general problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Optima - part 2

Hecu has been replaced by kia dealership but I paid although all recalls performed are free.

Hecu has been replaced but has not been free.

Hello, I am writing a complain in hopes of getting some type of help to try and recover damage on my car. I own a kia Optima 2015 and sometime in November of 2023 I received a letter in the mail stating the car had a recall on it that could result in the car catching on fire. While I was waiting for the remedy letter to come in less than a month after I received the recall letter the car randomly caught on fire. I strongly believe that it had to do with the recall because the car was fine before that and had no check engine light on or anything on the dash board. The car was parked in the backyard of my residence in which the letter did warn to park away from any residence if any light was on in the car but at this time no warning light was shown on the dashboard. At this time I was taking my brother who is a minor to school when it happened. It was around 8am in the morning when I had turned on the car to let it warm up and as I ran inside the house for less than 2 minutes I came back to the car shut off making a weird noise. When I tried to turn it back on it took less than a minute and it started to catch on fire. I did have to call the fire department as the flames moved fast and were uncontrollable. My insurance unfortunately was no help in helping recover anything and when I reached out to the kia company after 2 long months of waiting on answers I was told that they could not offer no type of reimbursement as they aren't sure how or why the fire started. They said that the fire started in the compartment of the passenger side which the recall letter did mention something similar to that. Kia company does not want to take any responsibility in their mistakes and just brushed me off. I am now left with no car and a bill that I am waiting for in the mail from calling the fire department. Not only was my life in danger but so was my brother as he did suffer a panic attack from how scared he was that day. Please assist in what I can do next. Thank you.

Unknown.

When driving down the highway car will beep a message on dashboad to pull the car over and turn engine off. The hev light will be flashing. You can turn engine off and re start in a minute or so. The check engine light stays on and tells me to check hybrid system this willl ocur at random once a week or two times in a month. Kia dealership has not fixed the issue. I dont trust driving the car or safe when pulling off a busy highway. On hand held obd did get a trouble code p0a37 generator temperature sensor hi range .

Engine lost power and when restart was attempted, it could torn turn over. Tried restarting 3 times with no success. After this, smoke started coming from the hood. I opened the hood and noticed a small flame at the driver side bottom of the engine compartment. Flame intensified and grew and eventually I extinguished with a fire extinguisher. I had just replaced the starter that same week and replaced some wiring at a local car repair facility.

On October 10th 2024, my 2015 kia Optima caught fire while I was driving. The fire originated from the engine compartment, completely engulfing the vehicle in flames within minutes. Component/system failure: the exact cause of the fire is unknown, but kia had previously issued a recall for this model due to an engine defect that posed a fire risk. The vehicle is no longer available for inspection as it was completely destroyed in the fire. However, I have multiple videos documenting the incident, including footage of the fire and the aftermath. Safety risk: my safety and the safety of others were severely compromised. The fire started suddenly while I was driving, forcing me to evacuate the vehicle immediately. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I could have suffered serious injuries or worse. Additionally, the fire posed a danger to other drivers and pedestrians nearby. Reproduction/confirmation: the issue has not been reproduced, but it aligns with the recall kia issued for this model. Prior to the fire, I attempted to schedule an appointment with kia to address the recall, but I never received confirmation, and no inspection was performed. Inspections: after the incident, I contacted kia, and they sent an investigator to inspect the remains of the vehicle. No police or insurance representatives conducted an independent inspection. Warning signs: there were no warning lights, messages, or obvious signs of a problem immediately before the fire. However, I had previously noticed a recall related to fire risk for my specific model and attempted to schedule an appointment with kia, but they never responded. Given kia’s history of engine fire recalls, I strongly believe this incident is related to the known defects in this vehicle model.

Warning message appeared on the dashboard regarding hecu malfunction. Kia was contacted and stated the car is not covered under a recall.

I was driving north on the 57 freeway and my car stop running and I pulled on the side of the freeway and my car catch on fire. Everything started in the engine. I called kia and made a complaint and they told me it was not under warranty and they could not help me.

My air and heat stopped blowing air on 4 (high speed) I took to mechanic who couldn’t find a issue with the resistor, motor, or any components related to it so he took the dash off to check the climate control. The connector going into the back of the switch control to control the temperature speed was burnt and so was the unit. He said it was a wonder my car hadn’t caught on fire and it should have blown a fuse before burning that bad. I did get pics of the connector but didn’t of the control panel. I am now afraid to drive my vehicle as this is a expensive repair and their seems to be a lot of electrical issues with kia from what I am finding and I don’t even have this vehicle paid for yet. They replaced a motor in December due to failed components on their end.

I driving my vehicle is just started powering down and didn’t want to turn on again. We jumped started it thinking it was the battery but it checked out fine. The vehicle doesn’t want to start anymore and the mobile mechanic said the engine had ti be replaced since it was off the timing loop. No engine or vehicle lights were in and no prior issues were appearing.

The vehicle had electrical fire. While driving smoke and electric fire smell started to fill the cabin. Pull off the road and exited the vehicle. All vehicle caution indicators were lit up on the dashboard, engine, battery, temp, etc indicators. Shut off car called roadside assistance. Car smelled or charred electric components. Had it towed to the manufacturer dealership. Waiting on response from kia to determine cause of electrical fire.

Driving on highway at 65 mph and engine just died with no warning. Almost got hit trying to get off the expressway to the side of road. Had car towed home and checked engine. Engine is seized up completely.

Knock sensor replaced due to engine knocking did not fix the problem the cars engine does not work it julks and pulls really hard engine noise check engine flashing left me stalled on the main highway with my 2 children with no warning the car has engine oil to adequate levels maintenance was up to date.

On 1 30-30 2023 my vehicle spun a rod bearing no engine light came on no oil light alert. I have a lifetime warranty & I'm just learning of a recall NHTSA safety id# 21v331000, to which I did not receive any notifications or recall notices.

Rear outer tail lamp combination assemblies (not the inner lights on the trunk lid) have failed virginia state safety inspection due to accumulation of moisture and standing water in both left and right outer tail lamps, causing leds in the tail lamp assembly to burn out and not illuminate. There have already been multiple technical service bulletins (tsbs) on the matter (I. E. Kia TSB ps364, kia TSB bod143, kia TSB bod172), and the cause outlined in these tsbs has been a defect in design leading to a gap between the tail lamp housing gasket and the vehicle body allowing water intrusion. Kia has neglected to inspect, fix, or add additional gaskets per their instructions during eligible warranty periods, and extended warranties refuse to fix the issue as they classify it as water intrusion. This pins the financial burden to fix the safety issue on the customer/driver, as kia dealers have quoted $1,232. 46 for replacement of these tail lamps. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? components: rear outer tail lamp combination assemblies (both left and right) (not the lamps on the trunk lid). Inspection availability: limited due to significant time pressure and inconvenience (since the tail lamps have caused the vehicle to fail virginia state safety inspection, the car needs to be fixed ASAP to resume commute to work, etc. ) how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? lower visibility for others, may result in incident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? confirmed by kia dealer themselves. Also, multiple customer complaints on internet, as well as tsbs. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? kia dealer did not inspect during warranty. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no and unknown.

1. Since 1/17/23 I've had 5 occurrences of the car yanking me to the left as I am turning right. The steering wheel gets stiffed, the dashboard lights come one, car slows down and I have to park the car and turn it off and back on. When I turn it back on, no dashboard lights are on and the everything is back to normal as if nothing ever happened. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership 3 times for a diagnostics and nothing comes up. The vehicles computer is not even tracing the times the dashboard lights have turned on as it shows zero history and that is not the case. I have taken pictures and video of the dashboard lights and have showed the guys at the dealership but since there's no record on the dashboard computer/history, they're not able to determine the problem. 2. My safety has been put at risk as I can get involved in a car accident and involve others safety at risk as well. The vehicle doesn't give any prior signs when it's going to act up when turning to the right, therefore it can happen at any given time. The first time I was leaving a parking lot and it happened on the freeway feeder. I towed my vehicle to the dealership the first time as I was in fear of driving it only to be told they can't find the issue. 3. The dealership has ran 3 different diagnostics on 3 different occasions and nothing comes up. It is still unresolved. 4. Kia service department has inspected in on 3 different occasions since the first incident. 5. No warning lamps or warnings of any sort before the first incident.

The lack of an ignition immobilizer facilitated an easy car theft and unauthorized use of the vehicle. A mechanic has confirmed that due to the lack of an immobilizer, anti-theft features were overridden, leading to a car theft. Insurance, police, and mechanics have all inspected the vehicle and state the cars theft was a result of the known fact that kia ignitions can be started with a usb. The manufacturer, kia, failed to keep up with industry standards to protect their customer's cars from theft, and now that the problem has intensified, they have not taken action to help consumers affected.

The vehicle caught fire.

The contact leases a 2015 kia Optima. The contact stated that the front passenger's side window, the rearview camera and the brake lights were intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph, the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle shut off. The contact shifted into neutral (n) and was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of bystanders. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer it was leased from, and it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the battery warning light and the steering warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle and drove to her residence, where the vehicle remained parked. The vehicle was not repaired. The kia dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The driver side brake light and tail light is out. I have noticed this same problem on a few other Optimas' in my neighborhood about the same year as mine. There is a youtube video saying it's because of the tail light connector.

As I was driving on the interstate, my car lost power and I was unable to push on my gas or use my brakes to slow down to pull off the interstate. Lights begin flashing with a warning that read “ check hybrid system. Stop vehicle and turn off engine. This is the second time this has happened but before my car shut off and didn’t turn back on. I was going to be hit by a semi truck had he not swerved around. Also, this the 5th time this week it has happened.

I been reported the recall about my car engine and other problems thats going on with it but the manufacturer won’t fix it so what else can I do to have all these recalls fixed.

Brake failure, having to pump brakes in order to stop vehicle, driver rear tail light burning, causing short in wiring.

Unknown but I got my car in February, it’s always been sounding rough from the start but was told it’s normal, lately the past few months I noticed a little vibration and a change of sound in the motor but had no lights come up on dashboard so assumed it wasn’t a problem. Well to this day my engine is shaking very rough that my car vibrates extremely and making a clicking sound best way to describe it and my engine light as well as oil topper light came on just a few days ago which I’ve gotta an oil change roughly about 2 months ago and added oil as well recently. So not sure if I have a leak of some sort or what. My breaks are also bad but when I purchased the car one tire was missing two bolts cause they broke off. Lately a lot of problems have all come at once. But I don’t feel safe driving my car cause I feel it doesn’t accelerate as it should and it’s not running normally. It’s a 2015 kia Optima. Says no safety recall but all the problems I’ve been having seem very relatable to what’s showing on the recall list for kias of my year.

2015 kia Optima hybrid hev system. Months after purchasing the vehicle two different lights would come on the engine. One is the hev warning light and the other is a flashing “turn off engine and check hev system”. The first time it happened the vehicle turned off. It was towed to kia, 02/2020. They change some sensor and sent me on my way. 3 weeks later the hev warning light came on again so it was towed to kia for the 2nd time, 03/2020. This time they said they could not recreate the issue. A month later the light came on again and again but since the light never stayed on, I kept getting told by kia that I’d have to take it in when the light stayed on. 01/2021 the light came on again, with the flashing warning and the vehicle turned off, mid-drive. It was towed to a mechanic shop near me, where they replaced the wiring harness completely, but a month later the same light came on again. Over the course of the year, the warnings kept turning up and time and time I kept getting told they needed the light on at the dealer so they could determine with the codes, what is wrong. 07/2022, light came on as I was merging on to the freeway and the car shut off. I was able to make it turn on and make it home safe. The next day I towed it to the shop where they replaced the wiring harness and they stated they could not touch it further since the codes they got where “high voltage battery” codes and a specific tech is the only one when could work on it. I took it to kia where it stayed 33 days. They changed a part. Two days later the hev light came on again, so I took it back. They kept it one day, drove it 60 miles and they could not recreate the issue. I got it back on Saturday, 5 miles out the light came back again and again. I took video. Called kia and now the car is back at the dealer while they try and figure out the issue. I’m scared for my life. The car gives no warning when it decides to shut off. Wheel locks on the times it does turn off. Hev system is no good.

Engine failure due to rod bearing issues-faulty manufacturing parts appears to have gotten into engine preventing or binding the engine so that it will not start.

Just bought the car. Drove it off lot & engine quit on me. Wont go over 25 mph. They won’t refund my money. So I’m on phone with kia consumer affairs. If they don’t get it fixed/replaced/or buy the car back then I am contacting the lawyers who have the lawsuits against kia & add my case to their lawsuit. This is ridiculous how many people on here that I see kia is denying them for replacement of motor due to their company!! they need to get it together or just quit making cars! they suck! I bought it in good faith hoping it was a reliable car. Now I’m $9k out of pocket.

Not really sure my car just started making a clicking noise out of no where & powered off & now it wont detect key or wont start up.

In 2020 a message saying “check hybrid system, stop vehicle and turn off engine appeared and the car stopped while I was driving. I brought it to the kia dealership and they “fixed the problem”. On Tuesday may 31st I was driving home on the expressway and my car stopped. I luckily was able to pull off to the side and then the same message popped up and the car would not drive anymore. I have had 5 recalls with this car and it is only 7 years old.

The contact owns a 2015 kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. After stopping at a nearby service station and turning off the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene and noticed a burning odor coming from the engine compartment. The contact indicated that there were no flames present during the incident. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was damaged due to an electrical malfunction and needed to be replaced. No further information was available. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted and notified the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 21v331000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The failure mileage was 110,000.

Engine/motor failed which disabled the car on highway. Traveling on 3/4 lane highway with heavy traffic. Safety was risked due to almost being hit from behind and cars swerving out the way. Problem was assessed and thought to be repaired but occurred again causing more possible damage to engine. Warning lamp illuminated seconds before the car shut off which was not enough time to pull over safely. Car had to be towed off highway.

Kia said they fixed recall on my car and lights are still on and I hydroplane and totaled my car.

Vehicle lots brakes while driving, smell of gas and caught fire under hood. Engine had been completely replaced due to recall in January 2022 vehicle was a complete loss, luckily son was able to get out.

My 2015 kia was one of many kias stolen from the milwaukee, WI area. It was stolen from a secure residential parking garage by thieves who know they simply have to break a window to gain entrance to the car, break open the ignition lock, start the car with a usb port, and drive away. The police helped me recover the car and it is currently sitting idle at the shop for the past month waiting for a new ignition lock which is on backorder nationwide because of the high demand.