2018 KIA OPTIMA

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Rio, 2016-2018 Optima, 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The trunk latch base may crack, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Mot

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Optima hybrid vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a Voltage Protection Device (VPD), designed to protect the high voltage battery module, that may activate inadvertently.

It started with the oil. I constantly have to add oil. when it first started that’s what I was doing just adding oil. Then it got worse the engine light started to come on and it no longer gives me the low oil warning. I took it to the dealership and it was there for about three weeks. They said that the car needed a system update, they updated it and i took it home after that. Its been about a year since then and my car is still having the same issue and getting worse. I had to change the spark plugs a few times since then i also have oil coming out the back pipe and it’s been doing this since before I took it to the dealership. I also had to spend money on a rental car while it was at the dealership.

It started with the oil. I constantly have to add oil. when it first started that’s what I was doing just adding oil. Then it got worse the engine light started to come on and it no longer gives me the low oil warning. I took it to the dealership and it was there for about three weeks. They said that the car needed a system update, they updated it and i took it home after that. Its been about a year since then and my car is still having the same issue and getting worse. I had to change the spark plugs a few times since then i also have oil coming out the back pipe and it’s been doing this since before I took it to the dealership. I also had to spend money on a rental car while it was at the dealership.

I turned the car off, it had difficulty turning back on and the brake pedal got really hard. I had to wait about 30-45 minutes and then I was able to get the car started and brake pedal back to normal and no lights. Recently, I left the car on to run into a shop real quick and come back out. When I got back to the car, the power steering light, battery, and warning light?(amber triangle with ! In the center of it) were all on. I rev the engine and the issue went away for a quick second but then came back on. To avoid turning my car off and being stuck, I just shift to reverse and tried to leave. I’m backing out of the spot and now the backup camera is going in and out lights flashing on the dash and I’m trying to brake but the brake pedal isn’t registering and next thing you know, I’ve backed into a guard rail. On the way to drop my kids off at the babysitter, I was coming to a stop sign, and my car wouldn’t brake, i went through oncoming trafic and had to run off the road.

I turned the car off, it had difficulty turning back on and the brake pedal got really hard. I had to wait about 30-45 minutes and then I was able to get the car started and brake pedal back to normal and no lights. Recently, I left the car on to run into a shop real quick and come back out. When I got back to the car, the power steering light, battery, and warning light?(amber triangle with ! In the center of it) were all on. I rev the engine and the issue went away for a quick second but then came back on. To avoid turning my car off and being stuck, I just shift to reverse and tried to leave. I’m backing out of the spot and now the backup camera is going in and out lights flashing on the dash and I’m trying to brake but the brake pedal isn’t registering and next thing you know, I’ve backed into a guard rail. On the way to drop my kids off at the babysitter, I was coming to a stop sign, and my car wouldn’t brake, i went through oncoming trafic and had to run off the road.

I turned the car off, it had difficulty turning back on and the brake pedal got really hard. I had to wait about 30-45 minutes and then I was able to get the car started and brake pedal back to normal and no lights. Recently, I left the car on to run into a shop real quick and come back out. When I got back to the car, the power steering light, battery, and warning light?(amber triangle with ! In the center of it) were all on. I rev the engine and the issue went away for a quick second but then came back on. To avoid turning my car off and being stuck, I just shift to reverse and tried to leave. I’m backing out of the spot and now the backup camera is going in and out lights flashing on the dash and I’m trying to brake but the brake pedal isn’t registering and next thing you know, I’ve backed into a guard rail. On the way to drop my kids off at the babysitter, I was coming to a stop sign, and my car wouldn’t brake, i went through oncoming trafic and had to run off the road.

I was sold an unsafe vehicle at J and J Auto house 6446 Wilshire Bl LA,CA 90022. Dealer withheld condition of car . Had car three months and was stranded on highway. Car was towed to Kia dealer and diagnosed with complete engine failure. Dealer will not honor limited warranty, shady sales practices withheld recall info during sale, won’t allow his mechanic to look at car, dodged calls, denied request to return car for refund

I was sold an unsafe vehicle at J and J Auto house 6446 Wilshire Bl LA,CA 90022. Dealer withheld condition of car . Had car three months and was stranded on highway. Car was towed to Kia dealer and diagnosed with complete engine failure. Dealer will not honor limited warranty, shady sales practices withheld recall info during sale, won’t allow his mechanic to look at car, dodged calls, denied request to return car for refund

I was sold an unsafe vehicle at J and J Auto house 6446 Wilshire Bl LA,CA 90022. Dealer withheld condition of car . Had car three months and was stranded on highway. Car was towed to Kia dealer and diagnosed with complete engine failure. Dealer will not honor limited warranty, shady sales practices withheld recall info during sale, won’t allow his mechanic to look at car, dodged calls, denied request to return car for refund

Steering column coupler went bad. Unable to swap out the coupler alone ($12 part) and had to get a whole new column (over $1200). Some of the Kia's around this one's make and model were recalled but not this one. Without this repair driving would have been dangerous.

My engine is under the Kia class action lawsuit for the KDS with the rod bearing clearance issues. I have done all my oil changes with paper work available. I got the update to the ECU several years ago as needed to be covered. Now my engine has failed and I took to the dealer to check but they said I didn't have a specific code and that they can't do any testing to verify it would be under the warranty. I called Kia Customer Care and have talked to them several times. They have told me there wasn't a need for the code and that the dealer could do other testing. The dealer stated that they can't do the BCT test due to a cylinder not having compression. I told Kia this is all related to the bearing going out and they said they can't do anything if the dealer said it's not under warranty. So I have now been going in circles with kia and dealer since 11/18/25. I sent kia another email on 12/15/25 and another on 12/18/25 due to not receiving a response. It's now 12/23/25 and still no resp

While driving my 2018 Kia Optima S, the car suddenly jerked, lost power, and stalled in traffic. Multiple warning lights came on at the same time including the oil light, battery light, and check engine light. I had no acceleration and the brakes became very hard to press. The vehicle had to be towed for safety reasons. The Kia dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed internal engine failure due to “cylinder failure” and stated the engine needs complete replacement. This failure occurred without any external leaks and without warning other than the sudden loss of power. The dealer stated the issue is not covered, even though it is clearly an internal engine malfunction. This is a major safety hazard because the stall happened while I was in active traffic. A sudden loss of power and braking ability puts me and others at risk of an accident. The problem has been confirmed by the Kia dealership through diagnostic testing. The vehicle is still available for inspection. Warnin

Paint on all four door handles are bubbling and chipping. I rarely use the backseat handles and passenger door, which makes it more likely to be a malfunction in whatever paint was used for the handles. There is no fading, chipping, or bubbling on other parts of my car.

Paint peeling from driver side door.

Car keeps stalling while driving

I was rearended, all air bags deployed except steeringwheel

On August 26, 2025, I brought my 2018 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid to an authorized dealer for recall SC218 (engine inspection and KSDS software update). The dealer verbally stated both SC218 and SC278 recalls were completed, and the repair order (RO #XXX) lists them as performed. In September 2025, Kia America emailed me showing recall SC218 still open, and a warranty coverage report dated September 26, 2025, again listed SC218 as unclosed. On November 4, 2025, NHTSA’s official VIN lookup confirmed the recall remains “Incomplete.” On October 21, 2025, Kia America emailed me under Case #XXX stating that SC218 was “confirmed completed” and that the dealer performed a software update to the ECU, referencing RO #XXX. However, NHTSA’s database still lists recall SC218 as incomplete. This contradiction between Kia America’s internal record, the dealer’s invoice, and the federal NHTSA database raises a serious safety concern that the recall inspection or software update was n

On August 26, 2025, I brought my 2018 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid to an authorized dealer for recall SC218 (engine inspection and KSDS software update). The dealer verbally stated both SC218 and SC278 recalls were completed, and the repair order (RO #XXX) lists them as performed. In September 2025, Kia America emailed me showing recall SC218 still open, and a warranty coverage report dated September 26, 2025, again listed SC218 as unclosed. On November 4, 2025, NHTSA’s official VIN lookup confirmed the recall remains “Incomplete.” On October 21, 2025, Kia America emailed me under Case #XXX stating that SC218 was “confirmed completed” and that the dealer performed a software update to the ECU, referencing RO #XXX. However, NHTSA’s database still lists recall SC218 as incomplete. This contradiction between Kia America’s internal record, the dealer’s invoice, and the federal NHTSA database raises a serious safety concern that the recall inspection or software update was n

On August 26, 2025, I brought my 2018 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid to an authorized dealer for recall SC218 (engine inspection and KSDS software update). The dealer verbally stated both SC218 and SC278 recalls were completed, and the repair order (RO #XXX) lists them as performed. In September 2025, Kia America emailed me showing recall SC218 still open, and a warranty coverage report dated September 26, 2025, again listed SC218 as unclosed. On November 4, 2025, NHTSA’s official VIN lookup confirmed the recall remains “Incomplete.” On October 21, 2025, Kia America emailed me under Case #XXX stating that SC218 was “confirmed completed” and that the dealer performed a software update to the ECU, referencing RO #XXX. However, NHTSA’s database still lists recall SC218 as incomplete. This contradiction between Kia America’s internal record, the dealer’s invoice, and the federal NHTSA database raises a serious safety concern that the recall inspection or software update was n

Trunk latch broke leaving it impossible for someone in the trunk to get out and very difficult for someone on the outside to open the trunk

I’ve had my car for 6 months and it constantly burns oil I’ve had 4 oil changes because it Is completely disappearing but my mechanics can not find any leaks. Then I changed all my spark plugs and two were completely burnt and they were changed a month ago and now one of them went again and this time is completely covered in oil