Skip to content
SteeringPart report

2013 Kia Optima Steering Problems

Complaints
213about this part
Share
15%of 1,387 total for the year
Median mileage
40,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 213 complaints about the steering of the 2013 Kia Optima, 15% of the 1,387 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 40,000 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was driving down the road doing about 45 when I heard a small pop & all my dash lights came on & I lost everything. Car clicks when trying to restart but does not start. Oil light, battery light, eps light & check engine light stay on now. I was told there is a recall on these cars and would like to get it fixed asap as it's my only transportation.”

NHTSA complaint #11361296, filed 2020-09, 126,000 miles

“I started noticing a sound coming from steering wheel sounds like a clank or clunck when I move steering wheel back and forth moving or not still makes sound when I hit bumps in road it makes sound it doesn't matter if car is on or off moving or still it still does it , it's got worse the noise is louder and happens more times now .”

NHTSA complaint #11328241, filed 2020-06, 50,000 miles

“Takara recall: my engine had been knocking/shaking for a good minute now. When I have it running and hood open it's just vibrating extremely hard and constantly.I've noticed it wants to stall or no shift correctly after a dead stop and something going into 3rd gear. Even while just idling I can feel the engine shaking the whole car from inside.”

NHTSA complaint #11221025, filed 2019-06, 100,000 miles

“While my husband was driving the vehicle the engine shut off and locked up. Luckily he wasnt on a major highway with lots of vehicles. He was on a straight road but had trouble pulling the vehicle off the road because everything was locked up. This is a known recall on Kia vehicles and the dealership is denying to fix it. There is an open class action lawsuit against Kia for engine failure that we will be signing.”

NHTSA complaint #11414461, filed 2021-04, 165,000 miles

“Every since I purchased my car, new I have noticed a tugging or pulling when I am driving or turning. The steering seems to 'stick' and sometimes causes me to over turn. This has been on going and the dealership says 'it's part of the car'. I don't agree and feel this needs to be looked into, I see all these complaints and they are of the same issue.”

NHTSA complaint #10825287, filed 2016-02, 10 miles

Related service bulletins

Steering: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202021%
201963%
2018125%
2017114%
2016243%
2015697%
20149716%
201321315%
201218820%
201110017%
201023%
200976%
200843%
200721%
200621%
200521%
200473%
200321%
200287%
200111%

Other parts of the 2013 Kia Optima

Engine
614 complaintsOther or unknown
189 complaintsElectrical system
146 complaintsBody and structure
127 complaintsFuel system
123 complaintsBrakes
114 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
64 complaintsAir bags
62 complaintsEngine cooling
42 complaintsExterior lighting
40 complaintsVehicle speed control
39 complaintsSuspension
26 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Kia Optima

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology