2016 KIA OPTIMA Steering Problems

MDPS failing when driving randomly. Steering locks up and vehicle is uncontrollable, while the vehicle is moving. This has occurred at varying speeds, while turning and while driving straight. Dealer has unsuccessfully got the issue to replicate, but independent service center was able to replicate it and found the extended warranty and recommended dealership visit since issue is covered. Vehicle has been inspected by dealership and the first recommended battery replacement, but this did not remedy the issue. EPS warning light is illuminated while issue is occurring but due to safety, car needs to be restarted to gain control of the vehicle and light turns off.

While driving vechile shakes violently between 35-45 mph. I was informed the right axle needed replacement. There is a recall for 2016 optima axle replacement but Kia says my car doesn’t fall under it even though is the exact issue as the recall.

I’m financing my car from drive time and I got my car this year not to long ago, I say a couple months ago. I recently had a vehicle inspection done to keep up with maintenance. Upon arrival Firestone did a vehicle inspection and noted my roots needs to be replaced witch I’m currently working on getting that replaced and they also noted my power steering needed to be replaced witch I found odd because I don’t know how my power steering could needed be replaced when I haven’t had my car for a full year only a couple months. I have attached a copy of the vehicle inspection

In cold weather my car will not start. Gas is in the car and all the lights come on. Would have to crank car multiple times for it to to start or it will not start at all.

I purchased a 2016 KIA Optima from eCars in Wichita Ks in November of 2022. The car had no major issues until the Optima was stolen this last March. I recovered the car quickly but it was damaged. Had ignition pulled out steering column broken, window broken and lots of cosmetic damage. Was towed twice and in the shop twice. All has been fixed with auto insurance funds. I am part of the KIA theft settlement and waiting for funds to be dispersed. Second part of my issue is that on 07/22/24 the check engine light came on while I was driving to work. It was blinking which indicates a serious engine issue. I turned around and went home and parked it. I started researching KIA engine issues and found that my car is also eligible for the KIA Theta II engine class action settlement but the submission deadline was...

Rack Record rack and pinion blow apart while driving

I most recently started noticing that my oil changes were not lasting at around 46,174 miles. I found this to unusual in a car with low mileage. I had to result to buying oil from a local store. The light indicator started coming on when ever I apply the brakes. When I checked my oil, it was completely dry. So I started monitoring the oil intake, even after I had oil changes at the dealership in which I mentioned that it appears to be taking in an excessive amount of oil. What I noticed was that I was adding oil every week. I did not detect any outward appearance of a leak. In addition, I experienced on several occasion what felt like the car was having a seizure. As soon as I filled up the gas tank. The car froze up, steering wheel would not move and the car was...

I was driving and the car’s electrical completely cut out and locked my steering wheel up and ran us off the road and we hit a big rock on the driver side and then the power kicked back on and the steering yanked super hard to the right about 4 times and caught a fallen tree on the right side then completely died with me and my young kids . Took it to Kia to be serviced and got it back and it started to do it again

My steering wheel locked while I was on my way to work early Monday, March 28,2022. I was driving down county road Park Avenue around 30MPH and suddenly, I was unable to move the steering at all. Luckily, I was already in the right lane =; however, it was very challenging to steer to get off the road. I called the local dealership and they suggested I bring the car in for inspection to determine what the cause is. I took the car to the dealership and I was informed the vehicle was not drivable because the Steering Wheel Column Assembly and ECU needs repair. They also informed there was no recall on the vehicle. The mileage at the time was 67,400 miles which was very surprising. I received a letter from Kia Motors in February 2022 (6 years after the car was manufactured about the recall however, most cars...

The City of memphis has seen a massive spike in motor vehicle thefts. Which i have been one of the Kia vehicles stolen & damage that cant be fixed quick with the steering column. The Memphis Police Department has described the situation as a car theft “epidemic.” The car thieves’ main targets are Hyundais and Kias, which account for approximately 66% of all thefts across all vehicles. Kia and Hyundai, as well as their joint design center, Hyundai Kia America Technical Center (“HATCI”). As the Complaint details, these car thieves figured out what an entire team of Hyundai and Kia engineers seemingly missed: the companies’ vehicles are designed and manufactured with subpar security measures, thereby making them incredibly easy to steal. These design flaws pose significant safety risks and create a substantial financial burden for consumers. the Complaint alleges that many Kia and Hyundai vehicles are equipped with a defect...

My steering wheel will randomly lock in the middle of road while driving. I have to forcefully turn wheel to be able to pull of off the road meanwhile the there is on coming traffic. I have been told my car is having misfire and an engine knock code P1326 I have also got other codes and was told it could be a factory malfunction.

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, DRIVING STRAIGHT IN LEFT LANE ON A CITY STREET IN EASTBOUND DIRECTION. ON ITS OWN, THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE WHILE TURNING TOWARDS THE LEFT SIMULTANEOUSLY. DRIVER WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH AND BASED ON AIR BAG MODULE, CAR SPED UP TO 55 MPH. THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE BRAKE SEEMED TO BE LOCKED OR STUCK BECAUSE NEITHER COMPONENT WORKED WHILE THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. DRIVER TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN, BUT BRAKE WOULD NOT PRESS DOWN. ALSO TRIED TO TURN STEERING WHEEL TO AVOID ONCOMING WESTBOUND TRAFFIC, BUT STEERING WHEEL DID NOT WORK EITHER. DRIVER HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE. THE CAR ACCELERATED AND VEERED LEFT FOR ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE UNTIL IT FINALLY HIT A CURB, THEN FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL, ROTOR, AND SUSPENSION BROKE. IT SEEMED AS IF CAR WAS STILL TRYING TO ACCELERATE AFTER IT...

CAR LOST ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING

SOMETIMES WHEN I START THE CAR IT ONLY RUNS AT ABOUT 500RPM AND THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER STARTS GOING UP IN NUMBERS WHEN I'M IN PARK AND I HAVE NO POWER STEERING. I CAN PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND PARK OR OPEN THE DOOR AND IT STARTS ACTING NORMAL. IT ALSO ACTS LIKE IT'S GOING TO SHUT OFF WHEN I COME TO A STOP. I AM AWARE THAT THE RPMS DROP WHEN YOU STOP ALMOST LIKE A GAS SAVER BUT WITH IN THE LAST 20 THOUSAND MILES IT HAS GOTTEN REALLY ROUGH. IT BURNS OIL LIKE CRAZY THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THIS BUT CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE ENGINE TELL IT THROWS A CODE AND THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE ANY OF MY OTHER ISSUES, THE FRONT END HAS MADE AWFUL NOISES FOR THE LAST 50 THOUSAND MILES OR SO AND HAS HAD THE FRONT SUSPENSION REPLACED BUT THAT DIDN'T FIX...

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE CAR HAS VERY TIGHT STEERING AND CAR DRIFTS ALL OVER LANE. I AM ALWAYS MAKING CORRECTIONS. FEEL LIKE RACK AND PINION IS FAILING. CAR ONLY HAS 31,000 MILES ON IT.

STEERING WHEEL LOCKED CAUSING VEHICLE TO HIT CURB AND DAMAGE WHEEL WELL. VEH POSSIBLY WILL NEED NEW RIM.

I HAVE HAD THE STEERING GO OUT MULTIPLE TIMES - REPORTED IT TO KIA WHERE I LEASE FROM AND A LOCAL SHOP. JUST HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY (11/25/19) - IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR - I HAVE HAD IT TOWED TO THE PLACE I LEASED FROM AS WELL. ALSO, TWICE NOW - WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. VERY SCARY. AS I STATED, I HAVE TAKEN IN AND THE KIA DEALERSHIPS SAY THAT THEY CANNOT NOT GET IT TO DUPLICATE, THEY TREAT ME AS I AM MAKING UP. NOW READING THAT IT DOES HAPPEN TO OTHERS, I THINK THIS IS AN ISSUE. I WILL NOT LEASE OR BUY ANOTHER KIA

STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNED TO THE RIGHT IS VERY LOOSE TO THE LEFT VERY TIGHT. OCCASSIONALLY IT LOCKS COMPLETELY CAUSING VEHICLE TO EITHER BE UNABLE TO TURN OR MERGE LANES, OR EVEN MORE DANGEROUSLY CAUSES THE CAR TO VEER TO THE RIGHT WITH NO ABILITY TO MOVE IT. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ON THE HIGHWAY TYPICALLY AT SPEEDS OR 55 OR HIGHER. THE TIGHTNESS/LOOSENESS USUALLY HAPPENS AT ANY SPEED OR TYPE OF ROADWAY.

I WAS CHANGING OUT THE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND I NOTICED ON THE DRIVER SIDE THE BOOT AROUND THE AXEL HAD CRACKED AND THE GREASE HAD LEAKED OUT.

MULTIABLE OCCASIONS OF POWER STEERING LOSS AT LOW SPEEDS (15MPH OR LESS). THE POWER STEERING UNIT APPEARS TO STOP WORKING WHICH RESULTS IN THE INABILITY TO TURN THE WHEEL. I HAVE DRIVEN CARS WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND THIS CONDITION WITH THE KIA OPTIMA RESULTS IN A NEAR COMPLETE LACK OF STEERING, NOT JUST DIFFICULTY TURNING. THE CONDITION APPEARS TO BE PRECEDED WITH A STICKING OR CLICKING CONDITION THAT INCREASES IN FREQUENCY UNTIL THE SYSTEM FAILS. TURNING OFF THE CAR THEN RESTARTING IT APPEARS TO CLEAR THE ISSUE AND STEERING RETURNS TO NORMAL FOR A DECREASING PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN EACH EPISODE. THE CAR HAS SPENT OVER TWO WEEKS AT THE LOCAL KIA SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITHOUT THEM BEING ABLE TO RECREATE THE ISSUE.

ON THE EVENING OF MAY 17, I NEEDED A JUMP AFTER WORK. I WENT HOME, TURNED OFF MY CAR BUT WAS UNABLE TO START IT AGAIN SO I REPLACED THE BATTERY. I THOUGHT I HAD FIXED THE PROBLEM UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN I WAS DRIVING 65MPH ON A LOCAL INTERSTATE WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR, ALL MY DASH LIGHTS CAME ON, I LOST NAVIGATION & RADIO AND MY POWER STEERING LOCKED UP. I WENT TO TURN ON MY HAZARDS AND THOSE DID NOT WORK EITHER. I CHECKED MY MIRRORS TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WAS GOING TO HIT ME AND I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AND PULL ONTO THE SHOULDER. I WAS EXTREMELY FEARFUL AS I HAD MINIMAL STEERING CAPABILITY & WAS UNABLE TO NOTIFY OTHER MOTORISTS OF MY DISABLED VEHICLE AS MY HAZARD LIGHTS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TOWED...

STEERING WHEEL LOCKS WHILE DRIVING. INITIALLY HAPPENED 1 YEAR AGO WHILE DRIVING. HAD TO USE SEVERE FORCE TO TURN THE WHEEL. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP, WHO SAID THEY DID SEE SOMETHING ON DIAGNOSTICS; HOWEVER, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, SO THEY COULD NOT FIX THE CAR. THEY KEPT & DROVE THE CAR. THEY CHECKED THE COUPLING UNIT & CONTACTED KIA HOTLINE BUT STILL COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, SO THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO ME. ON APRIL 14TH, WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY PARKING SPACE, THE WHEEL AGAIN LOCKED UP. I JIGGLED THE WHEEL AND IT RELEASED, SO I PULLED OUT & PROCEEDED TO DRIVE. I REACHED THE END OF MY STREET & WANTED TO TURN & COULD NOT MOVE THE WHEEL. LUCKILY, I WAS STILL IN MY DEVELOPMENT WITH A 25MPH ZONE, SO I TURNED OFF THE CAR. WHEN I STARTED IT AGAIN, I...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME LOOSE AND THE TRACTION CONTROL AND POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT, A CLICKING NOISE WAS DETECTED. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD ONLY ALLOW THE CONTACT TO TURN APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT, AND THE STEERING WHEEL EVENTUALLY SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SOUTH SHORE KIA (1128 SUNRISE HWY, COPIAGUE, NY 11726, (631) 991-3910) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE RESET. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,843.