10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 14
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,942 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Kia Optima electrical problems

electrical problem

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2012 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #89

Mar 152023

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My airbag light is on and I have no power to my steering wheel controls including my horn.

- Altamonte Springs, FL, USA

problem #88

May 252022

Optima

  • miles
I was driving down the highway going 75 mph and all of a sudden my car tells me pull over safely do not drive and it shut down while I'm driving. It never turned back on. It started smoking and you could see orange light coming through the vents. I was stuck on a f*cking bridge for 4 hours and I missed court that day. I called Kia and they came to pick up my car. They said it was free because my car has been recalled but ever since they've had it, they stop answering my phone calls and emails and now they are trying to charge me 5000 to get my car back and fixed. Before any of this happened, I noticed an oil leak at the gas station but was unsure whether it came from my car or not.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #87

Oct 132022

Optima

  • miles
Rearview camera does not display when vehicle is in reverse. Is this system required to comply with FMVSS 111 even if it is out of the vehicle manufacturer's warranty period?

- Parrish, FL, USA

problem #86

Sep 272022

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle was broken into and stolen-€¦steering wheel column damage, wheel locked, wreck-€¦usb cord used to crank car..police report filed #2209013764ME

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #85

Jul 192022

Optima

  • miles
Engine light keeps flashing and car stalls and will not go over 45 mph. One incident happened on a busy highway as merged on and was almost hit by a tractor trailer from behind.

- Douglasville, GA, USA

problem #84

Jun 052022

Optima

  • miles
My car caught on fire while driving from somewhere near the engine. The fire was so severe that fire department nor my insurance company were able to determine cause of fire and I-€™d only had vehicle for 45 days, it was a single owner with no accidents and maintained its entire life up to that point. I am requesting someone to examine vehicle and tell me how this possibly happened.

- Lowell , MA, USA

problem #83

Mar 112022

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The speedometer quits working, the car will not shift into gear after parked and turned off, all the dash lights come on. You have to hit the reset button on the gear shift to get the car to do anything.

- Lebanon, IN, USA

problem #82

Oct 132021

Optima

  • miles
Every time i stop at a light my car starts to shake and vibrate. Now the check engine is on and my car is making weird noises, going at higher speeds

- Detroit , MI, USA

problem #81

Sep 042021

Optima

  • miles
The brake light stays on.. causing the battery to drain. Even the vehicle is completely stopped / ignition off.

- Farmers Branch, TX, USA

problem #80

Jun 232021

Optima

  • miles
I driving to park, I heard a loud popping noise and i them preceeded to pull out the driveway and al-€™s 5 minutes in the drive the KIA hybrid warning system came on and then told me to park the ending at the nearest location to park. the car started smoking real lot bad and me and my kid exited the vehicle because of all the smoke. the oil was everywhere on the car, on the motor, leaking out of the car.i then got car towed back home

- Senoia, GA, USA

problem #79

May 012021

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car started idling and running rough out of no where. When I put the computer diagnostic on it it tells me there's problems with the fuel rail pressure sensor. Also the car won't go into drive or reverse but nothing is wrong with the transmission?

- St Charles, MO, USA

problem #78

Jan 132021

Optima

  • 109,000 miles
The engine won't turn over I just bought this car too

- Flagstaff, AZ, USA

problem #77

Feb 102017

Optima 4-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
Brakes squick even after repair and replacement and has a slower response time then usual and caused a rear end accident, cooling and heated seats stopped working on the driver side which I met owners of my exact car said the same thing has happened to them, and the passenger seat controllers doesn't work to operate adjustable seats! the suspensions has been bad every since the recall on the engine; for some reason it was giving back to me with that problem from Kia dealership. Back-up camera is malfunctioning for years now and car doesn't even beep when getting too close to objects/other vehicles anymore either for years! I'm just finding out about the process, recall laws and right to an investigation.

- Tallevast, FL, USA

problem #76

Mar 052021

Optima

  • 82,000 miles
While driving my 2012 Kia Optima hybrid on the farthest left lane of the freeway, a warning message popped up on my dash board that was something similar to "saftley pull over and do not drive vehicle." I began to change lanes to be able to exit the freeway and as I was approaching the edits stop light the moving hehicle seemed to lack much power. I was lucky enough to have the car roll far enough on momentum to get me out of the way of a very busy road. It was a miracle that the car rolled to the spot it did because that happened to be the only place the shoulder could fit my car. I had it sent to Kia dealership and it took them almost an entire week to finally have an idea of what the problem could be. Engine seized as the major problem and offered to replace it for above $8000! the car isn't even worth that much! come to realize there was a recall on my engine so I am now waiting until Kia tech support reaches out to my mechanic for the approval or denial. I bought this used car about 30 days from today's date with 80K miles

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #75

Nov 012020

Optima

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after turning off and exiting the vehicle, the interior lights remained illuminated. Due the failure, the battery was drained on several occasions requiring a jump start to be able to start-up and drive the vehicle. Additionally, the battery had been replaced twice within two months. The contact had taken the vehicle to vision Kia of East rochester (201 E linden ave, East rochester, NY 14445) where they informed him that the exterior wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #74

Feb 242021

Optima

  • 151,300 miles
I was parked in the parking lot at a grocery and folded my side view mirrors up and back down and now the motor in the passenger side view mirror will not stop running. The motor runs day and night and the mirror no longer folds like it's supposed to. I see that I am not the only one that has had the issue with the side view mirrors

- Sumter, SC, USA

problem #73

Feb 242021

Optima

  • 52,313 miles
I was in the parent pick up line to pick up my daughter and I placed my shift in park however my car continued to drive forward and shift gear was stuck. Steering wheel became stiff and I kept foot on brake to slowing maneuver car to a parking spot. Once in parking spot car would not turn off and even though car was in park on the shift gear the drive mode was illuminated. The car finally turned off for a few seconds and than restarted by itself and repeated to do so. I was finally able to move gear shift after accessing the shift gear release lock however the shift gear remained in drive mode. Then engine just completely stopped turning on. Car would not turn, not drivable and had to have it towed for repair.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #72

Oct 132020

Optima

  • 109,000 miles
Car will not get out of immobilization phase, with either key fob will not unlock to use push to start. Issue is waste gate activator failure or needs adjustment.

- Dalton, GA, USA

problem #71

Feb 052021

Optima

  • miles
My check engine light is blinking; faulty acceleration on highway and going upgrade (uphill), vehicle jerking on local roadways; auto zone says its a faulty knock sensor. It could possibly be an issue with the engine but I'm not sure.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #70

Dec 302020

Optima

  • 178,000 miles
Car will not start up. When turning key I hear clicking noise from under the god from fuse box and thinking it's starter relay but I replaced it and still nothing eventually by keep trying turning key to start for 18 minutes it starts up finally. No clue what it could be. Maybe starter solenoid

- Akron, OH, USA

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