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.
Driving car for no longer than 45 minutes. When approaching a green light my car would not accelerate. The light turned red so I had to come to a stop. As I did, all my dash lights came on and my car sputtered. The car then turned off. I tried to restart, but nothing. It began to smoke badly and I rushed out of my vehicle. There was a cop, conveniently close, who stopped and poured water where the smoke was coming from. It continued to smoke but not as bad as before. The car would not turn over still and I was forced to pay to have my car towed out of the middle of the road. After sitting, with engine off, there is still a sting burnt smell coming from under the hood and inside my car.
While passing another car on a highway my car stopped accelerating. I pulled over and it won't start cuz it is seized up. Lucky for me I could make it to a off ramp. Towed it and the repair shop said it was the bearings that are bad and I need a whole new engine and I have less than 50000 miles on the car😤
Since about 40K miles my steering has clicked, locked, and missed and has gotten worse to the point that I have almost been in a few wrecks from inability to control steering. A mechanic friend of mine told me there was a recall for this and to call Kia of chattanooga (who I purchased from) to look into it along with other recalls I may not know about before taking a trip accross country with my son. I have tried calling and the dealership hears recall and hangs up on me. I was able to leave one voicemail for the manager but was never contacted back and continue to be hung up on. My concern is mostly with the steering and possible bearings with engine. Steering will click even at a stand still, locks and misses while in motion rather badly. This has been happening since around 40K miles. Unsure of any other safety related recalls as I had moved multiple times and belive that is why I did not get letters.
There are a few recalls on my car. An appointment was scheduled to go to greenway Kia in longwood, fl. However, upon arrival they tried to charge us for the diagnostics and stated that the recall is not valid without us paying for the diagnostics. Then they proceeded to advise us that the parts that we needed under the recall were not covered by the recall and that we would need to pay thousands of dollars to then mention that it would be easier for them and cheaper for us to just buy a new car. We decided to leave and try to do more research. I did call our mechanic he confirmed there were recalls for our vehicle. I then called another Kia dealer and they advised there were recalls on our car and that there would be no charge for the diagnostics and/ or repairing the car under recall.
- Apopka, FL, USA
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Most recently while driving my car with vehicle in motion on city street (a straight road) it all of a sudden drops power and I am unable to get the car to accelerate without push down very hard on the pedal until it finally decides to speed up, once this occurs the traction control light appears on the dash and does not disappear and will not disappear until the car is shut off and restarted and the loss of power continues to happen until the car is powered off. After realizing this issue I turned off the car and let it sit a few minutes and when I powered back on and drove again the same issue occurred and the traction light reappeared on my dash. I am concerned this could be a faulty programming issue that is telling the car the traction is needed when it is in fact not. This is a safety hazard as there is no way to predict when this power loss will happen and does so in the middle of driving which slows the car way down and could cause an accident and also having to continuously keep the accelerator down until it decides to regain power is dangerous because it will suddenly ramp up the RPM and take off. This is a major concern and could be happening to other consumers.
Been having issues with the driver side window for some time. When pushing the window up, it keeps going back down. After mentioning it to the Kia dealer they said there was nothing wrong. Well, just yesterday the entire window made a cracking sound while trying to roll it up while driving. Then the entire window just fell all the way down and now it won't go up at all while driving on the freeway. Not sure if it came off the tracks or if it has something to do with the motor. After doing some research I have noticed that a lot of Kia owners have or had that same issue. This is definitely some kind of defect/problem if so many have the same issue and it should be recalled since it seems like a problem with the manufacturer.
Hello I am not sure if this is the correct place to seek information or file an compliant about what I think is a defect in Kia motors paint on this models that was painted with white. While driving I seen paint start to fly off my hood of car. My car is kept inside so this should not be happening. I contacted Kia motors and rep stated they are aware of issue but cant paint all cars with flaking or peeling paint. I asked if their is a known issue or problem with model and year why would you not offer some type of reimburse/ assistance or recall to correct. She stated to hold and came back to say her boss said the company would go broke. After the conversation phone hung up. I have called left message with live person that say they would call back and no one has. In looking for the number to contact Kia motors. I ran across a forum that other have contacted Kia motor about same issue. Can/will you help with this. The problem /issue is with Kia motors white pearl paint on 2011-2016 cars and trucks. They all are peeling inf=G flaking in the saime area. Top back trunk, driver side back quarter and hood. The link if you would look into is (1) https://Kia-motors.pissedconsumer.com/2013-Kia-Optima-sx-paint-chipping-and-flaking-off-201802151190418/2.html (2)https://Kia-motors.pissedconsumer.com/2013-Kia-Optima-sx-paint-chipping-and-flaking-off-201802151190418/3.html (3)(4)https://3dbodyworks.com/Pennsylvania-can-fix-peeling-snow-white-pearl-Hyundai-Chevrolet-Toyota-Kia/ (5)https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/Kia-motors-bad-paint-C644680.html thank you for your time
Car being driven by my daughter suddenly stopped in the middle of traffic with a pull over and safely shut off vehicle warning. She however could not move. The vehicle also showed an error to the vehicle charging system. We towed the immobile vehicle to the local Kia dealership and were told there were no codes and the battery was fine. They requested that I allow them to remove the valve cover to check on belts. I approved. I called the dealership the following day to check in because I have not heard. I was told the hybrid parts were covered under warranty but that the engine was locked up. No reason or explanation, no warning. My child could have died due to her vehicle stopping in the middle of traffic.
My 2012 Kia Optima on multiple occasions has shut off while the vehicle was in motion. While driving, as I decrease my speed, suddenly the car will experience jerking and then suddenly shut off. This has occur while driving on the freeway and traffic has slowed down to 10 mph or less and while approaching a light or crossing and intersection and traffic is slowing down. While the car is at steady speed, at 20 - 40 mph the car jerks as I'm trying to maintain with the flow of traffic. My car has had routine maintenance and mechanics have been unable to identify or remedy the issue. My last two incidents were 8/21/19 freeway while in the fast lane next to the carpool lane and now 8/29 on city street. I also experienced this on March 3,2019 (had a fuel pump replacement which still did not remedy the issue)
Ac air conditioning unit: We have owned this vehicle since day 1. when utilizing ac air conditioning system during hot temperatures, fan begins to blow hot and humid air even at the lowest temperature setting. This has occurred throughout the time we have owned the vehicle and when reported to the dealership, they always state that the unit is working as it is designed. Their only solution is to bring it in each time it happens, which is absurd since it sometimes happens after they are closed. When I asked to diagnose the electrical system that correlates with the ac unit, they state that I would need to authorize the work and they do not know how long it would take. It could take 2 or 4 hours. At mechanical rate, that would be around $500. The most recent event was on August 28, 2019 when the car had approximately 88000 miles. I will taking it back for warranty issue on the clicking of the steering and will have them do their basic diagnosis because a tear own would be at my cost. Because I maintain my cars to keep them beyond 100K miles, I am concerned at the cost of an ac unit that has shown to not work properly. I was willing to live with loose steering issue, but this is more problematic since my wife is in menopause.
On 4/9/19, my vehicle caught fire while I was driving it from my work on way to simi valley first Kia dealership. I was on 118 freeway westbound in slow lane in chatsworth, ca. Onto freeway shoulder to call aaa when a stranger pulled up ahead of me, got out of his car, ran towards me shouting to me to get out, the car was on fire beneath level of the windows so I couldnt see the fire.. I got out, it blew up, & was totalled. No collision occurred. My witness saved my life. He took a video.
Kia Optima 2012 with 43000 miles horn doesn't work while steering wheel turned to the right. It works fine while steering straight/left but the moment turned right horn will only click/ no sound. I do have the airbag light on don't know if it is related. Worst case is, I have my state inspection due and with the SRS light and no horn, it will definitely fail. I guess that's what I get for owning a Kia.
I have intermittent problems with the car starting. I have read through some of the forums and see others are having the same problem. If I have the power "on" and put it in drive them back in park it starts after several attempts. I have had the started and battery tested and they are not malfunctioning. This happens almost everyday for the last several months.
I was driving on the freeway in the state of Utah. I was going 65 mph on the freeway when the car started shaking, followed by a stall on the engine that forced me to slow down and park on the side of the freeway. I have no idea what happened but I heard cracking noise coming from the engine. Now the car won't turn on.
The 2012 Kia Optima ex continuously shuts off at random times while driving without warning. I have done basic maintance and non have solved the issue. This is a safety issue because there is no warning and it could cause a serious accident amongs other involving me and my car.
As I was driving with absolutely no warning at the time or prior to the car stopped accelerating completely and will not start back up. When plugged up yo cables lights and all indicators come on but the car never starts and there is no noise coming from the engine. I was just leaving my driveway on a regular side street proceeding foward at maybe 15mph
I was driving my car in union NJ on September 25 2018. I was on my way to pick up my next passenger doing uber. When I get to the stop light less than a mile away from the customer I start seen smoke coming from the hood of the car. I accelerate the car so I can look for a safe spot to get out and inspect the vehicle. I took a right into the school parking lot and when I came out the vehicle the car was on fire! there was a police officer minutes within the car catching on fire and called the firefighters. Police called back up and another patrol officer came. Firefighters came in about 5 minutes and turned the fire off. The vehicle in totaled, everything in the engine bay burned. The police called a towing company and seton towing Inc came and took the car.
I've been maintaining the health of my 2012 Kia Optima ex since I purchased in 2014 like clockwork. Last month, I experienced all the dash lights come on while in motion on city roads and I was unable to use the gas pedal. I frantically pulled over and turned the car off then tried to start it, only to be met with a weird sound and a cloud of smoke from the hood. My starter was fried, according to my mechanic. I had it towed to my mechanic and when he changed the starter, the new starter burned again as well as the engine locked up/seized. After finding out a recall (SC147) was active at the time, I called Kia consumer assistance and they replaced the engine issues after confirming that was the problem. Once I picked my car up, I noticed the car was starting up in an odd manner but thought it was due to the engine replacement. About 3-4 days later, my car did the exact same thing as the first time (same smell, sound, and smoke cloud but luckily I was parked at the time). I assumed the starter would be a part of the recall since it broke down the exact same time as the recalled engine, I took the car back to Kia, who told me they wouldn't pay for a new starter even though the engine recall caused it to burn up in the first place and is considered a component of the engine. I contacted Kia consumer again and the case was given to an escalation manager. I had to speak to about 8 different agents and put an email in action to her supervisor to get her to even contact me on this issue. It took her almost a full month to contact and tell me Kia is not responsible for the starter. I'm confused as to why it would not be covered because I've never had an issue with my starter until the engine failed. I am at a loss as to what I need to do to get Kia to see who is really at fault. My mechanic also stated this is the 1st time he's ever seen those 2 parts break simultaneously.
Locked out of car automatically while key is in the car on two separate occasions. In the first instance (July 2018), I was en route and stopped briefly, got out of the car with it running while the key was still in the car. As soon as I closed the door, the car doors locked me out automatically. This was inconvenient and caused much distress because I was away from home picking up my infant child from preschool, and did not have the second key available. This was also embarrassing as my phone also was locked in the car. In the second instance (December 2018), I used the remote start to start the car in my driveway. After I put my infant child in the car seat and closed the door, the car turned itself off and all the doors locked automatically. My key was locked in the car with my child. This was a terrifying experience and it was colder than 40 degrees outside. I had to wait over 30 minutes to get my child out of the car. This is not just concerning, it is negligent for the manufacturers of this car to put unsuspecting car owners in this dangerous and unsafe position. The first occurrence I thought was a freak accident, but then it happened again. I researched the issue and found many issues and complaints from other owners similar to mine. This problem needs to be addressed immediately. There needs to be some owner awareness issued on how to rectify this and resolving this all together.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Universal City, TX, USA