2013 Kia Optima Body & structure Problems

Paint began chipping/flaking off little by little everytime I washed the car. It’s a common occurrence with snowy white Kia paint in this year

NHTSA ID

11751654

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

Paint on car is coming off from hood and doors headlights are not bright had to change to aftermarket to make it brighter

NHTSA ID

11723669

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

The vehicle paint is bubbling and peeling

NHTSA ID

11710752

Incident

Dec 15, 2025

The computer modular or engine control module yes, it is available for inspection. I can be at risk because my lights flicker off and, on my turn, signals do not work, and it will not go into drive I have to start my car 30 minutes before I can leave for work at 5:30am in the morning. I had a security update on my car and ever since that took place, I had this issue. I just had the P1326 code come up on my car last November took it to Vero Beach Kia and had that update done on my car for the engine problems that is going on, and they replaced the last recall which was the knock sensor. I had explained to them the issue my car does when starting it they told me it has nothing to do with the update that would cause it. When looking this issue up there are other people having the same issue, but Kia will not inspect it out so can you please investigate this issue and plus the paint on my car has peeled so bad.

NHTSA ID

11700621

Incident

Nov 20, 2024

The clear coat is delaminating and the Paint is peeling off in multiple areas of the car.

NHTSA ID

11698251

Incident

May 31, 2023

I have a 2013 Kia Optima and my paint on the vehicle is pilling so bad and fast it is exposing the body of the vehicle. I have done plenty of research and this is a commonly known problem with the pearl white paint jobs. It will start effecting the body and exterior of my vehicle and then turn efforts onto the inside of the vehicle. This is a huge problem so please as a huge company take responsibility and fix this problem.

NHTSA ID

11695755

Incident

Oct 5, 2021

3 years ago the paint on my car started peeling. I drove my car from rideshare and was unable to continue due to the visual condition of my car. After further research, it's a nationwide problem. I dont have the money to afford a full paint job and put a bad taste in my mouth when thinking about referring people buying a Kia or my next car purchase. I have lost thousands of dollars due to kid's negligence on their paint.

NHTSA ID

11681451

Incident

Feb 1, 2022

The paint on my car slowly began to peel away on the hood and side panels, eventually exposing almost the entire hood to be bare (Kia was notified and I was denied any sort of help). I had the hood and panels painted out of pocket, shortly after the side rear passenger door has begun with the exact same issue Eventually, my car is going to be missing all paint and just primer. This needs to be addressed in a class action settlement! Otherwise my car is immaculate condition.

NHTSA ID

11678894

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

PAINT ON MY KIA OPTIMA HAS BEEN PEAL LIKE THE PAINT JOB WAS BAD IT WAS NEVER PAINT IT HAS ORGINAL PAINT FROM WHEN IT WAS FIRST OPERATED.

NHTSA ID

11675946

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

While driving 55 mph down the road the window trim flew off of the rear driver side window and a week later the other side flew off hitting the car behind us. Not a very safe thing to be happening while driving.

NHTSA ID

11669327

Incident

May 19, 2022

The white paint on my car (Snow White Pearl) has been chipping and peeling off near the windshield and rails on the side as well the hood. This is a known problem for KIA's with this particular white colored paint and KIA should really address is. Touching up just the locations it's happening in is not a fix ... The car needs to be properly repainted to fix the issue. KIA has not addressed this for customers and really need to as this happens for spanning several years and different models.

NHTSA ID

11656164

Incident

Apr 1, 2016

The paint is chipping heavily and apparently this is an issue with older Kia vehicles due to a primer issue.

NHTSA ID

11638137

Incident

Jan 1, 2024

Pearl white color paint chipping, and breaking due to water and air. Bad batch of primer and coating has caused the paint to chip and peel across the body of the car.

NHTSA ID

11631347

Incident

Jan 30, 2021

My car's paint began chipping and peeling about a year ago, it continues to get worse day by day and exposed areas show a bare metal with some areas rusting. This is happening very rapidly and appears the whole car may lose its paint quickly. Please help!

NHTSA ID

11613791

Incident

Sep 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and 22V560000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power and the engine started overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the product improvement campaign for knock sensor software update had not been performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they were not legally required to complete the recall repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11607297

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

Mileage

145,000 mi

Paint on driver side rear door is delamination from the car body. This is the Pearl white color

NHTSA ID

11605172

Incident

May 7, 2024

Pearl white paint is pealing and chipping. Falling off going down the road. Car looks terrible and is making rust a possibly.

NHTSA ID

11596613

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

The paint on the vehicle is badly peeling due to defective primer. Thousands of other have the same issues from what I see in parking lots. I have gotten it fixed but it doesn't hold up due to primer.

NHTSA ID

11595309

Incident

Jun 3, 2015

This is not a safety issue but it is an issue that seems to be happening on many Kia vehicles, especially those with the Snow White paint color. My car is 11 years old but in great shape with only 62,200 miles. The paint looks almost brand new with no other flaws in the car other than there are spots on the hood and roof where the paint is bubbling up and peeling off with no damages to those areas. It appears the paint no longer adheres to the silver primer.

NHTSA ID

11594387

Incident

Mar 15, 2024

The paint on my car is peeling off in sheets it is not adhering to the body. There is no way that I believe I can have it repainted because they would have to take all the existing paint off because even if they paint it over it it's not stuck to the body. There is no recall and I really think there should be. My paint is the white pearl paint like everyone else's who's peeling off.

NHTSA ID

11590239

Incident

May 1, 2021

Car paint started peeling on the whole car and according to dealers it's a common problem with the pear paint and I need it fixed

NHTSA ID

11588319

Incident

May 12, 2024

Large areas of paint are coming off of the vehicle. The system will not allow the 2mb JPG pictures to be added.

NHTSA ID

11584348

Incident

Apr 1, 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the trunk of the vehicle became wet from rainwater. The contact stated that the trunk area had a moldy odor. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11583306

Incident

Feb 13, 2024

Paint peeling off 2013 Kia Optima. Either a paint or primer issue by the car manufacture Kia Corp. "Snow White Pearl" is the color of the paint.

NHTSA ID

11582900

Incident

Mar 29, 2024

I am experiencing sudden paint delamination on the A pillar. Paint color is snow white pearl. I have not yet contacted the dealer but am seeing many similar online reports for this paint color on Kia vehicles. The area is not otherwise damaged. I noticed the problem on 1/21/24 when the car was stationary. The bad area is now increasing in size. The vehicle has 79,269 miles, is kept outdoors and goes through a car wash approximately monthly.

NHTSA ID

11568296

Incident

Jan 21, 2024