2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID Complaints

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

NHTSA RECALL 17V224000 MY 2012 KIA WAS SUPPOSEDLY NOT IN THIS RECALL BUT MY CAR BEARINGS ACCORDING TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ARE ALREADY WEARING OUT PREMATURELY AT 84000 MILES . THE CAR WILL LOSE OIL PRESSURE AND KNOCK (BEARING) BLOW WHITE SMOKE AND STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE. THIS HAPPENED ONCE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND ONCE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH WHERE CAR DECELERATED TO 30 MPH. CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN TAKEN TO KIA DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE BUT THEY CLAIM THEY CAN NOT SEE THE SERVICE RECORDS AND WILL NOT COVER UNDER PURCHASED WARRANTY WITHOUT THEM

WHILE DRIVING, AT NIGHT WITH MY TWO YEAR OLD SON, ON A TWO LANE ROAD MY CAR STARTING MAKING A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE, I BEGAN TO LOSE POWER QUICKLY. THANK GOD I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. I CALLED FAMILY, WHO SAID TO STAY PUT, THEY BROUGHT A TRAILER TO LOAD MY CAR ON. I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO DO NEXT, I WAS BEING TOLD THE MOTOR HAD THROWN A ROD. SADLY THEY WERE ALL CORRECT. I CALLED KIA HEADQUARTERS, THEY GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER AND THE NAME OF A DEALERSHIP NEAR ME, WHICH IS STILL 60 MILES AWAY, WEST PALM BEACH KIA. I TOWED THE CAR OVER ON APRIL 3, 2018, AFTER THEIR DIAGNOSES I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A MOTOR. I TOO QUESTIONED THE KIA OPTIMA RECALL, I WAS TOLD THE HYBRIDS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL, NEITHER WAS MY VIN. TODAY IS MAY 18, 2018, MY CAR IS STILL AT WEST PALM BEACH KIA AWAITING A MOTOR. SINCE BEING AT WEST PALM BEACH KIA, WHO I REMIND YOU WAS SUGGESTED BY KIA HEADQUARTERS I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THREE SERVICE MANAGERS. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY $3500 OF THE $8000 BILL, DUE TO KIA GOODWILL." TENTATIVE DATE OF MAY 29, 2018", WHICH IS THE THIRD CHANGE OF DATE ALSO. MY CAR IS STILL THERE WITH A MY CAR HAS 92,000 MILES ON IT. WITH KIA OFFERING TO PAY AT ALL, IT SEEMS THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A PROBLEM MOTOR, WITH A SAFETY ISSUE SO WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL?? MY TWO YEAR OLD SON AND I COULD HAVE BEEN HURT SERIOUSLY IF A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER OR PICK UP TRUCK HAD BEEN BEHIND ME. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL BEFORE PEOPLE GET KILLED!!!

THE CAR WILL STALL/LOSE POWER, BLOW WHITE SMOKE OUT THE EXHAUST. THIS HAPPENS ON ACCELERATION OR DRIVING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS THIS HAS OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY AND ON CITY STREETS. YESTERDAY ON THE INTERSTATE I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE STALLED. IT IS BELIEVED THE CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS IN CERTAIN ENGINES FAIL AS METAL DEBRIS CIRCULATE THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE VIA THE ENGINE OIL. OVER TIME, THE CONTAMINANTS IN THE OILING SYSTEM CAUSE THE CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS TO FRACTURE AND SPEW LARGE AMOUNTS OF METAL DEBRIS INTO THE ENGINE OIL, WHICH IT CANNOT FILTER OUT TO MAINTAIN NECESSARY OIL PRESSURE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE ISSUE AND THIS SAFETY CONCERN NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

MY VEHICLE IS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. I HAVE BASICALLY HAD ENGINE PROBLEMS SINCE DRIVING OFF THE LOT. STARTED SMALL AND ENDED UP LIKE MANY OTHERS HERE WHERE AFTER EXPERIENCING VERY LOUD REVVING IN THE ENGINE AS I WAS BRINGING MY CAR TO A STOP THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND A THUD. I FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN REAR ENDED. AFTER TRYING TO DRIVE IT BACK TO A SAFE SPACE THE LOUD REVVING STOPPED AS AN ENGINE ROD WAS THROWN AND MY HYBRID WARNING SIGN APPEARED AND THE ENGINE THEN DIED. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOLD ME I WAS LEAKING OIL. HE TOWED IT BACK TOT HE KIA DEALERSHIP WHERE I GOT THE SAME NEWS AS MOST COMPLAINING HERE...OIL SLUDGE AND AN $11,000 FIX. THERE IS A DEFINITE ENGINE DEFECT IN THESE VEHICLES AND KIA NEEDS TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND RECALL THE ENGINE AND MAKE THEIR CUSTOMERS WHOLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP WAS KNOWINGLY SELLING VEHICLES WITH UNREPAIRED SAFETY RECALLS. *JS THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE HAD CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE *JS.

2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. VEHICLE HAS 69,000 MILES. VEHICLE WAS SERVICED EVERY 3,000 MILES. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON 04/26/18. SHE WAS DRIVING ON THE 143 FREEWAY IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA. SHE CALLED ME AT HOME AND SAID THE ENGINE WAS MAKING A KNOCKING/CLANGING NOISE. I COULD HEAR THE NOISE ON THE PHONE. I TOLD HER TO PULL OVER. I DROVE TO MEET HER AND INVESTIGATE. I OPENED THE HOOD AND CHECKED ALL FLUIDS. ALL WERE FULL AND CLEAN. I ASKED HER TO START THE ENGINE. THERE WAS A LOUD CLANGING OR SCRAPING NOISE COMING FROM THE LOWER PART OF THE ENGINE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I HAD HER TURN THE CAR OFF AND WE CALLED A TOW TRUCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CAMELBACK KIA IN PHOENIX, AZ. AS SOON AS THE CAR WAS TAKEN OFF THE TOW TRUCK, A SERVICE ADVISER STARTED IT FOR A FEW SECONDS. HE IMMEDIATELY SAID THE ENGINE FAILED AND HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. WELL OVER $8,000 TO REPLACE! HE SAID THE WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER THE ENGINE. HE SAID THAT THIS HAPPENS ALL OF THE TIME. THERE IS NO REASON AN ENGINE SHOULD FAIL AT 69,000 MILES WHEN IT WAS PERFECTLY CARED FOR. KIA HAS RECALLED THE OTHER 2012 KIA OPTIMAS. WHERE WAS OUR KIA PRODUCED. MOST LIKELY THE SAME FACTORY. KIA SHOULD RECALL THESE AND REPLACE THE ENGINES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND THEN STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HYBRID BATTERY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,000. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, BUT THE NOISE PERSISTED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (MCGUIRE KIA, 21280 US-27, LAKE WALES, FL 33859) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE OIL PORT WAS CLOGGED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT THE DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS LOCATED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

PROPERLY MAINTAINED KIA OPTIMA HYBRID CEASED OPERATING WHILE BEING DRIVEN ON A HIGHWAY. SYMPTOMS APPEARED ELECTRICAL IN THAT ALL OF THE VEHICLE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, THEN STOPPED AS THE VEHICLE ALSO STOPPED. WHEN TRYING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE IGNITED IN "ECO" MODE (THE HYBRID ENGINE STARTED), BUT THE GAS ENGINE DID NOT AND THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY MARGINALLY ROAD-WORTHY. IT WOULD NOT GET UP TO SPEED. UPON EXAMINATION BY A KIA DEALER, THEY SAID THEY FOUND "LARGE METAL PIECES," IN THE OIL PAN AND RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE SHORT BLOCK AND RECONDITIONING THE CYLINDERS. THIS IS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE HAD HAD AN OIL CHANGE THE DAY PRIOR, AND HAD BEEN FULLY OPERATIONAL, WITH ZERO MAINTENANCE FAILURES IN THE 5 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. KIA HAS RECALLED ITS GDI ENGINES DUE TO COMPLAINTS THAT ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THE ISSUE HERE, BUT WERE PATENTLY UNSYMPATHETIC REGARDING THE GAS ELECTRIC HYBRID.

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.