Three problems related to power steering light on have been reported for the 2013 Kia Motor Optima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Kia Motor Optima based on all problems reported for the 2013 Optima.
The steering wheel makes a wear noise, like parts are getting loose when I move the steering wheel the lightest. It sounds dangerous and not safe at all. It also sounds when driving no matter the surface.
Is anyone going to do anything about the overly sensitive electronic steering on the 2013 kia Optimas that cause the car to zig zag within the lane of travel??? this type of complaint is prominent all over the internet on many different sites. There is, quite simply, a major safety issue with the steering on these cars, and complaints to kia or the nhtsb seem to fall on deaf ears. Will it take a fatality due to these issues for someone to take notice of the major hazard these particular cars present to drivers?!? the electronic steering is extremely overly sensitive. . . So bad that one can barely look down to turn the defrost on or look into the rear view mirror or side view mirrors without the potential for the car to drift in another lane in the same direction of travel, or even in an oncoming lane of travel!! you literally cannot move your hand at all one way or another without the steering reacting. A 1/4 movement to the left or right??? you'll feel the car shift in the direction turned, so that leaves the driver having to continually keep his hand turning the steering wheel slightly to the left or right just to keep it in the lane of travel, thus causing the car to zig zag down the lane of travel, giving the appearance of an impaired driver. At highway speeds or even speeds 45mph or higher it is impossible to keep the car going in a straight line without having to continually correct it one way or another. About a month ago I looked down to turn the defrost on and when I looked back up the car was halfway in the oncoming lane of travel for god's sake! someone is going to be killed because of this issue, whether it be a side swip on the highway or a head on collision, something will eventually happen, and when someone finally dies maybe then kia or the nhtsb will finally look into the issue.
New vehicle. The vehicle will not track in a straight line. The vehicle wanders (drifts) left or right. I constantly have to nudge the steering wheel slightly left or slightly right to keep the vehicle somewhere in the middle of the lane. This is a dangerous condition. I no longer take a mug of coffee with me as I drive to work. I have to keep my eyes directly on the road ahead, only glancing briefly in the rear view mirror or side mirrors to check traffic. It also does this at low speeds on residential streets. Help! I am taking it back to the dealer a second time on 11/16. However, I have noticed many complaints on the web for the same vehicle, model and problem. It would seem there is no fix! has the NHTSA contacted kia about this problem?.