Problems with 2014 Kia Optima STEERING

On september 30th, 2019 driving on interstate 4 west bound exiting altamonte springs fl, my steering began making a thumbing sound along with a vibration. as soon as i parked, i began looking for the cause of sound. it coming from a 12 inch steering column. i call kia on october 3rd asking on any tsb or recalls on this dangerous issue. none found. this occurred with no warning. please initiate a recall on this issue. other owners are experiencing the same issue.

My 2014 kia optima started making a clicking/rattling noise in the steering column when driving. the noise is worse when you hit a small dip in the road. the steering feels catchy and unsafe. over the past the past 2 years my alignment has been off causing abnormal wear and replacement of my tires. i will be taking it to the kia dealership today and hopefully they can fix this problem

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. while driving 35 mph over bumps in the road, the steering made an abnormal tapping and knocking noise. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to world car kia south (7915 interstate 35 access rd, san antonio, tx 78224, (210) 305-5658) where it was diagnosed that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to nhtsa. the contact stated that the failure should be covered under the customer satisfaction warranty extension program. the failure mileage was 30,389.

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. while driving 70 mph, the steering wheel felt loose and started to pull to the left. the vehicle was taken to pep boys where it was diagnosed that an alignment was needed. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 78,901.

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. when the vehicle was engaged in reverse, it became difficult to steer. also, the electronic stability control and electric power steering warning indicators illuminated. the contact mentioned that the failure occurred twice. the contact called hendrick kia of concord (7550 hendrick auto plaza nw, concord, nc 28027, (704) 467-8591) and was informed that the vehicle could not be diagnosed until march 18, 2019. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 96,338.

My 2014 kia optima is making the same klunk noise as my previous kia optima 2012, but the 2014 doesn't have a recall on the same issue as my previous optima had. but it's the same noise when i turn the stearing wheel.

2014 kia optima hybrid completely shut down while decelerating for a traffic light. the car displayed a fault on the screen as a "possible battery management system failure." when the car shut down. had loss of steering control (electrical/optical steering). had to slow to stop, place transmission selector in park before the car would allow restart. engine warning light stayed on for 3 hours then extinguished by itself. bms was updated at cost to customer.

As many other drivers have stated, 2014 kia optima drifts at highway speeds. takes constant correction to keep in lanes > 55 mph. has happened since i owned car, but has worsened as of 2016. june 08, 2016 - complained to dealer that car drifts at highway speed. reply was it is ok. april 4, 2017 - dealer test drove, said they could not duplicate. april 19, 2017 - contacted kia usa and opened complaint. # k3421611 no help. kia said as long as the tech felt it did not drift, then nothing they could do. may 3, 2017 - purchased 4 new continental tires to see if that would correct problem to no avial. so it is my word against the tech and i and 35 other consumers have cars that drift at highway speeds.

Takata recall'. when driving 70 miles the car gets uncontrollable at times so you have to lower your speed , when parked an i put my foot on brake there's a ticking noise an you can feel pressure . the engine has been ticking a lot more am hesitant i know a lot of complaints has been made on the steering an it's getting out of hand ! the car is not safe on the highway could result in crash

tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. the contact stated that while the driver was driving at approximately 50 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated and the cruise control stop functioning. the contact coasted to the side of the road, after a few minutes, the contact was able to resume driving. in addition, the contact stated that while making a right turn into a parking lot there was a rattling noise coming from the interior of the steering wheel. the vehicle was towed to the resident of the contact. the vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, located on delsea dr, vineland nj, where it was diagnosed that the air bag clock spring cable detached and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist her with the failure and was to go through the vehicle warranty for the repair. the approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

Driving on the interstate it pulls extremely bad almost can't control it , especially if there's any wind blowing . very hard to drive it for a long time on the interstate

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. while driving various highway speeds, the vehicle would sway from right to left and the steering was unstable. the contact indicated that the vehicle was difficult to drive in a straight line. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 10,000.

Driving at speeds between 60 - 85 mph on the highway, car begins to drift to the left causing driver to try to correct. this creates driver to over steer and making car take a hard swerve to the right. constantly trying to steer and correct the car at high speeds. at these listed speeds car will not continue on a straight line. when hitting the brakes the car seems to want to go either left or right when braking at listed speeds above. car is very dangerous driving at listed speeds, it is a constant battle to try and keep it in the designated lanes. when trying to correct the problem by adjusting left or right it the cars begins to want to lose control.

If i drive over 35-40 mph my car begins to swerve and i or my husband can't control the steering. i can't drive on the interstate because of my car swerving uncontrollably despite my constant corrections. i have almost hit countless cars because of this malfunction. windy days are the worst, i can't drive my car over 20 mph. i've also been pulled over multiple times because of the car swerving. mind you i just purchased my car in october 2015, i've only had this car a few months but i'm ready to get rid of it. i had the alignment checked and they said there's nothing wrong with it. i am scared for me and my family's safety. i've talked to multiple optima owners and we all seem to have the same problem. why is this not a recall?? how many accidents have to happen before this is a recall?

I took my car in for an oil change to the dealer and they said there was a recall on the steering panel. i asked why i did not get a notice and they said it was not their problem that i would need to call kia motors. i called kia and they said they do not send them out all at once...certain times. this did not make sense i asked if one had been out to me and they were very unhelpful. shouldn't everyone recieve notice when there a problem?

This is my second kia optima, the first one was an optima ex fully equipped. i never drove over 60 mph, so never experienced any wrongs with my steering, i was truly happy with it. when i got my second kia just a few months back, i decided to get the sx turbo, again fully equipped. it was definitely not a wise decision, this car has many issues but i will concentrate on "steering at high speeds". while driving on the highway at a speed over 65 miles an hour the car tried to steer to the left so a 4 hour drive between miami en orlando became a workout, trying to keep the car straight. while switching lanes, the car was all over the road moving from left to right. i though maybe the tires air pressure is high, so i stopped to calibrate them, but no they were okay. long story short i did slow down to below 60mph, but my question remains, why a turbo if you cant drive it at high speeds (over 70), i took the car back to the dealer and guess what i got back home cause they did not find anything wrong with the car. i am the driver, i know when something is wrong, i explained the issue with details to make it easier for them to find the issue and solved it. kia if this was a survey. 1 start out of 5 i am unhappy. *tr

It is almost impossible to drive the car straight at highway speeds. the steering sticks and in order to make the smallest correction, you have to over-correct. this results in going down the highway in an s pattern. it is not as noticeable at lower speeds. i just took a 3 hour trip on the highway and by the time i finished i was exhausted from the amount of concentration required to simply drive the car in my lane. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. while driving at various speeds, the vehicle veered to the left and to the right without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician stated that the vehicle was operating as designed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 13,050.

Traveling on major highway to and from work daily car is extremely difficult to keep on the highway..car drifts left to right .constantly trying to keep car straight on the highway by turning vehicle left right....left right!!!!!stressful!!!!! i just purchased this vehicle! *js

At any speed above 30 mph, the steering system has a delayed response. as you torque the steering to hold a position on a crowned road surface, the steering finally recognizes a steering input command and immediately jumps to the new position. not only is it disconcerting, but depending on the road condition (traffic, lane width, overall speed) these "digital" jumps in positioning of the steering wheel result in significant drifting to the left or right. i have four cars, this is the only "fly by wire" car of the lot. all others have "analog" steering which enables continuous pressure to be applied to the steering system to maintain position on the road. this is an extremely unsafe situation. i have the turbo optima. the dealer "solution" was to "take the steering off sport mode" and put in standard mode. i didn't buy a turbo vehicle to be forced to operate it like a standard optima. the steering performance is far less in standard mode and makes the vehicle response sluggish. *tr

I pulled off a frontage road on to the highway into a construction zone. while driving about 25-30 mph my hazard lights clicked on when my blinker went off, i realized my power steering was gone and i was loosing control. i coasted to the side of the road and realized my engine had shut off on its own. scared me to death! if i would have been driving faster or going around a turn i would have been in serious danger! i gathered my thoughts as to what happened, called my husband and he said to try and simply restart the car. it started on the first turn w/ no hesitation. i took the car to the dealer the following day and was told that there were no codes showing and it was probably just a glitch and they tried to send me home in it! that is a major problem to me! i believe i deserve an explanation and a fix for the problem rather than told it probably wont happen again, so don't worry about it! after spending 4 hours at the dealership they decided to keep the car for another few days and put me in a rental. i pray they find the cause since i don't feel safe until they do. *tr

This is not a new complaint as i see many others!!!! i purchased a kia optima 2014 on november 8, 2014 with 175 miles. i did test drive but not at speeds above 60 mph. the first time i drove on the interstate, at speeds 70-80 mph, i noticed i was really having to "steer" this car. first left, then right and never stopping until speeds dropped below 60 mph or so. i took it to the dealer and they checked it over and said everything was fine. next highway drive was 90 miles each way and the car is definitely "all over the lane", so much so i actually got motion sickness and almost had to stop to vomit. when i returned home and started researching, i found a site www.arfc.org and to my surprise, there are plenty of complaints about this exact same issue with this car. i have just notified the dealer, although from reading others experiences, i am not optimistic about kia fixing it. i implore your organize to force kia's management to correct this problem before there are deaths involved. it is truly an unsafe car on the interstate highway, which sadly, is the bulk of my driving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. while driving various speeds, the power steering failed without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 300.

Vehicle drifts from side to side. very difficult to maintain a straight line. constant corrective steering required. *tr

The steering wanders side to side. it is a constant battle trying to keep it in a straight line.there is no "sweet spot" you constantly have to correct a little left then a little right over and over again. also air conditioner failed twice. car only had 200 miles on it. and again at 350 miles. *tr

I recently leased a 2014 kia optima lx and when driving home on the highway experienced the followed hazards with this vehicle: - drifting - pulling to the left and right - difficulty maintaining straight course and feeling like the car was "all over the road" - instability when driving in windy conditions - extremely sensitive steering wheel the car pulled to the left and right constantly and was worse at higher speeds. the car would drift in lanes and it was constant work to get it to go straight which seemed impossible. high gust winds made it seem like my war was going to move into the other lane. i contacted dealership and after further research by them, they said they could electronically change the mode of the power steering. there seem to be 2 modes available and one of them makes the steering flimsy and hard to handle and the other makes it feel more stable like a steering wheel should be. i would suggest anyone experiencing this problem to contact their service department and ask for the mode change. most dealership staff don't even know this option exists and some service departments aren't familiar with it either but apparently it does exist. i would not have kept this vehicle if they couldn't have changed the power steering mode because it is simply unsafe to drive. again, this is not a mode feature on the dashboard or a display function that some of the other kia models have. this is specifically something that the service department needs to do electronically and they can do this on the lx model. one other feature i just discovered that i don't like and think may be an additional problem is the ridiculously low passenger seat. this makes no sense to me at all and i will be inquiring with service about it. *tr

Vehicle demands constant correcting of the steering wheel in order to safely remain inside a lane. small corrections to one side will result in the vehicle overturning to the other side and vice versa. it is physically exhausting to maintain the vehicle safely especially on longer drives. dealership denies there is any problem with the vehicle when there clearly is. could possibly be that they know the problem exists but do want to lose sales by admitting to it. please address this issue as there are many other complaints on other websites such as carcomplaints.com about the same issues and it is a very dangerous problem that should be prevented. *js

I recently purchased a 2014 kia optima for my wife, i choose this car since i already owned a 2011 optima that i have been happy with, almost 50,000 miles. so i felt i knew what i was getting with the 2014 optima. i drove this car for the first time last week and at highway speeds there is definitely an issue with the steering, it is challenging to keep it straight at highway speeds, when you need to make a correction to follow a curve in the road, it is as if the vehicle over shoots and then you need to correct again, causing you to move back and forth in the lane, it also feels like the steering wheel is held in position by some electromagnetic force, while driving at highway speeds and it takes extra effort to move it from this position . i am concerned since i have driven my 2011 optima for 3 years and it does not display any of these characteristics. kia needs to look into this before something tragic happens. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle would steer in opposite directions. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic for diagnostic testing where it was confirmed that the tire pressure was too high and that the steering wheel was overly sensitive. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 105.

After purchasing a brand new kia optima (51 miles on it at delivery), it became very apparent there were major issues with its steering at speeds over 50 mphs. the vehicle would move left or right within a lane on its own and i would have to constantly put input into the steering wheel to keep it within a lane. my first attempt to remedy the issue was to my local dealership down the street. the dealerships first attempt was to change the steering computers setting to more of a sport mode (told ex model only has 2 steering settings) and i was out of there in 15 minutes. the change did nothing to fix the problem. i took the vehicle back to the same dealership and re-explained the steering issues i was having. after receiving a phone call from a service advisor, i was told the dealership had contacted kia reference the problem and the dealership was told to replace the entire steering column to fix the side to side drifting issue. the steering column would have to be ordered and my brand new vehicle was at the dealership for 5 days to have a major part replaced. upon a call from the service rep. i was told my vehicle was fixed and it was ready for pickup. it was the next day that i got the vehicle on the freeway only to find i would still drift left and right. the problem was not fixed. i called the dealership and i set up an appointment to take a drive with the mechanic who signed off on the repair. i drove with the mechanic and showed him the drifting issue was still there. he agreed it should not be doing it but i would have to wait for a pending computer fix kia was working on. i asked when this would be available and i was told it could be 1 month or up to 8 months. now i'm thinking about using the lemon law in my state to return the vehicle. it has less than 2,000 miles and i won't let anyone in my family drive it because its unsafe. *tr

The car will not stay in its lane. it wonders and is very dangerous! *tr

Hi my name is [xxx]i have 2014 kia optima lx. i have the car since it had 2 miles and now has 14700. what is ridiculous is the struts make clunking noise over speed bumps. the car changes lane by its self. you can hold the steering wheel center and the car goes to the left. took it to the dealer and they said it's normal. lies all lies . please tell me how my struts have a small leak but not enough to do anything about it i thought it was a new car. it seems like the car was made poorly and rushed. i also feel as if kia is lying about gas mileage again. the steering feels terrible when you are on the highway. they are a sad excuse for a car company and am completely disappointed with them. the refuse to help to acknowledge that there is an issue with the optima steering i have a family member with a 2013 kia optima lx with the same steering issue. so tell me how do they have the same steering issue if the 2014 was redesigned. the car seems like it leaks air into the cabin they say other wise. i'm not a happy customer and won't be till they put a recall for mpg. suspension. steering and brakes. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

While driving on the interstate the vehicle pulls she you try to correct it gets worse. very dangerous to drive. vehicle will not go straight. while driving on long trip i am exhausted from trying to keep the vehicle on the road. someone is going to be killed by the steering of this vehicle! *tr

2014 kia optima. consumer writes in regards to vehicle steering problems. *smd the consumer stated the steering issue caused the vehicle to wander to the left or right. the consumer has attempted to get the steering issue fixed several times. the consumer was informed it was a characteristic of the electric assisted power steering. however, the dealer changed the steering mode from normal to sport setting, which made no improvement in the problem. driving the vehicle demanded constant correction of the steering wheel to maintain a straight line. *jb

The car has a hard time continuing in a straight line. the steering always pulls to the left or right. the car either goes 1 left of 1 right. there is no center. it is a strain to try to keep the car in a lane at high speeds. *tr

I complained to the dealer about the rough ride and harsh ride but was told not to worry. i then took it on the highway and the steering pulled to the left and i never felt confident about the steering only to say that it did not feel right and it was worrisome to me. it simply did not feel right to me. i've been driving 50 years and have never felt this uncomfortable driving/steering a car at highway speeds. *tr

Vehicle wanders from side to side on the highway, at highway speeds (60+ mph) and requires constant correction from left to right to maintain lane position. this has been a problem from the time we purchased it new less than 3 weeks ago. the steering is very hyper-sensitive at speed and a correction to the right requires a correction to left with no apparent "gray" or middle center area which would keep the vehicle in a straight line. most of this is on very straight surfaces with little to no crown & camber on the road. steering mode was changed by the dealer service dept. (at our request) from ex sport to ex standard, with minimal improvement. we replaced the oem tires, with upgraded tires. while traction and turning performance have improved, still no noticeable improvement in the wander. my wife refuses to drive the car on the highways, as she feels fear, stress and exhaustion from the constant correction during lengthy drives. *tr

Vehicle wanders at highway speeds. it is almost impossible to go straight without constant adjustment. even with constant adjustment the car will not track straight. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. the contact was driving 50 mph when the power steering assist failed. the vehicle was not taken for inspection or diagnosis. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 100.

The car is impossible to keep straight on the highway. if you correct for one drift you start going the other way. in windy conditions or when larger traffic passes you, you better have a lot of extra road to deal with. *tr

2014 kia optima. consumer writes in regards to power steering issues. *smd the consumer stated the power steering was too sensitive, to the point that it was difficult keeping the vehicle straight on the road. the consumer noticed the issue, ten days after purchasing the vehicle. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where they tried to resolve the problem, by aligning the front end, and even replacing the tires. but, to no avail. the service manager stated the only way to correct the problem was to re-design the power steering system. however, the owner of the dealership stated the vehicle handled fine. *jb

At all speeds since new - the car has had no predisposition to go straight. the steering wheel needs constant input as the car continuously wanders from side to side. the steering wheel needs excessive input to make even the slightest correction. and, when the steering does respond - it over corrects. this effect has you weaving constantly. in the time it takes to look over your shoulder to check traffic - you can be in the next lane. rather than being able to make a smooth turn - the driving line through a turn looks more like a circular saw blade that a smooth arc. the electric assist steering has a digital feel. it's as if there are programmed digital positions that the wheel can be turned to. anything in between those positions has you fighting the steering wheel to hold your line. it's bad driving down the freeway. it's the most dangerous when driving on narrow two-lane roads - especially when they're windy. it's subtle, but, you can feel distinct favored steering wheel positions to either side of straight ahead(example: 2 and 4 degrees to either side). it feels as if the steering clicks into those positions. when the wheel is in one of these positions - and, the arc of the turn matches the 2 or 4 degree steering angle - you can go around corners with no hands on the wheel. it feels electrically stuck in position. if a turn is not the same angle as the stuck points - you often find yourself counter-steering through the turn. example: you're going through a 3 degree left hander. the steering wheel favors a 2 or 4 degree position. the 2 degree position has you drifting to the outside of the turn. you correct to tighten it up. the wheel corrects by going to the favored 4 degree position. you have to hold pressure on the wheel to the right(countersteer) to hold your line in a left hand turn. unfortunately, there is no favored position for going straight. dangerous! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle veered from side to side. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vehicle was working up to standards. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100 and the current mileage was 14,000.

car demands constant correction of steering wheel to maintain straight line. there doesn't seem to be any time or steering wheel position where car will track in a straight line. the least correction to the left will result in the car moving left past where it should be tracking, necessitating a small corrective movement of the steering wheel to the right, which results in the same over-correcting. there is no center null spot where it doesn't require more and constant attention. three seconds of inattention and you could be either over the center line or off on the shoulder. very tiring to drive. in all the cars i have owned over my lifetime, i have never had one that was this hard to handle or was as inherently dangerous. it was purchased for my wife and i am afraid for her to drive it. kia has attempted to fix it by trying all four steering settings and it has made no difference. front end alignment and tire pressures have been checked. kia has given up on fixing it saying it meets all their specs, but offered me $400 and a $50 visa card to just go away. problem is this: it will cost me $5000 to trade it for some other make of 2014 like-equipped car, so i have no recourse but binding arbitration since that is part of the contract i signed even though i paid cash for the vehicle. *tr

Car demands constant correction of steering wheel to maintain straight line. there doesn't seem to be any time or steering position where car will track in a straight line. the least correction to the left will result in the car moving left past where it should be tracking, necessitating a small corrective movement of the steering wheel to the right, which results in the same over-correcting. there is no center null spot where it doesn't require more and constant attention. one second of inattention and you are over the line or off on the shoulder. very tiring to drive. car is now five months old and has only 3900 miles on it because we only use it when we have to. dealer has tried twice to fix it, but has made no improvement. i notice pages devoted to similar comments on a california website since model year 2011. how can kia get away with something this dangerous and annoying without it being reported in some of the car magazines? i am considering binding arbitration but don't expect any help because these retired lawyers and/or judges may be great legal wizards but dumb as a sack of rocks when it comes to mechanical things. *tr

I recently filed 2 complaints with your office but would now like to amend or retract these. after a little more than 1k on the odometer i find i am becoming more used to the electric (mdps) type of steering. i also became more aware that as my speed increased the steering also became more noticeably tighter and also retained better tracking. with my hands off the wheel, and no other cars around, it was most obvious that there were no alignment problems or a sense that my car would soon be swaying into a ditch. hope you find this helpful. thank you. *tr

When buying the car i never tested it on a highway or above 45mph. after buying i took it on the highway and had to use every muscle in my body to keep the car on a straight line. it was firghtening. will not even let my wife drive ot on the highway. the steering has a mind of its own. took it back to dealer and they stated it was fine and part of the new steering control sysytem kia developed. even tried new tires but the car is still all over the road. they also changed via software update the steering to "sport mode" to toghten up the steering. while it did feel better the steering is still frightening at highway speeds - especially if there are wing gusts. please please please investigate this before someone gets killed. this is a serious serious issue.