2016 Kia Optima Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Optima most often describe engine trouble: oil that disappears between changes with no visible leak, followed by knocking, shaking, loss of power or a seized engine that a shop says must be replaced. The other frequent themes are body and electrical hardware — power windows that drop or quit and headlights that cut out while driving. Most reports come from vehicles with well over 60,000 miles, and many owners mention that the dealer could not find or cover the problem.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine knock, stalling and seized engines

   • 307 complaints (40%)
   • median 92,000 mi at 6.9 yrs old (117 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $6,000 (median of 17 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Complaints describe a metallic knock or rattle from the engine, shaking at idle, hesitation or jerking under acceleration, and the check engine light coming on — sometimes flashing. Owners report the vehicle losing motive power at highway speed, going into limp mode, or refusing to restart, and several say a shop or dealer told them the engine had seized and needed replacement. Many note that oil was low or empty when the noise started, and some mention an engine replacement that was followed by the same symptoms later. Where the vehicle was out of warranty or the VIN was not covered by a campaign, owners say they were offered no assistance. Mostly reported between roughly 75,000 and 150,000 miles, often at highway speed or under acceleration.

   Recall 18V9070001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for oil change records, have the engine started cold and listened to for a knock or tick, and ask whether the knock sensor detection system update or any engine replacement campaign work has been done on this VIN. A scan tool check for stored knock-sensor codes is worth the cost before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Was on highway, engine seized, flashing engine light and knlocking noise, car went into limp mode, took to dealership code p1326 was thrown which is engine failure, I have had the knock sensor installed thru kia prior which put me in lifetime warranty for the engine, kia dealership did a diagnostic BCT, which is a 4 to 5 hour job at the most, kia called me in less than 2 hours and told me is passed the BCT ! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11586678, filed 2024-05, 115,743 miles

   “Mid september, 2020, I began to notice that my headlights would turn off as I was driving. They would cut off for no more than 15 seconds and turn back on. I didn't think anything of it, until I started having issues with other components of my 2016 Kia Optima. On 11/30/2020 I was driving at 30mph through a residential area. As I was approaching a stop sign, my engine light came on. When I tried to accelerate, the car began to jump and hesitate. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11385158, filed 2020-12, 103,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Excessive oil consumption with no visible leak

   • 243 complaints (32%)
   • median 91,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (55 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $911 (median of 14 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners report the oil level dropping far faster than expected between changes, with no puddle or drip under the car; some say they add a quart a week or several quarts per 1,000 miles. Complaints describe the oil warning light coming on with little or no oil on the dipstick, bluish or white smoke from the tailpipe after oil is added, and a ticking sound. Several say a dealer performed or quoted an oil consumption test, and some were told no problem was found or that there was no campaign covering the VIN. Reported from about 45,000 miles upward, with most complaints between 60,000 and 130,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the dipstick level and colour yourself, look for blue smoke at startup or after a fresh fill, and ask whether an oil consumption test has been run. A service bulletin describes an inspection and repair procedure for excessive oil consumption on these engines, so ask whether it was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car burns oil before oil changes, no warning light comes on. Technician at jiffy lube stated that this model vehicle has issues burning the oil with no warning light coming on. Have taken the car several times to get oil change services and they warn me of the same issue every time. no oil leaks coming from the engine itself. Car engine burns the oil which can cause issues with the engine if left unchecked.”

   NHTSA complaint #11506496, filed 2023-02, 96,454 miles

   “The car uses way too much oil to only have 40k miles on the motor with no leakage at all. It smokes white cloudy smoke, my check engine light came on, and it also makes a ticking noise constantly. Took it to the Kia dealership multiple times. And they can't find anything wrong.”

   NHTSA complaint #11325493, filed 2020-05, 10 miles
3. 3
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Power windows drop or stop working

   • 83 complaints (11%)
   • median 72,000 mi at 5.7 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $1,300 (median of 17 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe windows that stop responding to the switch, that fall down on their own while driving, or that will not roll back up, usually one window at a time and then others following. Owners say the regulator or motor appears to be the failed part and that they propped the glass up with paper or tape to keep rain out while waiting on a repair. Some report dealer replacement of the affected windows and others say the work was not covered. Typically reported between about 30,000 and 110,000 miles, often starting with one window and spreading to the others over months.

   What to check: Cycle every window up and down, including from the driver's master switch, and listen for slow travel, grinding or a window that drops a little after release. Ask whether any regulators or motors have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The windows fall on their own and not operative while driving. It has happened to me twice so far and took the car to dealer. I am trying not to lower my windows at all for now. It is serious when it rains & water gets inside the car, I live in florida and it rains a lot. Any solution ?”

   NHTSA complaint #11354589, filed 2020-09, 30,034 miles

   “Three out of four windows have stopped working. It started with the rear passenger window about 6 months ago, then the rear driver 3 months ago, and now the front passenger about a month ago. Did some research to find it's a pretty common problem on Kia's for the regulators to break. I didn't have the money at the time to fix the first one, was saving up and then second one stopped working. Definitely didn't have money for two, when third quit. Now just waiting for the last one to keel over. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11321782, filed 2020-04, 54,000 miles
4. 4
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights cut out while driving

   • 47 complaints (6%)
   • median 62,000 mi at 4.8 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report headlights shutting off without warning while driving at night and coming back on by themselves, sometimes repeatedly and sometimes leaving the car with no lights at all. Some also describe lights turning on by themselves while the car is parked, and warning lights for stability control or brakes appearing at the same time. Complaints say dealers could not reproduce the fault or found nothing wrong with the switch, and in some cases the problem returned. Mostly reported between about 55,000 and 110,000 miles, and often described as intermittent.

   What to check: Test the lights at night on a short drive with the switch in both auto and manual positions, and check for flicker or a delay when switching between low and high beam. Ask whether the switch, bulbs or wiring have been replaced, and note that an intermittent fault may not show up on a short test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My headlights have gone out 3 times in the last four months. I've never encountered this type of problem with any other vehicle. This car is s 2016 Kia Optima and had left me without headlights .I notice others have complained about the same exact problem. This safety issue needs to be investigated . Very dangerous to drive without headlamps. Someone please make note of this serious situation immediately!!!!”

   NHTSA complaint #11408214, filed 2021-04, 108,200 miles

   “While in motion the headlights turn on by themselves at random times during the day. Abs warning light, bsd warning light, and traction control warning light all came on at the same time. On the way to the dealership they all went off. The technician said he sees that the warning light were on, but their computer is not detecting a problem. If it happens again bring it back. Well, they're on again. The car has been stationary since friday afternoon, sunday evening my son sends me a pic of my car, the lights are on!”

   NHTSA complaint #11353452, filed 2020-09, 56,000 miles

Buying note. The engine is the main thing to verify on this model year: confirm oil change history, check the dipstick, listen for a cold-start knock and have any stored codes read before buying. A pre-purchase inspection by a shop familiar with these engines, plus a check that every window and both headlights work, will tell you most of what the complaints describe.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.