2008 Kia Optima visibility problems

Filed Apr 25, 2015 · Visibility · IA

I have owned many cars and have never seen sunvisors sag until I owned this car. I am very disappointed and would like to have this problem resolved.

Filed Mar 24, 2015 · Visibility · 67,235 miles · OK

The driver's side sun visor suddenly dropped down from its stowed position, directly in the driver's line of sight while driving on the freeway at 55mph. This blocked the driver's view of the road and other traffic. The driver attempted to push the visor back up to the roof, but it would not stay and again fell, blocking vision. The driver also tried to push the visor up toward the windshield, but again, it would not stay and dropped back into the line of sight. During this time, the driver was dangerously distracted trying to get the visor out of the line of sight, and almost had an accident. Finally, the driver had to exit the freeway while holding the visor with one hand, and the other hand on the wheel, just to be able to see. The car is now unsafe to drive until the visor is removed or repaired. A quick internet search reveals that this is a widespread problem with 2006-2008 kias and has been encountered by numerous drivers. This is a safety hazard and should be fixed by kia before someone is hurt or killed as a result of a defective visor blocking the view of the road and creating a very dangerous situation.

Filed Nov 3, 2014 · Visibility · 45,405 miles · NC

Message: I have a 2008 kia optima that after a search of the internet that kia motor company has an issue with their sun visors on the car that I have. I have taken it back to the dealer but they said there is no recall for this type of safety issue. I send you this email so you can be made aware of the safety issues involved with the blocked vision of a driver when this incident occurs while driving down the road. It is very scary when you get the visor back up and see you are headed into on coming traffic. I would like to thank you for your time and any assistance to kia owners who have this problem. If they replace the visor at the dealer they just put another defective visor on and charge you $180.00. We need a fix. Thanks.

Filed Sep 26, 2014 · Visibility · 56,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia optima. The contact stated that the sun visors on the front passenger and driver side failed to remain closed. The contact discovered that both sun visors were fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 56,000.

Filed Jan 15, 2014 · Visibility · 90,000 miles · CA

My drivers side sun visor began failing it wouldn't stay up any longer then the insides finally snapped breaking the plastic inside. Now the passenger side is doing the same. It obstructs field of vision and does not provide adequate blockage of sun when needed. Kia is aware of the problem as they have created a fixed visor with improved mechanical parts inside. The new visor ranges any where from 140.00 to 200.00 dollars plus a fee for installing if not capable of doing this yourself. I have researched this on the internet and see there are several complaints for this issue.

Filed Jul 27, 2013 · Visibility · 18,000 miles · AZ

This report is similar to reports 10523036 and 10523357 in this database. Passenger side visor failed approximately 1.5 years into the operation of the vehicle: it will not retract into the full flush position with the car roof, obscuring driver visibility to the right. Driver side visor failed a short four months later (1.8 years), and hangs low directly in the forward view of the driver, at an angle in excess of 45 degrees, severely impeding forward visibility. The driver is tall, and the driver's head comes into contact with the visor while entering/exiting the vehicle.

Filed Jul 5, 2013 · Visibility · 51,300 miles · WA

Driver side visor would not go back up flush to the interior ceiling. I hit my head on it constantly getting in and out of the vehicle. I took the car to the dealer and they said it would cost $143 plus labor which I cannot afford. He advised maybe I could find a cheaper one on the internet. Going on the internet is when I discovered that this is a defective part that kia will not fix! Naturally my warranty expired 6-2-2013. I have been driving with it all the way down so I only have half my visibility and need to lean forward and scrunch down to see signs and street signal lights. Also, if I have the dealer order one will it do the same thing again?

Filed Jul 3, 2013 · Visibility · 128,000 miles · AL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia optima. The contact stated that the driver and passenger's side sun visors failed and could not be adjusted to shield upward or downward. The sun visor fell touching the driver's head. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The sun visor was not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 128,000.

Filed Sep 30, 2012 · Visibility · 76,000 miles · OH

The drivers side sunvisor broke this time, drops down into line of sight. The passenger side sunvisor broke over two years ago, was finally replaced last christmas.

Filed Aug 1, 2012 · Visibility · 38,500 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia optima ls. The contact was traveling 35 MPH when the driver's side sun-visor failed to work properly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The dealer stated that the sun-visor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired and the VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 38,500 and the current mileage was 38,520.