2018 Kia Optima Complaint Log

Turned on my car and steering wheel was stuck , it didn’t turn, turn the engine off and back on and it went back to normal.

while driving, all lights (headlights, instrument, etc) would randomly go dark. Lighting usually restored after toggling the instrument control arm from on-to-off-on. Obviously super dangerous as driver can't see roadway and other drivers can't see the car.

Vehicle is making a noise when trying to accelerate. Have replaced all spark plugs and coil #4. It is making noise still and shaking. Coil has been switched and issues are reading fuel injector or air intake or electrical. Previous reading was head gasket... Only on spark plug 4 coil is it reporting an issue...All dealerships locally are booked to even get a diagnostic test.

Leaking gas at the firewall when running.

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2018 KIA OPTIMA EX.ALL THE WINDOWS EXIBIT DISTORTION SO BAD ,AS TO INTERFERE WITH LINE OF SITE FROM THE DRIVER SEAT.THERE ARE RIPPLES IN THE GLASS FRONT REAR AND SIDES. AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY COULD BUFF THEM OUT,I MADE A BET WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER HE COULD NOT AS THE PROBLEM WAS BETWEEN THE PLATES OF GLASS.THE DEALER REPLACED THE WINDSHIELDAND HE SAID HE WOULD REPLACE THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW.BUT THAT WAS SERVERAL MONTHS AGO.I CAN NOT SEE OUT OF THE REAR WINDOW AT NITE.IF IT RAINS ALL VISIBILITY IS SCARY.

ENGINE LOSES COMPRESSION AND CAR DIES WHILE IN MOTION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ON THE ROAD! THIS CAR IS BARELY OUT OF WARRANTY WITH ONLY 104,000 MILES! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

While driving, car in motion, Front Passenger Seat belt Audio Warning Periodically goes off without reason. Indicating seat is occupied & seat belt needs putting on. When seat has been unoccupied / clear from any type of weight on seat to trigger sensor. Audio warning will continue until seat belt is latched over the empty seat. Local KIA Service Dept was informed & could neither confirm or deny its faulty behavior for it did not present itself during time of service. They said, wiring looked fine but did no further testing. To be honest they showed no interest into seeing any real importance for my concern for them to feel any further investigation was warranted. Its happened again twice since that service visit be it last incident Aug 7th. My concern is.... if there is faulty wiring or sensor signals being crossed somewhere, whats to say there is a passenger or no passenger in that seat, to ensure the correct signal is getting to the passenger side air bags of when to correctly deploy if an accident should happen with passenger in seat? This situ is only recent starting about a year a go. So something has changed from being fine for 2 yrs up to the last year that's now showing some kind of seat belt / sensor failure. I'm unfamiliar with how that wiring system works & linked within it for me know what other things I might need to pay more attn to, looking for other signs that could be saying is direct cause to the prob. Unsure if this a simple solution or is something that others are experiencing with this year & model car & poss be a Manufacturer Part Default

While driving at highway speed my children (11, 7, & 5) and I were almost rear-ended when my Kia Optima 2018 (79k) without ANY warning loses power, jerks and then regains power. A number of vehicles behind us had slam on their brakes to avoid a pileup. My Optima almost resembled the feeling when a vehicle runs out of gas but much more abrupt. The drink my son was holding was thrown out of hand due the vehicle jerking to an almost stop and jerking back to power. No warning light, battery & alternator both test good and tank was half full. Two days pass and the same system fail while driving with the same similarities (no warning lights). My Optima is no longer under warranty and I have no financial resources for repairs.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil without warning. The contact stated that after receiving an oil change, the oil reservoir was empty within less than a week. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the oil change was performed and the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer where she was informed that since she was the second owner of the vehicle, they could not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

Driving at night, was getting onto the freeway. Entrance to the freeway was on a curved street, as I was taking the turn leading into the freeway the lights turned off, Then suddenly turned back on and then off again all while I was merging onto the freeway. I quickly took the light out of “AUTO” setting. Very scary as I almost got hit by the truckers already on the freeway. I’ve had issues with the blind spot warning as well. It fails all the time so of course I never put my trust on that. The lighting situation is very scary, as it was happening you could see the dashboard setting itself to AUTO and randomly going up and down the list of options as if it was being controlled by someone else. I could’ve caused an accident. Please check this issue.

The electrical components connected to the headlights seem to be faulty. When lights are set to AUTO, the lights will turn off completely when switching on turn signal. At times the light will not come on at all when set to AUTO or On without cycle back to off.

When driving with headlights set to Auto the headlights turn off whenever the blinker is used. I've found many complaints however my vehicle has not been inspected. This poses a hazard of driving at night with no headlights, then having to fiddle with the switch to turn them back on.

consistently getting oil changes. if the car doesn't rcvd an oil change before 3000 miles the check engine light comes on and then the light removes after oil change. in between the time period of getting oil changes it may run junky or you hear the catalytic converter trying to push air thru and it rattles.

Problems: lights switch is in auto position and I have locked the vehicle. I noticed at least twice the exterior lights come on and stays on until I unlock start the vehicle and turn engine off. Additionally on June 3 2021 light switch in automatic position coming home at night the head lights turned themselves off the dashboard lights remained on. I was a half mile from home and able to get the vehicle home safely. Turned the headlights switch to manual to turn lights back on.No warning lights came on. Mechanic will look at vehicle later this week. I have no confidence the mechanic will be a to replicate the problem. That's their if can't be reproduced or the computer did notice, it didn't happen .The vehicle is available for inspection

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 60MPH AND SUDDENLY THE FRONT PART OF MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED. THERE WAS NO IMPACT OR ACCIDENT THAT CAUSED THIS. WE WEREN'T HIT BY ANY ROAD DEBRIS OR ANYTHING IT JUST EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE UNTO THE ROAD SHOULDER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY TAKEN TO ANCIRA KIA (6139 BANDERA ROAD, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78238, (210)684-4000) DUE TO THE HESITATION AND STALLING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AND CHANGED THE OIL HOWEVER, THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,800.

I ORIGINALLY LEASED MY 2018 OPTIMA WITH 98 MILES ON IT AND BOUGHT IT OUT AT THE END OF MY LEASE THIS WAS MY SECOND OPTIMA, I ALSO HAD 2 HYUNDAI SONATAS. SINCE I'M IN SALES I HAD THE ADDED MILEAGE ON IT. AT 98,000 MILES THE ENGINE STARTED TICKING. I ORIGINALLY HAD A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA THAT WHEN IT HIT 105,000 STARTED TICKING ONLY TO FIND THAT IT WAS BURNING OIL (1.5 QUARTS A WEEK) SO I WAS HESITANT ABOUT ANOTHER KIA BUT THE DEALER ASSURED ME THAT KIA HAD BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY HAD FIXED IT. GUESS WHAT?! IT HASN'T. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN EVERY 1,000 MILES FOR OIL CHANGE AND HAVE THE DOCUMENTS SHOWING HOW MUCH OIL WAS BEING BURNED OFF. ACCORDING TO KIA CORPORATE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE REQUIRES A QUART OF OIL EVERY 1,000 MILES AND WAS UNDER OWNERS WARRANTY. NEVER AGAIN. PEOPLE WATCH YOUR VEHICLES. THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM WITH KIA AND HYUNDAI AND THEY DO NOT HONOR THEIR WARRANTIES.

BOTH OF MY BACK DOOR SENSATORS ARE SAYING THE BACK DOORS ARE OPEN BUT THEY'RE LOCKED

LOUD RATTELING WHEN CRANKING, CONTINUOUS RATTELING WHEN ACCELERATING UNDER DRIVERSIDE FLOOR BOARD MADE A CLUNK SOUND WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND NOW ITS LIKE A SLIDING SOUND BEFORE IT CATCHES BRAKE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING LOCKED IN MID TURN WITH THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT CALLED PERRIS VALLEY KIA (707 E 4TH ST, PERRIS, CA 92570) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO REPAIR THE DEFECT WAS TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE DEALER FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD. THE CONTACT DECLINED THE OFFER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 35,000.

I HAVE 63,826 MILES ON MY 2018 KIA OPTIMA S AND I DROVE IT TO THE STORE AND ALL MY LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON WHEN I WOULD COME TO A STOP AND MY POWER STEERING WOULD GO OUT AND ABOUT CAUSE ME TO WRECK. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS MY ALTERNATOR BUT AFTER GETTING A NEW ALTERNATOR I THEN DROVE IT TO GET DINNER A FEW DAYS LATER WHEN THE SAME THING STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN AND MY POWER STEERING KEPT GOING OUT AGAIN. I HAVE TWO NEWBORN BABIES, A 5 YEAR OLD AND A 10 YEAR OLD IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME AND HAD I WRECKED WHEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BAD SITUATION.

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT AS I WAS DRIVING ON I65 AND MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND MY SEAT BELT DIDN'T LOCK UP

THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES TO NOT ONLY MYSELF. IT MY WIFE AS WELL. AS WE'RE DRIVING ANYWHERE ABOVE 45MPH. A WARNING DISPLAY COMES ON TELLING US TO CHECK THE HEV, TO PULL OVER, AND TURN OFF OUR VEHICLE. WE COMPLY TO THE WARNING AND WHEN RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THEN SAME ISSUE HAPPENS AGAIN A FEW MINUTES AFTER DRIVING. ONE OUT OF THE FOUR TIMES THAT THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURED TO US, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY DIED ON MY WIFE DUE TO THE BATTERY NOT CHARGING. SO WHEN SHE PULLED OVER AND TRIED TO TURN THE VEHICLE BACK ON, IT WOULDN'T RESTART. CODE ON CAR IS P2600 GENERIC COOLANT PUMP CIRCUIT A OPEN. EVERYWHERE SAYS RECALL ISN'T AVAILABLE FOR OUR CAR BUT AM SEEING THAT SAME ISSUE WITH OUR YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL IS OCCURRING. WHICH IS THE HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM IS BEING AFFECTED. THE VOLTAGE PROTECTION DEVICE (VPD), DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY MODULE IS BEING ACTIVATED INADVERTENTLY.

ON NOVEMBER 7 WHILE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN SC I HAD A CATOSTROPHIC FAILURE IN MY FRONT LEFT TIRE AT 55 MILES PER HOUR. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO EXIT SAFELY AND GET MY VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. THE TIRE WAS FILLED TO MANUFACTURER PSI AND WAS DRIVEN ONLY 13,151 MILES. THE SIDEWALL WAS BLOWN OUT. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING TO CAUSE THIS FAILURE THE TIRE IS A KUMHO 215 R17 94 V. MY VEHICLE IS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA S. I BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE A FULL REPLACEMENT FOR THIS FAILURE.

2018 KIA OPTIMA EX. SOMETIMES HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO START, UNTIL TODAY. ALL LIGHTS ON DASH LIT UP BUT NO IGNITION. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES, THEN STEERING AND BRAKE PEDAL LOCKED UP AND I HEARD CLICKING NOISE. HAD SOMEONE JUMP MY BATTERY AND THE CAR STARTED UP, BUT WHEN I TURNED IT OFF, IT WOULD NOT START AGAIN. NOTHING WAS LEFT ON ALL NIGHT, CAR WAS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED WITH HANDLE. I AM CONTACTING THE DEALER THIS AFTERNOON TO SEE HOW THEY HANDLE THIS.

MY CAR SUDDENLY EXPERIENCE MAJOR ELECTRICAL ISSUES. I DROVE MY CAR TO THE STORE AND BACK HOME. I WENT BACK TO MY CAR AND IT STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM BUT MY DASH WAS FLASHING, MY BRAKE, STEERING, CHECK ENGINE, AIRBAG, ABS, AND TRACTION'S CONTROL INDICATORS CAME ON ALL AT ONCE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO GEAR. I USED THE PARK RELEASE SHIFT TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND THE CAR HAS NO POWER STEERING. BUT IT MOVES. I TOOK IT TO THE JEFFERY KIA IN ROSEVILLE,MI AND BASICALLY WAS TOLD THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH CAR. THEY ASK ME HAD MY CAR BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING! YOU CAN LOOK AT THE CAR AND SEE THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCIDENTS OR LIGHTNING STRIKES TO THE CAR. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME EXTRA MONEY TO KEEP THE CAR JUST TO TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. I KNOW THIS IS A DEFECT WITH THIS VEHICLE. I SEE THE EPD RECALL ON 2018 KIA OPTIMA BUT THEY ARE SAYING IT'S ONLY FOR HYBRIDS. WHICH IS FALSE THIS HAS TO BE HAPPENING TO ALL THE KIA OPTIMA MODELS.

Back in September of 2020, my car randomly went to limp mode while driving at highway speeds. Had the car towed to the dealer. Dealer advised of apparent “software issue” to correct the problem. Well this happened two more times after that twice the software was updated which didn’t work. The third time the replaced the knock sensor and so far I haven’t went to limp mode, however, the car has not drove the same and seems to get worse each passing day. Rough shifting, engine vibrates more than usual. Car struggles at times to go up hills, when giving gas a though way speed the car has a few second delay. Sometimes it feels as if the transmission is skipping. The car is up to date on all recommended services, I.e transmission flush and fill etc. There are also times when the vehicle is started but struggles. Almost as if it want to loose power but it doesn’t. Has happened numerous times however recently it actually didn’t start. Struggle to turn over a couple time but then finally did. A check engine light came on but then went away the next day after driving. I have an appointment with the dealer this week to look at this and other issues, again, hoping for some progress at that point.

WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT THE LIGHTS WILL CUT COMPLETELY OFF. YOU HAVE TO SWITCH FROM AUTO TO THE ON POISTION. ITS A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS SITUATION.

WHEN I GO TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOPPED POSITION; THE CAR STALLS AND TURNS OFF AND THEN IT TURNS ITSELF BACK ON. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN I DRIVE OVER 50 MPH THE CAR/TIRES START TO VIBRATE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE AN UNKNOWN NOISE, THE CONTACT COSTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CHECK UNDERNEATH AND AROUND THE VEHICLE TO SEE WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM BUT DID NOT FIND ANYTHING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE STATED THAT SHE WAS ON A WAY TO TAKEN THE VEHICLE FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THE TECHNICIAN HEARD THE NOSE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HE WAS WOULD NEED TO CHECK EVERYTHING BEFORE HE CAN COMPLETE AN OIL CHANGE. THE TECHNICIAN REMOVED THE PROTECTIVE SHIELD UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED OIL WAS ALL OVER AND METAL SHAVING WAS IN THE OIL AROUND THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT IT MAYBE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT CALLED NAPLETON'S MID RIVERS KIA, 4955 VETERANS MEMORIAL PKWY, ST PETERS, MO 63376, AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO SCHEDULE AND APPOINTMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AUFFENBERG HYUNDAI, 1300 CENTRAL PARK DR, O'FALLON, IL 62269, AND THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT FIND A FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WOULD SEND AND ENGINEER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED YET. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT SHE WAS EXPERIENCING ELECTRIC SHACK FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. AND THAT THE ACCELERATOR WAS LOSING PRESSURE AND THAT SMOKE WAS COMING THROUGH THE VENT OF THE CABIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,573.

CAUGHT FIRE WHILE DRIVING.

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT LIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OUT ON HIGHWAY WHILE IN AUTO MODE

THIS HAS HAPPED NOW 5 TIMES!! WHEN APPLYING MY BRAKES, THE PEDAL GETS FIRM WHICH LITTLE TO NO REDUCTION IN SPEED! THEN PEDAL GOES ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WHEELS LOCK UP, COMING TO AN ABRUPT STOP! EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM AND WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF WARNING! EACH TIME I WAS APPROACHING A STOPS SIGN OR COMING UP TO AN OFF RAMP! BROUGHT MY CAR INTO THE KIA DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT OUT FOR HOURS AND THEY DID NOT COME UP WITH ANYTHING BUT TOLD ME THEY WOULD REPORT IT! SO STILL HAVING PROBLEMS AND THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT! I DON'T FEEL I CAN SAFELY DRIVE MY VEHICLE ANYMORE ESPECIALLY WITH MY KIDS!!! THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!!! BUT OF COURSE KIA WON'T DO THE EXTRA WORK TO HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM!!

FIRST OFF MY CAR IS FINE. AGAIN MY CAR IS FINE NO COMPLAINTS. NHTSA HAS MISS IDENTIFIED MY 2018 OPTIMA LX WITH 2.4L ENGINE HYBRID. NHTSA WITH THIS SCREW UP HAS OHIO BMV THINKING MY CAR IS HYBRID AND WANTS AN EXTRA $100 DOLLARS AS A FEE FOR LICENSE BECAUSE THEY THINK IT IS ELECTRIC. OHIO BMV OR APPARENTLY NHTSA DOSE NOT HAVE A PROCESS TO FIX THE PROBLEM OR FIGURE OUT MY CAR IS GASOLINE ONLY. OHIO BMV WILL WILL ONLY GO ON WHAT NHTSA WEB SITE SAYS. IT APPARENTLY SAYS MY CAR COULD BE A HYBRID. AS I SAY NO PROBLEM WITH CAR BUT NHTSA HAS MISS CODED WHAT MY CAR IS. HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ANY HELP FROM KIA YET.

ENGINE TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING, GOING STRAIGHT, IN CITY. DEALERSHIP CAN NOT DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE PROBLEM. *TR

I LEASED 2018 KIA OPTIMA EX. AT 6399MILES AND 9650MILES ENGINE LIGHT ON AND CAR VIBRATES A LOT. FIRST SERVICE REPLACED SPARK PLUG AND SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED ENGINE. THIS CAR WAS AWARDED AS BEST INITIAL QUALITY AWARD WHICH HAS ENGINE ISSUES. KIA SAYS THEY WILL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY IF ANYTHING HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING CAR BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN THEY WILL REPLACE ENGINE OR REPAIR IT. KIA IS NOT CONFIDENT THAT REPLACED ENGINE WILL NOT HAVE THIS ISSUE. *TR

Trying to cut off and jerks when stopping vehicle

THE STEERING WHEEL DOESN'T LOCK WHEN I PUT IT IN PARK, TURN THE CAR OFF AND REMOVE THE KEY.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was then taken to Battleground Kia of Greensboro (2927 Battleground Ave, Greensboro, NC 27408) but no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

RANDOMLY BRAKE PEDAL ON MY KIA OPTIMA FREEZES AND IM UNABLE TO APPLY AND STOP VEHICLE IT HAPPENED TWICE ONCE IT HAPPENED ON HWY AND ONCE ON CITY STREET. CURRENTLY VEHICLE IS IN DEALERSHIP SINCE JAN 2ND AND DEALER STATING THEY ARE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE ISSUE

3 TIMES INTERMITTENTLY BRAKE PEDAL ON MY 2018 KIA OPTIMA FROZE AND TO IT WONT BRAKE. NO LIGHTS CAME ON DASHBOARD. I HAVE ONLY 22.000 MILES ON IT. I TOOK THE CAR TO NEAREST KIA DEALER TWICE. ACCORDING TO THEM THEY ARE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND COMPUTER NOT READING ANY ERROR CODES VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE

THE CV AXLE ASSEMBLIES SNAP LIKE THE 2016 MODELS DO KIA'S RECALL NUMBER SC139.

I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH MY CAR, I GET MAINTENANCE AS SCHEDULED SO IT'S ODD THAT THIS IS EVEN HAPPENING. ON DECEMBER 6TH I WENT TO MOVE MY CAR. I CRANK THE CAR WITH NO PROBLEM. I NOTICED IT KIND OF HESISTATED SLIGHTLY, BUT CONTINUED ON WITH NO PROBLEM. WHEN I WENT TO PUT MY CAR IN REVERSE IN ORDER TO PARK IT STALLED AND ABOUT 5 OR 6 OF THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH CAME ON, THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD TO MANAGE/STEER AND AS 6 OTHER LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING, I COULD NO LONGER MANIPULATE MY WHEEL SO I ALLOWED THE CAR TO ROLL INTO THE SPOT BECAUSE I WAS ON A SLIGHT INCLINE AND PUT IT IN PARK. THE MOMENT I DID THAT THE CAR CUT OFF. IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER, IT WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING BESIDES CLICK WHEN I TRIED TO CRANK THE CAR AGAIN. I EVENTUALLY ASKED SOMEONE FOR A JUMP AND MANAGED TO MAKE IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY I GOT UP AND DROVE AS I NORMALLY WOULD AND THATS WHEN THE ELETRIC POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN THAT LIGHT COMES ON THE CAR BECOMES HARD TO MANEUVER. THANKFULLY THAT TIME IT WENT OFF AND PROCEEDED TO DRIVE AS IT WOULD NORMALLY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY WITHOUT ANY WARNING. SO AT ANY MOMENT I COULD BE DRIVING AND THE CAR CAN STOP ON ME. I HAVE 4 KIDS AND LIVE IN A REALLY BUSY AREA SO EVEN THE THOUGHT OF THIS HAPPENING HAS ME SECOND THINKING EACH TIME I HAVE TO MOVE MY CAR!! I'VE SEEN MORE THAN ONE OF THE SAME COMPLAINT AND I NOTICE OUR VIN #'S ARE SIMILAR SO SOMETHING SHOULD REALLY BE DONE ABOUT THIS AS IT SEEMS THIS IS A TREND WITH THE YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL OF THIS CAR.

I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND STARTED TO HEAR AN NOISE FROM THE FRONT RIGHT WHILE I WAS ON A ROAD TRIP. HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 45 MILES AND MOVED OVER ONE LANE TO THE RIGHT AND FRONT RIGHT TIRE BLEW - HAD LESS THAN 16,000 MILES ON CAR. I GOT THE TIRE REPLACED AT A KIA DEALERSHIP AND WHEELS ALIGNED. THEN,DRIVING ON A MAIN ROAD, 45 MPH A FEW WEEKS LATER, GOT TO A PASSING ZONE, AND PASSED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AFTER ACCELERATING TO 65 DURING THE SHORT PASSING ZONE. AFTER PASSING THE CAR I TAPPED THE BREAKS TO SLOW BACK DOWN TO 45 AND THE TRACTION, BRAKE, AND TMZ LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. WHEN BRAKE ENGAGED, CAR DID NOT BRAKE AS NORMAL AND A ODD NOISE LIKE A GRINDING SOUND COULD BE HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL AREA. TOOK THE CAR INTO DEALERSHIP, THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS, SAID IT WAS A 'MISS-TRIPPED' SENSOR AND CLEARING IT CORRECTED THE ISSUE. I DROVE MY CAR LESS THAN 5 MILES DOWN THE ROAD AND ENGAGED THE BRAKE ON A 40 MPH ROAD AT A STOP LIGHT, ALL THREE LIGHTS CAME RIGHT BACK ON. HAD TO CALL AND TAKE CAR BACK IN AND THEY ENDED UP KEEPING MY CAR SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE SAYING I HAD A BAD TIRE SENSOR, BUT CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. DROVE AGAIN, TO A NEIGHBORING CITY AND HAD BEEN DRIVING ABOUT 40 MILES AND FRONT LEFT TIRE BLEW. GOT IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO SAID TIRES BLOWING HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH CENSOR. GOT TIRE CHANGED AND ROTATION. PICKED UP CAR AND TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON -LOW PRESSURE. NITRO WAS ADDED BY DEALERSHIP AND LIGHT WENT OFF. TURNED MY PRESSURE READER ON AND 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD THE CAR WENT FROM 37 TO 45 PSI. I THINK BAD SENSOR IS CAUSING OVER INFLATING OF TIRES AT THE DEALERSHIP LEADING TO BLOWN TIRES.TESTED PRESSURE WITH SEPARATE PRESSURE READER AND TOO HIGH SO LET SOME AIR OUT, DROVE DOWN A HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH AND CAR 'BOTTOMED OUT' ON A ROLLING DIP IN THE ROAD SCRAPPING THE PLASTIC PROTECTION PIECE BEHIND THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE UNDER THE CAR

HELLO I AM NYCHOLE AND IN OCTOBER OF 2017 I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2018 KIA OPTIMA . NEVER REALLY HAD ANY ISSUES WITH IT UNTIL FRI NOV 22. AS I WAS LEAVING FROM WORK MY CAR DID A VERY ABRUPT JERK THAT I ACKNOWLEDGED BUT DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BECAUSE MY GAS LIGHT HAD JUST CAME ON. BUT TODAY WHICH IS SUNDAY MY CAR'S EPS (ELECTRIC POWER STEERING) LIGHT FLASHED. WEIRDED OUT I LOOK AT THE MANUAL IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. AS I EASED INTO MY APARTMENT COMPLEX THE CAR DID THAT SAME JERK, THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD TO MANAGE/STEER AND 6 OTHER LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING( PARKING BREAK LIGHT,EPB LIGHT ,ABS LIGHT,ESC LIGHT ,BATTERY CHARGE LIGHT, AND THE MASTER MALFUNCTION LIGHT) . I COULD NO LONGER MANIPULATE MY WHEEL SO I PULL FORWARD ONTO A OPEN SPOT AND PUT IT IN PARK. THE MOMENT I DID THIS THE CAR CUT OFF. IT WILL NOT TURN OVER, IT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING BESIDES TICK. I HAVE BEEN GREAT WITH MAINTENANCE BECAUSE IT WAS EITHER FREE OR DIRT CHEAP SO I ALWAYS TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE READ MORE REVIEWS OF PEOPLE GOING THROUGH SIMILAR THINGS. JUST IMAGINE IF I HAD MY CHILD IN THE CAR, ON THE INTERSTATE AND COULD NO LONGER CONTROL MY STEERING WHEEL OR THE CAR JUST DYING MID DRIVE ON THE INTERSTATE HOW DANGEROUS THIS ISSUE IS. MY CAR IS BASICALLY 3 YEARS OLD AND HAS LESS THAT 50 K. IT HAS NEVER BEEN WRECKED , TOWED OR DAMAGED STILL PRACTICALLY NEW. I HAVE ALSO READ SIMILAR RECALLS ABOUT ELECTRONIC ISSUES THAT ARE ONLY RELEVANT TO THE HYBRIDS . THE RECALL SEEMS SIMILAR.

ON NOVEMBER 18, 2019 @ 6:38 PM IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA ON 59TH AVE HEADING WEST I WAS IN A VERY TERRIBLE CAR COLLISION WHERE I WAS AT A STAND STILL AT A RED LIGHT AND WAS REAR ENDED BY A TOYOTA TACOMA GOING 45-60 MPH, UPON IMPACT I WAS FORCED FORWARD AND HIT THE BACK OF A FLAT BED TOW TRUCK AND COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT.

Engine continuously stalls,while driving in both city and hight way. I have taken it in while under warranty and am told that's just how the car runs. Sudden jerks / seizure will happen while driving. since I haven't gotten the vehicle it happens at min 15mph or on the freeway at 65 mph. It is stalls at all mph .

I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2018 KIA OPTIMA IN NOVEMBER 2018. I HAVE PUT APPROXIMATELY 22,500 MILES ON IT AND HAVE BEEN KEEPING UP WITH UPDATED OIL CHANGE MAINTENANCE PER THE SCHEDULE RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALER. ON SATURDAY 9/28 I DROPPED THE CAR OFF FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE, AND AS I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT IT SPUTTERED AS IF IT WAS GOING TO DIE, BUT IT DIDN'T. THE CAR CONTINUED TO RUN AND IT GOT ME HOME. THE NEXT DAY, SUNDAY 9/29, IT DROVE WITHOUT PROBLEMS FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, BUT WHILE DRIVING THE CAR COMPLETELY POWERED DOWN AND STOPPED WORKING. IT WAS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE AS I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR CITY ROAD AND ALMOST CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND WAS ABLE TO START IT BACK UP, AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH NOT TO BE STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED AT THIS TIME SO I CALLED THEM FIRST THING MONDAY 10/1 TO REPORT THE ISSUE AND DROPPED IT OFF. THE DEALERSHIP IS CLAIMING TO BE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE ISSUE SO READY TO GIVE ME THE CAR BACK. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AND I CAN'T BELIEVE WE AS CONSUMERS HAVE TO PUT OUR LIVES AT RISK TO WAIT FOR THE PROBLEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN BEFORE ANY RECOURSE CAN BE TAKEN. FROM MY RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, IT IS VERY COMMON FOR THE DEALERSHIP NOT TO BE ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM SO UNABLE TO PROVIDE A FIX. KIA HAD 5+ YEARS OF ENGINE STALL PROBLEMS THAT WERE NOT ACKNOWLEDGED UNTIL MANY YEARS LATER, AND THE DEALERSHIP CERTAINLY WILL NOT VALIDATE THIS. FURTHERMORE, WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES BOTH GO OUT, SO YOU HAVE NOTHING BUT PRAYERS TO RELY ON TO KEEP YOU ALIVE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE DRIVER WAS TOLD TO PULL OVER BECAUSE THERE WAS SMOKE EMITTING FROM THEIR VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO NORTHSTAR MITSUBISHI PARTS (41-05 34TH ASTORIA, NY 11101) AND AWAITING KIA INSPECTOR FOR A DIAGNOSES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000.

WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE STREETS; ITS AN 2018 KIA OPTIMA.ON AUGUST 2,2019 MY CAR ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE.PEOPLE WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK AND OTHER DRIVERS STOP TO ALERT ME THAT THEY SAW FIRE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR.THEN WHILE DRIVING I START TO NOTICE EXTREME SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD SO MUCH I COULDNT NO LONGER LOOK WHERE I WAS GOING.I PANICKED AND MIND WAS RACING Q HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN I GOT THIS CAR NEW LAST YEAR MAY 1,2018. WHEN I JUMPED OUT TO LOOK AT THE HOOD I SAW MY ENGINE ENGULFED WITH FLAMES.NEARBY DRIVER THREW ME A BOTTOLE OF WATER,LUCKILY I HAD JUST BOUGHT 24 CASE OF WATER, ANOTHER DRIVER PULLED OVER AND WAS HELPING ME POUR WATER TO REDUCE THE DAMAGE OF THE FIRE.NO ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON OR ANY OTHER WARNING LIGHTS BEFORE OR AFTER THE FIRE AND I HAD MY RECENTLY OIL CHANGE.