What 916 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Optima Phev

On August 25th around 7:00 PM, the vehicle suddenly caught fire while parked after a short test drive. The car had just been purchased a few days prior and was taken to a mechanic for a precautionary inspection. During the test drive, the mechanic parked the vehicle in a residential driveway. After backing in, smoke was observed coming from the engine bay. When the hood was lifted, the engine area was already on fire. The fire department was called immediately and was able to extinguish the flames before the fire spread to surrounding property. The fire completely destroyed the vehicle. The vehicle had no warning lights, unusual performance issues, or prior signs of trouble, and it appeared to be in good condition prior to the incident. This fire posed a serious safety hazard and could have resulted in injury or property damage. Component or system that failed: The engine area, likely associated with the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) fuse/fire risk. The vehicle may or may not be available for inspection, as it is severely burned. Safety risk: The fire posed a serious hazard to the mechanic, surrounding property, and anyone nearby. Rapid ignition could have caused injury or significant property damage. Problem confirmation: The fire was observed firsthand by the mechanic. The open recall related to the HECU fuse/fire risk indicates a known defect consistent with the incident. Inspections: The fire department responded and documented the incident. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or insurance representatives, but the recall status is verifiable through official records. Warning signs: There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. This incident appears consistent with the conditions described in the open recall for the HECU fuse/fire risk, suggesting a possible link between the recall defect and the fire.

NHTSA ODI 11683294

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V560000 (STRUCTURE) and 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated while the vehicle was parked at the residential driveway and starting the vehicle, smoke started emitting from under the hood. The contact opened the hood and discovered smoke primarily emitting from the front passenger side of the vehicle. No warning lights illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. The contact was unsure if a fire report was filed and a police report was not filed. The fire was extinguished by the contact with three fire extinguishers however, the fire department used water to be certain the fire was extinguished. The vehicle had damages due to the fire, however, it was not destroyed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where unknown repairs were needed however due to costs was taken back to the residence and remained in the contact's possession. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was created. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

NHTSA ODI 11647487

Power train and engine failure and causing my Kia to catch on fire at 11:30 coming back home from work. I was Driving home and smell smoke and car was shaking and when I stopped at the highway to open and look fire was on while driving and I had to call 911 and stop the fire. I had some fire extinguisher in the car I stopped the fire and towed the car and I replaced engine and powered train For over $9000 between repairs and labor and transmission and engine

NHTSA ODI 11622174

I did not know about this recall and my dad was driving my car caught on fire and blew up now I do not have a car please help.

NHTSA ODI 11582735

Vehicle was broken into and stolen…steering wheel column damage, wheel locked, wreck…usb cord used to crank car..police report filed #2209013764ME

NHTSA ODI 11486990

While driving at the speed limit on July 9th 2021 my kia optima started smoking within a minute of us pulling over the front of the car was on fire

NHTSA ODI 11424258

I WAS MERGING BACK ONTO THE FREEWAY AFTER I HAD A PANIC ATTACK DUE TO BEING OVER A BRIDGE WITH ALL THESE CARS AND THE CAR BEHIND ME PROCEEDS TO AGGRESSIVELY TRY TO CUT ME OFF FROM GETTING OVER AND HIT THE BACK OF MY CAR CAUSING DAMAGE.

NHTSA ODI 11291438

ON 4/9/19, MY VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT FROM MY WORK ON WAY TO SIMI VALLEY FIRST KIA DEALERSHIP. I WAS ON 118 FREEWAY WESTBOUND IN SLOW LANE IN CHATSWORTH, CA. ONTO FREEWAY SHOULDER TO CALL AAA WHEN A STRANGER PULLED UP AHEAD OF ME, GOT OUT OF HIS CAR, RAN TOWARDS ME SHOUTING TO ME TO GET OUT, THE CAR WAS ON FIRE BENEATH LEVEL OF THE WINDOWS SO I COULDNT SEE THE FIRE.. I GOT OUT, IT BLEW UP, & WAS TOTALLED. NO COLLISION OCCURRED. MY WITNESS SAVED MY LIFE. HE TOOK A VIDEO.

NHTSA ODI 11241177

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR IN UNION NJ ON SEPTEMBER 25 2018. I WAS ON MY WAY TO PICK UP MY NEXT PASSENGER DOING UBER. WHEN I GET TO THE STOP LIGHT LESS THAN A MILE AWAY FROM THE CUSTOMER I START SEEN SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I ACCELERATE THE CAR SO I CAN LOOK FOR A SAFE SPOT TO GET OUT AND INSPECT THE VEHICLE. I TOOK A RIGHT INTO THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT AND WHEN I CAME OUT THE VEHICLE THE CAR WAS ON FIRE! THERE WAS A POLICE OFFICER MINUTES WITHIN THE CAR CATCHING ON FIRE AND CALLED THE FIREFIGHTERS. POLICE CALLED BACK UP AND ANOTHER PATROL OFFICER CAME. FIREFIGHTERS CAME IN ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND TURNED THE FIRE OFF. THE VEHICLE IN TOTALED, EVERYTHING IN THE ENGINE BAY BURNED. THE POLICE CALLED A TOWING COMPANY AND SETON TOWING INC CAME AND TOOK THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11171483

DRIVING MY 2012 KIA OPTIMA ON THE HIGHWAY. NOTICED THE SMELL OF SMOKE THEN VISUALLY SAW SMOKE. BEGAN TO PULL OVER AND FLAMES BEGAN TO BILLOW FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE BRAKES WERE NOT OPERATIONAL. ROLLED TO A STOP AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. CAR WAS FULLY ENGULFED WITHIN A MINUTE.

NHTSA ODI 11133307

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET AT 35MPH AND HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A LOUD EXPLOSION. I LITERALLY THOUGHT A GUN SHOT HAD BEEN FIRED TOWARDS ME AND HIT MY VEHICLE. I TRIED LOOKING AROUND AND NOTHING SEEMED TO BE SHATTERED UNTIL I SAW MY ARM BLEEDING SLIGHTLY. AND SMALL SHARDS OF GLASS ON THE SEAT. I PULLED THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE SUN ROOF WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED. I AM ABLE TO TELL THAT THERE WAS NO IMPACT FROM A ROCK OR ANYTHING AS THE GLASS IS BLOWN OUTWARDS AND NOT INWARD. I AM NOT SURE HOW THE GLASS 'BLEW UP' OR SHATTERED IF NOT FROM ANY IMPACT BUT THIS IS VERY CONCERNING AS I DO HAVE SMALL CUTS ON MY ARM FROM THE GLASS COMING THROUGH.

NHTSA ODI 11091227

MY FIANCE WAS DRIVINGDRIVING 55 DOWN THE I77 HIGHWAY NORTH GETTING READY TO TURN OFF THE EXIT AND SHE HEARD A LOUD BANG. NEXT THING SHE KNEW SHE HAD GLASS ALL OVER HER.THE POWERED SUNROOF EXPLODED!!!!THE GLASS CUT HER HAND IN A FEW SPOT BUT THANKFULLY SHE IS OK AND DIDNT WRECK THE VEHICLE AND THAT OUR KIDS WEREN'T IN THE CAR. MY FIANCE CALLED THE POLICE AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND MY INSURANCE HAS A 1000$$$ DEDUCTIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 11021824

EXITING HWY 71 EAST BOUND TO WOODWARD DECREASING SPEED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME HAD A CAR CUT IN FRONT OF HER. I HAD A SAFE DISTANCE AND SLAMMED MY BRAKES. MY BRAKES DID NOT GRAB AS USUAL MY CAR DID NOT STOP AND I HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I TRULY BELIEVE MY BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. I WILL TAKE MY CAR INTO KIA WHEN I GET IT BACK.

NHTSA ODI 10761891

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY WIFE AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON A FLAT, FRESHLY PAVED HIGHWAY WITH NO OVERPASSES OR OTHERS CARS NEARBY WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN AN EXTREMELY LOUD CRASH (SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT) OCCURRED RIGHT ABOVE OUR HEADS. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SUNSHADE ON THE INTERIOR ROOF STARTED FLAPPING AROUND WILDLY IN THE WIND AND HUNDREDS OF PIECES OF SHATTERED GLASS STARTED RAINING ON MY WIFE AND MY HEAD AND BODY. THE SOUND AND FALLING GLASS WAS SO SUDDEN AND DISTRACTING THAT I NEARLY SWERVED OFF THE ROAD, BUT LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR. AS MY HEART BEAT OUT OF MY CHEST, I QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY TO CALM DOWN AND ASSESS WHAT HAD HAPPENED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT LOOKED LIKE THE SUNROOF HAD SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. WE HAVE NO LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR WHY IT OCCURRED OTHER THAN THAT IT WAS A PRE-EXISTING MANUFACTURING DEFECT, WHICH SOUNDS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER INSTANCES I HAVE READ ONLINE. DOING SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH I FOUND THAT THERE ARE APPARENTLY HUNDREDS OF CASES OF THIS OCCURRING IN KIA MODELS AND A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS BEING BUILT. DESPITE ALL OF THESE INSTANCES BEING REPORTED I WAS NEVER ALERTED BY KIA THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE OR POSSIBILITY. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW AND KIA IS INVESTIGATING WHETHER OR NOT THEY WILL COVER THE REPAIR COSTS (THEY BETTER AFTER ALL WE WENT THROUGH). MY WIFE AND I BOTH SUFFERED SEVERAL PUNCTURES/SPLINTERS ON OUR HEAD, ARMS, AND LEGS FROM THE TINY GLASS SHARDS. MY WIFE ALSO RECEIVED A GASH/CUT ON HER PALM FROM A PIECE OF GLASS. KIA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE BEFORE IT HAPPENS TO OTHERS WHO MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY AS WE WERE TO WALK AWAY RELATIVELY UNINJURED.

NHTSA ODI 10733788

DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 70 MPH, SUNNY CLEAR WEATHER, TEMP 85. NO OVERPASSES OR OTHER VEHICLES IN SIGHT. THE SUNROOF EXPLODED SHOWERING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF GLASS ON TOP OF MY HEAD RESULTING IN A FEW MINOR CUTS. EITHER I WAS STRUCK BY A METEORITE OR KIA HAS DEFECTIVE GLASS. THE DEALER REPLACED IT FOR $550.00 AND NO EXPLANATION. AS THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER POSTS WITH SIMILAR DESCRIPTIONS I FEEL KIA HAS DEFECTIVE GLASS AND THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.. I VERY NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10607372

MAKING A CALL WITH MY BLUETOOTH EQUIPPED IN THE VEHICLE, LOOKED DOWN TO VERIFY CONNECTION, BY THE TIME I LOOKED UP I WAS A FOOT AWAY FROM A PARKED VEHICLE, I SWERVED AS TO THE LEFT AS MUCH AS I COULD BUT IT WAS TOO LATE, I SLAMMED INTO THE VEHICLE CAUSING DAMAGE, MY HOOD AND ENGINE WERE PRACTICALLY CRUSHED IN AND ALONG THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY VEHICLE, MY CAR CAME TO A HAULT BEFORE JUMPING OVER THE MEDIAN. NONE OF AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS GOING SPEED OF 50-60 MILES PER HOUR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10563701

KIA OPTIMA, HAS TOO MUCH CHROME ON THE DASH BOARD AND ON THE DOORS HANDLES. WHEN DRIVING YOU GET BLINDED WHEN THE SUN IS OUT. THIS CAUSE YOUR EYES TO HURT AND CAN CAUSE TEMP BLINDNESS. PLEASE DO A STUDY ON THIS SUBJECT. IT SHOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW TO HAVE CHROME INSIDE THE DASHBOARD AND DOOR HANDLES ON THE INSIDE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10514181