2016 Kia Optima Problems & Defect Complaints

"Vehicle was purchased in 2023. AC blower failure occurred for the first time in June 2024 and was repaired by PepBoys. On 4/2/2025 the ve3hicle had an active recall event when the engine seized on the highway because of a faulty oil pump/filter, Engine was replaced 4/17/2025 under that recall. Kia..."

"While driving at highway speeds on the freeway in San Diego, the engine of my 2016 Kia Optima catastrophically seized without warning. I instantly lost all power steering, brake assist, and electrical power, creating an immediate life-threatening emergency. The vehicle was towed to a Kia dealer...."

"Blower motor is drawing excessive electricity, which in turn burns the fuse and junction pin, which in turn can start a fire in the car. Kia of Irvine suggested redoing all electrical wiring in the car, but that will not solve the issue. As soon as you turn on the AC, the blower motor will use so..."

"Window falls into the door. The rear two windows have been repaired 3 times. They are currently both broken again along with the front drivers side. I currently have three windows being help up by tape. They are taped to the frame of the door to stop the window from falling into the door. I don't..."

"The engine assembly completely seized and the vehicle is currently stored at an independent repair shop . While traveling at high speed on Interstate 4 on July 24, 2026, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of power and stalled in live traffic, creating an immediate threat of a high..."

Pedestrian alert sounds

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...

Loss of Motive Power

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experienc...

Throttle control system vulnerabilities

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa...

Electrical overstress

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (AC...