2019 Kia Optima: fuel pump failure

Filed Sep 30, 2026 · Fuel system · NV

On XXX, Towbin Kia Service (Henderson, NV) officially diagnosed my 2019 Kia Optima (VIN: [XXX], Mileage: 118,325) with a critical component failure: "LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IS LEAKING FROM TOP HAT" (Invoice #XXX). Despite documenting a severe, volatile raw fuel leak that presents an immediate fire and explosion hazard, the dealership refused to keep the vehicle. They explicitly released this active safety hazard back to me. The service department even arranged a third-party Lyft ride to transport my children and me to the dealership to pick up the leaking car and force us to drive it home. The vehicle is currently parked outside my residence, actively leaking raw fuel and filling the cabin with toxic gas fumes. It is entirely un-driveable and a public safety threat. Kia Corporate must immediately bypass standard dealership timelines, authorize a flatbed tow to retrieve this fire hazard, and directly provide an emergency corporate rental vehicle line (Enterprise/Hertz) for my family's safety today. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 8, 2026 · Acceleration, Fuel system · TX

I am reporting a recurring safety hazard involving my 2019 Kia Optima following a repair for diagnostic code P064A (Fuel Pump Control Module). Despite the dealership attempting to repair the fuel system, the vehicle remains in a 'limp mode' state. While driving, the vehicle began shaking violently and lost significant power, refusing to accelerate above 50 mph. This creates an immediate safety risk, as the vehicle cannot maintain highway speeds or safely merge, increasing the danger of a rear-end collision. The P064A code and subsequent 'limp mode' symptoms persist even after professional service. I am concerned that the existing Kia warranty extensions (such as WTY028 for the low-pressure fuel pump) or current repair procedures are insufficient to resolve this underlying mechanical/electronic failure, leaving the vehicle unpredictable and hazardous to operate in traffic.

Filed Sep 30, 2025 · Fuel system · NJ

2019 Kia Optima EX - 59,000 miles - car miss fires and shakes on start. After a few seconds the car calms down and I can drive. Very dangerous since the fuel can stop flowing and the car can stall at any speed. Very dangerous!! Looks like several Kia's from 2019-2023 have been recalled for the same issue - High Pressure Fuel Pump - if my car is having the same issue at 59,000 miles why is this car not recalled, Very Dangerous! The Kia K5 which took over for the Optima is on the list why not the Optima EX.

Filed Mar 26, 2025 · Engine · GA

My 2019 Kia Optima purchased brand new. Kia released a service bulletin on 3/1/22 citing “excessive oil consumption for 2011-2021 Optima's”. I took it in for the "updates" for said service bulletin for the engine and was told that my engine is good and covered now for the life of the engine even past the 100k miles (mind you no one mentioned doing an excessive oil consumption test at this time). On 3/22/24 car had 104k miles on it and the oil light came on. I had an oil change just 2500 miles or so prior. Pulled into an autozone and it was almost bone dry. I put oil in it and the light went off. I took it to Evans Kia and was told that they couldn't do anything because it was past 100k warranty and that they couldn't run the DX test to determine if it was excessively consuming oil as per the recall. Apparently during the recall they did the DX tests if the consumer stated it was burning oil fast or something to that extent. Mine did not get said test, only the upgrade. They should have done the test, but they just did an "upgrade" which clearly did not work. They said since I had the "upgrade", if the engine fails, then Kia would fix it under warranty. Since then, this happened at least 4 more times with the oil light coming on and engine oil practically gone. Each time took less and less miles. I showed up to Kia 2 of those times in 2024 to show them the the oil change date, mileage, and check oil light on. Also physically showed them the oil being almost empty, yet they did nothing but say when the engine dies or "knocks" they can fix it under warranty. One of those times I had it towed but they determined it was the fuel pump, never mentioned anything else. Fast forward 3/15/25 the engine starts knocking and engine light comes on. I managed to drive it to Evans Kia without any accidents. After my car sat for 9 days, they call me on 3/25/25 and tell me there is a "burnt valve on cylinder 4 and the engine will need to be replaced and it is not covered. How? Help!

Filed Mar 18, 2024 · Fuel system · MD

Our 2019 Kia Optima has now stalled twice at a stop light in the past year. When it happens, we're able to restart the engine. In addition to stalling, the car struggles to start on some days and runs lumpy (minor surges in power) on other days. The symptoms match a problem Kia is aware of and for which it has provided an extended warranty (15 years/150,000 miles). Below is the wording from the extended warranty letter (2016-2020 MY Kia Optima Vehicles Low-Pressure Fuel Pump New Vehicle Limited Warranty Extension dated Sept 9, 2022): "If, at any time within the extended warranty period, you experience intermittent reduction in engine power, stalling while at idle, and/or inability or difficulty starting your engine, your authorized Kia dealership will diagnose the cause at no cost to you." When I took the car in after both incidents, the Kia dealer is not able to replicate the issue because it's an intermittent issue. There is no fault code thrown by the vehicle computer. The dealer and I have separately called Kia to get authorization to replace the low-pressure fuel pump (the most likely culprit), but Kia has denied the request because the dealer isn't able to replicate the issue. This is non-sensical given the fact that Kia in its letter admits that this problem is intermittent. I'm afraid that the next time the low-pressure fuel pump fails, it will be in a far more dangerous situation (e.g. highway) than at a stop light. I believe Kia should replace the low-pressure fuel pump for those owners who report the symptoms of a failing low-pressure fuel pump even if the failure can't be replicated at the dealer. Kia is basically saying they're not going to replace the low-pressure fuel pump until it malfunctions and stays broken which could very likely leave us stranded somewhere or worse without engine power in the middle of driving.

Filed Nov 22, 2023 · Fuel system · TX

The morning of 9/26/2023 as I was driving on the freeway road and I experienced an intermittent reduction in engine power and had to pull over on the side of the freeway road. This was a very traumatizing experience and I was very lucky that I was not hit while awaiting to be towed. After my mechanic inspected my vehicle we received error code P1233 and advised me to call the dealership as this is something covered under an extended warranty. I scheduled an appointment for 9/27/2023 however, I dropped my car off on 9/26/2023 since I was able to arrange dropping it off a day earlier. I received a call very early on 9/27/2023 from Chuck, one of the mechanics at Westside Kia and he stated that my car was working perfectly fine. After I informed him of the issue I had he stated they would need to keep my car for about 48 hours until they could determine the issue. I received a call from Chuck on 9/28/2023 and he stated that the issue with my car was not covered under the extended warranty and that I would have to pay $1,200.00 to get the issue fixed. He agreed that the issue was in relation to the low pressure fuel pump and should be fixed at no cost however, he stated the only way this could be fixed is if they received approval from Kia Consumer Affairs. On 9/27/2023 I opened case number [XXX] and after a month they denied my case stating that they will not fix my car free of charge because the fuel pump needs to be replaced and the recall only takes care of replacing the filter and not the pump itself. I have argued with the dealership and Kia Consumer Affairs that if the fuel pump goes bad due to a bad filter that has been recalled then it is their responsibility to cover the cost. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 26, 2022 · Engine · NC

We own 2 2019 Kia optimas, one my 20yr old daughter drives. On her way to school she smelled a burning smell. On her way home at a dangerous intersection she smelled a strong burning smell & the car just stopped. I told her to get out of the car quickly, she had to climb to the right side as it was too unsafe to exit from the left. Thankfully she wasn’t on a 55 mile/hr road bc it just stopped abruptly & surely would have been hit as brake lights would not have warned. The car was towed to the dealership where it was purchased & under warranty on Friday 3/18/22. Saturday 3/19/22 I went to inquire what happened & was told by the service advisor that it started once, there was a burning smell coming from the engine & the engine was only running on 2 cylinders & stopped. He said they created a ticket, which I came to know that they were conferring with Kia engineers by Kia consumer affairs & I also created a case with. We did research & found a class action suit that was settled describing the exact problem that we experienced, however bc it was settled, Kia was never had to issue a broad recall, so if your 2019 optima experienced this very serious problem of engine failure & fires after 11/30/2021, they say Kia will be handling the cases on a rolling basis, however we just got the run around & the car remains there today 3/26/22 unfixed & the dealership is trying to say it’s just a fuel pump & if that was the case, they wouldn’t need 8 days waiting for Kia engineers to be fixed. In the settlement, Kia was also noted to be denying proper fixes for this serious issue with cars still under warranty. We were denied a rental car & they will not call us. This is my daughter’s life, please help us. The other 2019 Kia Optima that I drive was brought to the same dealership under warranty complaining of the engine sputtering & jumping, they did nothing & said it should be fine however it’s still doing it & my daughter is now driving this potentially dangerous car to school. This vehicle has been there since 03/18/22 & it’s 0