2017 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID Complaints

I believe the Hybrid Propulsion System in my kia optima hybrid should have been part of the recall. The vehicle is currently showing signs of the vehicle's Voltage Protection Device activating inadvertently, causing a sudden loss of power. Vehicle is currently with an authorized dealership being tested.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that DTC: P1326 was displayed on the instrument panel, with the message, “For Your Safety – Please Pull Over” displayed. The contact pulled over and opened the hood and there was a green liquid sizzling on the heat on top of the engine. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was inspected; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the upper radiator hose had melted, and that the battery was an OEM part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

The contact’s son owns a 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the vehicle started leaking oil. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic or the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but failed to accelerate as intended or change gear as intended. The vehicle was then taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed that the triaxle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V844000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH the "Hybrid" warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that while driving in a rainstorm, the windshield wipers failed, and the contact pulled over. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the "Hybrid" warning light remained illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed that the main propulsion battery needed to be replaced; however, the parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle could no longer be started. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The Hybrid Warning light came on. This was the third time this has happened. The first time Kia said it was the Air Box and I paid $600 to repair. The second time the shop mistakenly cleared the codes before determining the cause. The third time they say it is the Wiring Harness and will cost $4,550 to report if they have the harness. This vehicle has recall for the connecting rod in the engine which I suspect is the real issue due to clicking noise it makes just before the lights come on, but each time I take it in I am told it is something else. Since it is the Wiring Harness this time it could be a fire hazard especiall on a Hybrid with Lithium batteries, I am not going to repair it as it has left me on the road too many times and I am sure it has the connecting rod issue. I hope nobody else has this issue and unfortunately Kia does not seem interested in repairing it, it was in the shop for 6 weeks before they diagnosed it.

Vehicle Hybrid system wanring light has come on 3 times since January 2024. Kia has not been able to resolve the issue and just reset the system.

I was driving in morning traffic at 65MPH when the warning lights went flashing stating the HEV Electric engine was shutting down, I was crawling to 20 MPH. I had the car towed to a Kia dealer and was told the electric engine was fine, the gas engine oil was bone dry! NO LOW OIL light ever triggered! Not a single warning. Just out of the blue! This is wrong on so many levels! I get oil changes when they are due and use top synthetic oil. The dealer is reporting it to Kia and said at 87,500 miles I'm under the extended warranty, but Kia will tell them how to handle the issue. I cannot afford a new engine! This is the second Kia I had this problem! They said it passed the bearing test, so why is my engine bone dry? This is dangerous to be driving at high speed and have your car drop speed to 20MPH, then drop to 10MPH. I'm still waiting for Kia to get back to me, the dealer says it takes 48 business hours. I dropped it off Thursday 1/11/2024, Hopefully, tomorrow I will find out. I cannot afford a new car and I still have a balance on this car. I've read multiple complaints on this sight, all the same.

While driving my car started to decelerate in the middle of the freeway and I was in no position to pull over. The hybrid battery nearly completely drained before I was able to limp off the freeway. My car threw an error message to “Check Hybrid system” and told me to pull over immediately and turn the car off. After pulling over, turning the car off, then turning it back on, the message went away but the check engine light remained. After 24 hours the check engine light disappeared until it would randomly do the same thing all over again. I ran an OBD code reader on it and it gave me P2600. After extensive research, I’ve noticed a lot of Hyundais and Kia’s around the same year as mine having the same issue with some peoples vehicle completely dying. Many threads take their vehicle into the dealership and they can’t replicate the problem so they’re just sent on their way for the dangerous problem to happen again at any given time. This is a dangerous situation because you don’t get any warning or strange engine noise to warn you. The car just pops up this message and the engine immediately starts to malfunction.

I am a service provider. On 9/15/2022, a customer, who owns the vehicle with attached VIN, came for an oil change in his 2017 Kia Optima. On 11/11/2022, after nearly 2 months and 2,964 miles, the customer and vehicle owner called to tell us his car was broken down on the side of the road. Upon inspection, it was found that the oil drain plug had fallen out of the vehicle after nearly 3,000 miles. As a result, there is engine failure on the vehicle. Due to the mileage, we went to Kia West Broad in Richmond, VA to ask for their opinion. They were unwilling to assist the customer. I believe this falls in line with the current investigation from the NHTSA into Kia drain pan assemblies and drain plug issues. I have repeatedly been hung up on by Kia when asking them questions surrounding their willingness to assist this customer who is without transportation. Each time that I ask about the investigation, I am put on hold and then hung up on.