I have replaced the headlights in my 2011 Kia Optima multiple times but no matter what without the brights on, the road is not at all illuminated making it impossible to see at night. When you look at the car head on the lights look as if they would be incredibly bright, but I believe due to faulty reflective lining on the interior of the headlight housing, even though the bulb may shine brightly, it does not get reflected properly onto the surface of the road causing serious safety concerns.
2011 Kia Optima: headlights failing or too dim
71 of the 594 complaints about the 2011 Kia Optima describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 71
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the headlights were significantly dim, which reduced the driver's visibility of the roadway while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys where the headlight bulbs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and charged a repair fee for the headlights replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Low beam headlights on my 2011 KIA Optima with 150,000 miles are bright to look at them, however the beam pattern on on the roadway is terrible. I have tried replacing the bulbs with brightest bulbs, checked voltages and grounds. After checking over 10 forums I have found that the reflective service on the headlight housing has degraded and lost its reflective value causing a very safe condition. 1 person disassembled the headlight unit and installed foil tape, stating this corrected the issue. I have attempted to contact KIA with out a return response. I feel this should be a KIA recall issue.
The headlights fail to light up safely and can cause serious injuries or even death. You are unable to see 10 foot in front of the car on deem and bright lights you can only see 15 feet at the max.
The low beam headlights on this vehicle are extremely dim. It is dangerous to drive at night. The only safe way to drive is with the high beams which endangers other drivers on the road. There are thousands of other kia optima drivers with the same problem but kia won't acknowledge or fix the issue. This car is unsafe to drive at night.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the headlights would dimly illuminate while in operation without warning. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that his vehicle had been placed under warranty for the headlights; however, the warranty had expired. The contact had the vehicle inspected and was informed that the film inside the headlamp had melted and that the headlamps needed to be replaced. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
I constantly have to replace headlight bulbs,brake light bulbs and fog light bulbs like 2 to 3 times a year and my lights on dim is too dark and not aligned correctly,for the headlights one side shine up and the other shine down on several occasions I had to replace the whole headlight fixture because the bulb got so hot it melted into the fixture around it
Headlights are very dim. Reflector on the low beams are peeling and not reflecting the light to the street. Very serious safety concern. Cant see 6' in front of the car thus rendering the vehicle useless during night hours. Kia wont acknowledge or go to a recall. Dealer says nothing is wrong.
Low beam headlights illuminate so little, only lighting approximately 10 feet in front of the car. This has become extremely dangerous and a major safety issue.
The low beam headlights on this vehicle are extremely dim. It is dangerous to drive at night. The only safe way to drive is with the high beams which endangers other drivers on the road. There are thousands of other kia optima drivers with the same problem but kia won't acknowledge or fix the issue.
The low beams on this vehicle are dangerous. We purchased it for our daughter and now are scared to let her drive it at night. The high beams seem to be fine but when the low beams are on you can not see anything. Very dangerous
So one of the kia dealers in the state of maine replaced the motor in our 2011 optima, ever since then our air conditioning system has not been working. I've had it tested and recharged. Still no acc. I have diagnosed no power to the AC pump. Also the headlights have new bulbs in low beam and are dim..??
Service bulletins that may apply
- Halogen head lamp low beam bulb connector replacement
- Tf/tf-hev headlamp inspection and/or replacement
- Wty014_OWNR:
- WTY014
- WTY014_QA: This document is the Question and Answer guide for the warranty extension on the Headlamp...
- TSB - outside rear combination lamp water intrusion
- Pitstop: stop lamp switch identification matrix (SC098)
- Summary to be provided on a future date.
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
Questions about the 2011 Kia Optima headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2011 Kia Optima?
71 of 594 owner complaints about the 2011 Kia Optima (12%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 2011.
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the 2011 Kia Optima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2011 Kia Optima?
There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2011 Kia Optima
Engine failure 107Knocking 69Stalling 67Check engine light 61Fire or smoke 40Loss of power 30Won't start 30Steering noise 27Pulling 23Airbag light 18Jerking 16Oil consumption 12No deployment 9Harsh shifting 9Power steering loss 9Warning lights 9Sudden acceleration 7Hesitation 6Won't shift 6Sunroof shattered 6Grinding brakes 5Key fob 5Steering lock-up 5
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