Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2015 record →
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND BEGAN DRIVING ON THE SIDEWALK. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRES EXPLODED AND DESTROYED THE RIM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,200. UPDATED 8/31/15*CN UPDATED 10/26/2017*CN
CANNOT CONTROL THE CAR STEERING. UNSAFE AT HIGH SPEEDS. WIND IS ALSO A FACTOR, MOVING THE CAR FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AND NO CONTROL OVER THE STEERING. CANNOT CHANGE LANES WITHOUT LOOSING CONTROL. VERY UNSAFE AND STRESSFUL TO DRIVE. *TR
THE CAR IS UNABLE TO KEEP A STRAIGHT COURSE WITHOUT CONSTANTLY STEERING CORRECTIONS. EYES CAN'T BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD EVEN TO LOOK AT THE REARVIEW MIRROR. IT WILL GO FROM ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO THE OTHER WITH ANY MINOR BUMP OR EVEN ON A VERY FLAT SURFACE. WIGGLING OF THE STEERING IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP IT ON A STRAIGHT LINE BUT EYES HAVE TO BE ON THE ROAD 100%. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ON ANY ROAD BUT SPECIALLY ON A TWO-LANE ROAD. ACCIDENTS INCLUDING HEAD-ON COLLISION ARE SURE TO HAPPEN. KIA IS NOT DOING MUCH/ANYTHING ABOUT IT. CAR IS ONLY 1500 MILES NOW. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SWUNG FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER EIGHT TIMES AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED EACH TIME. THE REMEDY FAILED TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NO LONGER ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.
THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM , BUT STEERING CONTROL IS REALLY BAD. AS I AM GOING DOWN THE ROAD,(WORSE AS SPEED INCREASES) THE CAR WANDERS LEFT TO RIGHT WITH NO MIDDLE GROUND. SO IT IS NOT AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE AS I AM ALL OVER AND NOT JUST PULLING TO ONE SIDE. I HAVE TO KEEP ARMS LOCKED ON STEERING WHEEL TO TRY TO KEEP GOING STRAIGHT AND STILL JUST ISN'T ENOUGH. DEALER SAYS THAT'S WHAT KIAS DO.THIS IS A SERIOUS CONCERN , AS SERIOUS ACCIDENTS WILL CONE FROM THIS AND THE MAKER DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT. LOOKING IN REAR OR SIDE VIEW MIRROR FOR A SECOND AND I CAN BE ON THE VERGE OF THE LANE NEXT TO ME. WHAT WORRIES ME MOST IS I SEE THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MANY PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS AND NO ONE HAS DONE A THING ABOUT IT. I LOVE THE KIA OPTIMA BUT HAD I KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM I WOULD HAVE NEVER PURCHASED..MY FAULT FOR LACK OF RESEARCH, HOWEVER YOU WOULD THINK THE MANUFACTURER WOULD FIX AN ISSUE THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THIS HAS TO BE FIXED ALREADY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE NOISE WAS EMITTING FROM THE ENGINE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSED OR REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO ACCELERATE AND THE ENGINE RPM'S INCREASED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
PAINT ON HOOD ROOF TRUNK HAD SPOTS IN PAINT ORANGE PEEL IN PAINT ON PASSENGER SIDE OF CAR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE DRIFTED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. UPDATED 01/21/15*CN UPDATED 9/7/2017*CN
AS THE FIRST OWNER OF THE CAR, I HAVE EXPERIENCED STEERING ISSUES THAT COULD BE DESCRIBED AS FEELING AS IF THE STEERING DOES NOT PROPERLY CENTER. I CONSTANTLY HAVE TO MAKE STEERING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT TO KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD. THE ISSUE BECOMES MORE PRONOUNCED AS THE VEHICLE SPEED INCREASES. THIS RESULTS IN A FEELING OF LACK OF SAFETY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN MODERATE - HIGH TRAFFIC SITUATIONS OR ON NARROW ROADS. I INFORMED THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE CAR ABOUT THIS ISSUE. A MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DRIVE AND AGREED THAT THE CAR HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING. THE DEALERSHIP THEN CONTACTED THE KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER WHO EVENTUALLY DECIDED THAT THE CAR WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER THEN CONTACTED ME TO INFORM ME OF THIS. I CHOSE NOT TO ACCEPT THAT THIS SHOULD BE "NORMAL" AND ESCALATED THE ISSUE. KIA MOTORS AMERICA THEN CONTACTED ME DIRECTLY TO OFFER TO HAVE A DISTRICT MANAGER DRIVE THE CAR TO OBSERVE THE STEERING ISSUE. *TR
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2015 Kia Optima → · Every Optima year → · How the figures are calculated →