Steering Problems of Kia Motor Optima - part 1

While driving kia Optima, unable to turn steering wheel. No notice when first starting vehicle. While driving, a traction and steering wheel light turns on without a sound(ding) to notify driver. Then once driver attempts to turn, unable due to steering wheel locked. Unsafe to drive on the road. Dangerous for all passengers. Our safety is put at risk due to unable to turn steering wheel while driving. Must turn vehicle off in middle of road, then it resets so steering wheel to turn. Code c12 60 returns for power steering sensor malfunction.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

I called kia consumer assistance in reference the mdps flexible coupling. I spoke with a kia representative named gina. I specifically asked if this item is covered under my vehicles warranty (I gave the VIN number of the vehicle to her. She stated if it was diagnosed as the mdps flexible coupling, it would be covered. I made an appointment (it took two weeks) with spitzer kia at 3414 brookpark rd, cleveland, ohio 44134. The service advisor, belinda frost, stated, yes the mdps flexible coupling needs to be replaced. I gave the case number from kia, #[xxx]. She looked and said it is not covered. I told her gina from kia consumer assistance stated it is covered. She called kia, spoke with "brad" who stated I would need to pay a $93. 00 diagnostic charge (car was already diagnosed with the issue) and leave the car for 24 to 48 hours. During that time, they would make a determination if it is warrantied - I believe that other person's name was robert - the regional manager. He would need to approve coverage for the mdps flexible coupling. The diagnosis is to turn the steering wheel while the engine is off for play and a clunking sound, which takes 30 seconds and was already done. Also note this is a hazard as the car wanders due to additional play in the steering, sometimes has a notch, taking more effort to turn the wheel slightly plus makes a metal on metal sound when going over bumps. This $10. 00 part, should be mandated to replace without a time limit. I was also told it was covered by warranty by kia consumer after giving the serial number, and that was not honored by the dealership nor kia consumer when the dealer ship called in my presents. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

The steering coupler for this vehicle is a cheap part that wears out easily. After just 110,000 miles my steering wheel now has a significant amount of "play" and makes a loud clicking sound while driving, even without moving the steering wheel, due to the amount of "play" in the steering. This is an expensive repair due to having to disassemble the steering column all because the cheap part wears out prematurely. This is a known problem for kia Optimas and results in very expensive repairs for a very cheap part.

Steering clunks left & right, feels like steering coupler or clock spring is broken or out of wack, steering column rattles on bumpy r thoughtoads.

Pep boys told me in panama city that this is a recall for kia and it's a safety issue and my steering is loose I'm taking it to kia on may 28th to get them to fix it.

The power steering stopped working and the car became hard to turn because of it. The power steering light (red color with steering wheel and exclamation point to the right of it) came on also.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

I was driving on the northbound side of the interstate when my brakes failed when I pressed them to avoid a collision on the highway. The steering wheel malfunctioned when I tried to avoid a head-on collision with another vehicle. I couldn't control or stop the car, causing me to swerve left to right, and I then completely lost control of the vehicle. I crashed into the middle of the highway, but because my brakes had failed, the car continued at full speed into the southbound side of the highway, causing me to wreck into a semi. The colorado state patrol investigated the accident. Right before I wrecked into the semi-trailer, I noticed all of the lights on the dashboard were off. My steering wheel had fallen off completely, but the airbag never deployed even though every other airbag had deployed.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

I believe the steering wheel coupler is bad on my 2013 kia Optima. It is a known issue for this year/make/model. The steering wheel is slipping and makes a clicking noise occasionally when turning.

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.

The plastic coupling for the steering is broken in my 2018 kia Optima the same issue that the 2011-2014 issue Optima’s have my car has this same issue.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

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Steering sticks in the center position. Makes it difficult to maintain a straight line.

The contact owns a 2012 kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal clicking sound while the steering wheel was vibrating. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the abnormal clicking sound was heard while making right turns. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

The steering wheel has a noise when turn, actually the noise is so loud now that it shakes while I'm driving. I have a video of it. I also brought to the mechanic and he told me that this is from the manufacturer problem. The videos are not support to download here. Let me know if I can send it through another way. Thank you, I'm going to kia dealer on Sep. 2nd to fix another recall, if please, send me a recall for the steering wheel as well. Thank you, appreciate it.

While driving on the roadway, I was almost to a four way intersection, as I was going to get into the left turn lane, I turned the steering wheel slightly to the left as the steering wheel turned but the car almost did little adjusting to turn into the left turn lane. As this occurred you could here a noise underneath the vehicle . As I wasn't sure exactly what had happened, I attempted to limp the vehicle down the road to a friend's. As I did the steering got worse and as I could nearly stear the vehicle something was in the road which because of the steering I couldn't avoid it as it was late at night and raining and I ran over something that gave me a flat on the passenger side front tire . I got to my friends drive a few feet away and almost didn't get it pulled in because of the steering. As I took a look at my car, I noticed that two bolts on the driver side on the rack and pinion were almost about to fall out, two ball joints were bent and one nut was completely missing from the lower ball joint, as well as the sway bar was out of place and if I would have been driving down the highway, I do belive I would have wrecked.

See all problems of the 2003 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

My vehicle has 75,583. I received a recall for 3 items and made an appointment and took the car in for the work. I noticed that their wasa slight dead spot in the centeing of the steering and asked if there was any adjustmen. I was told there wasn't but they would check it because there was a known problem thith the plastic gear in the electric motor's connection to the rack that wears out and can completely disintegrate. When I picked up the vehicle they had obviously checked it because the slight dead spot had turned into a clunk. As there was no recall they would nothing about it as the vehicle was out of warranty (10 years, 100,000 miles). Had it had a higher annual mileage it would have been replaced under warranty. My concern is that this fault may be hidden by the warranty coverage. If the plastic gear fails completely the steering could become locked or inoperable. This is clearly a well known problem as there is a youtube video showing the replacement process. This actual mechanism may be used on several other years and models. The video is here: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Steering is clicking when turned from side to side. Also steering wheel shakes when coming to a stop or going over bumps. Checked with several people, including a service manager at roseville kia. The mdps flexible coupler needs replacing. They confirm its an ongoing problem. See kia technical service bulletin: mdps flexible coupling replacement cutomer satisfaction program (cs 1604). I spoke with kia customer service and they refused to repair under warranty.

Steering coupler failing, making loud noise.

The steering is making a clunking noise when backing up and going forward at low speed. There is a TSB by kia about the steering motor rubber gear spacer that simply disintegrates over time but kia is only performing repairs on vehicles in warm humid areas up to south carolina. Why up to south carolina? being we live on the eastern end of long island in southampton town in new york : we are surrounded by the atlantic ocean to the south and long island sound to the north. On long island, the temperature frequently approaches 100 degrees in the summer and is very humid also. I would say we qualify for a recall based on what the TSB says. There should be a recall for every kia Optima along the coastal united states that has this issue as it could become quite dangerous. From what I have heard and seen on line , it is a multi hour repair for several hundred dollars. The ntsb should get a recall done not a TSB.

Check engine light began flashing halfway down the highway. Oil changes and maintenance are done regularly. Vehicle handling seemed to be unsafe. Vehicle would not accelerate. Had inspection done in September.

I took my 2013 into the kia dealer on 1/19/21 to checkout an issue with the steering wheel it felt as though when you went to turn the wheel the steering of the tires took a while to catch up. The service advisor wrote it up to replace the power steering coupler and it was repaired. The mileage at that time was 28,300. It is now April of 2022 I went back to the dealer for other work and told the service advisor that the same issue was happening again with steering. She informed me the the dealership only had to repair it once. The issue that I am having is this has been a problem 2011 to at least 2022 they sold the car with a faulty part and have been doing the repair with the same faulty. My mileage now on the car is 38,800. When this issue represented again in 2022 the mileage was approximately 34,500 that’s just over 6,000 miles. The repair is around $500. 00. So if I repair now at that cost of $500. 00 and the repair only last 6,000 miles I will be repairing it at 44,000 miles. I feel that they should repair the faulty part because it is no less a safety issue now as it was originally. Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Randomly when turning, my steering will jolt in the opposite direction and lose power steering. The red power steering light does come on at this moment where I have to pull over, turn the car off, and restart and the symptoms clear itself up. In addition, there is there is, randomly, grinding noises (and I can feel it in the steering) when turning. When this occurs, relocating the steering column by changing the position (via tilt and telescopic) seems to help clear it up for awhile. I have almost jolted to oncoming traffic when turning and a few instances. I have had it serviced to check steering points at tires, axel, cv joints, and my mechanics can't seem to find the fault there. Even after doing alignments, it helped for a little bit but the same problems came back. They believe it to be a steering column issue. They believe that it is getting caught when turning and causing the issues. This has been occurring for about 6-8 months now. The power steering losing power happens maybe once or twice a week to once every two weeks. The grinding and vibration in the steering column while turning happens a few times a week to maybe just once a week. Its occurrence worsens when it rains. I am reporting this because I have read other reports of people have the same experience as myself.

1. On [xxx] the steering wheel stuck 2 minutes after me and my wife exited the highway and tried to park on a mall’s parking. 2. On 13 November 2024 I brought car to herb chambers kia of burlington dealership to fix (93 cambridge st, MA-3a, burlington, MA 01803. Phone: (781) 202-3456) . 3. On 27 November 2024 got kia back from the dealership. Drove it back home on a highway, and a few minutes later after exiting the highway the steering wheel stuck again. 4. On 29 November 2024 the car was towed back to the herb chambers kia of burlington dealership. 5. On 14 December 2024 got kia back from the dealership.

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.

There is a recall on steering shaft.

Failure of flexible steering coupler, part of the motor driven power steering. This flexible coupler deteriorated noticeably over about 6 months time. Currently steering is very erratic with crunching sounds when turning wheel. This is a serious safety concern. I had the steering and suspension inspected at an official PA state inspection station (annual requirement) and was assured that the mechanical under car parts are all good. Has never needed any repairs in this area, not even a wheel alignment. I am the original owner and the vehicle has been well maintained. Vehicle currently has 141,000 miles, mostly highway driving. Kia advises that there is no recall and no warranty repair available. I believe this is a design defect and safety issue.

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.

Kia has identified an issue with the steering wheel coupler. The coupler wears and erodes and causes the steering wheel to shake violently while braking. My 2013 kia Optima has recently experienced this issue. Kia has extended their warranty from 5 years to 10 years for this issue but did not offer any notices to vehicle owners. Kia does not currently have a resolution for vehicle owners who were not notified and are beyond the warranty period.

The contact owns a 2011 kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the contact stated noticed that there was a notchy feel in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to kia TSB number: cha060. The mechanic determined that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. The mechanic ordered the part for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under kia TSB number: cha060 due to the mileage. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Optima 🔎.

The contact owns a 2015 kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the steering seized. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000.

Car engine stuttered when turned on, then after a moment smoothed out . I noticed some looseness in response in the steering wheel while driving forward, after a short period of time driving the antiskid symbol and the eps symbol came on and I lost power steering. I turned off the car and turned it back on . The emergency symbols were gone and the power steering was ok. I headed back home and the symbols came back on and lost power steering again after driving about 3 blocks. I repeated turning car off and on to get home.

The contact owns a 2013 kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, there was significant play in the steering wheel and the steering wheel made abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering column coupler had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under TSB number: cha060. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

The contact owns a 2014 kia Optima. The contact stated while reversing and turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel felt abnormal and made an abnormal clunking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to autozone however, the failure could not be replicated. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

There is a serious malfunction with the motor driven power steering. Needs replacement as I am not able to steer my car thus I am not able to drive it.