What 748 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Optima

Complete power window failure (driver and 2 rear windows). Estimated repair cost is $2,084.90. This model has a history of power window defects that Kia Motors is well aware of. Over time, this defect becomes increasingly severe until you have a complete without warning failure like in my case. Kia Motors refuses to acknowledge problems and stated there is no recall by NHTSA. I want a full reimbursement for my out of pocket payment for untimely repair cost.

NHTSA ODI 11494811

Was driving my car and it just lost all power and cut off. It will not start now. It only has 1 click. The car has used a lot of oil since I've owed it. I do regular oil change and the oil lights still go off and on. I researched why it had power failure and replaced the starter but that didn't work. I started looking into the engines for 2016 kias n found out some have a recall. I hope my car falls in that recall bc I need it fixed . my car gave no warning signs that anything was wrong . just cut off all of the sudden and will not start . had to have it towed to my home

NHTSA ODI 11489464

I have a 2016 Kia Optima within the 2nd year all my window motors fail within a 6 month timeframe. My car in the 4th year started to burn oil quickly the oil light would not appear until I begin to hear a knocking sound. Also, in the 4th year of having my car there has been cracking in my passenger side (I think it is where the airbag is located). All of the areas could put my life in some type of danger or a family member if KIA doesn't see fit to remedy these areas. In 2018, my warranty was out and I didn't know until I received my bill the service person didn't advise me of this issue. So, I ended up paying $700 for a battery installment when I advised him that it was the issue, he insisted I get a diagnosis done.

NHTSA ODI 11488044

Every window in my car has come off track within a 3months time period . The motor steady runs in the door and the window will not move up or down.

NHTSA ODI 11484367

My name is E........ M........ and I'm writing this email/complaint in hopes it can be resolved or you can pass this email along to the appropriate person or persons to have this matter looked into. We purchased a used 2016 Kia Optima a few years back and have had nothing but trouble, from electrical issues, recalls, transmission issues, oil consumption, and smoke coming through the air vents!!!! and there's more, the last time we had an issue and took it to a dealer for problems shifting, hard shifts, loss of power, and smoking, we were told the dealer could not duplicate the problems while driving it and that was that, not a damn thing fixed because apparently everyone is stupid or blind and I was more than pissed. On 7/13/22 the car has been at the dealer again (for almost two weeks now, but they were so busy they just got to it today) so the car is there for the same exact things listed before only this time they state the turbo turbine is bad and it's gonna be $4000.00 to fix it. First off NO, and secondly NO, I will not let this happen! BTW, please pay close attention to the part of smoke coming through the air vents!!!! Currently, the car is at a KIA dealer still, the general manager was to call me on the 14th and NEVER DID today is the 19th, I called today and they are acting like they don't even know me. NO warning lamps, the car can be completely out of oil, and still no engine or oil light will come on. The fact that this car has smoke coming through the air vents is of most concern, I need help dealing with this issue and will contact a lawyer if needed or if you advise me to. BTW I emailed all head people at Kia corporate and NO response from them as well. Thank you The consumer stated the general manager has the approval to move forward with the repairs and would like to rescind the complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11474792

Car was stolen off of the street. No alarm went off, keys were with my person. Back window was busted on the ground and all that was left. From video evidence, we can see that all it takes to steal a Kia is a screwdriver and a usb cord. Kia’s stolen are driven recklessly and harmfully to pedestrians (see #kiaboyz on tik tok or instagram). Problem has NOT been acknowledged by Kia or Hyundai. Insurance providers are aware of the situation.

NHTSA ODI 11465850

#1Headlights & break lights going out often. Bulbs can’t be replaced anymore due to wiring burnt ( 1 headlight ) Took it in and they didn’t even look at it. Have do Documents to back that up #2 Engine light coming on, diagnostic testing indicated spark plugs need to be replaced . Had to do this two times with oil on plugs Took it in and they NEVER look at the spark plugs #3 car burning excessive amount of oil anywhere from 1 quart a week to 3 1/2 quarts after driving 600 miles. Took it into the shop for oil consumption testing only to be told that their warranty would not cover it and it needs a new engine. I have a 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty on my car! and at the present time I only have 88496 miles on my car I have documentation to back up my claim, I have been a loyal Kia owner for 18 years and they have absolutely treated me horrible in regards to this saying that it was lack of maintenance and they never checked the issues that led up to their findings. They indicated that there was sludge in my engine but could never prove or show me anything that they did to document the sludge and trying to blame it on me. This car is a safety hazard as I am aware of mini other Kia optima’s dad have either caught fire or repaired to have their motors replaced due to the same issues. Anything you can do to help me with this issue ! I’m 60 years old and know how to take care of my car

NHTSA ODI 11446382

All four of my window regulators/and or motors have died within months of each other. First it was my back two, now my front two have gone and don’t stay up. I don’t have children nor frequent passengers. I find it mind boggling that all four of my windows have to be repaired. It is completely unsafe that my windows just drop at any given moment, especially if it’s pouring raining or even at night when it’s locked my personal stuff isn’t safe inside.

NHTSA ODI 11445143

First my driver side back window wouldn’t roll up or down. It just sags and falls down everytime I drive so I duck taped it until I could afford to get it fixed. Now a month later, the passenger back seat is doing this exact same thing. There is over 100 articles of people talking about this exact problem with 2016-2017 Kia Optimas and I read apparently Kia is even aware as they sent out an alert to dealerships about it or something along those lines? Well that’s all great and dandy but what about the people who already have the car and are dealing with the problems? I have 2 kids under 2 and it’s a tough financial time. Even with the duct tape, it doesn’t always hold and the window will fall down on the highway and my son starts screaming crying cause its loud and the hard wind hits his face. This should be resolved. It shouldn’t take more than like 5 people complaining about the same thing for it to be deeply looked into and fixed. There’s well over 100 people talking about online like I said.

NHTSA ODI 11444347

Air bag light came on after I also began having issues with blind spot detection warning lights. ABS lights on as well. Took vehicle to Kia Dealer in Gainesville GA and they told me it was the left rear wheel sensor. Wanted $800 to repair ( no longer under warranty). Took vehicle to my mechanic, who ordered the part and replaced sensor. ABS lights & BSD lights went off for almost 2 weeks, then came back on. Air bag light has not gone off.

NHTSA ODI 11437036

I was driving the car on the high way when I suddenly heard a strange noise from the engine with a shake in the car then the car completely switched to the hybrid engine from the gas one. The hybrid battery was depleted within a minute or two but I was able to put the car on the side of the high was before it completely stopped moving. After that whenever I press on the gas pedal nothing happened there was zero propulsion. I took the car for inspection the hybrid battery was depleted so it got replaced but then the engine itself isn't working and apparently there is a metallic parts in the oil My car is available for inspection if needed It was definitely unsafe to break down in the middle of the highway I believe the normal non hybrid car had a recall issue with the engine and the hybrid has the exact gas engine the 2.4L one The car wasn't inspected yet by the dealership as it is hard to get an appointment The car had 2 codes before breaking they were P0014 and P0420 they appeared approximately 2 weeks before the incident

NHTSA ODI 11435002

I was driving at night lights turned on of course then all of sudden they turned off I couldn't see i had to slam my brakes on almost crashed and this is the 3 time this has happened I usually don't drive at night so I didn't notice this problem as a problem I was thinking maybe it was the street lights were to bright and caused them to turn off but on a very dark street with no lights and it happened again then I realized this is a serious problem but this has happened the times I have drove at night. This is very dangerous for this to happen it is going to cause someone to lose their life if it hasn't happened already. This really needs to be looked into a recall for this issue. Please fix

NHTSA ODI 11434582

Since purchasing this car I’ve had to have electrical repairs done every year. If it’s not the seat it’s the window. If it’s not the window it’s the dash. A couple of days ago my husband said he noticed that the oil in the car was running low really fast. We had just done an oil change on the car not even 30 days prior to this. We were driving late at night back from a work trip when al of a sudden the check engine light came on and the motor started to shake and a thudding noise was getting louder. We were able to pull over and saw that there was literally no oil in the car. No warning nothing. Again we had just had an oil change not even 30 days prior. My father had to come tow us home an hour and a half away because he was worried with the sounds it was making that it might blow. There was smoke coming from the exhaust and the motor was shaking like it had no control. I’ve read multiple issues just like this one and of course my car just passed warranty. I’m not even done paying the car off. This should be an issue Kia has to fix by now with so many similar complaints. It’s dangerous and fraud. I’m just lucky the car was able to pull over safely as my husband and our 8 month old were in the car with me. Please help get this fixed. I’m now out of a car that’s only 5 years old and not paid off.

NHTSA ODI 11434314

About 3 weeks ago my headlight Auto dash notification would flash on and off for probably 8 times. It was day time so I didn't think anything of it. Last week I was driving in the dark and my head lights turned off completely. I was able to get them back on. I started doing research and other people have had the same issue stating that it is the multifunction switch. Again this morning driving in the dark they turned off completely again. This is dangerous for not just the driver and passengers of the car but also other drivers if you can not be seen. This needs to be recalled and needs to be fixed sooner than later. Please help.

NHTSA ODI 11429651

MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT 3 TIMES IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. I'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE. THIS CAR IS S 2016 KIA OPTIMA AND HAD LEFT ME WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS .I NOTICE OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. THIS SAFETY ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED . VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WITHOUT HEADLAMPS. SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS SERIOUS SITUATION IMMEDIATELY!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11408214

2016 KIA OPTIMA HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS. THEY ARE TURNING OFF BY THEMSELVES WHILE DRIVING. TODAY WAS A CLOSE ONE FOR ME, IT WAS 9:10PM AND I WAS GOING ABOUT 50MPH AND ALL THE SUDDEN MY LIGHTS WENT OUT AND I HAD TO BREAK RAPIDLY, I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING IN FRONT OF ME. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THIS CAR, AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE FOR OTHER OWNERS. I ASKED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP ABOUT FIXING THE HEADLIGHTS, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO COST $400 AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS BEING A DEFECTIVE ISSUE WITH OTHER OWNERS. I AM NOT GOING TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS ISSUE, EVERY EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO MAKE THIS A NATIONAL RECALL ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11405477

THREE OF THE WINDOW REGULATORS FAILED AT THE SAME TIME AND THE FORTH TWO WEEKS LATER. I HAD THEM REPAIRED FOR A ALMOST $ 2000 SINCE THE THE VEHICLE HAS 62K MILES AND THE WARRANTY WAS GOOD TILL 60K MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11403463

MY OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CONTINUES TO TURN ON AND OFF EVEN AFTER REPLACED PARTS! BURNING AT LEAST 2 QUARTS OF OIL PER WEEK! BRAKE LIGHTS STOP WORKING IF HEADLIGHTS ARE ON! HAD TO START USING SUPER TO ELIMINATE A RATTLE WHILE ACCELERATING UPHILL! ENGINE SHAKES!!

NHTSA ODI 11382983

ALL 4 OF MY WINDOWS WILL NOT GO UP OR DOWN. THIS HAPPENED WITHIN WEEKS OF EACH OTHER. THERE IS NO CHEAP SOLUTION. KIA WANTS $150 DEPOSIT AND I WAS QUOTED $225 PER WINDOW. THIS IS INSANE. I AM DRIVING A CAR WHERE THE WINDOWS ARE ALL WEDGED UP WHICH IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. ARE THERE ANY RECALLS FOR THIS?

NHTSA ODI 11365157

IT BEGAN WHEN WE WOULD TRY TO START THE CAR IT SEEMED TO HAVE BATTERY ISSUES AND HAVE TROUBLE STARTING, AND FINALLY THE BATTERY DID DRAIN BUT ISN'T HOLDING CHARGE BUT TOOK IT IN TO GET CHECKED AND BATTERY IS FINE. THE HEADLIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT LIKE IF THE SENSOR WERE IN THE DAY TIME. NOW THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING IT AND WHEN YOU HIT THE GAS IT JERKS THE CAR AFTER 20 MPH. THIS HAPPENS ON AND OFF WHERE IT WILL BE FINE THEN SUDDENLY START DOING IT ALL OVER AGAIN EVERYTHING ALSO HAPPENS IN DIFFERENT OCCASIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11363314

THE CLUSTER STARTED BLINKING OUT WHILE DRIVING THEN EVENTUALLY GOES OUT COMPLETELY. AT THE START OF THE PROBLEM IT WOULD GO OUT AT TIMES THEN POP BACK ON FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS.

NHTSA ODI 11363388

SOMETIMES WHEN I START THE CAR IT ONLY RUNS AT ABOUT 500RPM AND THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER STARTS GOING UP IN NUMBERS WHEN I'M IN PARK AND I HAVE NO POWER STEERING. I CAN PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND PARK OR OPEN THE DOOR AND IT STARTS ACTING NORMAL. IT ALSO ACTS LIKE IT'S GOING TO SHUT OFF WHEN I COME TO A STOP. I AM AWARE THAT THE RPMS DROP WHEN YOU STOP ALMOST LIKE A GAS SAVER BUT WITH IN THE LAST 20 THOUSAND MILES IT HAS GOTTEN REALLY ROUGH. IT BURNS OIL LIKE CRAZY THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THIS BUT CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE ENGINE TELL IT THROWS A CODE AND THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE ANY OF MY OTHER ISSUES, THE FRONT END HAS MADE AWFUL NOISES FOR THE LAST 50 THOUSAND MILES OR SO AND HAS HAD THE FRONT SUSPENSION REPLACED BUT THAT DIDN'T FIX THE ISSUE. IV HAS THE KNOCK SENSOR REPLACED BUT I'M CONVINCED IT WAS JUST A GIMMICK SO THE CAR WON'T THROW CODES ANYMORE BECAUSE IT SHOULD BE WITH THE ISSUES I'M HAVING. LIKE WHEN THE ELECTRONIC STEERING GOES OUT I GET NO DASH LIGHT. I WISH KIA WOULD OWN UP TO THEIR ISSUES

NHTSA ODI 11363294

I'LL START WITH THE WINDOWS. PRIOR TO COVID MY RIGHT REAR PASSENGER WINDOW MOTOR AND REGULATOR WENT OUT. CITRUS KIA FIXED IT. RIGHT AFTER COVID WAS ANNOUNCED MY FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW WENT OUT AND I COULDNT GET MY CAR IN. 2 WEEKS LATER MY FRONT LEFT DRIVER WINDOW WENT OUT. WHEN I FINALLY GOT MY CAR IN THEY TOLD ME I WAS 200 MILES OVER ON MY WARRANTY TO FIX IT. I HAVENT HAD THE USE OF EITHER OF MY FRONT WINDOWS FOR MONTHS. THEY DROPPED RANDOMLY GOING DOWN THE ROAD. IF I DONT LEAVE SOMETHING WEDGED IN THE WINDOW THEY DROP SO FAR I HAVE TO USE DUCT TAPE TO ADHERE TO IT AND PULL UP ENOUGH TO GRAB IT. ITS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT I CANNOT USE MY WINDOWS. AND I DONT KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE DRIVE TRAIN , AXLE AND SUSPENSION BUT I AM EATING THROUGH BRAND NEW TIRES EVERY COUPLE MONTHS. THE DEALERSHIP BLAMED IT ON ME AND SERIOUSLY ASKED ME IF I WAS JUMPING CURBS. I HAVE HAD SO MANY ISSUES WITH THIS CAR SINCE THE MOTOR GOT REPLACED. NOT TO MENTION MY HEAT DOESNT WORK UNLESS ITS IN DEFROST MODE. THE DEALERSHIP KNOWS ABOUT ALL THESE ONGOING ISSUES. KAREN IS MY SERVICE ADVISOR. I EVEN TRIED TO TRADE MY CAR IN WITH THEM AND THEY TURNED IT DOWN. THIS CAR IS FALLING APART AND I AM ONLY ONE MONTH AWAY FROM HAVING IT FOR 4 YEARS. I AM THE ONLY OWNER IT HAS HAD

NHTSA ODI 11362902

MY 2016 KIA OPTIMA BURSTED INTO FLAMES WHILE STATIONARY IN FRONT OF MY HOME.

NHTSA ODI 11360206

THE HEADLIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY TURN THEMSELVES ON AND OFF IN DAY AND NIGHT TIME. THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN THE 'AUTO' OPTION FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS ON THIS ON HERE. IN ADDITION TO THAT THE CAR DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE KEY FOB MOST OF THE TIME EVEN WITH BRAND NEW BATTERY IN THE FOB. STEP DAD HAS THE SAME CAR WITH SAME ISSUES WITH THE KEY FOB.

NHTSA ODI 11353615