Tl* the contact owns a 2009 kia optima. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle violently jerked. The contact mentioned that excessive force was required on the brake pedal in order for the vehicle to come to a stop. In addition, the contact stated while approaching a stop sign, the vehicle continued to accelerate while the brake pedal was depressed and failed to stop. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
2009 Kia Optima acceleration problems
11 complaints (9% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 83,000.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 83,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Kia Optima acceleration problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the federal safety agency received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. the federal safety agency's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in the federal safety agency's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, the federal safety agency does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing the federal safety agency?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.
DP21003
What 2009 Kia Optima owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns 2009 kia optima. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle hesitated and suddenly accelerated rapidly. The contact was able to immediately engage the brake pedal and stop the vehicle. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the electronic control module needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 88,858. ..updated 11/17/14
When I brake and slow down my kia optima and it gets to 20 MPH or lower, it will jerk suddenly as if the transmission is changing abruptly and dangerously. This has been an ongoing issue and not just a recent occurrence.
The car jerks violently forward as it downshifts at approximately 20 MPH. The shift is strong enough to throw a person through the windshield if you were not wearing a seat belt. There are many other people with this same issue and kia should face this issue and recall these cars.. They are dangerous and should be fixed. I could easily see this causing an accident, especially in bad weather.
1st ESC off light came on & stayed on, pressing ESC button did nothing. Cruise control began not working. Brake lights do not work. Blinkers work, but no brake lights. Fuses & bulbs have been checked and none are blown.
The vehicle lurches when slowing down between 2nd gear and 1st gear. The lurch is strong enough to jerk passengers forward in their seats. I took it to the dealership in stamford, ct on april 27, 2012. They replaced the stop lamp switch. The fix lasted until 63,000 miles, almost 9 months later. It is happening again. I took it back to the dealership in plano, tx. They said it was a computer upgrade issue. The upgrade did not fix the problem. Kia is now telling me there is no refund, no fix, and that I'm not part of the recall for this same part on later year models.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 kia optima. The contact stated that while accelerating from a traffic stop, the vehicle began to surge forward. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle was operating normally. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 5. Updated 5/9/13
In the past month I have noticed when coming to a stop and applying the brakes on my 2009 kia optima that the car jerks like it doesn't want to stop. I have had my brake pads checked and they are fine. I have however noticed that when I'm coming to a stop and put the car in neutral I stop fine with no jerking. I have taken it to a transmission shop and they have said that their is no problems there and have also called the local kia dealership to have the problem looked at but they stated that if its something not covered under warranty I have to pay $100 just for them looking at the vehicle regardless if they find the problem or not. I have searched the internet and have seen similar problems with this particular car but no information on what is causing the issue.
When braking at 25 miles per hour or less the vehicle has a very hard jerking motion. The way your vehicle jerks can make you overreact and it can cause a serious accident on the road. Noticed that I was not the only 1 having this issue with this vehicle. Went to 2 or 3 different transmission places . They all said the same thing that the vehicle needed some transmission work . Then I looked online and found that several others were having this problem and that the vehicle just needed to be relearned or something like that. Kia said they don't have enough people calling them about this issue therefore it is not a known issue yet I see over 20 to 30 others with the same problem .
While driving on a normal day with out rain and good road conditions ESC starts blinking and keeps blinking and the speed keeps going down. Even after flooring the accelerator. This happened 3 times twice after replacing a brake switch that went faulty. Technician at the dealership says that he could not find any code on the vehicle recorded. Really worried of thinking if this happend when I go on to a free way.
Questions about the 2009 Kia Optima acceleration
Does the 2009 Kia Optima have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the acceleration of the 2009 Kia Optima, 9% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2009 Kia Optima acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 83,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Kia Optima acceleration?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Kia Optima have the most acceleration problems?
The Kia Optima model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2012 (40 complaints), 2013 (39 complaints) and 2015 (36 complaints).
Other 2009 Kia Optima problems
Transmission 33Airbags 28Brakes 21Electrical 16Engine 16Lights 10Driver assistance 9Steering 7Body 4Suspension 4Visibility 2Fuel system 1Seat belts 1
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