10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 20
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,523 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.

2014 Kia Optima engine problems

engine problem

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2014 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 3 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #167

Sep 112021

Optima

  • miles

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

We-€™ve had our engine replaced by Kia for an issue with models with the turbo installed. The turbo seized up and in turn caused our engine to fail, so Kia said they knew about the issue and gave us a new engine and turbo at no cost to us and also gave us a unlimited mileage warranty for the engine because of the issue. Now just about a year later of them installing the new parts, the same issue has arisen. Turbo failed and in turn it messed up the engine, the Kia dealership we have it in has told us that they will not cover it under warranty and that the turbo isn-€™t apart of the warranty either.

- Dickson , TN, USA

problem #166

Aug 272021

Optima

  • miles
Engine failed and the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. The engine is now knocking.

- Chelsea, AL, USA

problem #165

Aug 262021

Optima

  • miles
On 8/26/2021 I was driving up the Hwy and my kia optima started to slow down on its own.. the battery light, and engine light was flickering on and off, and oil light came on.. I checked the oil and it read 70%. On dash.. I beared off to the right shoulder out of traffic. I was originally going about 65mph it dropped all the way down to 10mph. Pulled over and the the car stopped. Tried starting the car back up but it made a clicking sound. I called a tow truck. The tow truck hauled it to a local mechanic. Mechanic diagnosed the problem being that the car had medal on the oil timing sensors known as the vvt timing solenoid sensor. He changed the oil. But still did not fix the problem. I have had this car since July 1, 2021, about almost 2 months got a oil change 2 days after I bought the car. Car will not excelerate over 40 mph. Engine light is still on. The sensors was not changed because the mechanic said it wouldn't do any good because the engine had metal fragments in it by now because metal scrappings were on the sensors.

- Gaffney, SC, USA

problem #164

Aug 052021

Optima

  • miles

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

Driving on the interstate just as I was getting off the car stalled on the offramp. I managed to get it going again about a mile down the road, I was making a left across the highway and it stalled on me again I managed to coast into a driveway without incident. I had an oil light the check engine lightAnd a battery light come on. After coasting into a driveway I could no longer get the car to start. I just bought the car four months ago with only 32000 miles on it. Brought it back to the dealer I bought it from and they recommended I tow it back to Kia as the engine may have seized as it is a known problem. Been almost a week stuck with no car after buying a practically brand new one. I-€™m still waiting to hear back from the Kia dealership.

- Fort White , FL, USA

problem #163

May 172021

Optima

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 78 mph, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into limp mode. The contact pulled over and the vehicle was able to be restarted however, the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #162

Jun 142021

Optima

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was grayish smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact was able to steer the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where they also diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #161

Jul 182021

Optima

  • 165,000 miles

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

The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his mother-in-law was driving 65 mph, she heard an abnormal loud clinking sound coming from the engine and the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled. Several unknown warning lights along with the check engine warning light were illuminated. The contact stated as he opened the hood of the vehicle to determine the cause of the failure, he noticed the engine pistons had fractured and there was a hole in the engine. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence, then to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but advised the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) as it was out of warranty. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #160

Jun 182021

Optima

  • 90,000 miles
The contact's son owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle stalled. The oil warning indicator light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Escondido, CA, USA

problem #159

Jun 182021

Optima

  • 129,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle shut off and rolled in a parking lot. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the dashboard and vents melted and the air conditioner became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was informed there were metal shavings in the engine. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who referred the contact to a local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #158

Jun 012020

Optima

  • miles
Engine burns a lot of oil. I-€™ve had my engine oil changed very regularly by professional shops since I bought it new in 2014. I started changing the oil myself after only 2000 miles and noticed only 3 quarts came out of quarts 5 I put in. I changed the pcv valve and it did not solve the problem. There are no leaks. None of the mechanics ever told me my car was low on oil so I don-€™t know how long it-€™s been burning oil. I-€™ve been adding oil regularly in between oil changes since I first noticed the problem. I-€™m glad I never missed an oil change or my engine could be dead from lack of lubrication.

- Houma, LA, USA

problem #157

May 292021

Optima

  • miles

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

I bought the car from an individual in April. The end of May My engine started knocking while I was driving and it stalls out and will not drive. I contacted Kia because there was an open recall on the engine to see if they will look at it. They told me they will not even look at it or fix it because the person who owned the car before me did not fix other recalls.

- Pennsville , NJ, USA

problem #156

May 212021

Optima

  • 130,000 miles
The contact's stepdaughter owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his stepdaughter was driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began to stall and she started to hear an abnormal sound. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The driver parked on the side of the road until the contact drove to her location. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 20V519000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which was related to the failure. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that since she was not the first owner of the vehicle, the recall repairs would not be honored. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the recall repairs would not be honored. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

- Pennsville, NJ, USA

problem #155

May 102021

Optima

  • 165,000 miles
While driving in traffic, the vehicle cut off and I had to coast to the side of the road. After several attempts, the vehicle finally started. This is the 3rd time this has happened.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #154

May 072021

Optima

  • 100,000 miles
My engine seized, I had it towed to a Kia dealership, they said Kia would not replace the engine because of recalls not done before I bought the car. There is currently a class action law suit for this engine, but I have to pay over 8,000 for an engine to be paid back, I still owe 10,000 on this car. I called Kia and asked how am I supposed to know about recalls made before I purchased this vehicle, they said I'm responsible for buying a used car. I've had my car in at a Kia dealership a week before engine failure with 20 point inspection and nothing said about recalls. I was on the freeway when my engine quit, lost all power. Had to drift across 4 lanes of traffic to get my car to an exit, and coast down the off ramp. Piped the hood and smelled something melting, my daughter was in the car with me. This is dangerous, now I'm left financially devastated and without a car because Kia can't fix their wrongs. Every engine that had the recalls done has had to be replaced with or without the update. The engines are bad. Ive only had this car a year.

- Salt Lake Citu, UT, USA

problem #153

Apr 092021

Optima 4-cyl

  • 81,730 miles
On April 9, 2021 my husband was driving my Kia on the garden state parkway. The car just stopped running and my husband was able to (by the skin of his teeth) veer off to the shoulder. Eventually the car was towed to difeo Kia in lakewood. After about 1 week of tests, I was told that the engine has seized and it "should be" covered under warranty. The representative told me that approval from corporate would have to be established prior to any work being done. On Monday April 19, 2021 I was told by Kia that corporate is not covering the engine because of an unresolved recall and that the new engine would be $6,000+.. there is an unresolved recall on my Kia from August 2020. I was not aware of this recall, if I did receive notice on a recall, I would have brought my car in to get checked like I did in 2018 for a different recall. I have full service records that can prove how I take good care of my car, and would have had the car checked had I ever received a notice. The present recall on my car is for a hecu assembly issue, not an engine seizing. I do know that Kia has recalled numerous Kia due to machining errors during engine manufacturing which can cause premature bearing wear within the engine. Maybe my car should have been recalled for this issue as well (?). I am thankful that my husband survived that day on the parkway, and am looking forward to any assistance you can give to help me resolve this.

- Brick, NJ, USA

problem #152

Jul 012019

Optima 4-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle stalled without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where they informed him that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The contact had the vehicle towed to his home and another mechanic inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the vehicle with the same failure. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and referred him to the local dealer for assistance. Triple J auto group (470 North, marine corps dr, tamuning, 96913, guam) was contacted and informed him that his VIN was not under recall. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 17V224000 (engine and engine cooling) which he linked to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Gmf Barrigada, GU, USA

problem #151

Mar 032021

Optima 4-cyl

  • 180,000 miles
ENGINE DEVELOPED ENGINE KNOCK AND LOW COOLANT. STILL RUNS BUT NOT NORMALLY. I CAN BE REACHED AT [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Mapleton, MN, USA

problem #150

Jun 152020

Optima

  • 100,000 miles
A local shop diagnosed the car and said the engine seized. Before I brought it to the shop a local mechanic said that the bearing(s)/ needs to be replaced and said that the enging is very close to seizing. I call my local Kia dealership and asked about it, they said that there is only 1 recall showing on the Kia website. I have screenshots of 4 different recalls and 1 of them says bearing deffect can cause the engine to seize. So idk if they are trying to not entertain my recall but they also said that I would have to towe it there and they will do take care of the recall that is showing up on their end which is not the reason why the car is down. Luckily the car died when I stopped at a traffic light and I was just stuck on the road.

- Barrigada, GU, USA

problem #149

Jul 302020

Optima

  • 112,000 miles
The car has lifetime engine warranty and Kia dealership confirmed the same and they are still rejecting me to fix my engine even I offered to pay a fair part of the repair, the engine is consuming oil like crazy 1 quart per 250 miles its makes ticking sound when accelerating and Kia seems like they dont care even if it has a lifetime engine warranty

- Willowbrook, IL, USA

problem #148

Feb 142021

Optima

  • 110,000 miles
Engine sound like its about to blow up, engine is knocking very loud, loud valves, and lack on power when you try accelerate, happens on a highway and they need to tow car home, it was my 3 kids in the car, and it was the most horrible experience.

- Avondale, AZ, USA

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