Kia Motor Optima Hybrid owners have reported 9 other fuel system related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common other fuel system problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's other fuel system (9 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Other Fuel System problems |
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.
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.
Kia won't service the electrical loss recall.
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.
Tl-the contact owns a 2017 kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18v161000 (hybrid propulsion system). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called a local dealer jim bone kia 1255 santa rosa Ave, santa rosa, CA 95404 (707) 545-7050 where informed that the remedy parts were not available. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect . Ap.
Bought a used 2012 kia optima from a kia dealership on 1/12/18. I did not drive this vehicle from 1/13/2018 - 1/19/18. Started driving this vehicle and 5 (five) days later, on 1/23/18 the vehicle blew a rod in the engine. After several unsuccessful attempts at having the dealership fix the issue at their expense, I was getting nowhere. I contacted kia headquarters and they assisted me with communication with the dealership and getting the engine rebuilt (as a goodwill by the dealership). Had the car towed to the dealership on 1/25/18; they had my vehicle for exactly 1 (one) month while the dealership rebuilt the engine. I received the car back from dealership on 2/23/18. On 3/6/18 as I was driving on freeway, the car started to lose power while driving. I was driving at approximately 70 mph on freeway, and car just started losing power. The car slowed down to approximately 40 mph and engine oil light turned on & off sporadically. No matter how much I tried to accelerate, the car would not go over 40 mph. This was very dangerous as I was scared that I would get rear-ended on the freeway. I slowly moved over the shoulder and turned off the car; I waited approximately 30 minutes before turning the car back on and proceeding to my personal mechanic (not kia dealership). My mechanic said not to turn car off; he inspected car & scanned it. No error codes were detected. He said maybe it was a fluke and to just continue to drive it. On 3/12/18 the same thing happened again. This time I took it to my local kia dealership and left it. After a scan & test drive, the mechanic could not find anything wrong with the car. Mechanic drove it the next day over 80 miles and this time he did experience the same reduction of power. He scanned vehicle again but no error codes show. It's still at dealership 3/19/18.
While trying to park the car in the parking lot structure, the car accelerated beyond control on it's own and hit the wall head on. I was already in my parking spot and only few feet away when the car accelerated. The passenger air bag was deployed and body damage occurred. Everything happened so suddenly, I am not sure about the speed at the time of impact.
While trying to park the car in the parking lot structure, the car accelerated beyond control on it's own and hit the wall head on. I was already in my parking spot and only few feet away when the car accelerated. The passenger air bag was deployed and body damage occurred. Everything happened so suddenly, I am not sure about the speed at the time of impact. Note: this complaint is a duplicate of 10620789. The following additional information is being provided to indicate a trend of similar sudden acceleration safety issues with the kia hybrid optima. This is a request to initiate a safety investigation as there have been similar reports with kia Optima Hybrid and kia optima. The following complaints are similar in nature: 10608382 for kia Optima Hybrid 2013, 10615352 for kia Optima Hybrid 2012, 10552403 for kia Optima Hybrid 2012, 10608739 for kia optima 2014 and 10588733 for kia optima 2013.
While trying to accelerate, the car randomly has a 2-3 second delay before action. When the problem occurs, the car will coast out into traffic, which may be moving at high speeds. This leaves me exposed to getting hit on a frequent, but irregular basis, and I am afraid to drive the vehicle. The car can also have jerky motions and lunges when accelerating from a stop on an incline, posing a danger to pedestrians and cars nearby.