2012 Kia Optima Hybrid Steering Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT A DISK INSIDE THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE AIR FLAP SYSTEM SENSOR AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED CASEY KIA (LOCATED AT 11999 JEFFERSON AVE, NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23606, (757) 347-8247) AND A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

NHTSA ID

11202947

Incident

Nov 14, 2018

Mileage

103,000 mi

WHEN I MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE I CAN HEAR A POPPING NOISE WHEN I AM DRIVING AS WELL AS WHEN I AM AT A STOP. THE STEERING WHEEL HAS EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND RADDLING WHEN I AM DRIVING BETWEEN 65-75 ON THE HIGHWAY, IT DECREASES AT 80 MPH. I HAVE GOTTEN MY TIRES CHECKED AS WELL AS AN ALIGNMENT SO IT IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH THAT.

NHTSA ID

11138961

Incident

Oct 1, 2018

Mileage

84,000 mi

THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND EXTREMELY FAULTY. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE CAR TRAVELING AT NO MORE THAN 55 MPH. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS EXTREME KNOCKING WITHIN THE STEERING WHEEL IN WHICH THE STEERING WHEEL HAD TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. THEN MY CAR STARTED DRIFTING AGAIN WITH WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND EXHAUST. NOW KIA IS SAYING THAT THE ENGINE IS FAULTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR IS NOT BEING SERVICED FOR A RECALL ON THE ENGINE BECAUSE IT IS A HYBRID, YET NON-HYBRID KIA CARS HAVE A RECALL FOR IT. THIS IS THE SAME THING. WHAT A DISSERVICE! KIA NEEDS TO QUIT MAKING CARS ALTOGETHER IF THE INTERNAL WORK HAS NO ENDURANCE. I'M STILL PAYING ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS CAR IS A DANGER, WASTE, AND DISSERVICE. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN NOTED IN REFERENCE TO THE SAME THING. WHAT IF THE CAR EXPLODED? THEN WHAT? THIS CAR COULD HAVE HARMED ME OR OTHERS. PLEASE RECALL THE ENGINE AND ANYTHING ELSE THIS CAR HAS THAT IS UNMANAGEABLE OR UNHEALTHY. THE OPPORTUNITY COST IS PISSPOOR.

NHTSA ID

11130766

Incident

Sep 6, 2018

Mileage

100,000 mi

WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING OR SETTING STILL THERE IS A CATCH. LIKE IT IS STIFF.

NHTSA ID

11000519

Incident

Oct 1, 2016

Mileage

85,000 mi

INHERENTLY BAD ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING COUPLER. BROKEN WILE STILL RELATIVELY LOW MILAGE. MAKES A VERY BAD CLUNKING NOISE WHEN STEERING AND GOING OVER BUMPS AND CAUSES STEERING WHEEL TO WOBBLE.

NHTSA ID

10894859

Incident

Jul 20, 2016

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE STEERING COUPLER ON THE OPTIMA SHATTERS BECAUSE IT IS MADE OF PLASTIC

NHTSA ID

10891636

Incident

Sep 14, 2015

BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN 2012 FROM FUCCILLO KIA IN CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA FOR MY WIFE. SHE NOTICED THE VERY SLIGHT "CLUNKING" NOISE IN 2014 WITH ABOUT 50K MILES ON IT AND DIDN'T THINK IT WAS MUCH OF A PROBLEM. IT GRADUALLY BECAME VERY, VERY LOUD AND SHE COULD NOW FEEL THE CONSTANT "CLUNKING" WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL OR HITTING SMALL IMPERFECTIONS IN THE ROAD. SHE BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION AT ABOUT 65K MILES AND AFTER RESEARCHING THE NOISE ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING IN THOUSANDS OF KIA AND HYUNDAI VEHICLES FROM 2010 TO 2014 MODEL YEARS. IT IS A QUARTER SIZED RUBBER STAR SHAPED BUSHING BETWEEN TWO METAL COUPLERS THAT DISINTEGRATES OVER TIME AND VERY QUICKLY IN WARM CLIMATES LIKE SOUTH FLORIDA. THIS REPAIR IS NOT A RECALL AND IS NOT COVERED AFTER 60K WARRANTY. I PURCHASED THE "NEW & UPGRADED" PART FROM A LOCAL KIA DEALER FOR LESS THAN $2 BUT, THE LABOR TO INSTALL IS CLOSE TO $350!!! THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THE VEHICLES INVOLVED DUE TO THE UNSAFE STEERING CHARACTERISTICS AND THE VOLUME OF VEHICLES AFFECTED AS IT DOES NOT INVOLVE AN OWNER SERVICEABLE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE COMPONENT!!!

NHTSA ID

10845692

Incident

Sep 30, 2014

Mileage

50,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD AND A LADY PULLED IN FRONT OF ME. I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES AND SWERVED TO THE RIGHT SO I WOULD AVOID HITTING HER. THE NEXT THING I KNEW I SMACKED INTO A POLE. FOR THE PAST YEAR I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW AND WHY I HAD SO MUCH DAMAGE TO MY CAR WHEN I WAS ONLY GOING 25 MPH. I FINALLY REALIZED THAT THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP MY CAR EVEN WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED JULY 10, 2013 AND ONE YEAR LATER ON THE SAME DAY JULY 10, 2014 MY BRAKES FAILED ON MY CAR WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR A GATE TO OPEN. I HEARD A TERRIBLE CRUNCHING NOISE, A WARNING SIGN CAME ON SAYING HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING SAFELY STOP AND DO NOT DRIVE AND THE ONLY WAY I COULD STOP THE CAR WAS TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE SAME WARNING SIGN CAME ON DURING THE ACCIDENT. I REMEMBER MY CAR WOULDN'T STOP AND ACTUALLY SEEMED LIKE IT GAINED A LITTLE SPEED. I HIT THE POLE AND THE CAR STILL WOULDN'T STOP SO I HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP IT. I SAT THERE IN SHOCK OVER WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY I HIT THAT POLE AND WHY THERE WAS SO MUCH DAMAGE TO MY CAR. NOW I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED. IT WAS DUE TO MY BRAKES NOT WORKING THAT DAY. ON JULY 10, 2014 WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME, I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP DOWN THE STREET AND THEY KEPT IT FOR 7 WEEKS AND SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR SO I PICKED IT UP. I COULD TELL SOMETHING WAS STILL WRONG WITH IT BUT THEY WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ME. NOT EVEN 1K MILES LATER THE BRAKES WENT OUT FOR THE 3RD TIME. THIS TIME KIA PICKED UP SEVERAL ERROR MESSAGES. THEY STILL HAVE MY CAR AND ITS BEEN 4 WEEKS. THEY SAID THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE HYDRAULIC POWER UNIT. THIS IS WHAT THEY TOLD ME 2 WEEKS AGO AND ITS STILL NOT DONE. THIS IS NOT A SAFE CAR TO DRIVE AND I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT ANYMORE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10638311

Incident

Jul 10, 2013

Mileage

21,988 mi

SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR, AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE DRIFTS LEFT AND RIGHT CONSTANTLY AND YOU HAVE TO USE TWO HANDS ON STEERING WHEEL JUST TO KEEP THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT AND FROM PULLING LEFT OR RIGHT. LESS NOTICEABLE IN CITY DRIVING BUT STILL DRIFTS. BROUGHT IT TWICE TO THE DEALER AND TECH DROVE IT AND TOLD ME ALIGNMENT IS WITHIN SPECS AND IT WAS FINE I JUST NEED TO GET USED TO IT. THIS IS VERY UNNERVING AND DANGEROUS. HOPE THE LEMON LAW WILL HELP ME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10498354

Incident

Oct 1, 2007

Mileage

50 mi