My wife's 2009 Optima just requred a new transaxle with only 64,000 miles on the car. We bought the car used, had good luck with the vehicle for two years, then the problems started. The ESC light comes on intermittantly in perfect, dry weather, the SRS system was throwing codes, and the transaxle started slamming into first when slowing to a stop. We did not expect full warranty coverage since the warranty expired at 60,000 miles on the used vehicle, but we did expect at least a partial reimbursement as a major transaxle failure at such low mileage should not occur. After contacting Kia corporate, we were told basically, "tough". Apparently these vehicles are nice for people who either lease them or replace them before they start piling on the miles. They are garbage for people who like to keep cars for long periods of time. We have not had a transmission failure in any of our previous vehicles until well over 100,000 miles. We will not be replaceing the Optima with another Kia product.
Our 2009 Optima developed a very hard downshift from 2-1 while slowing to a stop. We had no issues with the transmission up until 62,000 miles. By the time we took it to the dealer at aroud 64000 miles, we were informed that the transmission was toast and needed a replacement unit for $2700 USD. The warranty expired on the vehicle at 60,000 miles and Kia is not willing to work with us for even a partial reimbursement which tells me they do not believe in their own products and do not wish to keep customers. I was not expecting full coverage, but $500 towards the repair would have gone a long way to convince me that Kia products were worthwhile vehicles. Up to this point we had a few minor issues with the car such as nuisance TPS lights, a fogged headlight, and an issue with the SRS system which had to be reset. We will be selling our Optima and going back to buying American before the warranty on the rebuilt transmission expires. I was hoping that the Optima would have been a good long term car for my wife, but I refuse to keep a car that has major mechanical failures at such low mileage. For comparison, her last car, a 1997 Buick LeSabre went well over 150,000 miles with few repairs.
