What 1,371 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Optima Phev

The contact stated that while driving the vehicle began to unexpectedly slow and then stalled. The vehicle was unable to restart. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage 215,000.

NHTSA ODI 11739531

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering with a knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the dealer declined to repair the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer stated that the vehicle had a branded title. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 163,814.

NHTSA ODI 11732698

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the turbocharger had failed, and the engine and turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a letter from the dealer that the vehicle was covered under a manufacturer settlement for engine replacement; however, the dealer advised the contact that there was an out-of-pocket cost to replace the turbocharger. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11730795

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal metal-on-metal sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle stalled. The contact drove out to the location and became aware that the oil and the battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart, and the starter motor was smoking. The contact stated that prior to the engine failure, the starter motor had been replaced. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic who had recently replaced the starter motor. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called the local dealer and the manufacturer but was informed that the vehicle would not be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11729703

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who discovered metal shavings inside the engine oil and informed the contact that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 211,000.

NHTSA ODI 11721746

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the speedometer started malfunctioning, and the check engine warning light was flashing. There was an abnormal burning odor, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down for an hour. While attempting to restart the vehicle, several unknown warning lights were flashing, and the vehicle failed to restart. The contact was picked up by her daughter, and the vehicle was later towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer later informed the contact that the warning lights had turned off. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the tires, the oil, and the oil filter needed to be replaced. The contact declined to pay for the parts replacement because the oil and the oil filter had been replaced two weeks prior to the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was ready for pick up. The contact stated that after a family member picked up the vehicle, the failure recurred while driving, and the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to pull into a parking lot. The contact stated that the dealer had informed them that an arrangement had been made for the vehicle to be towed to their location; however, no further update was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300,000.

NHTSA ODI 11710466

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to pull over, the steering wheel was difficult to turn, and the brake pedal required additional effort to depress. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle; however, while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

NHTSA ODI 11703203

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the contact accelerated to 80 MPH to pass another vehicle; however, after releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The battery and the low oil pressure warning lights and two other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

NHTSA ODI 11686228

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a burning odor inside the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with engine seizure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact was informed of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), but due to the vehicle having a branded title, the recall repair was not performed. The failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11680824

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The low oil pressure warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact called Roadside Assistance and was informed that the oil level was low. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where an oil change was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered under warranty because the knock sensor detection system software was not previously updated under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11677794

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the engine was replaced four years ago. The contact stated that the engine had not been running correctly since the engine was replaced. The contact stated that the engine was overheating, and there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that most recently the head gasket failed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the same dealer several times. The contact stated that the dealer had the vehicle towed back to the residence and declined perform any further repairs. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 133,997.

NHTSA ODI 11665871

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil control valve, resulting in damages to the engine. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11663374

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the power steering assist and brakes failed when the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had been advised by the dealer that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11647362

The contact's son owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his son was driving 50-60 MPH, the engine started overheating. The driver pulled to the side of the road and added coolant to the vehicle. The driver then drove to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start the following day. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and drove to a nearby independent mechanic, where the engine started to overheat. The mechanic provided an unknown diagnosis and referred the contact to the dealer for an Extended Warranty repair. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket and damaged water pump. The dealer informed the contact the vehicle could not be covered under the Extended Warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ODI 11637334

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. There was no indication of an oil leak. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where three oil consumption tests were performed. The mechanic added oil. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact had to continuously add oil. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil gasket was cracked. The oil gasket was replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine maintenance who determined that the engine was 2-quarts low on engine oil. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 87,095.

NHTSA ODI 11633953

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11633646

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over safely. The check engine warning light was illuminated upon restarting. The vehilce was towed to an unknown location. The vehilce was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized. The dealer declined to repair the vehilce under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer who requested receipts for previous oil changes. The vehilce was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 77,611.

NHTSA ODI 11632502

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his son was driving at undisclosed speeds, the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be in working order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

NHTSA ODI 11628482

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware an excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taking to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

NHTSA ODI 11625946

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and 22V560000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power and the engine started overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the product improvement campaign for knock sensor software update had not been performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they were not legally required to complete the recall repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11607297

The contact's son owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, made an abnormal knocking sound, and stalled. No further information was provided. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence, where the contact drained the engine oil and noticed that there were metal shavings in the oil. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), which the contact related to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced at the contact's expense, and then the vehicle would receive the recall repairs of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 20V100000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), 22V560000 (Structure) and 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recalls repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11605598

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that an oil change was recently performed; however, two weeks later, the oil level was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed turbo charger. The contact was informed that the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the turbo charger and the engine were replaced two years ago by the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595568

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle would shudder. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted and driven to a restaurant. The vehicle was then driven to the residence, where the failure reoccurred and there was a burning smell inside the cabin. The MIL warning light had illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,389.

NHTSA ODI 11578460

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal burning odor inside the vehicle with an abnormal clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and stopped the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that an engine bearing had cracked and that there were metal shavings in the engine block. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11566074

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated and stalled. Additionally, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that there were metal fragments inside the engine and that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11530211