2013 Kia Optima: steering wheel locks up

Filed Apr 7, 2022 · Brakes, Electrical · FL

Was driving on a busy street. Went to accelerate, car wasn’t getting gas. Brakes seized and steering wheel seized. Had to drift off the road since the whole car died.

Filed Oct 11, 2021 · Engine · CO

While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle began to stall and as I tried to keep going, I did get to 60 MPH and the car completely stalled and turned off in the middle of the highway as I tried to get off to the side. All of the warning lights illuminated. The car would not start up and the steering wheel locked. I had to be pushed off the road. I was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The battery seemed to still have power at the time, but still would not start. Someone pulled over to try to jump start the vehicle, but it would not start. I then went and purchased a new battery to see if that would help and it did not. The car had absolutely no power to it, would not click over and would not shift into gear. The week prior, my check engine light had came on and I did stop at autozone to have them run a diagnostic. When it ran it pulled up a manufacturer code P1004 and they were unable to tell me what it meant. I do have the documents from that visit. My vehicle has been well taken care of and I have kept up to date on recalls and maintenance. Approximate mileage when this happened is 122k. I had the vehicle towed to AAMCO who then determined the engine was damaged and I then had it towed to Peak Kia to see what we needed to do.

Filed Mar 21, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 200,000 miles · MS

My car have been reading mechanism error on the radio for 6 months. Recently my lightbulb went out then the other,, I didn't have 100 a piece so I used high beam now one of those out. My backseat interior light out which all is fine I'm assuming jus need replacement. I was driving down the highway when I saw smoke then a loud pop my steering wheel locked up,, brakes in all I barely made it off the road the wheel was so tight. I get out to a exploded tire tore up bumper and fender. Eps engine light along with a few others are on. I get my car towed get the cracked rimmed fixed and proceeding to fix bumper and fender because I naturally assumed bad tires. Today I'm driving again I suddenly see smoke then the entire car shuts down. I've tried a boost everything came on except the engine. I tried putting the key in the side compartment still nothing. All lights are on,, on the dashboard engine tire pressure etc. I really can't say what's the problem but this is the second time it has happened. I'm losing money and my car. I'm without a car as of now.!

Filed Jul 12, 2017 · Steering · 90,000 miles · MN · crash

Car was driving on the freeway at normal speed. The steering froze with the wheels turned, sending the car off the road into the ditch. No injuries but the car sustained damage to the front bumper, fender, headlight assembly, etc. I understand there have been reports of steering issues with this make and model.

Filed Jun 2, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 45,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia optima. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that all four wheels and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was taken to kia of clovis california, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that further testing was needed to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Filed May 21, 2015 · Steering · GA

My wife's 2013 optima has very stiff steering while on the interstate or long stretch road. It's very hard to stay in a straight line. The steering locks when going straigh and it feels like it catches when you turn left or right. I ignored it for the first few months thinking maybe a "break in" stage. Still at 40k miles it's the exact same way. It's very unsafe. I noticed I'm not the only one with this problem. I hope kia fixes this problem. May be my last kia car!!!

Filed May 12, 2015 · Steering · LA

Wife's 2013 optima has a very stiff steering while on the interstate. It's very hard to stay in a straight line. Its almost as if the steering locks at 12 oclock and it breaks free at any left or right movement. Over correcting is inevitable. We ignored it for the first few months thinking maybe it's just in a "break in" stage. Now at 30k miles it's the exact same way. Dealer says it's normal and wants me to pay to have it checked out cause there are no recalls. It's very unsafe. I'm obviously not the only one with this problem. I hope kia man's up and fixes this problem.

Filed Dec 2, 2014 · Steering · 2,000 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia optima. While driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel seized. Once the contact was able to move the steering wheel, he lost control and the vehicle swerved from left to right. As a result, both front tires were beginning to wear. The failure recurred multiple times. The dealer replaced the steering system. The failure recurred. The VIN was unavailable . The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.

Filed Nov 17, 2014 · Steering · 17,000 miles · FL

Vehicle is hard to hold straight at higher speeds. The steering locks into a position and requires extra effort to turn the wheel causing over correction. This causes mental and physical fatigue on longer trips and could cause an accident.