Problems · by component

2012 Kia Optima vehicle speed control problems

40 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Optima cite vehicle speed control, 4% of all 920 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
40
4% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the vehicle speed control

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“When the brake pedal is pressed on the brakes will grab. It snatches the car kinda hard. Also when you give the car gas it will hesitate and will not accelerate. Another with the gas is that you can be driving at a higher speed such as 45 to 55 or so and you press down the gas pedal like your going into passing gear and it will not accelerate it’s like it’s trying to stop. Feels like the car is gonna fall on down onto itself and it loses power.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 28, 2026Vehicle speed control, Service brakesODI 11721209
“While in park and driving the instrument panel will show, "Check Brake" and "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive". This is accompanied by the engine not responding to the gas pedal. The brake pedal will also loose pressure and once pushed the brakes will lock up making a grinding noise. The problem has not been able to be duplicated by the dealer. However there are multiple forms and online communities dedicated to try to resolve this issue since it's so prevalent. This issue causes a major saftey hazard as the car comes to a grinding halt and does not respond to the driver. From online sources it seems the problem is prevalent across years and models and only tied to hybrid vehicles.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 19, 2025Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Service brakesODI 11688408
“Because the brake stopper or brake switch are messed up and my brake tail light stays on all night causing it to drain the battery If the car is braking while I’m driving it and the traction control light comes on and the speed is decreasing as I’m driving because the car is braking on it’s own it has nothing to do with the lights Nor the battery the root of the issue is the brake line because the tail light will not cut off because the brakes are still engaged even when the car is off causing the tail lights to stay on so the lights is what is draining the battery the lights stay on all night in a car the battery dies but the battery nor the lights is the issue it’s the brakes”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 16, 2023Exterior lighting, Vehicle speed control, Service brakesODI 11532560
“Here I explain the problem better, when the car is at a low speed, such as when parking, the gasoline engine starts and it starts to rev up to 6k RPM and after that it brakes and hits hard, this would be dangerous on the highway and another problem is that when accelerating it has a delay of 1-3 seconds, and I want to report this problem to see if there is any solution”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 30, 2023Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11519699
“Brake pedal stopper breaking apart causing the ESC indicator to come on and loosing acceleration while driving. I contacted dealer and no recall on th.is issue.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 27, 2021Vehicle speed controlODI 11426637
“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE ABOVE 45 MPH. THERE WAS WHITE SMOKE BEGINNING TO COME FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE AND THE EXHAUST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT HAD GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE TO ADD OIL TO THEIR VEHICLE EVERY 100 MILES. THE CHECK OIL WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (VALLEY HI KIA 14644 VALLEY CENTER DR, VICTORVILLE, CA 92395; 877-305-9865). THE VEHICLE HAD TOO HIGH LEVELS OF THE OIL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO CHANGED THE OIL AND CHANGED THE CRANK SENSOR. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT ROD BARRING MATERIAL WAS FOUND IN THEIR OIL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE FAILURES PERSIST TODAY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 129,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 14, 2021Power train, Vehicle speed controlODI 11416566

Showing 6 of 40 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.