Kia Optima Problems by year

Special Service Tool to perform the Bearing Clearance Test. Dealership management verbally claimed the engine would not fail the test without actually testing it. Furthermore, dealership management refused to submit the mechanical failure for manufacturer Prior Approval unless the owner paid $688 out-of-pocket for a top-end chemical combustion chamber cleaning. Dealership staff acknowledged the cleaning would not repair a 60 psi cylinder compression mechanical failure, but blocked corporate warranty evaluation. The vehicle remains completely inoperable and disabled at the dealership due to severe internal engine and powertrain failure.

four ignition coils and spark plugs were replaced in August 2026, and the #4 misfire returned within about three months. We have paid out of pocket for repeated repairs since January 2025. The KSDS update was installed at a Kia dealer. The vehicle is now unsafe to drive because misfires can cause sudden loss of power at highway speed, and running low on oil risks engine bearing damage and seizure. We have taken it out of service. I have written to Kia America's executives requesting diagnosis under TSB ENG222 and repair under the Theta II settlement's lifetime warranty. I am asking NHTSA to investigate excessive oil consumption and repeated oil-fouled spark plug misfires in Theta II 2.4L GDI engines in 2016-2020 Kia Optimas.

complete destruction of the vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently transported to Kia of [[redacted]], where it is currently undergoing repairs. The damage reportedly involves the vehicle's main electrical wiring harness, with anticipated repair costs exceeding $5,000. Although the vehicle is approximately 13 years old, an electrical fire involving the main wiring harness raises serious concerns about the safety and integrity of the vehicle's electrical system. Such an incident should not be considered an expected consequence of ordinary vehicle aging. I am submitting this complaint to request that NHTSA document and evaluate this incident as a potential vehicle safety defect and determine whether similar electrical fires have been reported in this model or related Kia vehicles. I am particularly concerned about the potential for serious injury or loss of life if a similar incident occurs while a vehicle is occupied or in operation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

primary engine wiring harness and ignition coil packs. The vehicle is currently grounded and completely disabled at Buster Miles Kia ([[redacted]]), where the service department confirmed the melted harness and issued a repair estimate of $3,813.85. Kia Corporate Customer Care has consolidated my files and issued a flat denial of coverage on their behalf, stating that the SC284 recall remedy is strictly limited to the physical installation of a lower-amperage HECU fuse. Kia is forcing me to pay out-of-pocket for the melted wiring harness caused directly by their defective components. Under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, a manufacturer's safety remedy is legally incomplete if the defect's failure mode leaves the vehicle in an unsafe, disabled condition. Changing a fuse does not remedy a vehicle that has already suffered consequential thermal damage from the defect itself. I request federal intervention into Kia America's refusal to cover safety-related consequential property damage, leaving a consumer stranded without a safe vehicle due to a known fire risk defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)