2005 KIA OPTIMA Exterior Lighting Problems

BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS BLOW OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, HIGH BEAMS (SEPARATE BULBS AND SWITCH) WOULD ONLY WORK SPORADICALLY (SWITCHED 'ON', NOTHING. SWITCHED AGAIN, MAY COME 'ON', TURNED 'OFF' THEN 'ON' MAY OR MAY NOT COME ON). DEALER STATES 'IT HAPPENS, THEY BURN OUT', YET SAID THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.(?) NON WARRANTY, SO YOU PAY. ANOTHER COMPLAINT ON THE SAME CAR YEAR/MAKE/MODEL, SAME ISSUE, HAS ALREADY BEEN FILED WITH YOU. IN ADDITION, 'GOOGLE' SEARCH SHOWS MANY ENTRIES FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM ON KIA AND HYUNDAI VEHICLES (SAME MANUFACTURER) OVER MANY MODELS/YEARS. SIGNS POINT TO POSSIBLE DEFECTIVE CHARGING OF BATTERY BY VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (MAYBE WHY THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY AT THE SAME TIME). BATTERY WAS PREVIOUSLY FINE. I'VE HAD MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR, THINGS STOP WORKING, THEN WORK ON THEIR OWN (POWER WINDOW WON'T WORK, STICKS PART OPEN. SWITCH DOES NOTHING. THEN SUDDENLY LATER WINDOW...

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA OPTIMA. EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE LOW BEAM BULBS CONSTANTLY BLOW OUT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CLUSTER CONNECTORS FAILED AND THEY CLEANED THE CONNECTOR AND REPLACED THE BULBS. THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE A REMEDY. A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT PURCHASED WITH AN ORIGINAL WARRANTY; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST. THEY FURTHER STATED THAT IF THE CONTACT WERE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC, THEY WOULD CONSIDER ASSISTING WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE DASHBOARD WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS RUNNING. THE SMOKE WAS SO THICK THAT HE COULD NOT SEE THROUGH THE SMOKE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER COULD BE THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THEY STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT NOTICED A BLACK BOX ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE UNDERNEATH THE DASHBOARD COVERED IN ELECTRICAL TAPE. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER INSTALLED AFTER MARKET FLOOR BOARD LIGHTS IN THE VEHICLE THAT REQUIRED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF POWER. THE TAIL LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE WERE INOPERABLE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 77,000.