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2012 Kia Optima driver assistance problems

12 complaints (1% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 77,770.

owner complaints
12
of this car's complaints
1%
typical mileage
77,770
crashes
0
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Adaptive cruise control
    1

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 driver assistance problems in other years

2002201020152020

Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Kia Optima driver assistance

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Adaptive cruise 10

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2012 Kia Optima owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Apr 30, 2023 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · TX

Here I explain the problem better, when the car is at a low speed, such as when parking, the gasoline engine starts and it starts to rev up to 6k RPM and after that it brakes and hits hard, this would be dangerous on the highway and another problem is that when accelerating it has a delay of 1-3 seconds, and I want to report this problem to see if there is any solution

Filed Feb 13, 2020 · Driver assistance, Engine · 126,200 miles · CA

I was driving on the road at 40mph when the engine just stopped. There was no noise and the vehicle lost control. I was able to avoid any serious body damage. All the electrical accessories would turn on but the engine stayed dead when I turned the car on. After leaving it over night parked on a residential street the next day same situation all electrical devices turned on but the engine wouldnt turn on. I had to get it towed to the dealer I bought it from in order for them to take a look at what could of gone wrong.

Filed Jan 23, 2020 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 71,000 miles · FL

Issue started 2 months ago. Noticed that vehicle acceleration is sluggish. Sometimes I have to take foot off the acceleration pedal then depress it again in order for vehicle to accelerate. Acceleration is unreliable and dangerous. Electronic stability sensor also started lighting up and cruise control became inoperable. Also noticed that my tail lights lit up on its own (and did not turn off) while vehicle is parked and fob not near vehicle, draining the battery. Police came by in the middle of the night to report that my tail lights were on. Tail light did not turn off when pressing the fob unlock/lock button. Had to restart the engine, drive around the block then turn off engine before the tail lights came off... But it turned back on again on its own that same night (in the middle of the night) and had to repeat the process. My battery was drained and had to replace it 3 days ago. I thought it was a battery problem (and was informed by dealer that it was probably a battery related issue) but problem persisted. Read reviews and this seems to be a running complaint with issues on brake pedal stopper or brake sensor stopper. Will bring vehicle to dealer in the morning.

Filed Nov 10, 2019 · Acceleration, Brakes · 58,388 miles · TX

Vehicle's ABS brake activate randomly illuminating the ABS brake signal on dashboard,while in motion and without touching the brakes. This causes the vehicle to decelerate and has made the vehicle come to a near complete stop. Even if the gas pedal is pressed to accelerate the vehicle will not increase speed, only decrease. The issue happens 8/10 times while making turns and approx 5/10 while driving straight on freeway . This happened on 11/08/2019 in the evening, I immediately took my vehicle back to kia and they claimed to have driven my car for 20 miles and didn't see or experience any issues. My car is a 2012 and only has 58, 388 miles. I demanded they keep looking but they caught an attitude like I made the scenario up and any stated that I should drive the car with their mechanic as they "cannot replicate my driving", like I'm driving in the [xxx] indy 500. Since it is now sunday, and the dealer is closed it will be sitting in their service center monday morning! Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Aug 28, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 77,770 miles · TX

Brake light switch malfunctioning. Brake light on all the time rendering cruise control and electronic stability control inoperable. Loss of power in engine as it thinks brakes are applied making it dangerous to drive. Root cause is brake pedal stopper (kia part 32876-36000) developing a puncture hole over time making the brake switch believe brakes are applied. Known issue on other kia models. Believe the sorento already have a recall for something very similar.

Filed May 13, 2018 · Driver assistance · 121,000 miles · GA

Radio paneling and charging do not work

Filed Mar 9, 2018 · Driver assistance, Steering · 67,500 miles · CA

Steering wheel shakes while in motion ( 60-80 MPH ). Ride is smooth until tires roll over imperfection in road. Steering wheel and front-end begins to shake violently. Shaking stops when turning right or left and begins again once vehicle has straightened out.

Filed Feb 13, 2018 · Driver assistance · 107,000 miles · DE

My electronic stability control light on dash came on and remains on. I took to martin kia in newark delaware for diagnostic and they said the codes were c1259 and c1260 and that I need to have clock spring assembly, steering angle sensor and the steering column assembly replaced because it looked like my car had been in an accident. (I did strike a small deer, but damage was cosmetic to left front fender and did not affect steering or drivability, and was repaired in a professional body shop). The ESC did not come on until months after my accident. Dealer would not certify that the vehicle is safe to drive with this condition, nor did they offer another less expensive repair such as just replacing sensors. They wanted an estimated $1370 to hold my safety hostage. Since the light has been on, I have experienced a few episodes of instability when driving in inclement weather. I now leave ESC off when weather is bad.

Filed Oct 12, 2017 · Driver assistance, Steering · CA

Electrical rack and pinions recall. Steering wheel feels loose. Steering wheel starts shaking at approximately 65-70 MPH

Filed May 11, 2017 · Driver assistance · 120,000 miles · GA · fire

Today was the 2nd time I was driving my vehicle and the electrical system failed and my car system shut down. I had no ability to steer, brake, smoke started coming out of the vents all the lights started flashing. Hero came to assist, opened the hood smelled melting plastic/rubber. Started sparking, car turned back on its own. Car is not at ed voyles kia in marietta georgia. Kia has replaced my engine twice. Unfortunately I am at 120k miles out of warranty.

Questions about the 2012 Kia Optima driver assistance

Does the 2012 Kia Optima have driver assistance problems?

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2012 Kia Optima, 1% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2012 Kia Optima driver assistance problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 77,770 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Kia Optima driver assistance?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Kia Optima have the most driver assistance problems?

The Kia Optima model years with the most driver assistance complaints are 2019 (40 complaints), 2013 (24 complaints) and 2015 (22 complaints).

Other 2012 Kia Optima problems

Engine 418Steering 188Electrical 124Brakes 88Fuel system 54Transmission 54Airbags 48Acceleration 40Body 39Lights 32Visibility 28Suspension 18Seats 8Wheels 8Tires 7Seat belts 5Locks 2

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