Brake light stays on and drains battery. Rear brake light not functional.
2009 Kia Optima lights problems
10 complaints (9% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 97,773.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 97,773
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Brake lights: switch1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Kia Optima lights problems in other years
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
- Risk
- Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Recall number 13V114000 · Recall details
What 2009 Kia Optima owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 kia optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v114000 (service brakes, hydraulic, exterior lighting). The manufacturer had not sent notification of the vehicle being included in the recall from march 29, 2013. While driving highway speeds, the contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. While pulling the vehicle over, an off duty fire fighter flagged the contact to quickly pull over and exit the vehicle. The fire fighter remained at the scene as the fire department arrived and extinguished the flames. The driver was not injured. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a facility, inspected the collision damages, and claimed the vehicle as a total loss. The cause of the fire was not investigated. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was not available.
Headlights replaced 6 times.
Srs light came on while stationary and continued while vehicle is running..now it stays on all the time. No matter how many times they reset it comes back next day and stays on.
Constantly blowing the low beam headlights. Have replaced 4 bulbs in 4 months. On 04/03/16 I left to start my car to go home at approximately 9:30 pm to discover I had no low beam headlights and my high beam would not stay illuminated unless I held the lever that controls the headlights. Both bulbs are out again! The vehicle was parked for approximately 3 hours.
While I was not notified about a recall, until recently, the dealer advised my information was probably not passed on to the proper authorities from the previous owner. I went to the kia dealer in crystal river and they supposedly put a new brake light switch on my vehicle and when I left the dealership my ABS/ESC lights were illuminated on the dash and my car started doing all kinds of funny things like vibrating and shuttering under the gas pedal. You know you could feel the shuttering on the gas pedal. At that point I had no brakes and barely stopped. I thought it was only a temporary thing but now its doing it all the time and I can't feel safe driving the car at all. I still owe almost 9000.00 dollars and can't afford a costly repair from a recall.. I have spoke with some people and they advised that the recall has been causing the ecs to malfunction in many cases and caused the stability of the car and ABS to act up.
I received a letter regarding a safety recall for my vehicle's stop lamp switch. I submitted a request for reimbursement of my repairs on january 22, 2014. I received a check for partial payment of $101.34. This amount was just for the installation of the stop lamp switch. However, I submitted an additional receipt and reimbursement request for the actual brake light replacement. This was due to the malfunction of the stop lamp switch. The total cost of the replacement was $28.10. I contacted kia at 1(800) 333-4542 which was the number indicated on the letter. I was transferred twice with no assistance. I just wanted clarification as to why I wasn't paid the entire amount of $129.42 (the cost of the installation and bulb replacement).
Per the federal safety agency recall number 13v114 I took my 2009 kia optima to koons kia in woodbridge on 11/21/2013 to replace my vehicle's stop lamp switch. The next day I noticed that after applying the brakes for the first time the brake lights are continuously illuminated and remain illuminated after I have shut down the engine and the ignition switch is in the off position. Another problem is that the electronic stability control (ESC) light intermittently comes on. Both of the above problems arose after the 11/21/2013 stop lamp switch replacement.
Second failure of brake switch. Esc off light comes on intermittently while driving. Unsure if brake lights are working, if the ESC is working, or if the cruise control will shut off during these episodes. There is a recall on other models and years of kia automobiles but not on this model. It seems it may have same problem.
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.
Questions about the 2009 Kia Optima lights
Does the 2009 Kia Optima have lights problems?
Owners have filed 10 complaints about the lights of the 2009 Kia Optima, 9% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2009 Kia Optima lights problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 97,773 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Kia Optima lights?
Yes, 1 recall: 13V114000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Kia Optima have the most lights problems?
The Kia Optima model years with the most lights complaints are 2011 (88 complaints), 2016 (47 complaints) and 2013 (40 complaints).
Other 2009 Kia Optima problems
Transmission 33Airbags 28Brakes 21Electrical 16Engine 16Acceleration 11Driver assistance 9Steering 7Body 4Suspension 4Visibility 2Fuel system 1Seat belts 1
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