Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Kia Optima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
At 95000 car had problem accelerating and then all of a sudden on the side of the road did that 2 had 2 engine rebuilds done no but the problem is still there and the fuses all look burnt and half my lights don't work.
Vehicle was purchased in 2023. AC blower failure occurred for the first time in June 2024 and was repaired by PepBoys. On 4/2/2025 the ve3hicle had an active recall event when the engine seized on the highway because of a faulty oil pump/filter, Engine was replaced 4/17/2025 under that recall. Kia advised at the time that the wiring harness should be replaced due to electrical issues at the time but said that there was no recall for that work. At the time, there were no electrical failures of steering, brakes, all power etc. Nor did we know that those were a possibility. The wiring harness quote was $7,000, over the cost of the vehicle. It was decided to continue repairing the electrical issues as they came up, it was assumed that the fuses would blow before there because a safety or total vehicle failure, as automobiles are designed that way. …
There have been 2 occasions while driving at night with the headlights on auto that the lights have gone off for no apparent reason. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I was driving on a major highway and was not able to get to the side of the road. The entire dash went out. This was very dangerous as I could not see anything in front of me. After jiggling the turn signal switch the lights did come back on. I have taken the car into a dealership and also into an independent service center to have the problem addressed. Neither location was able to reproduce the incident. The best guess from the dealer was a headlight switch and from the independent service center their guess was possible an ignition switch. Both of the estimates were unable to confirm that replacing the switch would correct the problem. …
Kia Optima Hybrids from 2014-2016 and most likely the two previous model years all have defective taillights. I know this because I've had two Optimas and I've had to replace 9 taillights in 4 years. The Kia dealer service department told me that that was quite typical of these cars. The light assemblies are not water tight and they fill with moisture on rainy days. This eventually causes the LED ribbons to fail and then the light has to be replaced. Kia will replace them under warranty for the first 60,000 miles but after that the car owner is on the hook for a part that costs approximately $500. A taillight that will not light up is obviously a safety problem. Kia should be forced to replace these pieces for free for as long as these cars exist. I tried to attach two photos but the system wouldn't allow me to continue until I removed them.
When I was driving at 4:45am it was total darkness still out my exterior headlights shut off and I could not see. It is always set on auto. It just happened out of no where and I could not see. I could have had an accident. Now i have read that a few people have had this same problem. About a month ago they kind of went off then on again bit i thought maybe they were switching to daytime lights. Now today they just shut off in total darkness. This needs to be looked into! Especially if many people report same problem. Now i did pull over where I could then switched the lights to just the on mode and they worked fine tell I got home but I don't know what's happening. Does this mean they will work on the on mode or lights eventually wont work at all?? Is it a fuse or relay? Idk please check onto this.
We bought this car brand new and for the past two or so year it has started to consuming oil like crazy at least 3 to 4 quarts every thousand miles and they wont do anything to see what is causing the issue its not leaking anything at all. Secondly with the head light turned to auto we will be driving down the road and all of a sudden the lights shut off and you have to flip the light to on to get them to turn back on huge safety issues there but they will not do Anything for this issue either. I should have to do what im doing to a very well taken care of vehicle and its only 6 years old i get it if it was 10 years old but to burn this much oil this not right.
I was driving at night when both of my lower beam headlights went out at the exact same time. My high beams work but not the low beams and it wasn't a blown fuse. Also, my engine has been consuming 2 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles since it hit roughly 58,000 miles. The excessive oil consumption started about 2,000 miles before my next oil change was due. The oil indicator light never came on to indicate my engine was low on oil. The oil indicator light flashed on and off one time as I was slowing down to turn which is what prompted me to check my oil because I knew something wasn't right that the oil indicator only flashed but didn't stay on.
The headlights failed and yes it can be inspected . The headlights while my 16 year old daughter was driving at night. She could not see the road there were no streetlights. She had to hit her brakes turn the car off and restart and the lights came back on . This put her life in danger I cannot believe there are no recalls . We have called numerous mechanics to fix and they have not heard of the problem. I do not trust Kia to fix this . She could have died . Before this happened the dash showed the lights changing themselves from auto to on to off . This also happened to me while driving at night . We now do not drive this car at night out of fear .
About 3 weeks ago my headlight Auto dash notification would flash on and off for probably 8 times. It was day time so I didn't think anything of it. Last week I was driving in the dark and my head lights turned off completely. I was able to get them back on. I started doing research and other people have had the same issue stating that it is the multifunction switch. Again this morning driving in the dark they turned off completely again. This is dangerous for not just the driver and passengers of the car but also other drivers if you can not be seen. This needs to be recalled and needs to be fixed sooner than later. Please help.
My oil light would flash on when coming to a stop. I was notified my car was low on oil my last oil change. However I was not made aware as to how much. About 2000 miles afterwards when checking the oil it looked to be empty. The oil light would again flash on when coming to a stop but then go back off seconds later. The dipstick was dry. I added the appropriate amount of oil to show in the safe zone on dipstick and again about 1500 miles later the oil light is flashing on when turning/stopping. Separately, the headlights have randomly turned off while driving at night and set on auto on multiple occasions.
Headlight complaints in other Optima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2016 Kia Optima?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the lights of the 2016 Kia Optima, 6% of the model year's 759 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Kia Optima headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2016 Kia Optima, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Kia Optima headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.