Two problems related to headlight switch have been reported for the 2011 Kia Motor Optima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2011 Kia Motor Optima based on all problems reported for the 2011 Optima.
Bought 2011 kia Optima new. Wife driven to work during daylight hours. Recently drove it at night and noticed dim low beams as well. Took car to dealer for crankshaft recall and had them look at headlight low beams. Surprise, we need 2 new headlight assemblies plus installation. . About $1000+. Reflective material melted/deteriorated. Dealer claims ignorance and tries to say we hit a bump causing issue . Deny, deny, deny. I won't wait for any recall or restitution, I'm gonna trade the problem down the road. Buyer beware !!! btw , we have replaced interior lighting switch at $300+ and also a/c compressor at $1700. The car has 68,000 mi on it and has cost us $2000 out of pocket in what I consider premature failures. Not to mention the headlight cost. Not happy with kia ,,!!!!.
Bought 2011 kia Optima used with 75k miles on it. Did not realize immediately that there was an issue with the passenger side headlight being really dim. I bought the extended warranty and called the kia dealer and mentioned my issue and the service advisor said it was probably a wiring issue or a ground issue and that it probably would not be covered by the warranty. The car is not safe to drive at night without the high beams on. When driving at night visibility is good with high beams on, when switching to low beams for oncoming car, you are driving blind, holding the wheel steady and hoping you stay on the road until the oncoming car passes and you are able to turn your high beams back on again. Took the car to a mechanic and he tested the electrical, ground and bulb and there were no issues. Upon putting a scope inside the headlight assembly where the bulb goes, he found a pile of chrome shavings so the headlight reflective housing deteriorated. Only way to repair is to replace whole headlight unit assembly. After searching online, realized there are many complaints for this same issue on this model of car for multiple years now. Owners beware of this safety issue and don't let people rip you off by charging you to go down the wrong/electrical path to fix. Potential buyers beware: if you have to pay to have this fixed at a dealer it can cost between $500 and $800 and it may only be a matter of time before it is an issue again. Seems like this should be a safety recall by kia.