NHTSA Complaint #11637334 — 2013 KIA OPTIMA

The contact's son owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his son was driving 50-60 MPH, the engine started overheating. The driver pulled to the side of the road and added coolant to the vehicle. The driver then drove to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start the following day. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and drove to a nearby independent mechanic, where the engine started to overheat. The mechanic provided an unknown diagnosis and referred the contact to the dealer for an Extended Warranty repair. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket and damaged water pump. The dealer informed the contact the vehicle could not be covered under the Extended Warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.