This is an online automotive information provider of a detailed information on complaints, defects and recalls for Kia OPTIMA 2012 exterior lighting. Our users can find data on mass market car models from most popular brands. The service allows to compare and analyze statistics for reported problems, complaints, recalls for various manufacturers. We hope our site will help with selecting of a reliable and safe car. By using this tool, you will be able to get records with description of safety issues for vehicles, equipment, tires and child restraints. These issues include safety recalls for your Kia OPTIMA 2012 exterior lighting and complaints other owners have filed.

Enter valid VIN:

2012 Kia OPTIMA Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects

Issue ID	1591923
Internal NHTSA #	11243794
Manufacurer	Kia Motors America
Brand	KIA
Model	OPTIMA
Model Year	2012
File date	01/06/15
Component	EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Product type code	VEHICLE
Description of the problem	About 4 years ago the headlights on my 2012 kia optima sx starting getting dim. I took it in to the dealer and they replaced bulbs which made no difference. I took it in again about 2 years ago because it was becoming difficult to see at night. They couldn't figure out the problem. They had my car overnight so the service tech drove it that evening to see how bad it was. He told me that he turned up a dark road, turned the car around, flipped the high beams on so he could find his way back to the dealership. He told me that it scared the you-know-what out of him and he was sorry but all he could do is replace the entire headlight assemblies and it would cost me $2500. 00! I went online to see if others were having this problem and i see hundreds of complaints about this problem. I no longer drive the car at night and have to rely on my husband for transportation after dark. I might try to trade the car in for something with real headlights but i'm afraid that i won't be able to trade it in this condition. I did find a tbs #ele181 that says it's part of a warranty extention wty014 that replaces the headlights for this very condition on my car model and year but when i called the dealership they said it only applies to korean made vehicles. Mine is an american made kia that, obviously, has the same issue. Why wouldn't all kia optimas with this extremely hazardous problem be eligible for this warranty extension? Help! I'm at my wits end!
Vehicle Mileage at Failure	60000
Number of Occurences
Source of the issue	NHTSA WEB SITE
City and State	BOTHELL, WA
VIN pattern	5XXGR4A64CGXXXXXX
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	29/06/24
Was original owner?	N
Anti-lock brakes	N
Cruise control	N
Number of cylinders
Drive train type
Transmission type
Vehicle speed	35
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

What is Recall?
A recall is when a product is removed from the market or a correction is made to the product because it is either defective or potentially harmful.
What is Failure?
Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering.
What is Defect?
Non-conformance of a car component with the specified requirements, or non-fulfillment of user expectations, including the safety aspects.

Last decoded VIN:

1GKS28KJ2KR150959 WAUZZZ8P55A048253 TMAJU81AAFJ641148 LGWFFUA50SH906039 WBA12AG000CE91940 YV1MV6350D2040741 4X4FWBN20PV708321 3JB1TAX40PK000077 JTEBU11FX70008716 2T1FF28P6YC417646 WBSDE92050BJ10853 JN1TBNT30U0014015

Rating: 4.7 from 5 (3783 reviews)

2012 Kia OPTIMA Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects, Recalls and Failures

2012 Kia OPTIMA Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects

What is Recall?

What is Failure?

What is Defect?