NHTSA Complaint #11081761 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

PROPERLY MAINTAINED KIA OPTIMA HYBRID CEASED OPERATING WHILE BEING DRIVEN ON A HIGHWAY. SYMPTOMS APPEARED ELECTRICAL IN THAT ALL OF THE VEHICLE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, THEN STOPPED AS THE VEHICLE ALSO STOPPED. WHEN TRYING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE IGNITED IN "ECO" MODE (THE HYBRID ENGINE STARTED), BUT THE GAS ENGINE DID NOT AND THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY MARGINALLY ROAD-WORTHY. IT WOULD NOT GET UP TO SPEED. UPON EXAMINATION BY A KIA DEALER, THEY SAID THEY FOUND "LARGE METAL PIECES," IN THE OIL PAN AND RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE SHORT BLOCK AND RECONDITIONING THE CYLINDERS. THIS IS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE HAD HAD AN OIL CHANGE THE DAY PRIOR, AND HAD BEEN FULLY OPERATIONAL, WITH ZERO MAINTENANCE FAILURES IN THE 5 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. KIA HAS RECALLED ITS GDI ENGINES DUE TO COMPLAINTS THAT ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THE ISSUE HERE, BUT WERE PATENTLY UNSYMPATHETIC REGARDING THE GAS ELECTRIC HYBRID.