The orange square wrench light on the dashboard came on but as soon as the car was turned off would go away. No trouble codes showed up. It happened 3 times in a week so once it popped on, went to the dealership to diagnose while it was still running. While driving there, the car had very little power-making the left turn into the dealership (crossing heavy oncoming traffic) was scary since the gas pedal was to the floor and the vehicle was barely moving. The dealership said the drive motor temp sensor in the hybrid system was going out and the car was in safe mode and had code P0A2B in the history. Because I am the 2nd owner of the car, Kia will not cover the repair under warranty even though the car is under 100,000 miles. They designed this part so the sensor cannot be replaced-the entire drive motor must be replaced at a cost of $6251. This is absolutely ridiculous that a customer can be left footing the bill for a faulty and unsafe design. This is not something that a owner has any control over.

- Marshville, NC, USA

My Kia hybrid was bought new in 2013. It was a 2012 model. Had it serviced every 7500 miles with amsoil 25,000 mile oil. Was well pleased until at 114,000 miles after just having serviced, the engine failed. Had it towed to a different dealer than where I purchased as it was closer. Well to say the least a catastrophic engine failure. Kia sadi no long blocks were available and would send short block form Korea. No recall on hybrids but it is the same 2.4 engine that has failed for many. Long story short, it took 63 days to get a short block which cost me $3156 to install. To say the least I have retained and attorney and hopefully we can get another calss action suit as the rod was laying in the oil pan just like the recalls. I am happily driving a new Honda!!

- Statesville, NC, USA

Loud banging noise from the motor then loud band and 2 parts flew out the bottom ant it started spilling oil everywhere

- Walker, LA, USA

Need to replace complete belt tensioner & bracket assembly & serpentine belts. My concern is the plastic cracking in this assembly, the evaporative canister, also plastic is cracked and will be replaced also. Was there a bad batch of plastic used on these cars? cost to replace belt tensioner, bracket assembly & belts is approx. $800. The canister is covered by Kia - cost 164.00.

- Rising Sun, IN, USA

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima hybrid. While driving approximately 60 mph, the contact heard an abnormal banging noise under the hood. The vehicle momentarily lost power and the contact noticed black smoke and flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was deemed destroyed. The technician stated that the fire was due to a connecting rod malfunction. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

- West Hollywood, CA, USA

After ~20K miles, I noticed a slight tapping/knocking noise coming from the engine. I took the car to the dealership for maintenance and asked about the noise. They said there was nothing wrong. Over time, it got a bit louder but not much and each time it was taken to the dealership, they would say there was nothing wrong. At ~80K miles, my wife was traveling home on the freeway at 70mph when the engine started making a terrible noise (sounded like a rod was about to come through the engine), lost power, and all of the lights came on, which almost caused her to wreck, as she was in heavy traffic. She immediately pulled over and we had to call a tow truck. After calling the dealership, they said that they wouldn't fix it and that I'd have to pay 7K to have the engine replaced. I ended up buying an engine from a wrecked 2014 Kia Optima hybrid. So much for a warranty. After doing research, it seems that there are numerous people having the exact same issues I've experienced.

- Calera, AL, USA

Our car is currently at the dealer for the 4th time for the same problem. Last spring the engine warning light came on with the message "hybrid system warning! safely stop and do not drive". the dealer said it was the battery (regular, not hybrid) so we had that replaced (out of warranty - we paid for that). This past August, the warning message appeared again - the dealer said there had been a technical bulletin, and they performed an update (covered by warranty). We had the car back for a few days and the message appeared again, as well as the following message "check charging system". the dealer replaced a wire (under warranty). A couple of weeks ago, the check engine light came on and the hybrid system warning appeared again. This time (4th time) the dealer said that the traction motor needed replacing and that we needed a new transmission (also under warranty). We believe that there is an inherent problem with this car.

- Long Beach, NY, USA

(my report is exactly the same as id 10552403) this car severely hesitates/stalls after coming to a stop (red lights, stop signs, yield signs, and etc). Car hesitates/stalls for ~2-3 seconds before accelerating while at a dead stop. This has caused several near accidents. When it happens, I push the gas pedal to the floor and the car doesn't respond at all for about 2-3 seconds. This seems to be a serious problem when pulling out into traffic as incoming cars can close the safety gap quickly in 2-3 seconds. Cold weather causes the car to hesitate/stall more often than warmer weather from my experience, but it's happened when car has been running for over 20 minutes, as well. I hope Kia will check into this problem as my local dealership has no answer.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

This car severely hesitates/stalls after coming to a stop at intersections (red lights, stop signs, yield signs, and etc). Car hesitates/stalls for 2-3 seconds before accelerating while at a dead stop. This has causes several near accidents and scares to my family, friends, and myself. This morning, I pushed the gas pedal to the floor and the car did not accelerate/respond until 2-3 seconds later. This is serious and dangerous problem, while pulling out into traffic incoming cars can close the safety gap quickly in 2-3 seconds. Cold weather causes the car to hesitate/stall more often than warmer weather. I urge the federal government to step in and force Kia to find solution to this problem before this issue cause a fatality. Fuel economy is another issue in this car (hybrid), I typically don't get the estimated 35 mpg/city that the dealership sold me on, it is usually 28-30 mpg/city.

- Fayetteville , NC, USA