2009 Kia Optima Electrical system Problems

“My 2009 Kia Optima was parked. When I put the key in, it would not turn the car on. The steering wheel would move slightly. The ignition switch and tumblers were not reading that the car was in park. I had the ignition switch replaced. I contacted Kia but they would not cover repairs because the car was 2 weeks out of warranty.”

“My concern involves illumination of the instrument panel. When driving on a bright day, the panel illumination is so dim that the odometer cannot be seen without moving my head almost next to the steering wheel. The speedometer, and other gauges, are also dimly illuminated. At night and on overcast days, the problem is less severe.”

“After returning from work and parking my vehicle at home, the car sat in my driveway in 40 degree weather for approximately 12 hrs. I woke up the next morning and found my car on fire and is a total loss. The police and fire department were called and dispatched to my home. The fire department extinguished the fire and determined it was probably an electrical fire. There is no remote starter installed or any other accessories installed in the vehicle after purchase. …”

“The battery died in my 2009 Kia Optima and upon replacing battery the airbag light came on. It was taken to a Kia dealership and was told that it was because we changed the battery. The airbag light was reset. About a week later it came on again and was taken back to the dealership and reset again. It came back on the next day and was again taken to the dealership at what time we were told that it was the b1382 & b1481 airbag problems and that it was going to cost over $1200.00 to fix. Why would changing the battery cause these problems? …”

“The vehicle lurches when slowing down between 2nd gear and 1st gear. The lurch is strong enough to jerk passengers forward in their seats. I took it to the dealership in stamford, ct on april 27, 2012. They replaced the stop lamp switch. The fix lasted until 63,000 miles, almost 9 months later. It is happening again. I took it back to the dealership in plano, tx. They said it was a computer upgrade issue. The upgrade did not fix the problem. Kia is now telling me there is no refund, no fix, and that I'm not part of the recall for this same part on later year models.”