150 of the
406 complaints filed about the KIA Optima Hybrid
are about the engine —
37% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2012.
Dear NHTSA, I am writing to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid, which caught fire and was completely destroyed on October 5, 2025. Incident Summary: While driving on a highway at approximately 65 mph, I noticed that the vehicle was not entering Hybrid Mode, which is abnormal for its typical operation. I reduced my speed to 45 mph, then down to 35 mph as I began to observe smoke coming from the vehicle. At no point did the vehicle show signs of overheating, and there was no Check Engine Light until shortly before I was able to safely pull over. Within moments of stopping the vehicle and exiting with my passenger, the vehicle was engulfed in flames and ultimately burned to the ground. Fortunately, both occupants escaped unharmed. The vehicle has been inspected by my insurance provider; however, I have been waiting over two weeks for Kia to inspect the vehicle or provide any official response regarding a possible cause. This delay is concerning, especially given the severity of the incident and the potential safety risk to other drivers. Vehicle Details: Make/Model: 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid VIN: [XXX] Mileage: 54,300 Date of Fire: October 5, 2025 Location: US-60 NONCARD & MP-118 Morristown, AZ I am reporting this incident in hopes that NHTSA will investigate whether this is an isolated case or potentially part of a larger safety defect within this vehicle model or hybrid system. The lack of adequate warning and the total loss due to fire raises serious safety concerns. Please let me know if any additional information or documentation is required to support an investigation. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11694645 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On multiple occasions, the HEV system warning light and check engine light activated while I was driving at highway speeds. Immediately after the warning lights appeared, the vehicle suddenly decelerated, putting me and other drivers at risk. This issue has occurred several times and is clearly a serious safety hazard. Each time this occurred, I brought the vehicle to an authorized Kia dealership ([Dealership Name]) for inspection. However, despite the vehicle being under the Kia hybrid system and/or powertrain warranty (10 years/100,000 miles), I was recently informed that the necessary repairs would not be covered under warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11664354 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11642636 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11638094 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS and engine warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the failure was not related to the repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 43,494.
NHTSA complaint #11622889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11611145 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 50-60 MPH, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the engine was cleaned and the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot and park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer and failed to restart. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be serviced because it was out of warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and to Kia Campaign Number: SC200. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.
NHTSA complaint #11596463 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11593002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated the engine was previously replaced under an unstated NHTSA recall. The contact stated that five months after the repair, the malfunction indicator warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the replaced engine was defective and affected the high hybrid battery. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted and offered to replace the engine and the high hybrid battery; however, the vehicle remained at the local dealer because parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11591281 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11590600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the message "Stop Vehicle" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle had stalled and shut off on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11584874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11565654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated and failed to exceed 20 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had started to overheat. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
NHTSA complaint #11563805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11560233 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and failed to restart. The contact stated that prior to the vehicle stalling, an unknown warning light had flashed on the instrument panel. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 94,223.
NHTSA complaint #11558780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message "Pull Over and Shut Down Vehicle" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the nearby residence, where the vehicle was parked. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and advised the contact to park the vehicle outside and away from structures. The failure mileage was approximately 128,795. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11557827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. During the failure, the check engine, ABS, service vehicle, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the warning message "Hybrid System Failure" message was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,200.
NHTSA complaint #11556960 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact's wife owns a 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced; however, due to the mileage on the vehicle, the repair was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
NHTSA complaint #11544157 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.