Problems with 2011 Kia Optima EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Can barley see 2 feet ahead of the vehicle after dark. headlights are very dim. vehicle has about 62000 miles.

Both low beam lights have melted the reflectors. took into dealer and they have no clue what happened. it seems a lot of other people have this same issue. the lights are so dim, are melted into other positions and don't even shine on the road. it's very dangerous, and the eater wants me to pay for 2 new lights systems for the car

My headlights have gone completely dim. i can't see more than 4 ft in front of my car so no longer drive at night. i have taken it to the kia dealership here in orlando and they stated this has happened because the heat of the bulb cause the paint in the unit to peel away. i have not had any accidents yet, but have had a few occasions where a car cut me off and another almost ran me off the road because my light to not illuminate. the dealership said since i am no longer under warranty it would cost me $1200 to fix. i have researched and found some forums where other drivers have complained of the same issue for years and nothing has been done. there is also an issue with the steering. there is a clicking noise and rattling when i drive and hit a small bump. i was told by the same dealership that it would cost $400 to fix that $3.00 piece of plastic that holds that together. if it not fixed in time that the steering would be gone completely. i don't think consumers should have to pay for the manufacturer taking short cuts and using cheap products that cost us tons of money to fix.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact stated that the low beam headlights were very dim and it was difficult to see the road properly. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer (griffin motors, 11031 perry hwy, meadville, pa 16335). the contact stated that the dealer wanted to charge $300 to replace the headlights. the contact took the vehicle to his personal mechanic. three months later, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, the headlights were activated however, the illumination was extremely dim. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who informed that both head lamps overheated which caused the reflector to melt. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 62,000. the vin was unavailable.

The lights on the vehicle became so dim it was dangerous to drive at night. i thought my night vision was failing, until a friend rode with me after dark and asked if my headlights were on. when we compared the headlights on my vehicle compared to hers, the difference was stunning. i had already had the headlamps replaced in 2015, but there was no difference. i would estimate that the headlights were dim at least a year prior to that. i took the vehicle to another dealership., and they determined that the reflectors behind the headlights had collapsed, causing the dimness. the entire headlight assembly had to be replaced in order to fix this, at a substantial cost. i had no choice but to fix it because it had become dangerous to drive at night. upon doing some research, i discovered that others with this year and model had the same problem. this was not wear and tear. this was a defect and should have been recalled. when i had the headlight assemblies replaced, i requested the old ones and i have them in my possession. one photo shows the headlights on my car in a parking ramp next to another car with its headlights on. my car is on the left. you can't even tell the lights are on.

Low beams are not illuminating.. the refelective paint inside has burned off and i cannot drive at night with out my high beams due to the fact that i can't see more than 2 feet in front of my car. the steering on my car started this clicking noise when turning and the steering wheel rattles when i go over the smallest bump on the road. it is also wearing out my tires and causing my car to pull slightly to the left or right.

Police officer pointed out my car's tail lights were out wed night (while headlights were on). thurs, checked all fuses, all ok. did web search to find fuse for tail lights. found instead description of kludge fix of removing memory fuse for several minutes. removed memory fuse for several minutes, put it back in, tail lights then came on when headlights were on. *tr

My 2011 kia optima headlights are super dim. i can barely see what is in front of me and the bulbs constantly go out. i have had to replace 4 bulbs (2 on each side) within a 2 year time period. i have to drive with my bright lights on when its dark because you can barely see if you dont.

This kia has a push button start option. the vehicle would not start and the brake lights were not turning on when the brake pedal was depressed. the computer looks for a signal from the brake light switch before it starts the engine. i disconnected and reconnected the brake light switch and the problem was temporarily corrected. two days later, the vehicle would not start again and the brake lights were not turning on. we used the procedure to bypass the brake signal (hold start button for 12+ seconds) to start the engine. vehicle was now driving down the road with no brake lights. there was also a warning light illuminated on the instrument cluster indicating an issue with the esc system. dealership stated they have seen a few cars with this issue. *tr

Tail lights, dash back lighting became inoperative. this is a safety hazard. this model does not have a smart key system solution found on-line 1.open in-dash fuse box 2.pull yellow memory fuse 3.wait a few minutes 4.replace fuse 5.check to see if things are working right (if not, repeat previous steps with a longer wait before replacing the fuse). *tr

The interior overhead lights periodically come on and go off while operating our 2011 optima. this occurs with the switch in both on and off position and the lightbulbs tend to become overheated.they do not respond to manual operation, but go off on their own and this malfunction repeats several times in a ten minute drive. best-case scenario results in the bulbs burning out prematurely, but i believe there is a real chance of a more serious short-circuit and potential interior fire. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia optima. while attempting to make a left turn, the contact inadvertently deactivated the headlights when the turn signal lever was pushed down. the contact stated that the end point of the turn signal lever included a knob that controlled the headlights, which easily rotated to deactivate the headlights while making a turn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technicians advised that there was not a remedy available for the issue and the design of the vehicle could not be compromised. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 1,300. updated 02/15/12*bf the dealer informed the consumer, there was no fix for the problem. updated 02/29/12