Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Optima Hybrid - part 1

While driving during colder weather the car will show hev (hybrid system) warning and tell you to shut it off. I was in a construction zone with no where to pull over when the car died and lost all propulsion and brakes. This seems to be a common problem on kia Optima Hybrids from 2012-2015.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Optima Hybrid 🔎.

I was driving the vehicle home on the freeway after just buying it. I had only driven it for about 35-40 minutes and after 5 minutes the ev battery was drained completely and the car was running in hybrid mode. The vehicle suddenly lost all its power and a warning light came on flashing saying "check hybrid system turn off engine". I was forced to put on my emergency lights and quickly move over to the side of the freeway because the car lost so much power so quickly. It felt like the engine died and when I tried hitting the gas the vehicle would jerk. Once I got to a safe spot on the freeway. I called aaa to get a tow, then called the dealer to tell them. My wife and I have now checked the recalls for this car and all the customer complaints. There seems to be a similarity with the engine recall and or the hybrid electrical recall. It seems like kia is making sure to cover its tracks with the cars so it doesn't have all the 2017 models in the recalls affecting the hybrid system as well as the defects with the engine components. There is definitely a problem. But I saw in the carfax that the vehicle was inspected a lot by kia and that is why I would like it to get inspected by a 3rd party. I would like to get the vehicle inspected by a 3rd party before taking it to a kia dealer but I don't have a lot of money. Can you help with this at all. Please contact me ASAP. You have the VIN. I told you I just bought the car so I am going to either see if the dealership I bought it from will fix the problem since it broke down the day I bought it. You should be able to see we bought the car from by looking at the carfax for the VIN. And you have my permission to also be able to get my phone numbers from that dealer I really don't think kia should get away with these hybrid/engine problems with the car. Its very unfair to the consumers. If they as a manufacturer and dealerships are doing quick fixes when doing regularly scheduled maintenance. Thats unethical.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Optima Hybrid 🔎.

The contact owns a 2012 kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to drive uphill and on gravel with the electric drive mode activated, the vehicle failed to move forward. The contact pressed the button to deactivate the electric drive mode, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact released the accelerator pedal until the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the contact was informed that no cause for the failure was found. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic), and a recall repair appointment was scheduled with the dealer. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway at 5 mph, the message "emergency - pull over - system failure warning" was displayed. The contact pulled back into the driveway and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and could not be driven to the dealer for the recall repair because the dealer was 2 hours away. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and denied towing assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Optima Hybrid 🔎.

Tl- the contact owns a 2017 kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the voltage indicator would suddenly switch from normal voltage to high voltage. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer elk grove kia(8480 laguna grove dr, elk grove CA) who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number 18v161000(electrical system). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 23,000. Jft.

My car will not turn completely off! I was driving if the freeway and hit an object, not sure what. When I got home I couldn't turn my car off completely. The car think that it's off but the engine still revs.

I was traveling on the freeway when the dashboard read �hev system warning. Pull over and shut off vehicle. � engine then shut off. After nearly being hit by a semi-truck, I coasted from the carpool to the off ramp exit. The vehicle was able to travel at approximately 5-15mph and made it home safely. I towed my vehicle to the citrus valley motors in the city of ontario. They ran diagnostics stating it was a fuse in the engine and it will cost me $686. 97. Kia released information to the public stating they know the 125 fuse amp for the hybrid systems was the wrong size which can cause a �blow out� turning the engine off while driving. Kia stayed they needed to replace it with the 150 amp fuse in order to sustain the power to the engine. I called kia expressing my concern under the federal policy �lemon law. � kia told me �your warranty is expired by 3 weeks. We can not give you assistance. � my vehicle sits in the shop with a wrong size fuse and want me to pay for the correct size that should have been placed in their in the first place.

On 6/07/19 while travelling to work on the highway, travelling about 65 mph, the dash display read check hybrid system, and suddenly shut down. Engine stopped running, steering wheel began stiffening, I coasted from the passing lane to the right lane and then to the shoulder without incident and was able to safely park the car. Kia failed to provide roadside assistance since the car has over 60,000 miles(actually has 95,000 miles), however I am still under the 10yr/100,000 miles warranty. The car was towed to the kia dealership via my insurance coverage. After the assessment I was told I had a blown main hybrid fuse. Charged $201. 24 to replace the fuse. I present this as a safety issue because had I been on a major highway with my grandchildren in the middle of traffic, there would be no way possible to reach a lane shoulder without possible harm or death. According to kia's own "technical operations notice - ps515(rev 2, 02/28/2019" dated August 2017), they are fully aware of this problem. The battery fuse is to be replaced from a 125 amp to a 150 amp. This fuse is part of the safety plug located in the trunk. As a owner I should have been warned of this possibly happening to the car and given the option to have this fuse replaced. . . . At kia's expense. For those still driving this year and make Optima Hybrid,please be aware of this occurrence. The 125 amp hv battery fuse should be replaced with the newer 150 amp hv battery fuse(part #375f2 4r150. See kia's pitstop: technical operations notice #ps515. Unfortunately my communication with kia proved fruitless.

Electrical interior light turn on when you lean on the arm rest also got a oil change and the oil light will not reset cause there is a malfunction in the oil pressure.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Optima Hybrid 🔎.

The hybrid system broke down at 85k. Was replaced by kia after threatening legal action. At 103k. We never missed maintenance or a oil change. The engine through a rod on a 5 lane interstate doing 65mph, blowing and destroying the engine. Putting my family of 5 at serious risk. Kia wants 4500k or 8000k to replace the faulty engine. Optima engines were recalled for this exact reason. The Optima Hybrid engines were not recalled despite suffering the same failures as normal optima engines. Joining the class action.

Kia won't service the electrical loss recall.

Driving veh on hwy at about 70 miles per hour when within seconds the car just turns off completely. Scary!!! after taking to local kia dealership and them being stumped so much they called and spoke to kia engineers,( tech line case ref #13028149) I was told I needed to replace the pressure source unit. I did, did not fix it. In fact when I returned the part they said it is now not working. Mechanic suggested a new abs system. I also replaced that. . . . Veh is still not repaired. I have spent over $1600 and can still not operate my veh safely. Kia does not have a clear answer, and I have seen this complaint on this site more than once. Please recall this vehicle before someone gets hurt.

Vehicle was traveling 65 mph when a hcs warning light came on and the vehicle stopped completely in the middle of the freeway. I had to get the car towed. The kia dealer said the safety fuse of 125 had to be replaced with a 150 safety fuse as well as the new battery, $897 to fix the problem. When I asked kia why they didn't recall the 125 safety fuse, they said it was not a safety issue!.

Improper sealing of coolant reservoir that has slowly leaked onto the hecu unit and has fried the hybrid battery.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Optima Hybrid 🔎.

Driving normally, hcu error popped up on nav display as well as drivers display. Told to pull over immediately and turn off engine. I was traveling on once he interstate, by the time I got into the emergency lane the car completely lost all power. Turned on emergency hazard lights and after 5 minutes the car was completely dead. Called a tow truck and brought it to rock river kia in rockdoed, IL. Later was told that the engine had seized and the hybrid battery was no longer holding a charge. Estimated 14,000 repair cost.

Tl the contact owned a 2015 kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that ten minutes after parking the vehicle, it burst into flames without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was totaled and towed away by the insurance company. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and planned to investigate the matter. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was approximately 60,400.

Tl the contact owns a 2013 kia Optima Hybrid. While driving approximately 3 mph, the vehicle stalled and "hybrid failure" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to kia store east (7301 new la grange road, louisville, kentucky 40222, (502) 425-1234) where the relay and ecu battery were replaced, but the failure recurred. While driving 25 mph, a faulty fuse blew out within the hybrid motor. An independent mechanic replaced the relay with an increased voltage from 125 amps [watts] to 150 amps [watts]. The failure was remedied. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

I was getting off the interstate on September 27, 2018 when my car died and I could not even put on my emergency lights cars behind me almost hit me. I had my car towed home and made a appointment with the kia dealer here in columbia, south carolina. After waiting for them to run a diagnostic test I was told by the service manager the engine failed and they would send paper work to see if the warranty would cover it. I have been without a car for a weeks now with no form of transportation nor assistance. I have been getting several different explanations about what was wrong with my vehicle. I cannot get a loner car until the company approves the engine under warranty. This has caused major stress and problems with my job. My car only has 68,000 miles and was in good condition until this problem . I had no warning other than the hybrid system failure notice that came on the dash and stated pull over do not drive and hybrid battery not charging. This has caused me undue stress and hardship and much difficulty getting to work.

Vehicle would't start the engine randomly. Kia dealer wasnt able to find the issue since I brought my vehicle in and it was running at that time. Randomly shows hybrid system is not properly working.

1. Driving vehicle on freeway and the engine blew. Kia rebuilt the top half of the engine. 2. Driving vehicle on street and the power steering went out. Took a lot of strength to steer to the side of the road. Kia reset main control unit to fix issue. 3. Driving vehicle on street and the power steering went out again. Kia wants to replace main control unit. Car has passed the warranty by 10k miles. Not covered.

Vehicle has 130,000 miles. While driving on a highway vehicle started to lose power when in cruise and motion is lost. Stepping on the gas does not get any acceleration. This occurred again on a highway and display gives me the hybrid error do not drive warning. This occurs when cruise is set and also not in cruise. I step on the gas and there is no acceleration. After shutting the vehicle off for a few seconds the car functions normally. I am also having back up camera issues which leads me to believe this may be an electrical issue. My display gives me the warning message about objects behind me but the image sometimes does not show. The image sometimes is there when I put the vehicle in reverse and sometimes not. These problems all started at the same time. Kia was contacted as we thought it may just be a computer upgrade. They told the dealer there are no upgrades. We also had a non dealer check the vehicle for error codes but there weren't any. The vehicle checked out fine.

Stalled out in the middle of I-25, going about 70 mph and rush hour. I was about 40 min from home still on my everyday communte. I am seeing very many others with the same issue. This has me and my family in an unsafe situation daily and kia will not take responsibility for it. There clearly needs to be a recall on the same (or very similar) issue on the recall on the gas version of this vehicle. We shouldn't wait till someone gets killed or seriously injured first.

I was involved in a high speed, rear end collision in which I was traveling at approx 55mph when another large vehicle changed lanes from right to left, right in front of me causing me to collide with them. The result was significant front end damage to my car and significant bodily injury to myself because of the failure of my brakes to adequately stop my car and the failure of the air bags to deploy resulting in my body and head rapidly flying forward into the steering wheel.

The electric motor hydraulic pump needed to be replaced I was told it wasnt a recall however im seeing several of the same complaints. While driving about 55 mph my check engine light came on message appeared telling me to stop do not drive cant drive safely. Now my vehicle is making a loud knocking noise I have no acceleration power and I have no oil leaks but my car is burning up oil.

Tl- the contact owns a 2017 kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph the vehicles speed suddenly reduced to approximately 40 mph. The contact indicated that the failure occurred when after the electric motor turned off the gas motor did not immediately switch on. The vehicle was driven to the dealer kirby kia of ventura located at 6424 auto center dr. Ventura, CA who was unable to duplicated the failure and no problem was found. The manufacturer was also notified. The failure mileage was 5500. Jft.

Today I just got my car back from the dealership yesterday for the brakes failing in the hybrid system they told me everything was fine but the mechanic said to me that we don't know what's going on with the car so they let me leave with it I was in lake worth today doing 45 miles per hour and it did it again and said check brake car shut off my brakes failed and I ran into a median to stop my car. Kia corporation is not doing nothing about this the dealership does he even have an answer for me and that is gunther kia. I believe that I am going to die if I drive this car anymore and I have a 4 year old child that they do not care about I have complained to the kia corporation 5 times already.

Happened numerous times while driving in traffic or speeds over 60 mph, engine warning light comes on stating hybrid engine malfunction turn off immediately. If I don't get to pull over immediately, I lose power until I do. When I have my phone attached to the carport program, it registers that there is someone in the passenger seat and will beep until I put the seat belt in the receptacle as if someone was there. This has happened since I first bought it and I have about 5,000. I have brought this to the dealer twice and they claim that they can't replicate either issue. This is obviously a trend. They are now sending out an "expert" to fix the problem. Otherwise I'm lemon lawing it. I have photos and video of the defect so they can't even try and say I'm making it up.

I was driving at 45 miles per hour in all sudden my car shuts off and says hybrid safety issue check break. The car shut off on me and my brake went right to the floor and I could not stop. So I ran into a field thank god that was right there and I had my four year old kids in the car. I turn the car back on and everything went back to normal started driving it did it again and my brake went right to the floor and said the same thing. I have saw four other complaints about this. It is in the dealership I do not know what it is yet but this scared the crap out of me it could have killed me and my four year old. I was going 45 miles per hour when this happen. It said hybrid cyst safety issue check brake in the brake one tree to the floor and I could not stop. Prices on the main road not a highway. I was in fort lauderdale florida on 19th street when this happened in lauderhill florida.

Tl- the contact owns a 2013 kia optima. The contact stated that while driving at 65mph, the vehicle stalled and a message on the dashboard appeared saying "hybrid battery issue, please shut car off immediately. The vehicle was taken to dch kia of temecula 26799 ynez rd, temecula, CA 92591 (951) 268-9198 where they informed the contact that it can be 5 different things. The diagnostic test was done and the contact was informed that the pra replay battery and the safety plug needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. Dr.

From a stop at a light or intersection, over seven (7) times the car has jolted forward and stopped abruptly, losing most power to the motor at that point. Audible alarms ring and the dashboard has read both "hybrid system warning! immediately stop and do not drive" and "check charging system". This has happened during left turns with oncoming traffic that then has to slow as I slowly creep out of the intersection.

My kia alerted me to a hybrid charging issue before stalling at an intersection and refusing to start again. I had the vehicle towed to the nearest kia dealer who did extensive diagnostic work. They determined that a 125 amp fuse had failed in the hybrid safety plug and the appropriate repair response was to replace that fuse with a 150 amp fuse (part # 375f2-4r150). I authorized the repair and made several phone calls to kia consumer affairs requesting additional information as it seemed unlikely that replacement of a fuse with a larger fuse was the needed repair. I finally reached someone at consumer affairs who had dealt with a similar issue with the exact same fuse. She informed me that there had been a technical service bulletin issued about this. She stated that the fuse was determined to be too small and that kia had decided to use a larger fuse to prevent future problems in the system. I asked why I was required to pay for the repair and she told me that it was out of warranty and thus my charge. If the wrong fuse was placed in the vehicle when it was manufactured, it should be replaced by recall or warranty. She would not give me the TSB # but did state that it is located in TSB-ps-515 and I was welcome to have a kia dealer print it for me.

While driving my kia hybrid a notice came up on the dash board to immediately pull over and shut off my engine and I was on a major highway going about 75 when I lost total power and my vehicle began to loose power. I was able to get it off the road and immediately called my dealer. I had know about this because a relative and I brought the cars the same day and she experience this 3 times. The dealer said it was a switch that got stuck when the car goes from electric to gas. I spoke with kia and they said there is no formal recall. But this has now happen to me and a relative I know of. The person I spoke with took it very lightly but I said it is very difficult getting a car off the road that is losing power. Have there been any other complaints of this type and is there a informal recall. I am bringing the car to the dealer tomorrow and they are replacing the switch. My car only has 2000 miles.

Takata recall: car at 35k mileage and displays �hybrid system warning, safely stop and do not drive�. Have been in and out of dealerships who still can't seem to figure out what the issue is. Also, seems like the battery is discharging while driving on the highway which is completely unsafe!! issues have yet been fixed!.

Vehicle surged forward while in motion to park in a parking space. Brakes failed to stop vehicle from a very slow speed of 5-10 mph approximately. Has done this on occasion at highway speed a sudden surge so a braking would relieve problem.

Upon starting the vehicle (thankfully parked in my driveway), vehicle was in ev mode, with just check engine light on. After entering gas mode battery and maintenance light appeared in addition to check engine light. The green "ready" light on the speedometer began flashing and a warning message stating "hybrd system warning: safely stop and do not drive" appeared on the trip screen in the middle of the dash.

The orange square wrench light on the dashboard came on but as soon as the car was turned off would go away. No trouble codes showed up. It happened 3 times in a week so once it popped on, went to the dealership to diagnose while it was still running. While driving there, the car had very little power-making the left turn into the dealership (crossing heavy oncoming traffic) was scary since the gas pedal was to the floor and the vehicle was barely moving. The dealership said the drive motor temp sensor in the hybrid system was going out and the car was in safe mode and had code p0a2b in the history. Because I am the 2nd owner of the car, kia will not cover the repair under warranty even though the car is under 100,000 miles. They designed this part so the sensor cannot be replaced-the entire drive motor must be replaced at a cost of $6251. This is absolutely ridiculous that a customer can be left footing the bill for a faulty and unsafe design. This is not something that a owner has any control over.