[someshp]

Hello All,

I never would have thought I would be in this position ever in my life. Like I prepare so much just to avoid minor things now this lol, it's crazy. My 2015 kia optima is around 70k , I have maxcare warranty from carmax till 100k and I did the recall upgrade so my engine is covered till lifetime I think by kia.

Saturday morning going to work, my oil light came on and check engine light after that. I get it towed to my house, carmax repair was closed on weekends so today I call. They say they have lot of appointments and to go to a 3rd party vendor. I get a tow to that repair shop. They tell me engine is gone, I have to pay $250 deductible then they will work with carmax to fix it or I can take it to Kia dealership and see if they can replace it. I called the dealership and they tell me there busy, it will take around a week to just to diagnose it. So tomorrow I will have it towed to the dealership.

Hopefully I can get a rental from them and have this covered. If not then back to the repair shop and have them do it. It's just insane how much of a trouble this can be. I'm not sure I will stay will Kia much longer after this.

 

[CaliforniaMemph]

Sorry to hear that. That sounds absolutely horrible.
Good luck and please do keep us posted, especially with how Kia responds.

 

[Turbonut]

I'd like to say welcome under better circumstances, but it really is a shame that these engines can go at any time without warning and to most it's a very distressful experience, especially when maintenance is done and the car babied, but it happens.

Wherever done, make certain that the high pressure fuel pump line fittings, both inlet and outlet are leak free. This is a problem that erupted early on after engine replacement engines/cars went up in flames.

Good luck

 

[Laguna]

I've moved this post to the Engine and Technical Discussion board.

Please also join us here: https://www.optimaforums.com/forum/6-engine-technical-discussion/134129-engine-failures-share-your-experience-46.html

 

[someshp]

Update:

I towed my car from repair shop to dealership. Dealership checked it in, looked at my mechanic notes : Power to starter good, Tried to turn engine manually. Engine locked Internal engine fault and faulty starter. The KIA tech said , he needs to have the certified guys check it out and quoted me $120 for it and a week for diag. Then if it's under warranty I won't pay, if it's not I will. I said ok and got it checked in. Now the rep said no loaners or rentals till they check it out. I said ok, went home and called Kia Consumer Support. Told them Kia said couple days till they can look at it and can't give loaner till they diagnose it. The consumer supp. rep called the dealership and the dealership called me to go to enterprise and get a car. It's only 3 day rental but it's something to get to work and school so i'm happy. I just hope they can find out what's going on in 3 days.

 

[Turbonut]

Glad they are on their way, but if the engine is seized as it can't be turned, no idea why they would say faulty starter. Sounds to me like they're going to tear the engine apart to see what the cause of the seizure might be. Normally if the engine seized, a new one installed.
Keep us posted

 

[BrittniJ]

I would take it to the Kia Dealership! Mine did the same thing about 2 months ago and I was devastated. The dealership ended up calling me the next day and told me it was covered under warranty! And mind you, I never purchased an extended warranty when I purchased the vehicle. They took care of everything for me and ordered parts for a new motor right away. There are MANY faulty engines in Optimas from 2011-2015. I hope you get yours covered and everything works out!

Hello All,

I never would have thought I would be in this position ever in my life. Like I prepare so much just to avoid minor things now this lol, it's crazy. My 2015 kia optima is around 70k , I have maxcare warranty from carmax till 100k and I did the recall upgrade so my engine is covered till lifetime I think by kia.

Saturday morning going to work, my oil light came on and check engine light after that. I get it towed to my house, carmax repair was closed on weekends so today I call. They say they have lot of appointments and to go to a 3rd party vendor. I get a tow to that repair shop. They tell me engine is gone, I have to pay $250 deductible then they will work with carmax to fix it or I can take it to Kia dealership and see if they can replace it. I called the dealership and they tell me there busy, it will take around a week to just to diagnose it. So tomorrow I will have it towed to the dealership.

Hopefully I can get a rental from them and have this covered. If not then back to the repair shop and have them do it. It's just insane how much of a trouble this can be. I'm not sure I will stay will Kia much longer after this.

 

[someshp]

Update:

Thank you all for your support, I called the dealership today and they told me it's covered under warranty and should be replaced in 2-3 weeks. Soo happy!!!, My engine had 70k , now back to 0 lol. Hope it runs better now.

 

[Turbonut]

With these engines, not much more they can do than replace it, but it certainly makes for some anxious movements for owners.

 

[xdMbx]

Good luck. My 2012 LX just died at 128k. Is there any reason that the engine won’t be replaced for free? I don’t think I went in for the recall.

 

[Robertbweltzien]

Hello All,

I never would have thought I would be in this position ever in my life. Like I prepare so much just to avoid minor things now this lol, it's crazy. My 2015 kia optima is around 70k , I have maxcare warranty from carmax till 100k and I did the recall upgrade so my engine is covered till lifetime I think by kia.

Saturday morning going to work, my oil light came on and check engine light after that. I get it towed to my house, carmax repair was closed on weekends so today I call. They say they have lot of appointments and to go to a 3rd party vendor. I get a tow to that repair shop. They tell me engine is gone, I have to pay $250 deductible then they will work with carmax to fix it or I can take it to Kia dealership and see if they can replace it. I called the dealership and they tell me there busy, it will take around a week to just to diagnose it. So tomorrow I will have it towed to the dealership.

Hopefully I can get a rental from them and have this covered. If not then back to the repair shop and have them do it. It's just insane how much of a trouble this can be. I'm not sure I will stay will Kia much longer after this.

If you lost oil pressure then your 2015 Optima may be (should be) covered under an engine recall, especially with under 100K. Engines manufactured in Alabama had metal debris left on the crankshaft that eventually clogged the oil pump causing engine failure.

 

[Robertbweltzien]

Good luck. My 2012 LX just died at 128k. Is there any reason that the engine won’t be replaced for free? I don’t think I went in for the recall.

I'd definitely try to get them to replace the engine, especially if it was manufactured in Alabama, where metal shavings were left on the crank which clogged the oil pump resulting in engine seizure.