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2011 KIA OPTIMA Transmission Failure
ghostrider1017
Member Posts: 6
On 4/11/11, we were driving to work and had gone four miles from our house, when we thought we had hit a deer. The car made a very loud sound and lurched violently, at highway speed, frightening us both. The lurching was so violent that it may well have caused other damage. We were extremely fortunate not to have crashed. We then found that the car would not shift gears. The automatic transmission had gone out of our 2011 Kia Optima EX.
We bought the Kia new on 1/8/11. The car had 3600 miles on it at the time of the catastrophic failure. This was our first Kia purchase (and last, I might add), and we are very disappointed.
Needless to say, we were shocked by this dangerous occurrence. We very easily could have had tragic consequences for us and our fellow commuters. We are no longer confident in this vehicle. We find this totally unsatisfactory and asked KIA to replace our vehicle with an identical one. KIA refused, basically saying “we don’t own it anymore”. They did replace the transmission.
We bought the Kia new on 1/8/11. The car had 3600 miles on it at the time of the catastrophic failure. This was our first Kia purchase (and last, I might add), and we are very disappointed.
Needless to say, we were shocked by this dangerous occurrence. We very easily could have had tragic consequences for us and our fellow commuters. We are no longer confident in this vehicle. We find this totally unsatisfactory and asked KIA to replace our vehicle with an identical one. KIA refused, basically saying “we don’t own it anymore”. They did replace the transmission.
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Comments
I have a 2006.5 Optima EX with 43000 on it .No mechanical problems yet,knock on wood.I consider it a good and dependable car.Remember....stuff happens.Nowhere in your warranty does it say that if there is ONE major incident,that they will give you a new car.I can't think of any manufacturer who would.
I sincerely hope that from now on your Optima performs as well as mine and you will feel better about the brand.
I personnaly know two instances where other car companies did more for a lot smaller of a problem. One bought back the vehicle and the other replaced the vehicle. One was a cosmetic problem that was not repaired to the owner's satisfaction - replaced the car. The other was a water leaking issue into the interior and they bought it back. These are note "here say", I know the people involved personnally.
You might be satisfied with this type of major failure on a brand new car, but I certainly am not.
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I'd like to understand more...
Please post a copy of your repair invoice (of course black out your name and other personally identifiable information).
Also, what is the build date (found on drivers door sticker) of your car?
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After seeing it posted in 3 different forums over a weeks time, I am left wondering if this really happened and if this is just a Kia hater?
Regards,
JC
I'm a legitimate 2011 Optima EX owner and you can find me (user handle "TE2") on two other forums http://www.optimaforums.com where I am a Super Moderator and also on http://www.kia-forums.com/4g-2011-optima/
Plenty of real information there...
JC
Honda owners had to go the route of a class action law suit in order to have Honda address the issue of prematurely failing transmissions in a no. of Honda and Acura models.
Toyota settled a class action suit in regards to a transmission defect in the RAV-4, as well as having issues w/ the transmission on the RX.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f111d9c/111
Not to mention, the class action regarding engine sludge.
And oh, according to JD Power's CSI rankings which looks at customer satisfaction on repair/warranty work within the 1st 3 years of ownership, Kia is ABOVE average and rated higher than EVERY mainstream Japanese brand (all of whom, with the exception of Honda, are ranked BELOW average).
"Auto Transmission TECH(s): 4987
Scanned for DTC's P0748 in history cleared and test drove. No recurrance of of concern. Followed flowchart component inspection for pressure control solenoid valce (LP-VFS) @ATM solenoid valve connector pin 12 & 17 reading 18.5 ohms @ 64 degrees . Spec is 5.1 ohms @ 25 degrees C. Opened tech line case and updated. Advised to check (LP-VFS) @ cold temp. Measured resistance @ (LP-VFS) 16.4 ohms @25 degrees C. Updated tech line advised to contact DPSM for A\T replacement. Authorized new AT/ install.
Replaced A/T assembly and flushed A/T cooler lines. Reat A/T adaptive values. Performed dynamic and static relearn verified A/T fluid @ proper level and test drove. Verified normal operation at this time."
I have had the same exact issue and same response from KIA that you have had. I have a new transmission. My transmission failed 3 times before I had 2,000 miles on it. I was devastated and am still not sold on their quality. I pray I am wrong since I have leased the vehicle.
I just had the EXACT same problem in my 2011 Kia Optima EX and they are saying that this issue has never occurred before. Do you still have your case number? I am starting to think this is an issue and Kia is some how trying to cover it up.
Sorry I didn't respond sooner. The email containing your reply was in my spam folder and I didn't see it.
I don't have any paperwork that I am aware of, but I will check with my wife who would keep such things. You might want to try kiaforums.com for information also. It seems I saw an official document concerning this very issue. I have a new transmission and haven't had a problem since they replaced it. Someone is either very misinformed at your dealer, or they are not being honest. Hope this helps. If I can find a case number, I will post it for you.
The worst part is that this has happened in May 2011; July-Aug 2011; Oct. 2011; April 2012; July 2012. Each time it has been between 2-5 miles after getting in the car either on my way to work or twice on my way home leaving work. This past event has now caused an oil leak ... think the trany affected the motor now and I'm betting money on a blown gasket!
The dealership will get my car today July - 2012, and I am not looking forward to another "unsolved-mystery" event.
But, I'm sure getting to that point if you have been through what I've been through for 1 year and the dealership said, "if we can't duplicate the problem; then there is nothing we can do".
Not what you'd expect to hear after spending $24k for a Kia Optima - brand new!
The Transmission appears to have "blown up". Had all the clunking noise symptoms on the highway and just died. I am very disappointed and really don't want to keep the car at this point. I will know more later today after the Dealer assesses it.
You also should know they have "spin doctors" on all of the public sites that "pose" has owners and refute\play down any problem that occurs. I was even accused of being a Honda salesman. Very sad they they stoop to such low tactics. My dealer won't even give me a ride home, because it's too far - about 13 miles. They should bend over backwards to take care of you when your new car craps out. I have owned many different brands of cars in my life and KIA is the only brand that has failed and left me stranded, while it was "new".
20 years ago I would have never considered buying a Hyundai/Kia. I actually called the early Sonata's So-Not-A- car.
Now, I proudly own a 2012 Kia Optima EX. After 15 months and 16,000 miles, it still feels tight as a drum, and nothing has broken. Nothing. The car drives very smoothly, better than the 2012 Accord, better than the '12 Camry, and blew away the '12 Altima*; and looks terrific doing it. I have people come up to me all the time in parking lots and especially the gas station, with one enthusiastic female actually getting in and wanting to know what all the buttons did.
In closing, I can't imagine getting a better car with all of the feature's mine has for $24,260. (window sticker price). After negotiating, I was able to purchase it for $21,880.
Find me another car with leather seats, dark Zebrano wood trim, 17" alloys, fog lights, dual exhaust, dual zone climate control, leather steering wheel, shift knob, armrest, door inserts, keyless entry WITH start button, bluetooth, USB, 2 power ports, and on an on.
Then add the 100k warranty, which is bumper to bumper for 5 years and 60k. I paid another $950 to extend the full coverage, bumper to bumper, for 100,000 miles! This means that I will still have 4 years and 40,000 miles of full warranty AFTER IT"S PAID FOR!!!
So, please, let me know if there is a better mid-size sedan deal!!!
*** At the time of purchase, the new 13's were not out yet. I am comparing the 12 Optima to the 2012 model Camry, Altima, Mazda 6, and Accord.
You should be fine!