10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 75
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 1
Average Mileage:
65,032 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #393

Oct 312021

Optima 6-cyl

  • 127,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, the front of the vehicle was in flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

- Powell, TN, USA

problem #392

Oct 212021

Optima

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact stated that she was able to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle was shuddering while driving and stalled several times. The contact stated she was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to schedule an appointment for diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not cover the repair of the vehicle because the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN tool showed that the VIN was included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #391

Oct 212021

Optima

  • miles
KIA replaced the low fuel line under campaign number 20V100 November of 2020 and the replacement part has now cracked causing gas to spray out onto my engine less than a year later. KIA is refusing to warranty the part. This is a huge life safety issue for myself and my family that travel in this vehicle. I feel these replacement parts need to be checked and replaced before someone gets seriously hurt.

- Fullerton, CA, USA

problem #390

Oct 022021

Optima

  • miles
While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle began to stall and as I tried to keep going, I did get to 60 MPH and the car completely stalled and turned off in the middle of the highway as I tried to get off to the side. All of the warning lights illuminated. The car would not start up and the steering wheel locked. I had to be pushed off the road. I was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The battery seemed to still have power at the time, but still would not start. Someone pulled over to try to jump start the vehicle, but it would not start. I then went and purchased a new battery to see if that would help and it did not. The car had absolutely no power to it, would not click over and would not shift into gear. The week prior, my check engine light had came on and I did stop at autozone to have them run a diagnostic. When it ran it pulled up a manufacturer code P1004 and they were unable to tell me what it meant. I do have the documents from that visit. My vehicle has been well taken care of and I have kept up to date on recalls and maintenance. Approximate mileage when this happened is 122k. I had the vehicle towed to AAMCO who then determined the engine was damaged and I then had it towed to Peak Kia to see what we needed to do.

- Greeley, CO, USA

problem #389

Sep 232021

Optima

  • 152,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60-70 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The brake warning light and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated she was able to partially veer to the side of the road as the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated she was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The battery was jumped with some assistance and the vehicle restarted. The contact stated she drove the vehicle to the dealer however, the failure reoccurred as she was pulling into the parking lot. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 152,000.

- Warner Robins, GA, USA

problem #388

Sep 202021

Optima

  • miles
"Hybrid System Warning Safely stop and Do not Drive" has appeared multiple times. First time, brake fluid was flushed and car appeared to operate normally afterwards. 3 months later, now, happened twice within two weeks. Apparently, a very common issue. The car shuts down and I am forced to coast/pullover/stop without any power from the engine and was fortunate this did not occur in an intersection. Others have noted the occurrence on the freeway. Like other, when I took the car in, no error codes were seen as the warning light had turned off so the mechanics do not know what the issue is. How does Kia not know what the issue is when the car could shut down, become inoperable suddenly" Once the warning light comes on, the brakes semi-lock and one is luck enough to get to safety, to pull over... Does someone have to be injured or worse for KIA to do something or for the NHTSA TO DO SOMETHING?" 1) https://www.optimaforums.com/threads/2013-optima-hybrid-hybrid-system-warning-check-brake-message.170498/ 2) https://www.kiaownersclub.co.uk/threads/how-to-fix-check-hybrid-system-warning-unable-to-charge.45921/ 3) https://www.reddit.com/r/kia/comments/lk6wvt/2013_kia_optima_hybrid_system_warning_i_dont_know/ 4) 5) https://6) https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/kia-optima.html?page=5 7) https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c23349_ds1010763

- Monrovia, CA, USA

problem #387

Aug 012021

Optima

  • miles
Kia motors had a recall on my vehicle 2013 KIA optima hybrid so I took my car into the dealership explaining the issues I had and the service advisor Justin told me that they would have to look at it and if it-??s related to the recall they would take care of it at no cost to me it-??s been over a month and the service advisor told me it was a defective motor and all of a sudden refusing to fix it I shouldn-??t be responsible for their defective engine please advise

- Cordova , TN, USA

problem #386

Sep 122021

Optima

  • miles
I was driving my 2013 Kia Optima on the freeway. Perfectly functioning until the vehicle just stalled while driving 60-70 mph. All the lights came on including the check engine light. I had to pull to the side and turn off my vehicle. Then it turned right back on and continued driving perfectly. Until the next day, I was driving on the highway and it was running perfect. Until I turned in a corner and my car stalled once again. This time the check engine light stayed on when I turned the vehicle back on. Then it started making this loud metal grinding noise. So I had to drive slow and the car almost shut down. I got it towed 70 miles back home. My car was running perfectly fine until that happened. It is a engine bearing knocking noise every time I start the car. It could be in the oil pan of the engine that is making that noise. This put my safety at risk on the highway because I couldn't get more speed when my foot was on the petal and my car was slowing down slowly. There was lots of traffic so I had to avoid slowing down to quick before I got stuck in the lanes. So I had to put my blinkers on and pull to the side. The side was a little narrow because the cars were driving right beside mines and it was a busy highway. I thought I'd get hit but thankfully I didn't and pulled safely to the side. I researched about this problem and it is pretty common with people that have the Kia Optima 2013. And its recalled for that problem. So my confirmation is from researching it on the internet. Yes the problem has been confirmed by Kia because they got law suited for it and that's why they had recalls. My vehicle will be inspected by the manufacturer on September 28th. There was no warning signs or symbols of the car before that problem happened. It just happened instantly and it had me worried. The car was running perfectly fine getting to places. There was no problems prior to this. It first appeared on September 12th, 2021.

- Palmdale, CA, USA

problem #385

Jul 222021

Optima

  • miles
My car ran hot and my motor went out

- Atlanta , GA, USA

problem #384

Sep 162021

Optima

  • miles
I was giving my brother a ride to work when the car stalled. There was no engine light on or any warning light what-??s so ever all of sudden my steering wheel turned hard and I could not steer. Brake pedal was hard for me to step on I nearly wrecked in to a gate. I own this car for few years already and never giving me problems. I did notice there was a recall going on about engines on these 2013 2014 going bad. At first I thought it was my battery or alternator but everything has power. Just the engine don-??t want to turn over. I would appreciate if someone can help me in this situation.

- Missouri City , TX, USA

problem #383

Jun 162021

Optima

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut off without warning. The contact would be able to restart the vehicle soon after the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where they replaced the spark plugs and cleaned the fuel injectors. Upon driving the vehicle home at 50 MPH, the contact's wife stated that the vehicle shut off again without warning. Despite the failure, his wife was able to restart the vehicle and drive home without incident. The next day, the contact called the dealer to notify them of the failure and they informed him that it may take some time to repair the vehicle due to the cleaning of the fuel injectors. The contact stated that the failure persisted despite the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Bridgeville, DE, USA

problem #382

Sep 042021

Optima

  • miles
My car said warning -??? do not drive and my brakes went out when I was able to stop I cut off the car then back on and it wouldn't move.I was on the highway when this happened.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #381

Aug 142021

Optima

  • miles
The components in which failed in my vehicle are unknown at this time. The only thing that I know is my emergency check engine light was flashing and my car proceeded to go into limp mode. Reason for that was the rod knock sensor went off. My main concern is that a few minutes following my engine had completely shut down in the middle of the Highway. I was nearly hit by several vehicles following behind me. The problem has not been confirmed but has been identified with the SAME exact issue as other 2013 Kia Optima owners. No police reports or investigations were conducted. I am not the only person that had their safety at risk due to Kias negligence. This is clearly a reoccurring issue with many owners of the same make and model. I would think that Kia would have investigated this issue.

- Lorain, OH, USA

problem #380

Aug 132021

Optima 4-cyl

  • miles
Total Engine failure while driving at 70mph on interstate. 67,555 miles Only warning was at time of engine failure check engine light came on. I purchased car used from my father in law who passed away due to COVID-19. Never any problems until now. I have seen many issues online with engines for this model year and I know that some Kia's have had engines replaced free of charge. It seems to be widespread issue to all 2013 Optimas and other models including multiple years. What was Kia's countermeasure to correct the issue" What is the RPN number for their internal PFMEA and DFMEA? If it was machining burrs remaining in the engine at time of assembly-what is detection method" -Visual inspection (not 100%)" - machine vision" -added process (brushing operation)" -added shot blast peening of crankshaft forging before machining? -added deburring of main bearings" etc. Consumer stated vehicle was towed and taken to a dealer. Still has not been repaired.

- Talbott, TN, USA

problem #379

Aug 022021

Optima

  • miles
Drove the vehicle on the interstate next warning lights came on stating Hybrid system warning safety stop and do not drive I pulled over popped the hood and saw oil leaking everywhere and the vehicle was inoperable so I towed to my home called the Kia dealership stating there was a recall on my vehicle a 2013 Kia optima hybrid and advised what to do they told me to tow it to the dealership and there is

- Cordova, TN, USA

problem #378

Aug 022021

Optima

  • miles
Drove car all of a sudden the engine started knocking and missing and burning oil out the exhaust I parked the car until Kia can look at

- Cordova, TN, USA

problem #377

Jul 262021

Optima

  • miles
My car recently cut off I replace the camshaft sensor A and B My engine is currently knocking

- Fredericksburg , VA, USA

problem #376

Jun 282021

Optima

  • miles
Rod Bearing caused the engine to Cease, my Car was at Ray Skillman from 6/28/21 diagnosed 7/28/21 KIA denied claim, after all recalls have been performed on vehicle. Engine still should've been under warranty to replace engine a 2nd time. Engine replaced 3/2015 at 38,905 before recall in 2017 ceased 6/28/2021 we had towed to Dealership Able to get to safety on side of interstate 65 could've been a bad situation on highway if in middle of road No lights or warnings came on prior to car stalling

- Colfax, IN, USA

problem #375

Jul 202021

Optima

  • miles
Vehicle starts smoking from under hood after driving for awhile. Not sure if its coming from the turbo or another part.

- Riverside , CA, USA

problem #374

Jul 032021

Optima

  • miles
Driving down highway and lost engine power. The gas engine seized up causing the vehicle to stop suddenly. Towed to Kia and the said the engine is seized up.

- Lake Zurich, IL, USA

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