Problems with 2011 Kia Optima EXTERIOR LIGHTING

My kia 2011 interior dome light goes on & off while driving. it's dangerous at night because the light goes on & off while driving

The low beam headlights are so dim they're barely visible at night. the reflective coating inside the light housing flakes from getting hot. this should be recalled

My college student daughter drives the vehicle and is unable to see sufficiently at night while driving. the lights are too dim to safely see at night. the car was taken to the local kia dealership and we were told it would be $1,000 to repair the wiring problem that is well known to the dealership. we were unable to afford to make the repair and the dealership told her to drive with her bright lights on while driving at night which could cause other drivers issues.

Low beam head lighting is very very poor.

Headlights are so dim you can barely see using low beam lights and high beams are barely brighter than regular beams on other cars. have replaced the headlight bulbs 4 times and it has never changed the problem. engine seized up with no warning or mechanical signs when driving down the road.

Headlights are too dim. using low beam lights at night does not illuminate the road at all. have replaced the headlight bulbs 3 times and it does not fix the problem.

The low beam headlights have continuously become dimmer over time. after replacing the bulbs a second time, i determined that it was clearly not a bulb issue. there was absolutely no light directly in front of the car, only to the sides. the high beams are fine. after reading on line thousands of complaints, i took my car to a dealer. bulldog kia in athens, ga told me that there was in fact a service issue (she would not say recall), but because nothing in my headlight assembly was "broken or cracked" they couldn't replace it. and since i didn't buy the bulb from kia, that was the problem. i purchased the exact bulb recommended for this year, make and model. kia was going to charge me $1,000 to replace the headlight assemblies. the new assemblies would be exactly the same as the ones that are currently bad. nothing has been changed! if you look at any kia optima on the road that is more than 3 or 4 years old, you will see the same dark area in front of the car, with a lot of light shooting out to the sides. since this is my daughters car for college, i purchased new headlight assemblies on line for $285 and replaced them myself and used led bulbs to prevent the "burning" of the chrome plating inside the assembly that apparently cause the others to go bad. this is a tremendous safety hazard. anyone who replaces the bulb thinks that they are fixing the problem, and therefore are driving in inadequate lighting. please, please do something to force kia to recall and replace these headlight assemblies before needless accidents happen causing injury or death. my daughter was overwhelmed by the additional vision that she now has with her new led lights. she only told me because she had friends that didn't feel safe riding in her car at night. so she brought it to my attention. i am appalled that kia is avoiding this major issue. please take action asap. thank you.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact stated that the low beam headlights illuminated too low at night. the contact replaced the bulbs; however, the failure recurred. the contact read that the housing for the low beam headlights were burning out due to the receptive strip melting when the front beams were being used. the contact took the vehicle to hagerstown kia (located at 10307 auto place, hagerstown, md 21740, 866-404-6114) where it was currently being diagnosed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 114,000.

I have continued to replace my headlight and taillight over a 5 month period. i was stopped the other day because my brake light and tail light weren't working. i replaced the lights and the brake light wasnt effectively working but the turn signal was working. now today the brake light and turn signal are working but my light that makes the car visible at night isn't and my yellow lights on the headlights only work when i press the brake.

The battery indicator light came on then while driving down the road, the battery discharge kept popping up on the display then went out. about 10 minutes further, i lost power steering. i managed to get to base even though i ran a red light and stop sign because the car started spurttering and feeling like it was getting ready to stall. once i managed to get to a parking lot, my headlights went out but i still had dash lights. all the error lights came across my dashboard. i took the battery to advance, they said it was low. they charged it and said it needed replaced. the battery indicator was still lit so i took it and they checked the alternator and said it was dead. i took it and had it rebuilt. everything seemed to work ok.

Low beam lights are very dull while driving at night (lens covers are still clear). kia sent an extended warranty about the lights and the dealer replaced a wiring harness for the lights, the letter also stated they will check the headlight assembly and replace if this is the problem. kia will not do this replacement for the headlight assembly. the wiring harness for the lights did not solve the problem of very dull low beam lights while driving at night and kia will not honor what's in their warranty letter.

The wiring in the headlamp assembly is faulty.this is a known issue across dealers and aftermarket shops. headlights appear very dim and give out low or no light. it's not the bulbs. the whole headlamp needs to be recalled for wiring issues.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact received an unknown recall letter from the manufacturer regarding the headlight assembly. the contact took the vehicle to kia of new bern (1715a us-70, new bern, nc 28560, (252) 638-6161) and they stated that the recall would not be honored because the vehicle was not under warranty. the manufacturer stated that they were not trained on this issue and the recall would not be valid. the contact had not experienced a failure.

2011 kia optima headlights became extremely dim creating visibility and safety concerns during night travel. i changed the lid bulbs hoping to rectify the problem but same issue still remained. high beams work as they should and fog lights puts out more illumination than low beam. took the vehicle to local kia dealership (fred anderson kia raleigh nc) for diagnostic. diagnostic revealed that the headlight assemblies had to be replaced. price to replace assembly is unacceptable for what appears to be a ongoing problem with same year and model vehicle.

Takata recall i have a 2011 kia optima. we recently had an issue with the front light (low beam) on the left driver's side. the bulb was replaced, as we thought it was a bulb issue. however, when the bulb didn't work we took the vehicle to kia. kia stated there was possibly something wrong with the wiring and they would have to replace the whole light assembly. i've heard of bulbs going out, but never the whole assembly, in which the whole front bumper would have to be removed. i've owned many other cars and have never had an issue with the light assembly. i believe this issue should be recalled by kia as it presents a safety issue for drivers.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. while driving 50 mph, the low beam headlights failed to project enough light, which made driving difficult. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the high and low beam headlights were changed, but the failure recurred. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 78,000.

Headlights have not worked since the last recall for engine replacement, done in august 2017. high beams are insufficient, and the normal beams are very dangerous -- doesn't appear that headlights are on at all.

Head lights flash on and off for no reason when first started it up last for about 10 minutes

Lights flash off and on while driving / hear clicking sound while my dash board flickers as well. this happens when parked and in motion

The low beams on my car are dangerously dim. i've replaced the light bulbs with factory recommended to no avail. i can so no more than 5 feet in front of me while driving - i have to limit my night time driving, which is tough when driving home from work on a daily basis. please take notice and issue a recall as i know i am not the only one experiencing this issue

The low beam headlights on my 2011 kia optima have been slowly getting so dull that it is getting dangerous to drive at night. i commute over 100 miles a day and leave at dark and get home at dark. so all my driving is needing my headlights. i started noticing the problem with not being able to see and just thought my bulbs were getting old. i went out and bought new sylvania silverstar bulbs and i also bought a set of sylvania ultra. that did not help. i ended up even trying to change my bulbs and convert over to led headlight bulbs. i did all the work and conversion and still had the same problem. come to find out it's not the bulbs that are the issue, but the actual headlight housing is the issue. i am now in the process of getting new headlight assemblies which is really terrible. i should not have to buy a whole headlight assembly from faulty manufacturing just so i can see and be safe while driving. but i feel that it is very dangerous to be driving the way my car is right now. i feel kia should be fixing the issue and supplying a higher quality headlight housing to fix this issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. while driving various speeds, the headlights were dim and provided poor visibility when driving. the contact stated that the headlights projected a triangle shape, which prevented the contact from seeing the road. the contact mentioned that the sides of the vehicle could be clearly seen, but not the front. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 133,988.

Over the past 7 years i've replaced both headlights-low beam on an average of twice a year. low beams are so low in lighting and i'm concerned if they are on when driving in the dark. recently i changed the passenger side low beam light, 2 weeks later it went out again. however prior to changing the bulb the first time, i noticed the lens cover was so hazy on the inside, like whiteish chalky looking. i took bulb #2 out but noticed it wasn't burnt out. however the wires and the housing for the bulb prongs were melted. fortunately it only melted the prong connection point and wires and didn't spark a fire. but now i'm left replacing the wiring and lens cover assembly. i do understand that my car is 7 years old, however the low beam lights on this car have been nothing but an issue from day one at zero miles. there have been multiple recalls and numerous issues with this car. lesson learned....will never buy another kia

Horrible & dangerous low beam lighting on the 2011 kia optima i own. it has been this way for about a year, and i have changed bulbs, taken to different service stations, etc. the google reviews are horrifying, saying people are being charged $900+ dollars for fixing the deterioration of the paint surrounding the light. i pray that's not the case. you simply can not see while driving at night, and even the high beams are much much much more faded than "working & normal" lights. it"s awful and kia needs to fix this for consumers! before someone gets hurt!!!

Sometime toward the end of 2017, i noticed that my dome light no longer illuminated when the doors were opened. i can still use the interior lights manually, though this usually leads to forgetting and leaving them on. i live in wa, it is often dark around 4 pm and grey throughout the day. i feel this is a huge safety issue, as i cannot see who is in my car before entering when in a parking lot. also, my 5-year-old has a hard time buckling her own car seat belt since she cannot see the buckle. this is an inconvenience and with crime rates rising, it makes me feel uncomfortable going out alone, knowing that nobody can see what is going on while i am buckling her in. the chances of being mugged or worse go up, my safety is worth the $400, however, i should not have to pay to have a malfunction in the vehicle fixed. the reason i feel this should be a recall is because of the 3 kia's we own, 2 of them have this same issue of the interior lights only working manually and not activated with opening the door. my wife's 2014 kia sorento dome light stopped working when the doors were opened around december of 2018. both of us have over 60,000 miles on our vehicle at the time of the malfunction. i was quoted over $400 to have this repaired. when looking at forums, it looks as though it is a connection that wiggles loose. i am sure that if 2 of our kia's have this issue, it is highly likely many more kia owners have the same issue. kia should be responsible to fix this safety issue.

Low beam hid headlamp illumination has gotten progressively worse over the last year, to the point at which driving at night with the low beams on is a hazard and the fog lamps are not only required to be on but also provide nearly all of the forward illumination. dealer has inspected the electrical components, replaced the auto leveling module and hid bulbs and cleaned the reflectors within the headlamp assemblies. i have seen complaints online that the reflective material within the headlamp assemblies may fail making the low beams ineffective as the light is not projected down the road. i am not sure if this is the case, but suspect that it may be.

Bought 2011 kia optima new. wife driven to work during daylight hours. recently drove it at night and noticed dim low beams as well. took car to dealer for crankshaft recall and had them look at headlight low beams. surprise, we need 2 new headlight assemblies plus installation.. about $1000+. reflective material melted/deteriorated. dealer claims ignorance and tries to say we hit a bump causing issue . deny, deny, deny. i won't wait for any recall or restitution, i'm gonna trade the problem down the road. buyer beware !!! btw , we have replaced interior lighting switch at $300+ and also a/c compressor at $1700. the car has 68,000 mi on it and has cost us $2000 out of pocket in what i consider premature failures. not to mention the headlight cost. not happy with kia ,,!!!!

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact stated that the headlights did not work, which caused the driver to use the high beams at night. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact called fuccillo kia of wesley chapel at 813-395-0347 (28555 fl-54, wesley chapel, fl 33545) and was informed that there was no recall. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact stated that the low beam headlights produced very little lighting. the contact called jeff wyler fairfield cadillac kia nissan at 513-682-2500 (located at 5815 dixie hwy, fairfield, oh 45014) and was informed that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

The low beam head lights or almost useless at night. from what i have read the reflective paint used burns off after a couple years of use. i highly doubt that it meets the illumination standards of the national traffic and safety association. i like having 2 weak flash lights taped to the hood.

Low beam headlights are very dim, to the point of being virtually useless. fog lights provide more lighting. replaced bulbs to no avail. high beams work great. possible that the reflective coating inside hid housing has burned off.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. while driving at an unknown speed in the rain, the flood lights did not turn on without warning. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. the failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

My low beam headlights are extremely dim to the point we have questioned if they were even on at times. have replace the bulbs with the same issue. there is some light to the left and to the right but nothing straight ahead indicating the reflectors are no longer intact.

The vehicle headlights are too dim to see at night. online reports mention the chrome reflector inside the headlights fails prematurely. this has occurred with the headlights, but not the high beams. you can see the reflectors are white plastic with no more chrome coating. we rarely used the high beams since we live and work in the city, and the high beam reflectors still have a chrome reflective coating. the light bulbs are very hot and most likely burned off the chrome reflective coating. we have to drive with the high beam lights to see at night, and we are in the process of replacing the entire headlight assemblies so the low beam headlights can be used to drive safely again.

The amount of light reflected to the road from the headlights is very low and creates visibility issues at night and in the rain. this is due to the reflective coating used in the headlights being of poor quality and burning away.

Apparently my headlights have become completely useless. i bought this car used a year ago and was assure that it was just cloudy headlight covers and they would "buff" the lights before i took it home. several trips later i was told that there was nothing they could do. the lights are so dim i've been pulled over twice and told that my lights needed to be repaired. luckily both times i was able to provide proof that the lights have been worked on and was not ticketed. i have changed to two different brighter bulbs and still its useless. i can only drive my car at night with the high beams on. what a waste.

The low beam headlights are very dim even with new bulb replacements. found that the reflective material inside the headlights melted. not safe to drive at night need to use the high beams all the time.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact stated that the headlights failed to work withoug warning. the contact changed the bulbs, but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to dick hannah kia (3400 ne auto mall dr, vancouver, wa 98662, 360-342-9104) where it was diagnosed that the ballast in the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. the failure was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

My wife told me she couldn't see going to work in the early morning. i took her car out in the evening to find you could only see a few feet in front of the car. i am an electrician and ran a couple of tests only to find everything checked out. i read in a kia car forum about the reflective paint melting inside the low beam cup. i ordered an aftermarket replacement and things worked great. i took apart the original and sending a photo of the melted paint. here is a website with others having the same issues. http://www.carcomplaints.com/kia/optima/2011/lights/exterior_lighting.shtml

This 2011 kia headlight bulb was replaced, however the light quit working. was informed that lightbulb melted and entire headlight needed to be replaced. also have to drive with high beams at night for better lighting

(dimmed headlight) i have owned my 2011 optima since 2013 and summer of 2016 notice my headlights were really dimmed to the point where you cant see past 10-20 feet in front of you. replaced 2 headlight bulbs w/ sylvania silverstar bulbs and headlights are still very dimmed. looks like they reflectors inside the beams are burnt/melted causing the lights to look dim. i would definitely consider this a safety hazard since i cant really see anything on the road. it would be nice if kia launched a warranty enhancement for headlight problem since i would consider this a design/engineering flaw since it was factory bulbs were originally in the headlight assemblies. unsafe headlight visibility.

2011 kia optima. consumer writes in regards to vehicle projector headlights visibility issues at night. consumer uses high beam lights at night. *smd the vehicle identification number, the consumer provided is invalid. *jb

Headlights are usless. they are so dim you can't drive the car at night at all. this is going to cause a accident.

Low beams are very dim due to internal head light cup chrome worn out , can't see more than 3 feet ahead at night , unless i use hi beams .

The cars headlights continue to get dimmer and dimmer to where a driver can barely see 10 feet in front of them. i have called kia regarding solutions and although they state this is a known issue there aren't any permanent alternatives. i have to use my high beams at night to drive.

The low beam headlights look like flashlights with weak batteries, you can only see about 6 feet in front of car. the lens on the headlights are clear like new ones, but the heat from the bulbs destroy the reflective material inside the headlight. the only way to drive at night is with the bright lights on. the only fix is to replace both headlights. when you google this problem many people have the same complaint.

Bought 2011 kia optima used with 75k miles on it. did not realize immediately that there was an issue with the passenger side headlight being really dim. i bought the extended warranty and called the kia dealer and mentioned my issue and the service advisor said it was probably a wiring issue or a ground issue and that it probably would not be covered by the warranty. the car is not safe to drive at night without the high beams on. when driving at night visibility is good with high beams on, when switching to low beams for oncoming car, you are driving blind, holding the wheel steady and hoping you stay on the road until the oncoming car passes and you are able to turn your high beams back on again. took the car to a mechanic and he tested the electrical, ground and bulb and there were no issues. upon putting a scope inside the headlight assembly where the bulb goes, he found a pile of chrome shavings so the headlight reflective housing deteriorated. only way to repair is to replace whole headlight unit assembly. after searching online, realized there are many complaints for this same issue on this model of car for multiple years now. owners beware of this safety issue and don't let people rip you off by charging you to go down the wrong/electrical path to fix. potential buyers beware: if you have to pay to have this fixed at a dealer it can cost between $500 and $800 and it may only be a matter of time before it is an issue again. seems like this should be a safety recall by kia.

Steering wheel has a clicking sound when turning. bought it into a collision center, the technician said that it was a service recall on optima. he knew that sound before i described it to him. brake light bulb blows as soon as you put them in. the tech said there was a problem with the electrical system.

I have 2011 kia optima sx with hid headlights and they have been dim for a long time. they became noticeably dim in 2015 and have ever since been dim and have had a noticeable change in the light pattern. this is not caused by foggy or yellowing plastic as the headlights have been protected by a clear plastic protective "sticker bra" ever since the care was purchased new in july 2011. the headlights are experience the same issue as other owners of the car, deterioration of the internal reflector for the hid headlight. as a result the light pattern becomes altered or dim. it is dangerous to drive at night with this car. the headlight have been replaced with no improvement in the lighting output or pattern. this is similar consistent with many owners of the same models. kia has issued a warranty extension but the dealer needs to provide a video that shows flaking of the reflector between the space where the bulb is and the clear lens cap. this is not the reflector behind the bulb that would affect the light pattern. dealers do not look at the light pattern as it is not part of the diagnostic steps. they only look for flaking of the reflector between the space where the bulb is and the clear lens cap which would seem to be more cosmetic then functional.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. while the vehicle was parked, the stop lamps failed which caused the brake warning light to illuminate. in addition, the transmission shifter would not move out of the park position. the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 13v114000 (exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the contact mentioned that the brake warning light would illuminate intermittently. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 72,000.