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Chart based on 20 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2011 Kia Optima
Engine not specified
74000 mi
US $3600
Huge knocking from engine. Allegedly oil pump failed. Engine destroyed. Dealer paid 50% of cost (total was $7200)
Sticky wastegate was causing the turbo to choke and the vehicle to lose power resulting in a sluggish speed that will not exceed 70mph. Let alone taking a long time to go from 0-60 mph. Engine light came on the next day.
38000 mi
Fuel leak from high pressure fuel pump
51000 mi
Engine lost power. Turbo wastegate was adjusted under warranty.
64000 mi
US $1165
turbo controller failed
9500 mi
blown engine due to cracked spark plugs. porcelain insulation from spark plugs in bank 2 and 3 fell into engine
29200 mi
Voltage adjustment
46300 mi
The turbo gate was replaced
128000 mi
US $80
Excessive oil consumption, 1 qt per 1,500 miles. Treated with ring cleaner
121000 mi
US $150
Excessive oil consumption, new engine needed
17000 mi
Sudden lack of power, no turbo boost at all. It "threw a code" and the car dealer's svce dpt knew what to do. Under warranty, so they provided a free rental car. I have no complaint.
25000 mi
Slight oil leak at crankcase/oilpan junction; was fixed quickly under warranty.
64000 mi
US $140
Turbo waste gate went out of spec resulting in big loss of power; much less than a non-turbo motor. Top speed about 60mph. A known issue with a couple of TSBs, but not covered by warranty. Given that problem arose at 61k, I felt cheated.
Engine failed with significant oil loss (1 quart for 1000 miles). KIA did not own up to the issue. I got rid of the car. Kia is a $hit car with even $hittier dealer and customer service. I am done with KIA. Period.
103800 mi
Engine seized due to known manufacturing defect; replaced under warranty
46000 mi
Computer failed, was replaced
12700 mi
Check engine light was on, dealer replaced faulty exhaust valve control solenoid.
30900 mi
Check engine light came on, without loss of drivability.
During the time frame that the 12v battery was dying and even after replacement, the car started having rough idling (almost sounded like it was going to stall) when ever I would stop, start off in reverse or in drive. The car would lose power going up small hills and would sound as if it was starving from air/fuel. I received a CEL for PO106 MAP Sensor code. I removed the map sensor and cleaned it good with a cloth that was sprayed with contact cleaner. There was minimal residue left on the rag from the sensor. After resetting the CEL and test driving the car, the rough idling/attempting to stall continued as described above. After further investigation, I noticed that the air intake hose prior to the MAP sensor/engine was slightly offset to the point that there was a gap on one portion of the intake hose. After loosening the clamp all the way and loosening the intake filter cover, I was able to re-align the intake hose and tighten everything down. I then reset my car and test drove it around my subdivision. The rough idle initially was there but, once my actual engine kicked on and a vacuum was established it seemed to return back to its normal self. I test drove it for a few miles and there was no rough idle at stops or the sound of wanting to stall. We did order a new Map Absolute Pressure Sensor overnight so if the problem comes back I will swap that piece out if needed. Will drive car tomorrow to see if the problem returns.
See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how
frequently 2011 Kia Optima problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.