The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the steering seized. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000.
2015 Kia Optima: steering wheel locks up
7 of the 1,011 complaints about the 2015 Kia Optima describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 57,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 10 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
What owners say
Car has been broken in twice. First they stole all my belongings. The second time they took my car and got a ticket and destroyed the inside of it. The car can easily be stolen again. Only option I have is use the steering wheel lock that I purchased at autozone
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the radiator and the radiator hose were replaced; however, while driving two and a half weeks later, the vehicle stalled, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to an unknown recall. The vehicle was towed the dealer, where the engine was replaced; however, the engine smoked while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the engine was replaced for a second time; however, the engine was incompatible with the turbocharger in the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that she had to pay out-of-pocket to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
My daughter was driving down main street when everything shut off, electrical, motor, steering wheel locked up . She coasted to the side of the road , a man pulled over to help her after 20 mins the car was as able to start again. 3rd time this has happened. Very scary .
While driving at speeds higher than 45 MPH, the steering wheel locks for a brief moment. This does not allow for a smooth way to keep the vehicle straight on the highway. Very scary. Antenna cover on top of car flew off on the highway. Read that it has happened to several other 2015 optima models. Back up camera is foggy and I can no longer use it when reversing. Back taillights have condensation in them. I have already had one of them replaced early on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 kia optima. While driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel locked up and the vehicle could not be steered. The dealer (beck & masten kia, 25503 tomball pkwy, tomball, tx 77377) was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 57,000.
There is a major issue with the steering of the car when it gets to 45mph and higher. The steering wheel locks at the 12:00 position and takes a good amount of force to jerk it out of position which results in the car jerking at least 2' to the side you have to jerk it every time. You can't drive it like a normal car and it's not safe on the highway. We have taken it into kia multiple times to have this issue resolved and they claim that there is nothing wrong and can't fix the problem. Corporate even claims that there is no issue with the car and it is acting "normally". It is not the way we bought the car and I don't feel safe letting my wife drive her car with my 2 year old in it on the highway.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Partial repair of c-mdps motor, ECU, worm gear and/or steering column housing
- Steering gear yoke plug and assembly replacement
- Partial repair of c-mdps motor, ECU and/or steering column housing
- Replacement of c-mdps motor, ECU and/or steering column housing
- Replacement of c-mdps motor and/or ECU
- Steering gear yoke plug and assembly replacement
- Pitstop: oily substance dripping from mdps steering column
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2015 Kia Optima steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2015 Kia Optima?
7 of 1,011 owner complaints about the 2015 Kia Optima (1%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Kia Optima?
There are 0 recalls and 10 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 Kia Optima
Engine failure 244Knocking 149Check engine light 140Stalling 140Fire or smoke 97Loss of power 59Won't start 42Oil consumption 39Jerking 25Warning lights 22Won't shift 19Headlights 17ABS 15Hesitation 13Power steering loss 12Airbag light 10Fuel smell 10No deployment 9Brake failure 9Sunroof shattered 9Grinding brakes 8Overheating 8Fuel pump 6Backup camera 5Power windows 5Shudder 5Pulling 5Wipers 5
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