2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID Engine Problems

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MILES FROM HOME AROUND MIDNIGHT, ON A BUSY FREEWAY (I-5), GOING ABOUT 70 MPH, MY CAR SUDDENLY FLASHED A WARNING ABOUT THE HYBRID BATTERY DISCHARGING AND TO PULL OVER. THEN THE POWER STEERING WAS GONE AND THE CAR SHUT OFF. THANKFULLY WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE BEFORE GETTING HIT. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD EVERYTHING DIED INCLUDING THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND WE WERE LEFT IN THE DARK WAITING 2 HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND WE COULD'VE BEEN HIT OR CAUSED ANOTHER ACCIDENT. THE CAR HAS NOT STARTED SINCE, HOWEVER IF THE BATTERY IS ACTIVELY BEING CHARGED IT WILL LIGHT UP THE DASH BOARD WHICH JUST FLASHES WELCOME REPEATEDLY AND WON'T START. CURRENTLY AT A KIA DEALERSHIP IN TACOMA, WA AND WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THEY THINK IS WRONG. FROM READING OTHER...

I STARTED MY CAR AND STARTED DRIVING BACK HOME AND AS I GOT ONTO THE FREEWAY AND THE ENGINE TURNED, I COULD HEAR A RATTLING NOISE THAT WOULD MATCH THE RPM OF THE ENGINE. BY THE TIME I GOT HOME THE ENGINE WAS LOUD AND SQUEALING. I TOWED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY, WHERE THEY SAID THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE DUE TO A"BEARING/ CONNECTING ROD ISSUE". WHICH IS A REASON THERE IS A RECALL ON SELECT OPTIMA MODELS. BUT THE HYBRID MODELS ARE NOT INCLUDED FOR SOME REASON. I SUSPECT THE FAILURE RATE ON THE HYBRIDS TO BE ABNORMALLY HIGH AS WELL.

WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING WHEN THE EV WASN'T WORKING, JUST ENGINE. I COASTED TO A SAFE PLACE WITH THE EV AND HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHICH STATED IT WAS THE RODS KNOCKING AND HE KNEW ABOUT THE KIA ENGINE RECALL SO HE ASKED ME TO FIND OUT IF MINE WAS UNDER WARRANTY, APPARENTLY THE KIA ENGINE RECALL DOESN'T INCLUDE MY CAR ONCE I GAVE THEM MY VIN NUMBER. ITS DISTURBING TO KNOW THAT IT PROBABLY SHOULD BE IN THE SAME RECALL BUT THEY SAY ITS NOT...HOW DO I GO ABOUT MAKING SURE ITS NOT REALLY COVERED?

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT 35 MPH AND SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION, WOUL D NOT GO FASTER THEN 15 MPH FOR ABOUT 1/2 MILE THEN GAVE MESSAGE "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE, PLEASE PULL OVER AND TURN OFF VEHICLE." THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THEY HAVE REPLACED THE ENGINE WITH A USED ONE, REPLACED THE HYPER-TRANSMISSION? AND THE BATTERY. DEALER HAS IGNORED REQUESTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION & ITEMIZATION OR INVOICE FOR THE ALLEGED REPAIRS AND THE EXTENDED SERVICE CONTRACT ORIGINALLY ONLY AUTHORIZED $3851.50 FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THE OTHER TROUBLES WERE DISCOVERED LATER, AFTER THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED AND WHILE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT POSSESSION. THE UNDERBODY OR FLAPS UNDERNEATH, FLEW OFF CAR AS CUSTOMER DROVE IT HOME UPON PICKING IT UP. DEALER ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT OR FOR CRACKING BUMPER IN THE FRONT CENTER OF VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE PROGRESSING FROM THE ENGINE. THE DEALER (JIM BONE KIA, 1255 SANTA ROSA AVE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95404, (707) 545-7050) AND THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE HYBRID MODEL EXHIBITED THE SAME FAILURE AS THE RECALL, BUT THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO APPROVE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000. ... .UPDATED 11/16/17 *BF *TR

I HEARD A TICKING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I STOP TO CHECK THE OIL, IT WAS FINE. IT HAD ALSO BEEN CHANGE ABOUT 3500 MILES BEFORE THIS HAPPEN. BY THE TIME I GOT HOME IT WAS MUCH WORST! I CHECK THE OIL AGAIN, THERE WAS STILL OIL AT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL. THIS TIME THE DIP STICK HAD METAL SHAVINGS ON IT. I CALLED MY LOCAL GARAGE AND HAD IT TOWED TO THEM. THEY SAID IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE! I HAD IT BROUGHT TO THE DEALER THAT I BOUGHT IT FROM KEMPER KIA OF BRIDGEWATER NJ. THEY ALSO AGREED THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY TOLD ME A RECALL FOR THIS ENGINE JUST CAME OUT. THE RECALL IS FOR PREMATURE BEARING WEAR CAUSING THESE ENGINES TO THROW A ROD. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPEN TO MY ENGINE! THEY SAID BECAUSE I AM THE SECOND OWNER IT IS...

WHILE DRIVING ON A 4 LANE HIGHWAY, MY CAR JERKED AND LOSS POWER, GOING FROM 60 MPH TO 20 MPH. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID A THREW AN ENGINE ROD! THE CAR HAD 108,189 MILES ON IT. THERE IS A NATIONWIDE RECALL ON THE KIA OPTIMA ALREADY, BUT MINE IS NOT. IT SHOULD! THE BEARING RODS GO OUT PREMATURELY AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT MINE DID.

I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY WHEN MY VEHICLE STARTED TO STALL, AS IF IT WAS GOING TO STOP, WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR SLIGHTLY SPEEDS UP BUT THEN STARTS TO STALL AGAIN. AFTER SEVERAL REPEAT EPISODES OF STALLING, MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. SINCE THERE WAS NO STORES IN MY IMMEDIATE AREA AND NO CELLULAR SERVICE IN THE AREA, I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE AND MOVED INTO THE OUTER LANE. THE CYCLE OF STALLING AND INCREASING CONTINUED REPEATEDLY. ONCE I REACHED A SERVICE AREA, I WAS ABLE TO CALL A TOW SERVICE TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP THAT HAPPENED TO BE A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND FOUND NOTHING BUT DID CHANGE MY OIL AND THE FILTER. FOR THE REST OF THE DAY MY CAR DROVE FINE, BUT MONDAY MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK BACK TO THE SAME STALLING CYCLE AND THE ENGINE...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A THUMPING NOISE AND A LOUD BOOM SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT NOTICED BROWN SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. EVENTUALLY, THE SMOKE TURNED BLACK AND APPEARED FROM THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED OIL LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, MARK KIA, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT SLUDGE WAS IN THE ENGINE AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 12369116. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

I TOOK MY 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AS WE WERE TAKING A ROAD TRIP TWO DAYS LATER. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD. TWO DAYS LATER AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS MY CAR STARTED TO HAVE A CLICKING SOUND AS I ACCELERATED (WE WERE GOING APPROXIMATELY 65MPH). THERE WERE NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS AND ON WITHIN A MINUTE I HEARD A CLUNK SOUND AND MY DASH READ "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. SAFETY STOP AND DO NOT DRIVE." THE HYBRID BATTERY QUICKLY STARTED TO DECREASE SO WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OVER ALONG A NARROW SHOULDER AS WE WERE 15 MILES FROM THE NEAREST TOWN. THIS WAS A NARROW TWO LANE HIGHWAY WITH OUR CAR UP AGAINST THE CONCRETE BARRIER WITH A LAKE DIRECTLY DOWN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BARRIER. WE WERE STRANDED THERE FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS TRYING TO COORDINATE A TOW...

I WAS DRIVING LONG DISTANCE AND I HEARD KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM MY ENGINE, IT BECAME LOUDER AND LOUDER SO I COULDN'T DRIVE ANYMORE. THE ENGINE KNOCKED OFF.

TAMARA RECALL. WHILE DRIVING DOWN FREEWAY THE CAR TURNED COMPLETELY OFF. ALSO THE BACK WINDOWS DON'T ROLL UP OR DOWN ALL THE TIME WITH THE SWITCH. DEFECTIVE SWITCHES.

I BOUGHT A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID I ALSO BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH MY VEHICLE. NOVEMBER 2016 MY WIFE AND TWO KIDS WERE ON THEIR WAY TO WORK AND SCHOOL WHEN THE CAR JUST SHUT DOWN WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT EVEN TURN. I CALLED THE CAR COMPANY I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM AND THEY TOLD ME THEY CAN'T WORK ON HYBRIDS SO I NEEDED TO FIND A KIA DEALERSHIP I FOUND ONE HUNDRED MILES AWAY I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO KIA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE STARTING BATTERY WAS BAD IN IT AND WOULD HAVE IT FIXED. THEY CALLED ME A FEW DAYS LATER SAYING IT WAS NOT THE BATTERY THAT IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. AND IT WOULD COST AROUND 8,000 TO FIX AND WARRANTY STATED THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT DUE TO ENGINE...

THE ORANGE SQUARE WRENCH LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD CAME ON BUT AS SOON AS THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF WOULD GO AWAY. NO TROUBLE CODES SHOWED UP. IT HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN A WEEK SO ONCE IT POPPED ON, WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE WHILE IT WAS STILL RUNNING. WHILE DRIVING THERE, THE CAR HAD VERY LITTLE POWER-MAKING THE LEFT TURN INTO THE DEALERSHIP (CROSSING HEAVY ONCOMING TRAFFIC) WAS SCARY SINCE THE GAS PEDAL WAS TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE WAS BARELY MOVING. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE DRIVE MOTOR TEMP SENSOR IN THE HYBRID SYSTEM WAS GOING OUT AND THE CAR WAS IN SAFE MODE AND HAD CODE P0A2B IN THE HISTORY. BECAUSE I AM THE 2ND OWNER OF THE CAR, KIA WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS UNDER 100,000 MILES. THEY DESIGNED THIS PART SO THE SENSOR CANNOT BE REPLACED-THE ENTIRE...

MY KIA HYBRID WAS BOUGHT NEW IN 2013. IT WAS A 2012 MODEL. HAD IT SERVICED EVERY 7500 MILES WITH AMSOIL 25,000 MILE OIL. WAS WELL PLEASED UNTIL AT 114,000 MILES AFTER JUST HAVING SERVICED, THE ENGINE FAILED. HAD IT TOWED TO A DIFFERENT DEALER THAN WHERE I PURCHASED AS IT WAS CLOSER. WELL TO SAY THE LEAST A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. KIA SADI NO LONG BLOCKS WERE AVAILABLE AND WOULD SEND SHORT BLOCK FORM KOREA. NO RECALL ON HYBRIDS BUT IT IS THE SAME 2.4 ENGINE THAT HAS FAILED FOR MANY. LONG STORY SHORT, IT TOOK 63 DAYS TO GET A SHORT BLOCK WHICH COST ME 3156.00 TO INSTALL. TO SAY THE LEAST I HAVE RETAINED AND ATTORNEY AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET ANOTHER CALSS ACTION SUIT AS THE ROD WAS LAYING IN THE OIL PAN JUST LIKE THE RECALLS. I AM HAPPILY DRIVING A NEW HONDA!!

LOUD BANGING NOISE FROM THE MOTOR THEN LOUD BAND AND 2 PARTS FLEW OUT THE BOTTOM ANT IT STARTED SPILLING OIL EVERYWHERE

NEED TO REPLACE COMPLETE BELT TENSIONER & BRACKET ASSEMBLY & SERPENTINE BELTS. MY CONCERN IS THE PLASTIC CRACKING IN THIS ASSEMBLY, THE EVAPORATIVE CANISTER, ALSO PLASTIC IS CRACKED AND WILL BE REPLACED ALSO. WAS THERE A BAD BATCH OF PLASTIC USED ON THESE CARS? COST TO REPLACE BELT TENSIONER, BRACKET ASSEMBLY & BELTS IS APPROX. $800.00. THE CANISTER IS COVERED BY KIA - COST 164.00.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL BANGING NOISE UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE MOMENTARILY LOST POWER AND THE CONTACT NOTICED BLACK SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FIRE WAS DUE TO A CONNECTING ROD MALFUNCTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 87,000.

AFTER ~20K MILES, I NOTICED A SLIGHT TAPPING/KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR MAINTENANCE AND ASKED ABOUT THE NOISE. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. OVER TIME, IT GOT A BIT LOUDER BUT NOT MUCH AND EACH TIME IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY WOULD SAY THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. AT ~80K MILES, MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING HOME ON THE FREEWAY AT 70MPH WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A TERRIBLE NOISE (SOUNDED LIKE A ROD WAS ABOUT TO COME THROUGH THE ENGINE), LOST POWER, AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS CAME ON, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED HER TO WRECK, AS SHE WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. SHE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND WE HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. AFTER CALLING THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT AND THAT I'D HAVE TO PAY 7K TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED. I ENDED UP...

OUR CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR THE 4TH TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. LAST SPRING THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE MESSAGE "HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING! SAFELY STOP AND DO NOT DRIVE". THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY (REGULAR, NOT HYBRID) SO WE HAD THAT REPLACED (OUT OF WARRANTY - WE PAID FOR THAT). THIS PAST AUGUST, THE WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED AGAIN - THE DEALER SAID THERE HAD BEEN A TECHNICAL BULLETIN, AND THEY PERFORMED AN UPDATE (COVERED BY WARRANTY). WE HAD THE CAR BACK FOR A FEW DAYS AND THE MESSAGE APPEARED AGAIN, AS WELL AS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE "CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM". THE DEALER REPLACED A WIRE (UNDER WARRANTY). A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING APPEARED AGAIN. THIS TIME (4TH TIME) THE DEALER SAID THAT THE TRACTION MOTOR NEEDED REPLACING AND THAT WE NEEDED A...

(MY REPORT IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS ID 10552403) THIS CAR SEVERELY HESITATES/STALLS AFTER COMING TO A STOP (RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, YIELD SIGNS, AND ETC). CAR HESITATES/STALLS FOR ~2-3 SECONDS BEFORE ACCELERATING WHILE AT A DEAD STOP. THIS HAS CAUSED SEVERAL NEAR ACCIDENTS. WHEN IT HAPPENS, I PUSH THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR DOESN'T RESPOND AT ALL FOR ABOUT 2-3 SECONDS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AS INCOMING CARS CAN CLOSE THE SAFETY GAP QUICKLY IN 2-3 SECONDS. COLD WEATHER CAUSES THE CAR TO HESITATE/STALL MORE OFTEN THAN WARMER WEATHER FROM MY EXPERIENCE, BUT IT'S HAPPENED WHEN CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR OVER 20 MINUTES, AS WELL. I HOPE KIA WILL CHECK INTO THIS PROBLEM AS MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP HAS NO ANSWER. *TR

THIS CAR SEVERELY HESITATES/STALLS AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT INTERSECTIONS (RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, YIELD SIGNS, AND ETC). CAR HESITATES/STALLS FOR 2-3 SECONDS BEFORE ACCELERATING WHILE AT A DEAD STOP. THIS HAS CAUSES SEVERAL NEAR ACCIDENTS AND SCARES TO MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND MYSELF. THIS MORNING, I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE/RESPOND UNTIL 2-3 SECONDS LATER. THIS IS SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM, WHILE PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC INCOMING CARS CAN CLOSE THE SAFETY GAP QUICKLY IN 2-3 SECONDS. COLD WEATHER CAUSES THE CAR TO HESITATE/STALL MORE OFTEN THAN WARMER WEATHER. I URGE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO STEP IN AND FORCE KIA TO FIND SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM BEFORE THIS ISSUE CAUSE A FATALITY. FUEL ECONOMY IS ANOTHER ISSUE IN THIS CAR (HYBRID), I TYPICALLY DON'T GET THE ESTIMATED 35 MPG/CITY THAT THE DEALERSHIP SOLD ME ON, IT IS USUALLY 28-30 MPG/CITY....