The rear passenger seat belt was jammed. I pulled it a few times and it became unjammed and I fastened the safety belt around my 4 year old child. Approximately 3-5 minutes later as I was driving I smelled smoke. I started checking the control panel and turned off the A/C and radio and rolled down the windows. The smoke stopped so I continued to drive about a mile and stopped the car in a parking lot. I was there approximately 4 minutes when I smelled smoke and turned my head to the rear of the vehicle towards my child. My child screamed for me the same moment I was turning my head and there were flames melting the plastic casing around the seat belt cover. The flames almost reached her head. I frantically got in the back seat and removed the safety belt and pulled her from the car to safety. The entire interior of the car was burned from the fire. There were no burn injuries due to the fact that I was stopped and able to remove myself and my child before the flames engulfed my car.
2008 Kia Optima electrical complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 15 of 15, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia optima ls. The contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The sun visors would not remain in the closed, upright position and the driver side child door lock would not unlatch. In addition, the safety lock for the trunk would detach and cause the trunk to occasionally fly open while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle would constantly break down and the dealer would not repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted who sent her to a second dealer for the repairs. The failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 54,800.
I called kia roadside assistance when locked my keys in the truck of my 2008 kia optima accidently. When he used his instrument to open the driver's door, the anti-theft alarm sounded. He waited until it stopped and attempted to open the trunk with the release but it would not operate due to the car shuuting down. When I got in the vehicle and closed the door it locked again and I was not able to get out. I was literally trapped inside my car. There is no way to access the trunk from the inside. You can only fold the back seat down by using a release found only inside of the trunk. If I had been alone or the driver had left, I would have been trapped inside of my vehicle with no means of exit. The anti-theft devicce may protect the car from being stolen but it sure does nothing to protect the consumer. What would have happened if I had a baby inside with me or it was 100 degrees outside and I could not unlock the doors to get out? I contacted the dealership where I purchased the car and was promptly told that it was really my fault for locking my keys in the trunk in the first place. The also explained that the 'no access to the trunk from the inside' is to protect against thieves breaking into my car and entering the trunk through the backseat and steal something such as my suitcase. Well, I think it would be easier to replace a suitcase than my life or the life of a child. Needless to say, I definitely don't feel safe driving this car!
Consumer states that the vehicle headlights dim at low speeds and when applying the brakes or just slowing down. *nj the consumer was informed it was the design of the vehicle.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia optima. While the vehicle was idling or in motion, the air bag warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel, which indicated that it was deactivated. The front passenger side air bag senor does not operate when the occupant seated in the passenger seat weighs less than 105 pounds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the sensor was operating properly. The failure continued and the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved with the air bag. The failure mileage was 50 and current mileage was 450.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Kia Optima?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history