What 748 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Optima Phev

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a knocking and rattling noise coming from the engine and the check engine light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11739444

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11700553

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH and attempting to accelerate to overtake a semi-truck, the vehicle suddenly started losing automotive power and then stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that prior to the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated, and the engine experienced excessive oil consumption. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11682043

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine, and the vehicle was shaking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure due to piston rings failure, causing coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the ignition coil, cylinder #1, and spark plugs were replaced. The dealer was contacted, but had not diagnosed or repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11679889

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who confirmed the engine failure and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11628213

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs and ignition coils needed to be replaced due to fouling by engine oil. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that prior to the engine failure, approximately 1 quart of engine oil was being added every week. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,434.

NHTSA ODI 11611366

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the vehicle started shaking and then stalled. The vehicle was restarted each time. Additionally, a quart of oil needed to be added weekly due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced or repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred three years later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11610446

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that prior to the engine failing, one quart of engine oil was being added every week. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11607246

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rod bearings were knocking. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, neither the VIN nor the model year was included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11598244

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the engine was overheating. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,175.

NHTSA ODI 11594007

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the turbo booster sensor and turbo charger. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572379

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the camshaft sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The camshaft sensor was replaced but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572180

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle after several attempts, the contact checked the engine and checked the oil level and found that the oil was extremely low. The contact added 3-quarts of oil and was able to start the vehicle. The contact observed that the vehicle would intermittently lose power and nearly stalled. The contact became aware that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and was adding 2-quarts of oil every two weeks. The contact checked for oil leaks and found none. The contact stated that the check oil warning light had illuminated once. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where an oil consumption test was conducted. The consumption test determined that the vehicle was consuming a high amount of oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

NHTSA ODI 11559083

Engine failure, high oil consumption, already failed to operate properly on interstate, dealership said nothing was wrong and charged me $160. Two months later, the vehicle failed again, but this time the engine sounded like it was going to blow and barely made it off the road.

NHTSA ODI 11550594

Vehicle purchase July 20th 2023 with new oil change per Carvana. On August 7th 2023, check engine light appears. Car was taken to a local shop. No oil and some other issues found. "Issues fixed.". On September 13th oil light comes on. Again, taken to car shop, no oil. Oil topped off again. Car is not maintaining oil.

NHTSA ODI 11544305

Oil started leaking from the car and checking underneath it looked as though it was leaking from the plug so i replaced the plug, which did not fix the issue, and accidentally forgot to put the gasket back on. took it to the local shop was given a gasket and an oil change. the car started leaking oil worse than before so i took the car back. The oil pan had a little over an inch long crack on the corner/edge where the oil pan plug is. Mechanic told me he’d never seen or heard of a steel oil pan cracking before. $400 for a new oil pan made from below par steel.

NHTSA ODI 11541989

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 5 MPH. The contact depressed the accelerator and the vehicle started to vibrate but failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence at 5 MPH. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer replaced the spark plugs and the battery. The vehicle was repaired; however, the dealer informed the contact that any repairs related to the recall would only be performed if the engine failed. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11537440

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light started flashing. The contact stated that smoke was coming from underneath the hood and an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that he pulled over, stopped, and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had previously had a software upgrade for the knock sensor performed; however, the dealer stated that the engine had already suffered engine block damage and the vehicle did not qualify for an engine replacement. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,769.

NHTSA ODI 11536979

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started making an abnormal metal to metal squealing sound. The contact pulled the vehicle off the roadway and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality during the failure. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed back to her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been 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 170,000.

NHTSA ODI 11520625

My dealership has confirmed oil consumption on my vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11496996

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the oil level warning light was illuminated. The contact also noticed that while following while his wife was driving the vehicle, a blueish color smoke would emit from the tailpipe. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where he was given an estimate for an oil consumption test. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they confirmed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact attempted to notify the manufacturer of the failure but received no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 11483989

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the oil level warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that upon depression of the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would independently enter Limp Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to Quirk Kia Manchester (1300 S Porter St, Manchester, NH 03103) where they initially updated the knock sensor. The contact stated that the failure persisted and the vehicle was towed back to the dealer where the knock sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact then took the vehicle to KIA at Nashua (107 Daniel Webster Hwy, Nashua, NH 03060) where he was informed that engine oil had entered into the cylinder head and damaged the spark plugs. The contact was provided an estimate for a new engine. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482007

The contact’s son owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was being driven approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The driver was able to steer the vehicle safely to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with knock sensor detection system (KSDS) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472764

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and checked the oil level of the vehicle with the assistance of her son. The contact stated that her son noticed that the vehicle did not have oil on the dipstick. The vehicle was taken to Pep Boys who had previously refilled the oil and the oil was refilled; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that no issues were found. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle back after 1,000 miles. The dealer also advised the contact to not open the oil cap per the manufacturer's instructions. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that oil was leaking in the engine compartment and an unknown part needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000. Consumer stated mechanic put new oil valve gasket. Paid 300+ to put new gasket.

NHTSA ODI 11445086