2013 Kia Optima Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I bought this car for 6000$ in the month of November. I checked everything while buying the car. I did checked the oil level the engine sound its condition and transmission. I did the oil change myself after buying and once in the middle. Suddenly on Feb 16th it got stopped on the middle of the highway. After lot research I see there are thousands of complaints for the kia optima’s and Hyundai Sonata’s for their failure GDI Engines. I towed to dealership whether they could help replacing engine. They haven’t. I see there are no recalls on this car. I would like to complain regarding this incident and justice should be provided to me
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH when they suddenly heard a loud boom noise and the front end of the vehicle caught on fire. The contact pulled into a nearby parking lot and all passengers exited the vehicle. The vehicle was consumed by the fire which was put out by the fire department. The vehicle was towed and totaled. There were no injuries or need for medical assistance. The fire department filed a report. There were no injuries or need for medical assistance. The dealer was contacted and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 187,000.
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.
Vehicle starts to shake above 2000 rpm and shuts down. Went to a mechanic and they said the engine was bad and that there were recalls by Kia for this particular engine. When we asked a Kia Dealer they said they would not warranty due to this being our first visit for a recall.
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.
After engine replacement from previous recall, engine is making loud revving sound. Since recall repair/replacement the engine has an increasingly high rev with a loud engine noise while idling.
I have been experiencing my engine consuming oil with my dealerships knowledge Since back in 2023. In my records it is stated that my engine has been consuming oil. I was advised to continue to put oil in it myself until the engine goes out and then it will be covered. My engine light continues to go on and off. I went to the dealership today and was told that because my engine light is not on at the moment that I should come back so they can do a proper diagnosis. I was covered under the warranty to have the engine fixed but now that is over the 10 year warranty, I have no idea how to fix this issue after the diagnosis. I really need some help because I have been putting oil in it and I’m afraid that the engine will go out with it no longer being replaced. Especially when I had the warranty to use when it was initially discovered.
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.
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.
2013 OPTIMA ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO MANUFACTURING ERRORS AND KIA WONT REPLACE STATING IT DIDNT HAVE THE KSDS UPDATE. THE UPDATE DOESNT STOP THE ENGINE FROM SEIXZING ONLY LETS YOU KNOW. WHEN SEARCHING RECALLS AND COMPLAINTS NOTHING SHOWS UP ABOUT THE KSDS UPDATE.BASICALLY TOLD ME THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY USED VEHICHLES, IN THAT CUSTOMERS MAY NOT BE CONTACTED DUE TO RECALLS AND UPDATES
Engine failure while driving. Engine seized in the middle of the road. Contacted Kia, towed car to dealership and claim was denied. Recall has not been taken care of. No symptoms or any indication that the engine was about to give out.
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.
Oil light is flickering. Kia told me this is a serious issue but won't fix it. I did a research this is a common issue with 2013 Kia optimas. Please help
On [XXX] @ approx. 9:30pm while driving south on [XXX] between Pullman, WA and Lewiston, ID. my 2013 Kia Optima SXL turn off with warning, the engine turned off and never started again. no lights, smoke, smells or leaks. there were no noises of any kind come from the car, nothing to alert me there was a problem. at the time there was no music playing. My daughter was sleeping so the only noise was the car, if there were any noises from the engine they were not muffled by conversation or music. I called my wife who came up and I tried to jump it, thinking perhaps the alternator failed. Due to the location, we were not able to fully exit the highway, the car was a half tire width over the white line. This is a rural location not an elevated interstate, as such traffic though moving fast was not bumper to bumper. Next day I drove up and pushed the car about 100yards behind where it was, on the opposite side of the road. Then called a roll back to haul the car to a local shop. They were able to best guess the diagnosis as a seized engine. as the engine was not turning over, and manually turning the crank was not possible. I trailered it to my house, removed the serp. belt and was able to very slightly turn the crank with a 2.5ft long breaker bar. it is currently in my garage. Oil was changed recently; it was not low. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact had received several notifications for recalls on the VIN; however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle could not be restarted and was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired under recall, the vehicle failed to accelerate properly while depressing the accelerator pedal and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from under the hood, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired under an unidentified recall; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
We took our 2013 KIA Optima 4D EX to the local Kia dealership for diagnosis of what we perceived to be a knock engine sensor issue. We delivered the vehicle at 0920, 5 July 2024. The vehicle sat at the dealership for 4 weeks waiting for the diagnosis which was ultimately that the engine needed to be replaced...under warranty. On 16 August 2024, after so many calls to the dealership (Spradley Kia, Pueblo) and Kia Customer Support, we were informed that the service ticket was closed. No reason for it to be closed...just closed. Warranty work not complete. No offer to complete any of the other recalls on the vehicle. Not only would we like all recalls to be complete we would really like that to be completed in a timely manner.
Engine failure after a pass sc147 safety recall. Vehicle has a rebuilt title and does not qualify for manufacture warranty. Does this engine not still qualify for the sc147 recall,
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the knock sensor and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle had a Salvage Title and no coverage under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.
I have maintained my car well since i first bought it. I was randomly cruising [XXX] 2024 at [XXX] and my car stopped and nothing worked. No ignition, my wheel locked, my brakes locked and all i could see was black smoke coming out of engine. I had recently changed the oil on 11th May 2024 so I know that wasnt the oil that messed my car up and on internet it shows the recalls for fire in engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that there was a recall for the engine replacement. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle failed to start after the recall repair was completed. The vehicle has remained with the dealer since August 2023. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
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.
I've had my car since late 2018. A couple years after having I've noticed it's burning oil. I made an appt at Evansville Kia dealership & was called the day before appt to be told the excessive oil consumption test was not part of the warranty. I asked what am I suppose to do keep spending money on oil? The mechanic told me to keep topping it off til it quits, cause he said it's going to quit. How is this safe? Not knowing when & where you will be when something happens. My car is now using a quart or more of oil every 500 or so miles. This is ALOT of money out of pocket.
We took the car in for the recalls. ASC245 Headliner plates - they state they still don’t have the part. BSC2484QF HECU fuse. After they replaced the fuse, the car started losing power when driving, as well as the traction control lights were on, and the brake lights were on. I have read on the KIA forum this is happening to multiple people following the fuse replacement. We took the car back to KIA the same day and they told us it was nothing to do with what they did. We have now taken it to another non KIA mechanic. This is extremely dangerous and clearly related.
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Quick Summary
The 2013 Kia Optima has 407 Engine complaints on file. 4 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.