2014 Kia Optima Complaint Log

Steering column making rubbing noise when turning. It felt like a notch was rubbing against something. The car was no reason for this part to deteriorate the way it did. It just all of a sudden started this notch rubbing feeling in steering. I took car to Calavan KIA in Lithia Springs, GA to have it examined. They said the MDPS flexible coupling needed to be replaced. There are other KIA's that had this same issue, but repair was covered in recall. My repair was not covered even though it has less than 110,000 miles and is less than 10 years old.

driving down the highway, there was no previous warning, all the warning lights on the dashboard came on simultaneously. The car began jerking and was difficult to steer. The car began to shut down in the middle of the road before I had a chance to get off the highway. I managed to get it off the road and into a parking lot. I was unable to bring it to a complete stop even after putting it in park. It rolled up to a fence, and that is what eventually stopped the vehicle from moving. It stalled out on itself, and shut down. At that time, underneath the hood began to smoke, and smelled like something was burning. It continued for about 5 minutes. it was towed to the Kia dealership and has been there for over 10 business days. They completed the diagnostic testing, and decided it was the engine, but they're waiting for corporate to make a decision about repairing at their cost, or placing the responsibility on me. They've been trying to make a decision, and in the meantime, I am out of a car. They did not provide me with a rental car as they make a decision, so i ended up having to pay for a rental car out of my own pocket. My insurance will not pay for a rental car until we hear back from corporate about their decision. This happened one other time in 2017.

While driving at highway speeds approximately (70mph), engine began knocking. Knocking sound got louder when accelerating. Suspecting a rod bearing failure, I pulled over and had the car towed to Greenway Kia in Antioch,TN. I am right waiting for them to analyze the engine. The car did not have an illuminated engine light. This engine was not recalled for a knock sensor to be installed.

Paint is peeling off in substantial amounts. The door pillars/roof rails are almost completely bare metal. There is a large paint bubble on the trunk that will come off soon. The roof, hood, doors all have paint delaminating and coming off. Its all getting worse by the day. I've discovered that this is a common issue with Kias in my year range (2014), model (Optima) and color (white) particularly. The paint started to delaminate about maybe a year ago and I let my local Kia dealership know and they said there was nothing they could do. It got so bad I went to a body shop in my area about 4 months ago, JJ paint and body shop in Bakersfield, CA, and he told me it should be covered by Kia, so I went through Kias customer care program with them intaking my information, getting photos, quotes and service records, only for them to take 10 weeks to deny rectifying this paint issue citing that the paint was out of warranty (3 years 36, 000 miles). I appealed to the BBB Auto Line and they took several weeks as well to come to the same result citing the warranty. This widely known paint defect is Kias fault, I know Toyota has had paint issues of the same type and they warranty it for 10 years. I wash my cars regularly and keep them up to date on service. It is unfathomable to me that I should bear the financial responsibility to repaint my vehicle. There's more damage than I could show, being limited to only 10 pictures. I'm hoping that this organization can give me recourse.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle was shaking with unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely and smoke started coming from the vehicle with a smell of burning oil coming from the vehicle. While the vehicle was being towed, the contact saw that oil was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the stated that the oil drain plug was missing. The vehicle was not repaired because the vehicle had open recalls and the recalls could not be repaired because the oil drain plug needed to be replaced first. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the dealer reported the issue. The failure mileage was 101,000.

Engine speed slowed. Engine knock noticed. Engine wouldn't remain running.Took it to mechanic. Checked NHTSA website for reals and TSBs. None found. He retrieved DTC P0014 Camshaft Position B - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1). He recommended replacing the Timing Chain, Tensioners, Guides AND the Camshaft Phasers. During this process, he discovered that the crank turned only with great difficulty.

While driving around hand 35 miles per hour, I felt like the vehicles emergency brake came on. I had warning lights for AUTO HOLD, CHECK BRAKES, STABILITY CONTROL, E- BRALE, vehicle self diagshows electronic brake system Check ABS/ESC condition. Breaks feel tighter and car doesn't brake as before plus you could feel the stability system not working. This has occurred 6 times in the last 2 weeks

Engine light on car will not accelerate past 60 mph

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The dealer replaced the engine; however, the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption after the engine replacement. The check engine warning light was illuminated while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 115,805.

My engine locked up while I was driving. I turned onto my street, luckily close to my home and the car stopped accelerating. I pulled over and turned the car off and it would not turn back on. My car is now undriveable, and it only has 105,000 miles on it. This could have put my safety at risk, imagine if I were going 50mph rather than 10-15mph. I had a mechanic take a look at it and he could not get the crank shaft to turn. Through his assessment, he said I will need a replaced or repaired engine. He offered me get another opinion, but he was pretty certain on the issue. Prior to this, the check engine light came on for less than a day back in June. I contacted my dealership and since it went off, nothing progressed.

Engine knocking bottom end.yes it’s available for inspection.Engine could have locked up on freeway and caused an accident.Machanic checked out an said rod bearing failure.Yes vehicle has been inspected.No warning lights or symptoms just got off the interstate and vehicle was doing fine then all of a sudden motor started knocking with no warning. Towed vehicle a hour and a half back home.

Almost wrecked when the engine bearings seized prematurely in there expected life span. I would like to submit for my car to be fixed. Please help me with this process. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his son was driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact’s son was able to pull over safely. The contact attempted to jump start the vehicle however, the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,484.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while stopped at a light, she saw smoke coming from the front of the vehicle when the vehicle started to spark and then caught fire. No warning lights illuminated. The origin of the fire was unknown. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it had not yet been diagnosed. A police report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000

The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that an abnormal clicking sound was coming from the steering wheel while turning in either direction. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the steering wheel coupler was defective and needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the issue and both informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

While driving on Highway 77 N in North Carolina (Marker 22) and in the middle lane my Kia shut off. I almost was hit by a semi-truck behind me. Traffic had slowed due to an accent so I was doing 50 mph. The engine fluttered and instantly the car was off!!! I coasted off to the side and was unable to restart the car. 911 was called. When the car was towed on my own dollar the mechanics were unable to get the engine to turn. The engine in the Kia "locked itself" and the mechanic said it was on the manufacturer. I called Kia as per the mechanics request. The Kia rep wanted ME to pay to tow it to a local dealership. I don't the funds to do so. I'm not from this state and now stranded. I referred the Kia rep to the mechanic that has the vehicle. I was the rep would reach out to the mechanic. Kia did not reach out to the mechanic who I followed up with before they closed. I'm stranded in another state with little money, no car, and children. It's been 24 hours with no word from Kia. I saw recalls for my vin number NONE mention engine locking while driving! This could have killed my entire family.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V100000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the dealer stated that the vehicle would not receive the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) until parts for 20V100000 was available, and the repair was completed. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking fuel and emitting a fuel odor within the cabin of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 103,748. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

This vehicle only has 112000 miles on it and has had all maintenance as required yet the rod bearings have failed resulting in a knocking rod. There is a product improvement going on at the moment leading to repairs of these issues and a lifetime warranty on the rod bearings that I was not notified of resulting in a rod knock and a car that cannot be driven. Kia has refused to look further into the issue or repair it. Thankfully I was not on the highway when my car broke down as it couldn’t even make it up a small hill and I came very close to a collision because of it.

Engine is making like a rattling noise and I am going through an excessive amount of oil in between oil changes that are done regularly ask about any oil leaks and was told I do not have any oil leaks that my car is just burning that much oil at my last oil change service

As I was driving my 2014 Kia Optima the engine light turned on and started flashing. Within seconds of that the oil light and battery light turned on and my car started slowing down and thankfully I was able to put pull over. As soon as I pulled over my car turned off and I was unable to turn it back on. I have keep my vehicle up to date with all the recalls and maintenance. My vehicle was inspected by a local mechanic and stated that the engine was seized and engine needed replacement. My vehicle hasn’t reached the 100,000 miles yet.

My car has been using a lot of oil lately and it is due partly to the turbocharger. I have had the oil leak fixed once already and now the dealership wants to charge me over $7,000 to fix it again. I would also like to know if the current recall for the engine fuel hose has anything to do with the oil leak.

engine was replaced per CASE # 14397135, and PI1803Y/Z, SINCE engine repair Turbocharger Boost Control Position Sensor “A” Circuit High CODES (P2562 & P2565) continuously come and go. Check engine light comes on and off for the same codes. Knocking noise continues, loss of acceleration as if voltage or gas was lost, steering wheel speed control buttons (+/-) no longer properly function since engine replacement. It now has a class 2 leak. Safety risk:when driving it loses speed or fails to accelerate may cause crash. KIA dealership has tried to access the code but Codes are spontaneous, same for loss of acceleration.

I have a snow white pearl painted Kia optima that has peeling paint on the pillars by the windshield. It started out really small but now it’s almost down the entire pillar.

Paint is white peeling on my 2014 Kia, after googling looks like a lot of others are having the same problem with the white color paint peeling

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

While driving on the freeway, my 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid LX suddenly loses all power. My dashboard flashed a red rectangle warning stating something was wrong with the HEV, pull over, and turn off car. My engine light was also flashing. Towed vehicle to dealership where they said engine seized, they can hear engine knocking, but the rod bearing passed the clearance test. According to 17V224000, my vehicle year and engine is involved but because my engine is MPI and not GDI, KIA Consumer Affairs claims my issue is not covered. All of my maintenance are timely and I have records of it as 99% of my maintenance were with the KIA dealership I purchased my vehicle from. How can my car just seize on the highway if my vehicle is well-maintained?

Paint is peeling off in big chunks down to the metal. On the hood, trunk, and over the doors.

Interim recall notice recieved April 15, 2022 from Kia via mail. May 29, 2022 car starts smelling like fuel inside and outside cabin. Visible Leak detected in garage floor and again on driveway. Contacted Kia Corp and was told to have it towed to North County Kia. Dealership confirms leak to be associated with recall issue but cannot repair it bc the recall isn't published and there is no fix for issue. I was charged $160 for a diagnostic fee. Part is not available and quoted me $670 for repair out of pocket when part is available. Offered no loaner or resolution but was asked to get car towed off their lot. Called Kia Corp again and was told they would escalate my case to their case resolution team but don't expect a call until 3 to 5 business days later. The average wait to get through to a live human at Kia Corporate is 1 hour minimum and noone seems to think the issue I have is serious or warrants any immediate attention. I was told to rent a car and wait for notification when recall is ready.

The panel lit up and it car died in the middle of rush hour traffic on the highway, was almost run over by other cars. There is apparently a recall on Kia Optima's engines and that they misfire while driving.

The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, the vehicle started to shake. The contact pulled over, turned the vehicle off, and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that after 5 minutes the vehicle was restarted and drove with no issues. However, when driving at 30 MPH the vehicle lost motive and electrical power without warning. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the failure as a seized engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the engine was replaced twice before and provided the VIN on the engine that needed to be replaced again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

I have snow white pearl color car. I noticed that the there is painting peeling off my car. I also had my windshield replaced by safelite and they took a chunk of paint off my car as well and are refusing to pay for damage.

My vehicle has developed a fuel leak at the same point of failure described on Feb 17, 2022 Manufacturer Recall NumberSC228, NHTSA Recall Number22V093, Recall StatusRecall Incomplete. The Community Kia dealership in Baytown, TX has had my vehicle since May 12, only 3 days now, and saying that it's not an active recall and doesn't have parts to repair my vehicle. I have had this leak verified by an independent mechanic, and the dealership has supplied a video to the Kia Techline support for warranty approval. I am not happy that it has been 3 months since Kia initially sent out this recall and still does not have a remedy. I am also unhappy that Kia is not supplying me with a rental vehicle while this warranty parts issue is resolved. My vehicle was towed to the dealership.

Pearl white paint has been rapidly chipping. Dealership has refused to do anything.

Low pressure fuel line start leaking, creating a fire hazard for me and my family. You can smell the fuel inside the cabin while you're driving. I did take the car to the dealership and they told me is not a recall on my car at this moment. No warning lights came on .

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine seized. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to his residence and the next day the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

The contact owned a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the husband was driving the vehicle a ticking noise was present coming from the engine compartment before suddenly smoke began to come from under the hood of the vehicle. The husband exited the vehicle and moments later flames were seen coming from under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. A police and fire report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The contact indicated that prior to the incident occurring the vehicle had been serviced for a recall related to an engine failure and fire but the failure still occurred. No further information was available. The failure mileage was 144,000.

I received a recall notice for my vehicle on April 15, 2022 disclosing that the defect is a low pressure fuel tube that can cause a fire in my engine. Kia said they did not have a remedy for this problem but would send another letter when they one. I went to the dealership in June and they scheduled an appointment for my car to be serviced. When I arrived on 6/7/22 for my appointment they said "did I read the letter?" They still did not have a remedy for this dangerous problem. As of 8/5/22 there has been no communication from Kia. Is there any assistance available to replace this part? Thank you.

My partner was driving my car and the engine seized. We never miss an oil change and use full synthetic since I got it. We did notice little changes in the engine over time that were concerning. Out of nowhere my check engine and oil light came on at the same time and the engine seized. That’s the first time I ever seen my oil light come on. He was on the express driving, lucky he is still here.

WHILE DRIVING AND ROTATING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OT LRIGHT THERE IS A "CLUNKING" NOISE. THE SERVICE REP AT KIA STATED THAT THIS IS A STEERING COLUMN COUPLER. WHILE DRIVING THERE ARE CERTAIN POINTS WHERE THE STERING WHEEL SHAKES TURNING AND HITTING LITTLE DEVIATION ON THE HIGHWAY. ACCORDING TO BUYAUTOPARTS.COM :The Steering Coupler, which includes a cylindrical rubber bushing, ensures the transfer of movement from the steering wheel to the steering rack. The axis of the cylindrical bushing is almost perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the steering system. I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY SHAKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE STEERING WHEEL SHOULD NOT OCCUR. NO WARNING LIGHTS HAVE OCCURED SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN NOTICED.

So I have a 2014 Kia optima got out the dealer at 70,000 miles was the second owner next thing u know I got a recall letter, Stating that I need to inspect after I took it, my Kia start to go down hill , I was stranded on limp mode pay off 4500 then couple moths later did the same thing now is at 190000 I tried fixing being honest but I just gave up so hope u guys could help install a new one

As I was driving on the freeway the car just started flashing the engine light and speed just went down even though I was still pressing the gas pedal ,hesitating to go ,like a lil jerk or if it was about to cut off while I was trying to get to a safe position off the freeway. And after that the car wouldn’t let me go over 60 and it still was jerking.

Power steering column is bad and comes on while driving and turning!

The contact owns 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The paint on my car is just falling off. I cant even wash my car because its peeling off so easily.

While driving making an left or right turns steering wheel locks up and very hard to turn. The steering wheel light is on with the slippery light too! Trying to pull to the side of road., turn car off and waited to restart car

Smell fuel and smoke inside the vehicle

I had My mechanic Show me I have a Safety recall on my car and the deal ship has denied to Fix it

My vehicles check oil light never fully came on. It came on when I turned on a highway ramp for a second. When I got into my car and turned it on it made a horrible sound. It was sputtering. I took it to my mechanic and he said my engine was done. I needed to rebuild my engine. I had to pay $4000 to fix my engine. The infuriating part is that I went to the KIA dealership to see what my options were and they tried to sell me a new car. I've had the car repaired for less than six months now. I made sure to change the oil earlier than I was supposed to. It hasn't even been a month since changing the oil and I noticed the oil light came on again when turning. I just checked my oil level and there is absolutely NO OIL. I don't understand how this is possible. I am calling KIA tomorrow to complain. If I hadn't noticed the flicker then I would've damaged my engine again after just replacing it.

Steering column makes clicking noise and shakes violently when driving at 65 mph or more.