While driving the Kia on the highway (in the passing lane on Route 93, Boston, MA), the hood of the car flew open and shattered the windshield. Prior to getting into the vehicle, there was no notification, warning light/display, that alerted to the hood or anything else not being 'closed', no rattling of the hood either. The hood blocked my entire vision with the exception of a small area below, where I miraculous got over to the breakdown lane without causing any accident. When I got out of the car, the hood was bent and the second latch was loose. It did not hold its shape. Called the police and the insurance company, the car was deemed a total loss. This incident occurred on January 31, 2026 at 10:05AM. The conditions were dry and sunny. The state trooper said that this incident could have had serious safety consequences to the driver and others since no one expects a hood to fly open, block visibility...this highway is a busy road and could have impacted several other vehicles on the road. We no warning lamps/message- this was traumatic- this put the safety of the driver and the public at great risk.
2011 Kia Optima body problems
21 complaints (4% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 50,000. 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 21
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 50,000
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Body18
- Body: roof and pillars1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Kia Optima body problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2011 Kia Optima body
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2011 Kia Optima owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Paint is peeling off in large pieces despite there being no damage. We have the pearl white color.
My Kia Optima is peeling paint around the top of the windshield. My car is beginning to rust. This is not normal. Reading online about this issue, and many people are seeing the exact same issue. My car is snow white in color.
The paint is delaminating and peeling in the section just above the windshield. This started in 2019 and has steadily getting worse. My car color is "Snow White Pearl". I have attached pictures. I had assumed that this was due to the age of the car until I started looking for solutions to fix it and keep it from getting worse. I have found that this is apparently an issue with the paint and is not due to age as there are hundreds of testimonials of other KIA owners with the exact same issue, especially owners with the "Snow White Pearl" paint color.
I was driving my car on a highway at traffic time when I noticed a small gas odor my brakes got really hard after that I pulled to the emergency lane and when I pull the handle to open my hood smoke and flames immediately came out, the car its trash now police took it to impound because of the fluids the car was leaking and safety issues.
Will produce photo from body shop when called.
Engine died while driving on public street and would not restart and within minutes fire in engine compartment. Destroyed front of car and damaged interior
I was driving on the street at 40mph when I saw light smoke coming from under the hood I pulled over to get my two kids and myself out of the car shortly after we got out of the car flames started coming from under the hood I then called 911 for the fire department to come put the flames out when they finally did the whole car was burnt to a crisp
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. While making a left turn, the contact's vehicle crashed into the driver's side of an oncoming vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The front bumper was severely damaged and had to be replaced. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's residence. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v363000 (air bags). The dealer (evergreen kia, 9205 s western ave, chicago, il 60643, (800) 556-5223) was notified. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000. *tt updated 11/19/18
My husband was driving a 2011 kia optima when the car veered off the road and burst into flames. My husband was killed upon impact with a tree.
Questions about the 2011 Kia Optima body
Does the 2011 Kia Optima have body problems?
Owners have filed 21 complaints about the body of the 2011 Kia Optima, 4% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2011 Kia Optima body problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 50,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Kia Optima body?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Kia Optima have the most body problems?
The Kia Optima model years with the most body complaints are 2013 (127 complaints), 2015 (76 complaints) and 2014 (48 complaints).
Other 2011 Kia Optima problems
Engine 262Steering 100Lights 88Electrical 63Brakes 47Airbags 31Fuel system 27Transmission 25Acceleration 19Suspension 18Visibility 11Driver assistance 9Wheels 9Tires 3Seat belts 2Seats 2
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