2013 Kia Optima: multiple warning lights

Filed Jun 25, 2025 · Brakes, Electrical · MN

My Kia has the part number that was recalled for the ABS module. But Kia said it’s not included in the recall because of my vin. Appeared 2 months ago. All lights on & potential risk of fire according to the brake fluid leaking. So I have to park outside. Kia inspected & said it was ABS module that needed replacement. For $2,600. Which I can’t afford. I Have already spent $500 for the other problems they said it was at first. But it didn’t fix the problem. Now I am having to borrow cars to get to work.

Filed Feb 15, 2024 · Brakes · 78,800 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while decelerating at slow speeds and then sitting with the vehicle idling, the vehicle stalled. The steering wheel suddenly seized, and several warning lights were illuminated. The ABS, Malfunction Lamp, Oil Lamp, Battery Malfunction warning lights and other unknown warning lights were illuminated, and unknown messages were displayed. During the first occurrence, the contact was able to place the vehicle in the park for several minutes and shifted into drive and drove forward. The failure recurred the second time while shifting vehicle into park. The contact attempted to turn off the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact shifted the vehicle into neutral and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 78,800. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Dec 28, 2023 · Brakes, Electrical · AZ

On or around Oct.15th 2023, My abs light, engine light, and all these other lights came on. So i got it home i got a recall notice in the mail that day saying to park my car away from structures and other vehicles. So i had it towed to a kia dealer here in town. they had it for a week. they said they performed a diagnostic on it and replaced the recall part to come get it. So i go get it i drive off got a mile down the road and all the lights came on and said pull over and shut car off. So there iam on the side of the road calling a tow truck to tow my car back to the dealer. if they would have drove the car after fixing it they would experianced the all the lights lighting up on my dash. Now that want to tell me there is no remedy to the recall fix and that i need a new electric battery and it is going to cost me $12,000. This is my only means of transportation. Can someone stop messing around and take this seriously, now the kia dealer is paying for a tow to tow my safety hazard car back to my house. Now it does not run ... It ran when it got towed there.

Filed Nov 5, 2023 · Engine · NY

While driving on highway, loss of acceleration/power, all lights appeared on dashboard. Pulled over, turned off engine. Restarted engine and power/acceleration was restored.

Filed Sep 23, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · CA

In March 2023 car stopped in the middle of an intersection with no warning. “Hybrid system warning” on dashboard lit up as well as all other lights. Dealer said repair was under warranty because of faulty spark plugs which were a safety recall. Prior to this all safety recalls were taken to dealer yet the problem still occurred. On July 2, 2023, the car stopped on the freeway. All lights lit up and the “Hybrid system warning” came up. The car began to smoke. The car was towed to Kia dealer they said the water pump needed to be replaced. The water pump was replaced with a certified Kia part. The car still would not turn on. Kia replaced the battery and said the engine needed to be replaced for $9000. They said we were out of warranty (10 years by 2 months). This engine failure seems to be related to the safety recalls that Kia “fixed.” I also have documentation that the warranty should be extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles but the delay refuse to make repairs under the warranty.

Filed Jun 15, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · CA

On June 12th myself and two friends were traveling on a rural two-way traffic hwy. As I was attempting to pass another vehicle, the car lost all power. I was barely able to avoid a head on collision. I pulled over to the side of the road which had only enough shoulder to fit my car and there was white smoke coming from under the hood. All the dashboard lights were lite after I pulled over, but nothing prior to the car losing power. I was on a curve in a dead zone for our cell phones. After opening the hood, white smoke was billowing out, and I could smell what smelled like burnt rubber. Once the car cooled off, I was going to attempt to start it, but I could not depress the brakes. The brake pedal was stuck. We managed to get a ride to an area where I could call to have the car towed to a private mechanic, who told me the motor had seized. I just purchased this car in March 2022. Nothing was ever mentioned to me by the dealer of any recalls or any other issues with the car. They made me sign a paper stating I was buying the car as is, which I see now should have been a red flag. The Dealer was San Jose Kia in California, and I'm very angry that they would knowingly sell me a defective car, risking not only my self but my family and friends.

Filed Apr 29, 2023 · NC

The issue with the car first occurred in 2021 when the vehicle had 109,000 miles. I was driving on the interstate returning from visiting my family when the car began to behave erratically. It started to seize, stall, and accelerated on its own. All of the lights illuminated on the dashboard with the error message hybrid engine, air pull over immediately. This was a serious event because my life as well as others were impacted. The car had just enough power to make it off of the shoulder when it died completely and had to be towed to the nearest dealership. They recommended I have the hybrid battery replaced which I did. That did not correct the issue because less than a year later in 2022 I was once again returning home and the car begin to do the same thing. Stalls, seizes, accelerates on its own and the same lights, the same warning message, and completely loses power when you’re driving! It was again towed to a dealership and this time they recommended I have the spark plugs replaced. The spark plugs were replaced and the day that the car was repaired and picked up it had to then be towed back just a few miles down the road with the same strange behavior, and the same issues. Clearly the recommended repairs are not fixing the root cause problem. And now three times my life as well as other motorists’ lives have been put in danger! I am tired of paying for recommended repairs that are not fixing the root issue when there are several hundred other persons who have been experiencing similar dangerous issues like mine with their vehicles. Kia needs to do something about this!

Filed May 27, 2022 · Engine · CA

When I was driving on the freeway, the car engine stopped functioning. All the lights on the dashboard turned on and I couldn't accelerate the car. I had to make several lane changes as I was in the farthest lane. I barely exited the freeway and towed my car to a local mechanic. I had to replace the engine. No warning lamps prior to the failure. My safety was at risk because I couldn't accelerate. The safety of others on the freeway also was at risk.

Filed May 18, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · IL

I started driving and the car just stopped working in the middle of the street. Many lights on the engine came on. I had to push the car into a street and it could've been so dangerous if I was on the busy road instead of a side street. We had the car towed and taken to a mechanic. We got the call and it turns out certain wires started leaking and it could've started an engine fire. No lights were on before until immediately it stopped working.

Filed May 15, 2022 · Engine · CT

I was driving about 4 days ago and experienced engine failure. While driving 45-50mph, I felt my car start slowing down and saw that my dashboard lit up with all of the lights! I had just gotten off of the highway, but was in a high traffic area and I am grateful I was able to get into the right lane, then to the side of the rd where I immediately broke down!! My engine wouldn't turnover, and I had to wait for a tow. When the tow truck driver came, he performed a diagnostic, asked about my mileage and he informed me that my model car has a recall on engines. I did research immediately and I read that my year KIA is up for a VOLUNTARY recall on engine failure or engine seizure (2011-2014 models). My car is at a KIA dealership right now, but because my VIN is not registering with a recall, I'd have to pay $5500 for a new engine. My 2013 Optima engine fits the criteria of year and details written in these articles, but the VIN doesn't pop up...... how is this possible?? My engine is not fused, and the tech at the shop says my engine was turning over, but I know it didn't and even the tow truck driver tried to start the car before he hooked it up and it didn't turn over. I know my car experienced the engine failure that thousands of KIAs have a recall for. The faulty sensors don't alert you to an issue until it's too late! My engine light only lit up when my car was seconds away from becoming immobile. Also, I'm more concerned because if the company says it's certain years of cars, how do you backtrack and exclude certain VINs? My 2013 Optima should qualify for this repair. I just would like a more clear explanation of why my car does not qualify for the free engine replacement especially when I had a similar experience to many customers who did get the replacement according to their testimonials on many different forums including KIA USA? Thank you

Filed Apr 22, 2022 · Engine · 90,000 miles · NY · fire

The contact owned a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle stalled as if someone had pulled the vehicle. Numerous warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact slowed down and pulled over safely then removed herself from the vehicle. Once exited the vehicle it became totally engulfed in flames and was destroyed; however, prior to exiting the vehicle noticed black smoke coming from the hood. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. There was a police report. There were no injuries sustained or medical reports. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Filed Oct 11, 2021 · Engine · CO

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.