and stopped the car. The engine wouldn't start back up, and started smoking. We had it towed to an independent service center, where they confirmed that the engine had a crack in it and would need to be replaced. There was still oil (we had just topped it off 1 week prior as it used a large amount of oil). There weren't any warning lights on until the same minute it started making noises, at which time the oil and engine light came on.

I have a pearl white vehicle paint is pealing on passenger back seat door

There is a known issue with this motor burning oil in the engine at an excessive rate. This caused my car to shut down on the California freeway from 65 mph. Warranty wont cover, dealership says its a manufacturer issue that is known and the manufacturer isn't replacing the problem engines. This is a life safety matter

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The oil level warning light was illuminated. The contact also noticed that the front driver's side tire was low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed her that the vehicle was 3-quarts low on engine oil due to the excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred her to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,993.

When starting to move from traffic light, engine revved to full throttle, brakes would not stop the vehicle. I swerved right to avoid the vehicle in front of me, then went over a sidewalk and struck a tree. Car still would not stop. Finally came to rest in a ( luckily empty) bowling alley parking lot. Vehicle sustained heavy right side front damage and had to be towed from the scene.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The main problem with the car is the error p1326 is the knock sensor. I have this car for almost 5 or 6 months. The error has never been inspected by any insurance or police. The only warning about this problem was the "engine light" on the car.

The paint is peeling or delaminating from the car. It is happening in many places. The paint is Snow White Pearl. The car now has about 110,000 miles. The paint warranted for only for 36 months. But it is obvious that this is a quality issue and latent defect. The paint shop says he has seen this a lot with Kias. The paint is not sticking to the primer. I keep hoping there will be a recall on the paint. Even the dealer says it is a problem but Kia corp will not pay to fix the cars with this issue.

I purchased a 2016 Kia Optima LX in 2021, and have been having issues with excessive oil consumption and cylinder misfires. I get regular oil changes and have to top it off every week after, if I forget to check, it will be completely dry. This is hazardous and unsafe to drive not knowing when it will be completely dry to cause serious problems. I've taken it to a Kia dealership and all they did was reset the ECU/EUC (whatever). Now, I've been told at my place for oil changes they can't service the vehicle until the issue has been fixed because it is too dangerous to be driving with the car burning too much oil. My car is at the dealership now to get combustion cleaning done. I had a 2013 Kia Optima in 2018 (and not knowing this issue about the oil consumption even after regular oil changes) the engine seized on that car while on the highway. The car lost power and would not start back up. On both cars, the warning light for oil never comes/came on. After purchasing my current vehicle (2016 Kia Optima), the car gave me trouble every 3 months and the car only had 65,000 miles on it. These vehicles are not safe and are a safety hazard. These vehicles need to be recalled for their engines. IT IS NOT SAFE AND GETS COSTLY to keep having to keep the oil in. It barely reaches 1000 miles and it consumed almost half of the oil after an oil change.