15 problems related to power train have been reported for the 2008 Kia Motor Optima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Kia Motor Optima based on all problems reported for the 2008 Optima.
Odometer fraud. The contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle's transmission failure. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 198,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the title was 217,000.
Power train: at low idle or while slowing down, the car will lose power for a minute until you get on the accelerator and it all comes back on. Alternator had been replaced. And is going to be replaced again soon. Not sure if it's just a bad part. Power steering pump was replaced. The pulley seized. Unrelated. Lighting: third brake light constantly flickers. All lighting including head lights flicker on and off. Worse when slowing down. Lights on dash board, dome, rear light and head light bulbs have been replaced. At night when the head lights flicker I cannot see the road. Airbags: the air bag light on dash is always on. Codes have been ran and there are so many. Tried resetting codes it comes back on soon after. Not sure how to go about trying to fix it. All of this has been happening since I purchased the car in November 2024.
While driving, I tried to reverse my vehicle and it got stuck in drive , and wouldn't and my gear shift no longer responded to the gear and my vehicle was locked in place in drive mode.
My vehicle locked up while turning around in a driveway so I could park at my daughter's house on the street. It was working fine before that. It got stuck in the drive mode and then I couldn't get it to start or move. I'm referring to NHTSA campaign id # 11v15300. I am currently stuck at my daughter's home in norfolk, virginia.
The contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was parking the vehicle, the shifter cable detached and the vehicle kept rolling. The contact stated that the gear shifter was in park but the transmission was still in drive position. The contact stated that his daughter had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that he temporary fix the vehicle and later the vehicle was taken to taylor kia of boardman, 7870 market st, youngstown, OH 44512, and was diagnosed that the entire shift cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
The contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated that while in reverse, the gear shifted without warning into neutral. The contact managed to stop the vehicle but was unable to change the gear from neutral to drive. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the shifter cable was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 11v153000 (power train) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 57,960. ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#.
Tl the contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. While attempting to park the vehicle, it continued to move without warning while in the park position. The contact had to apply the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. Once the emergency brake was applied, the vehicle was unable to start. The vehicle was towed to sons kia (100 sons dr, mcdonough, GA 30253, (678) 619-1393) where it was diagnosed that the throttle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 13v114000 (service brakes, hydraulic, exterior lighting); however, the dealer refused to replace the transmission shifter claiming that the shifter was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The gear shifter is freely allowed to move, yet the electrical system is registering that the car hasn't left neutral. (example: when I place the car in p(ark), the display above the odometer will remain in n(eutral). The shifter is freely allowed to move when the car is on and the brake is pressed down as usual.
The contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated that the shift lever ailed to shift gears. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included under NHTSA campaign number: 11v153000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to her local kia dealer to have her vehicle diagnosed. The contact informed that she was unable to have the vehicle diagnosed due to the diagnostic fee. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl-the contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated that upon driving the vehicle, the contact was unable to remove the gear from out of park. The failure occurred intermittently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Kc.
My car suffered the same problem with the shift lever explained under NHTSA campaign number: 11v153000, however. My car was not part of that recall. The dealer said that the problem was caused by a damage bushing in the shift cable. The cost of the repair was $150. 00 labor, $8. 28 bushing and $50. 00 for the tow.
The contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. While the vehicle was parked, the contact was unable to change gears without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for further inspection. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12v014000 (air bags); however, the clock spring assembly failed. The mechanic indicated that the part was on backorder and that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl-the contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated that it was very difficult to shift the gear lever in and out of the park position. The contact mentioned that excessive force was required when shifting out or into the park position. Also, the contact stated that when the failure occurred, the key became lodged in the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000. Oo.
My 2008 kia Optima was a good car wiith no problems at all so when my car cut off on I 95 during rush hr. I was scared to death. As I was entering the ramp for I-95 my check engine light came on . I had a clickin noise in engine but within less then 2 min. As I merged into traffic my engine shut off and would not turn back on. After getting it towed to dealer ,everyone including dealer thought it was the starter or alternator because oil was fine and nothin was wrong. . The dealer said he couldnt find anything that should have caused engine to lock . He also was confused. Still to this day no body can tell me why this happened. I could have been killed or seriously injured on the highway. Now my only option is to buy a engine when my old one should have still had a lot more miles left.
Tl - the contact owns a 2008 kia Optima. The contact stated while driving various speeds and idling, the vehicle made a loud puffing sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was not repaired but diagnosed as a resignator failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 66,800. Rvk.