2011 Kia Optima exterior lighting problems
88 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the exterior lighting on the 2011 Kia Optima — 15% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I have replaced the headlights in my 2011 Kia Optima multiple times but no matter what without the brights on, the road is not at all illuminated making it impossible to see at night. When you look at the car head on the lights look as if they would be incredibly bright, but I believe due to faulty…”
filed Jun 2, 2026
“After getting HECU recall done , it has caused issues with the HECU module to where the brake lights no longer work and the ESC light comes on the cluster panel. Up on reading the code C2130, it says Brake lamp relay error. Mind you that my car was in working order before this recall was even done…”
filed Sep 15, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage…Campaign 13V114000 · Apr 1, 2013
Exterior Lighting problems in other Optima years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Optima | 2 | 1% |
| 2019 Optima | 2 | 1% |
| 2018 Optima | 14 | 6% |
| 2017 Optima | 15 | 6% |
| 2016 Optima | 46 | 6% |
| 2015 Optima | 23 | 2% |
| 2014 Optima | 18 | 3% |
| 2013 Optima | 38 | 3% |
| 2012 Optima | 31 | 3% |
| 2010 Optima | 2 | 3% |
| 2009 Optima | 9 | 8% |
| 2008 Optima | 8 | 6% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2011 Kia Optima
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.