| Issue ID | 1268817 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10849816 |
| Manufacurer | Kia Motors America |
| Brand | KIA |
| Model | OPTIMA |
| Model Year | 2011 |
| File date | 01/03/16 |
| Component | STEERING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Hearing a knocking noise in the steering wheel while sitting still or moving when the steering wheel is moved from side to side, alot of freeplay in the steering wheel. When you hit a bump there is a loud clanking noise from the steering column. I was told by my friend who has a 2012 optima that he has the same problem and he was told by the dealership that it was a plastic gear in the steering column and would cost roughly $300 to fix. Upon research with this issue i have come across several owners that seem to have the same problem which kia knows about. I feel that kia should correct this problem at their expense before this issue kills someone. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 78000 |
| Number of Occurences | |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | LA PORTE, TX |
| VIN pattern | KNAGM4A7XB5XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | N |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |