Had oil change 5 days prior, and recall for acceleration. Called the,dealership because I heard a knocking noise in the front end. Was on my way to dealership on the,expressway, car lost power, put it in neutral and pulled to right side of xway..car filled with smoke and fully engulfed in flames. Waiting to hear if insurance is looking into faulty work with recall or oil change.
2013 Kia Optima engine complaints
Page 23 of 23: complaints 641 to 652 of 652, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On 2/19/2015 at 8:30 a.m. My wife drove our 2013 kia optima approximately 6 miles to the local supermarket and then drove the 6 miles back home. Maximum speeds reached were no more than 50 MPH with the majority of the drive being at 35 MPH. About halfway home she noticed an unfamiliar smell but was not sure what it was, and the car seemed to be driving normally and no warning lights ever came on. As she pulled into the garage at our home she then noticed smoke coming from under the hood. She immediately opened the hood and saw flames shooting out from the back of the engine compartment near the turbo. She ran into the house and grabbed a fire extinguisher. She used the entire extinguisher to put out the flames. I came home and together we pushed the vehicle out of the garage and called kia. The vehicle was then towed 43 miles away to the closest kia dealership. Kia cooperate consumer affairs division was immediately in contact with us, we stated that we no longer felt safe with this vehicle and wanted it replaced. The dealership informed us that they could not even touch the vehicle until an investigator from kia corp. Looked at the vehicle. After pictures of the incident were received by cooperate the whole situation changed. I feel that since the vehicle was not burned badly (only because of my wife's quick action) kia is not treating this as serious as they should anymore. I was informed by kia corporate that they would be fixing the vehicle under warranty and returning it to us. I have been in contact with the dealership and they have told me the vehicle was driven once for a short period and when it returned the turbo charger was "glowing red hot like lava" they also said that corp. Engineers from kia were performing tests remotely and that no attempts had even been made to try and fix the problem yet. ....updated 06/09/15
After coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, when I tried to accelerate to turn onto a busy road my car lost power halfway into the intersection. This has happened twice. My first reaction was to push harder on the gas pedal, as there were cars coming at me from both directions, and after a few seconds the car violently lurches forward and regains power. This is a terrifying issue and a serious safety threat. I had 2 children ages 8 and 12 in my vehicle both times this has happened.
During the second oil change at the dealership, I indicated that the vehicle's exhaust was very strong and was coming into the vehicle both at speed and while sitting. The service technician stated that the vehicle needed to have only premium fuel in it to stop the issue. The owners manual does not state that this is the case but in order to prevent the strong exhaust, we switched to only use premium fuel which prevented the majority of the strong fumes but not all. In getting the vehicle's third oil change, the oil was extremely dirty and the service technician stated that he had seen no reason why a vehicle of such low mileage should have oil anywhere near the condition that it did.
This has happened three times now, and just the third this past weekend so I am finally writing a complaint. My kia has a faulty map sensor, the dealer says, and when it goes out (about every 2 months) my car completely dies on me; I have no acceleration, brakes lock up and my power steering is gone. This is a very dangerous situation since two of the three occurrences have been on the highway. When it happens, I am forced to yank the steering wheel to a shoulder and let the car come to a stop. Sometimes it restarts, sometimes it does not. In all three instances, my car has had to be towed. This is very dangerous for not only me by anyone in the car with me as well as any other kia driver's out there. I have filed my complaint with kia consumer affairs but they do not offer a replacement, just money. While I appreciate the offer, money does not do anything for my confidence in driving the car. It is a brand new car, just one year old. I fear for my life each time I drive my car but I have no other option, I drive a lot for work. All I am seeking is a replacement car, I love the car and all it offers but it does not perform well at all and I am very fearful of this. Please help if you can or if you have had similar issues.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia optima. The contact was driving 5 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. The failure mileage was 50 and the current mileage was 8000.
My kia gets stuck in a few inches of snow or any ice. Slides easily in rain or icy or cold weather. I live in the midwest. I have been pushed by strangers, countless times, trying to get me out of subdivisions because this car will not move. I had to call a tow truck and he mentioned he had to tow 3 of these same fancy vehicles that were stuck in a small amount of snow. I am unable to park in my garage because the car is not dependable if any snow or ice is on the driveway. I drive for a living and I have been stuck in patient's driveways. They laugh and say the other nurses do not have any problems with their cars. This is humiliating. This car costs almost 40,000. It should be dependable instead it is unreliable and dangerous: other cars may run into me when my car starts sliding backwards on the streets. I have literally been stuck in the middle of the road. I have had to call in sick several times because my car will not back out a few feet from my driveway if there is 3 inches or more of snow on the ground. Also the engine whines alot. It seems to lag in shifting and the RPM goes up to almost 4 before it will shift into 4th gear. I am afraid the engine will explode or blow up.
Driving on a city road during normal traffic (4:30pm est) my vehicle began to make large rattling noise from the engine compartment. At first I thought I had picked up somthing on the road, but as I accelerated/deccelerated the noise became louder/softer. I immediatley contacted my kia dealership. After speaking to the service manager he told me to bring the vehicle in next week since that would be the soonest it could be looked at. I informed him that I did'nt think I could even make it home let alone wait a week to bring the vehicle in. He stated I could drop it off, but it would not be looked at until next week. Either way, within 10 miutes of driving a large banging noise went off under the hood, engine oil sprayed throught the engine compartment and I had complete loss of power. Kia roadside assistance towed the vehicle to the dealership where they have informed me that the engine needs to be replaced. The vehicle is less than 2 weeks old and had 600 miles when this occured. I informed the dealership I would not want a vehicle with a replaced engine and they have informed me that is my only option. I will not be purchasing from kia again as there was no support from their corporate customer service either.
Driving down interstate, engine made loud, clanking noise. Pushed on gas and noise got louder and the car slowed down. Car did not respond when gas pedal applied. Turned on hazard lights and worked way over to outer lane and finally to side of road. Was almost rear-ended when happened; car slowed way down. Towed to dealership where purchased. Replaced fuel pump but noise still occurring. A week later, informed had to replace engine. Week later engine, and now parts, were on back order. Following week, informed by dealership, kia would not put new engine in car because over 5,000 miles (only 6600). A remanufactured would be used. Asked to see car and asked if they discovered what was wrong. Engine out of car and completely apart. Informed the "end" piston broke. Looked at piston, and portion appeared to have broken off. They said the broken part had fallen inside and was causing noise. Not happy with kia. Doesn't seem like they stand behind their product...
Regarding to the previous complaint, veh was taken to dealer on 3/15/2013 to adjust the alignment under warranty due to the alignment issue starting after the engine was replaced at 3,400 by the dealer. Left the dealer and immediately noticed that the steering wheel was now turned to the left and the vehicle was pulling to the right. The car pulled to the right significantly. The same dealer was contacted on 3/18/13 regarding the issue. Due to the recent engine replacement, one alignment trip and a distance of roughly 50 miles to the shop, the dealer authorized a loaner to be brought to my place of employment so that the driver could take the veh to he shop. Veh was picked up that evening at the dealer and steering wheel seems to be level. There is still a left to right constant handling issue and vehicle seems to have a vibration under 35 MPH. Veh has now spent 11 days in the shop (9 days for engine replacement and 2 days for two alignments) and has been owned for just under 12 weeks. Veh is also slow/sluggish leaving a stopped position and mpg's on cruise control set at 60mph have fallen from 33mpg to 29.5mpg since engine replacement. Date complaint filed: 03/13/2013 component(s): engine and engine cooling date of incident: 03/11/2013 the federal safety agency id number: 10502730 manufacturer: kia motors corporation vehicle identification no. (VIN): 5xxgn4a70dg... Summary: driving under normal conditions on a slow 35mph roadway and noticed optima pulls toward the crown (center) of the road (which is against slope). Drove vehicle on 45mph and 60mph roadway and same situation. Engine was replaced at 3,400 miles due to piston #3 failing. Based on current issues to date, I would not purchase another optima.
Driving under normal conditions on a slow 35mph roadway and noticed optima pulls toward the crown (center) of the road (which is against slope). Drove vehicle on 45mph and 60mph roadway and same situation. Engine was replaced at 3,400 miles due to piston #3 failing. Based on current issues to date, I would not purchase another optima.
2013 kia optima. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle steering to the right *tgw the consumer also stated, sometimes the belt made a squeaky noise. He also noticed a slight hesitation when pulling off from a red light or stop sign. *jb the consumer also stated the vehicle did not come with a key to open the trunk. Updated 01/22/13 the consumer stated the vehicle has many serious electrical and computer problems. Updated 06/27/2017
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