2011 Kia Optima

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot, he noticed the vehicle started smoking heavily from under the hood, and shortly thereafter, the vehicle fully ignited into flames. The vehicle was occupied during the fire. The contact stated that he noticed smoke emerging from the driver-side section of the hood. Furthermore, the contact noted that the power door locks failed to unlock automatically, requiring him to manually unlock the door to exit the vehicle safely. The color of the smoke started off light and quickly turned black. The contact stated he noticed a burning electrical odor during the fire. The fire started at underneath the hood, and stayed in the engine bay. No property damage. The location of the fire was the engine compartment. The fire was extinguished by the local fire dept by water. A Fire Department report was not filed. No police report was filed. The vehicle was totaled. No injuries occurred. The vehicle was towed to a independent auto shop. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage on the odometer was 219,000, but the vehicle had a previous engine replacement.

I have replaced the headlights in my 2011 Kia Optima multiple times but no matter what without the brights on, the road is not at all illuminated making it impossible to see at night. When you look at the car head on the lights look as if they would be incredibly bright, but I believe due to faulty reflective lining on the interior of the headlight housing, even though the bulb may shine brightly, it does not get reflected properly onto the surface of the road causing serious safety concerns.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while driving at 60 MPH on the expressway. No warning lights illuminated. The contact had some wires replaced prior to the failure. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or crash. The driver was able to pull over safely. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was called but there was no answer. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The VIN was not available.

I am submitting a complaint regarding my 2011 Kia Optima (VIN: [XXX] ), which is currently experiencing significant engine issues and is undrivable. This issue is currently being reviewed under Kia Case #XXX. This vehicle is part of the Theta II engine group that has been the subject of recalls, service campaigns, and extended warranty coverage due to known engine defects, including rod bearing failure and potential engine seizure. The vehicle has also received the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) update associated with these known issues. My vehicle is currently at the dealership and has been there since March 10, 2026. It is not drivable, and I have been without transportation during this time. The dealership has diagnosed the issue as oil consumption; however, Kia has denied coverage, stating that oil consumption is not related to rod bearing failure. Kia has not confirmed whether a full internal engine inspection was performed to rule out rod bearing damage, nor have they confirmed that a Techline engineering review has been conducted. Given the known history of engine defects in this model, I am concerned that the current condition may be related to internal engine failure that has not been properly evaluated. Oil consumption can be a precursor or symptom of internal engine damage, and I do not believe the issue has been fully or adequately diagnosed. Additionally, my vehicle has an open safety recall related to potential engine compartment fire risk, which further raises concerns about the safety and reliability of this vehicle. I am requesting that this issue be reviewed as a potential safety-related defect, as the vehicle is undrivable and may be at risk for sudden engine failure or fire. I am also concerned that the manufacturer is relying solely on a dealership-level assessment without a thorough engineering evaluation of a known defect condition. Thank you for your review of this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer advised the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired due to a lack of maintenance records. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

While driving the Kia on the highway (in the passing lane on Route 93, Boston, MA), the hood of the car flew open and shattered the windshield. Prior to getting into the vehicle, there was no notification, warning light/display, that alerted to the hood or anything else not being 'closed', no rattling of the hood either. The hood blocked my entire vision with the exception of a small area below, where I miraculous got over to the breakdown lane without causing any accident. When I got out of the car, the hood was bent and the second latch was loose. It did not hold its shape. Called the police and the insurance company, the car was deemed a total loss. This incident occurred on January 31, 2026 at 10:05AM. The conditions were dry and sunny. The state trooper said that this incident could have had serious safety consequences to the driver and others since no one expects a hood to fly open, block visibility...this highway is a busy road and could have impacted several other vehicles on the road. We no warning lamps/message- this was traumatic- this put the safety of the driver and the public at great risk.

I was driving in the highway doing about 80mph passing a semi truck when all of a sudden my vehicle went from 80 down to 50 mph and I was jerked forward. I thought I was rear ended but when I looked in my rear view mirror no cars were behind me. I looked down and noticed my engine light, battery light and oil light were on and turned down my music and could hear my engine was no longer running. Thankfully there wasn't much traffic and I was able to coast to the side of the highway and turn the car off. If someone would have been behind me I am confident I would have been hit. The problem has since been confirmed by a dealership and info has been sent to Kia. The dealership was unable to provide me with a loaner car as "they had none available" so I contacted Kia corporate and they are telling me my only option is that I have to come out of pocket for a rental and they will reimburse 40$ per day. I don't think especially since I had to pay for 2 nights in a hotel as I was stranded, a few hundred dollars for a tow that I should have to pay anything as the issue with what happened to my car is the fault of Kia at the time of manufacturing. At this time I have been without a vehicle for 1 week. I was told by the dealership today that they sent all of the required info over to Kia to get word on whether the lifetime extended warranty would pay for my car to be repaired. The previous owner before me did have the KSCS update performed as mandated by Kia. My problem is I am already out almost 1000$ and now they are telling me I have to pay for a rental also, they will not help me except for reimbursement which doesn't even cover half the cost of a rental per day. I am not a rich person and I cannot afford that. Everything I've read and been told indicates that a loaner or rental car is to be provided me especially if it is due to a safety concern/recall issue. I've spoken with several kia representatives and I get nowhere. I am upset.

I was driving down the road with my 3 sons in the vehicle and all of a sudden the vehicle and engine seized completely up and turned off. I contacted kia dealership who advised me to bring it to kia of Johnson. I took it there and my vehicle has just been setting there. It's under warranty and backed by a theta2 class action lawsuit. And they still won't touch it and are very rude.

The Engine locked up while driving down the highway at 60mph. Not possible for inspection vehicle currently broke down at shop. I barely had braking power to stop vehicle. Has been confirmed by Kia dealership. Yes vehicle has been inspected by vehicle manufacturer. Check engine light came on 5 seconds before locking up. Happened [XXX] at [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Paint is peeling off in large pieces despite there being no damage. We have the pearl white color.

The car just keep doing weird stuff with the lights. It want go off all the time the key went work the cv joints are popping. Have to trigger the battery sometimes to start up

The airbag warning light on the dashboard stays on continuously and will not go off.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who noticed that the engine oil level was abnormally low, and that there were no visible signs of an oil leakage. The oil level was topped off; however, within 3 weeks the oil level was abnormally low again. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that an excessive oil consumption was not included in the engine replacement warranty extension. The contact was informed that a further diagnostic test was required. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,500.

Engine is knocking with check engine ligh on. Kia has a recall on my car for metal shaving in the engine during manufacturing process. I took it to Kia dealer but they refused and said they wont cover it because it's a Salvage tile, and I thought Salvage tiles are covered if it's a a safety recall but they said it's not covered because Kia wont pay them for the repairs or the new engine.

Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) experienced an electrical short circuit and engine hardly running.

Not sure what to do. I scheduled a recall fix for this HECU fuse with our city KIA dealer. When I went they told me I'd have to come back because they didn't have one in stock. No one ever called me again so I phoned to make an appt and the service manager never gets back with me at this dealership. Next dealership is an hour away. Please advise. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was a notchy feel in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the failure was linked to TSB Number: CHA060. The mechanic determined that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. The mechanic ordered the part for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under TSB Number: CHA060; due to the mileage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

After getting HECU recall done , it has caused issues with the HECU module to where the brake lights no longer work and the ESC light comes on the cluster panel. Up on reading the code C2130, it says Brake lamp relay error. Mind you that my car was in working order before this recall was even done. This a huge safety issue not having your brake lights work. I can get rear-ended and i have kids in the car. This has been a issue since July when i got the recall done and KIA has yet to find a fix for this matter.

2 weeks ago my 2011 Kia Optima's engine died while driving. I am the 2nd owner of the car and bought it in summer of 2022 (not 2020). Before buying the car private sale, I sought my mechanics advice who told me Kia engines had issues going back to 2011. Before buying, my brother called the closest Kia dealership to confirm the owner was telling the truth that he had taken the car in for all safety recalls. Kia told my brother the engine and vehicle belonging to the VIN he provided were good to go and that the engine recalls were done. After my car died, I had it towed to my mechanic and was told the engine was bad. I called Russ Darrow Kia and informed them of the situation. I don't recall who I spoke with, but I asked about the recalls and any red flags that would void any warranties on the engine. I was told there were none and I should have the car towed to have them do an engine inspection. On September 7th, I called Kia because I had not heard anything about my car. I was told an inspection was done but the warranty was voided because a recall for NOX sensor had not been done. I called Kia consumer and spoke with a supervisor who just read a template of the Federal Lawsuit and how due to the voided warranty, Kia would not replace my engine. I explained how I had called prior to buying the car and confirmed the engine was up to date with any recalls and I had not received any recall notices for the NOX sensor nor any others pertaining to the engine. I only ever received a recall notice about the anti theft software. The supervisor was extremely insensitive toward me and told me there were numerous recalls and that whomever I called at Kia would have never told me the car was good to go. I would've taken it in if I knew about the recall, or any other. They are refusing to replace the engine. Kia is charging me $190 for their diagnosis and a quote on a replacement engine. The car was well maintained with prompt oil changes. I feel like I'm being scammed.