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.
2009 Kia Optima electrical complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 16 of 16, newest first, as owners wrote them.
After returning from work and parking my vehicle at home, the car sat in my driveway in 40 degree weather for approximately 12 hrs. I woke up the next morning and found my car on fire and is a total loss. The police and fire department were called and dispatched to my home. The fire department extinguished the fire and determined it was probably an electrical fire. There is no remote starter installed or any other accessories installed in the vehicle after purchase. The fire started in the engine compartment and started spontaneously, perhaps due to a manufacturer defect in the electrical system. I was about an hour away from leaving with this car to return to my office and I am concerned it could of started while I was in it, perhaps causing injuries or death. I am also concerned that if this could happen to me, that there are other vehicles with the same faulty electrical system and it could happen to someone else. I believe kia has a hidden manufacturing defect as was described in my incident, and its very possible it exists on other kia vehicles. Please take my concerns seriously and I think kia needs to look into this matter asap. Although the car is damaged beyond repair, I welcome and encourage kia to take the vehicle back to assure it doesn't happen again to anyone else. *tr updated 03/12/13
The first signs of any trouble with the vehicle started in february/march of 2011 when the shifting on the vehicle was erratic on takeoff and especially bad when the vehicle was slowing down, roughly shifting in and out of gear. It took two occasions to "fix" the issue even though a few weeks later the shifting appeared to subside it still had the occasional issue on take-off. The issue progressively got to the point when I lost total engine power while crossing lanes of traffic, almost getting hit. I stepped on the accelerator but no matter what I did I could not get the vehicles RPM??s above 1500 (about 5mph). Took it to the dealership where they stated they "fixed the problem". Returned to driving the vehicle until my wife had the same issue happen to her about 9 days later coming within inches of getting hit while turning into a business. Took the vehicle back again and was told it was "fixed" two days later. Started it up the day after it was returned and had the loss of power issue again. Beside the power loss even the shifting continued to be rough and erratic. Returned it yet again to the dealership and was told it was fixed. Customer service did not take my safety concerns seriously. I am still unsure of the status of the vehicle and I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle. I will find other means of transportation until this vehicle is returned. Beware that the power loss can happen at any time creating very serious driving conditions that could lead to accident or injury.
My concern involves illumination of the instrument panel. When driving on a bright day, the panel illumination is so dim that the odometer cannot be seen without moving my head almost next to the steering wheel. The speedometer, and other gauges, are also dimly illuminated. At night and on overcast days, the problem is less severe.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 kia optima. While driving 25 MPH during the day the instrument panel became difficult to read due to the lights. The contact was unable to read the speedometer, the clock, or the radio while driving. The contact stated that the instrument panel worked better at night since the back light was easier to read. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer who was unable to find a problem with instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle could cause a traffic failure in the event she was unaware of the speed the vehicle was traveling at the time. The failure mileage was 5,300.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 kia optima. The contact stated that the red warning lights, fuel level indicator, radio controls, clock, oil gauge, and temperature communication lights were difficult to read in day light. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the issue and was advised the vehicle was designed in that manner and were unable to provide a remedy. The contact stated at times, the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The failure mileage was 11,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2009 Kia Optima?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history