I have a 2012 kia optima hybrid. Drove great at first now the car is off and on.. While driving the car lunges often and as others have said there is a delay 2 second from pressing the gas to the car actually accelerating. The car also loses power when driving on the highway. I've noticed the engine will not charge the hybrid battery when it is getting low and the car become immobilized unable to accelerate. I have had dash lights only appear once and when the car was taken to the dealership they were unable to find the cause. This issue is extremely dangerous to myself and others. Attached are a few pictures you can see the hybrid battery had 1 bar it appears to be charging but then goes to 0 bars because the battery is trying to power the car while only the engine should.
2012 Kia Optima engine complaints
Page 10 of 15: complaints 251 to 280 of 418, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car makes a humming noise when going 20 to 40 MPH
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle decelerated on its own. When the accelerator pedal was released and depressed again, the vehicle would accelerate normally. In addition, when accelerating from a stop, the vehicle started to rattle, the oil warning indicator flickered, and the rear brake lights would remain illuminated when the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to atlanta west kia (located at 1301 thornton rd, lithia spring, ga 30122, (678) 715-5399) where it was diagnosed that the high pressure fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notifed. The approximate failure mileage was 166,000.
My car stopped running at a large intersection. I had it towed to the my ase certified mechanic shop whom I had used before. The lead technician said the variable valve timing solenoid is full of metal and it sounds like motor is froze up. The car will not run.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving through an intersection, the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle was unable to restart. Myrtle beach kia (4811 us-501, myrtle beach, sc 29579, 843‑444‑8000) diagnosed that the motor seized. The vehicle was not repaired yet. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling), although the failure was similar. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The failure mileage was not available.
Driving on the interstate going about 80mph. The engine seized and all the warning lights came on in the dashboard. Car lost power and had to coast to the shoulder of the road and use the emergency break to stop. Tried to restart the car right after heard clicking noises like the car was trying to turn over. After waiting about 20mins I tried restarting again its started without issue. And I continued to drive to my destination. The next day driving on the interstate again I tried accelerating to about 60mph and the engine stalled and I heard knocking noises coming from it immediately. Pulled over and got it towed from there. Prior to this I never experienced any engine issues and never had the engine lights come on. Car only has 44k miles.
Stationary at stop light and engine light came on, then all the lights on the console came on and car died. Immediately white smoke came from under the hood on all sides of the car with a chemical burning smell. Smoke continued from under the hood approximately 3-5 minutes.
Have to put oil in my car every 300 miles. Car is burning oil extremely fast. Afraid that the engine may seize while driving. Has been that way every since my purchase in april of 2018.
In 2017 we had the kia towed to selma kia motors because of the recall of the engine,because of shaving in the engine and our turbo went out and was burning.the car stop on us in traffic on a city street we could of died that day. They had to order the engine which took two months. They finely put the new engine in. April 2019 the same thing happen again, they told us there was shavings in the engine once again and the turbo was out also, that was another defected engine. They also told us we had another 10 year warranty on this engine because it was new. Well they called us and said that the corporate office in irvine told kia in selma not to fox this car. What irvine corporateofficetried to do to us was black mail us,they said if the give us $12 hundred dallas that we cant go to the attorney general,the manufacturing plant,tv or any other consumer department. We refuse, this type of thing going on. People lives or being taking because of this defected car. We paid $30,000 dallas for that car, that's clearly a defect car. We contacted the attorney general, office once again and 20/20. It seem know matter what there is no help out here for the hard working consumer I'm a veteran also, this is how the country treat us we fought for this country. I need your input on this situation as asap. Sincerely, [xxx] redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *cc
My car has two recalls and the car stop unstable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, when he saw and smelled smoke coming from the engine. The contact stated he was able to park the vehicle on the side of the road. The contact stated he opened the hood and saw fire on the oil cap. The police department extinguish the fire. The fire department was contacted and filed a report. The contact stated he saw a gasoline leak on the engine. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact called grand kia located at 1950 w 104th ave, denver, co 80234, (720) 943-1144, were notified of failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 154,000.
My 2012 kia optima sx-tgi is in 'limp home mode' due to a sensor in the engine that detects some sort of engine problem. But it's not specific on what it is. Now my wife cannot is her car that she has had only for a few years. It has already had two manufacturer recall repairs and now I feel like there is another defect that is explained in a few articles online where the engines had caught on fire. And this 'limp home mode' allows the driver to drive for a short period of time at low speeds to keep from further damage. These engines were replaced on kia's like mine that were manufactured within a certain time frame. Please be aware it's a very scary matter.
Engine is making knocking sound. Sounds like piston. It's a 2012 and keeping up with oil changes and tender loving care. It's 7 years old there's no reason the engine should be knocking and turning off in the high way at speed 65 MPH with my children in it. I am very mad this should be taken care for free (xxxxxx) parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
When I was driving suddenly I heard knocked noise from engine and noise got high and high. I came home and I didn't drive it my oil level and condition was good
My starter would not turn over to start my car after driving it. When I got to my destination I couldn't restart the car and there was smoke coming from under the hood. I had 2 starters put in thinking that was the issue and after the 2nd starter was installed the car still had smoke. The electrical wires were burnt and burning and the car still will not start.
Theta ii engine failure while driving at high speeds (50-65mph) the engine began to make a loud knocking sound. Soon after, the check engine light illuminated as well as the oil light. I did pull over and contact my local kia dealer and was advised to drive the vehicle to the service department. Upon inspection I was advised the vehicle needing a new engine. It had bearing damage due to metal shavings... Surprisingly 3 months ago the vehicle was previously inspected for metal debris / engine bearing failure and no issues were found by the same local kia dealer.
Takata recall, I was driving my vehicle and when I went to speed up the engine seized, causing me to pull over in the break down lane on the highway and turn the vehicle off completely and when I tried to turn the vehicle back on it would not fully turn back on, all the lights in the vehicle started flickering, I tried jumping my car and it did not work I had to get it towed to the nearest kia dealer
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving approximately 20 MPH, white smoke appeared from the rear of the vehicle and the vehicle began to lose power. The vehicle was taken to stones kia (1222 n woodruff ave, idaho falls, id 83401, (208) 524-2400) where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the engine was rebuilt in 2015. The manufacturer was contacted and declined to have the vehicle diagnosed or repaired due to the engine previously being rebuilt. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed oil leaking from underneath. The vehicle was taken to kia of des moines (located at 4475 merle hay rd, des moines, ia 50310, (515) 270-0706) where it was diagnosed that the oil feed line that entered the turbo needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.
I was driving the vehicle on the beltway 495 in maryland and the vehicle came to a stop without any warning on the dash. I attempted to start the vehicle but it wouldn't start. I check the motor, checking the oil stick showing that the vehicle had no oil in it. I never received a warning light about low oil or anything was wrong. I had my cousin bring me some oil. I put four cans of oil in the vehicle and it still wouldn't start. I had to get the vehicle taken off the highway to my cousins house near by. I purchased a new battery thinking that was now the problem. The started to turn over but wouldn't start. The next day I connected a check engine machine to the car, a actron auto scanner #cp 9575but no codes appeared. A friend who in the past raced cars check the motor from the attempting to start and stated it was the bearing in the engine. It would start and again I had no warning lights about the oil or engine before the problem with the engine. I checked the computer an founded out that other kia's had similar problems with the warning lights not coming on to let you know about the oil was low. Kia had a problem with other vehicles 2012-2017 not showing a warning light on the dash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving 55 MPH, the engine stalled and the vehicle shook from side to side. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over to the shoulder as smoke appeared from the engine. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle would not restart and was towed home. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 172,000. The VIN was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving, the vehicle leaked oil and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to shottenkirk kia of west burlington (309 south gear avenue, west burlington, ia 52655, (319) 249-6627) and the oil filter was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer stated that they could replace the engine if it failed. The failure mileage was 137,000. The VIN was not available.
I was driving on the freeway in the state of utah. I was going 65 MPH on the freeway when the car started shaking, followed by a stall on the engine that forced me to slow down and park on the side of the freeway. I have no idea what happened but I heard cracking noise coming from the engine. Now the car won't turn on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted and able to drive normally. A mile down the road, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v224000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 185,000.
Car seems like is burning oil and also oil level is going down pretty quickly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. The contact stated that the headlights failed to illuminate and there was extremely poor visibility. Also, the oil light randomly illuminated several times. The dealer (ossett kia south, 2680 mt moriah rd, memphis, tn 38115, (901) 328-8173) was unable to determine the cause of the failures. The contact replaced the headlight assemblies more than five times, but the visibility was still poor. The contact also noticed an abnormal odor in the vehicle. The dealer indicated that without the check engine indicator illuminated, they would not replace the catalytic converter. The contact stated that the warranty expired without the part being replaced. The fan also failed to function, but the failure was not remedied. The dealer also performed a repair per an unknown recall regarding the steering; however, the remedy failed to provide a solution for the steering coupler and the steering wheel was no longer straight. Also, the sun roof and moon roof glass had a crack going down to the driver's side of the vehicle where it met the windshield. There was also an abnormal noise progressing due to the failures. The manufacturer and dealer were notified of the steering failure, headlight failure, and moisture in the rear camera. The failure mileage was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia optima. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel shook and the check engine, low battery, oil, and electric power system warning indicators illuminated all at once. The vehicle lost all power and was coasted to the side of the road. The contact waited approximately four minutes and attempted to start the vehicle; however, it cranked, but did not start. The vehicle was left on the side of the road. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.
Driving home on highway about 70mph and engine just stopped. Vehicle was in drive, but coasting. Got to shoulder. Put car in park, engine would not turn over. Called tow, then noticed smoke coming from hood. Hung up, called 911 for possible fire. After hanging up with 911, smoke began coming through vents. Got out of car, saw some flames through grill, called 911 back and told was definitely on fire and with mins entire engine bay was engulfed. Car was a total loss.
Engine shut off without warning 02/23/2019 6:05 pm pst engine/vehicle mileage: 151,409 fuel/gas gauge shows one quarter full while waiting at a traffic signal (vehicle was completely stopped and engine idling) on a city street, engine shuts off without any warning(s). First time ever happened. All maintenance and repairs completed by a kia dealer.
Driving vehicle and engine started knocking , did not have check engine light and vehicle was not over heating . Vehicle suddenly shut off with no warning on I-10 -exit 505 kerriville texas and thick smoke started coming out of the hood. Vehicle would not start. Never have had any issues with vehicle and did personal oil changes.
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