[FakeMagicMike]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new owner of a used 2013 Optima Hybrid LX with mileage at about 50k. I fell in love with the car early this week and was very excited when I purchased it. I've been a Camry guy for a long time. Drove an 02 to 240k, but was thrilled with the new purchase...until yesterday.

I bought the car on Monday. Thursday morning, after a 30min drive into work, I get to a stop light and immediately my car sounded the alarms and showed me "Warning: Hybrid System Failure. Please pull over safely and do not drive." I turned the car off and back on. It started and I was able to get it to a parking lot about 2 blocks over. Had it towed to a nearby Kia dealer. They've finally called to say they did a major systems update on the car but the engine code still came up, but this time saying something about the battery. So, now they are replacing the battery (not hybrid system battery) for just under $500. I have yet to hear back if that fixed it.

My fear is that I've done a lot of Googling re: this issue and it doesn't sound good. In fact, read someone's thread elsewhere that described this EXACT situation until they finally had to replace the transmission.

I love the car, but am incredibly disheartened by the problems already. Anyone have feedback? Do I have a Lemon? Hope not...:frown:

 

[Munky]

Welcome to the forums, and sorry to hear about your misfortune.

If you're the second owner that should have been replaced under your 5year/60k mile warranty.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

That's what I asked them. They said it was not covered under the warranty.

 

[Munky]

That's what I asked them. They said it was not covered under the warranty.

Then would call Kia Motors here in the US and fight it. They know they have issues with both their motors and hybrid systems, and the second owners inherit a 5year/60k mile warranty for things just like this. Don't roll over and let them talk you into paying for it, this is NOT your fault.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

I've been looking for that number and warranty specifics (my car did not come with the manual). Do you know where to find it?

Also, any thoughts on the issue?

 

[Munky]

1-800-333-4KIA (4542).

Unfortunately I don't know much about the hybrids, so I'm not much help here.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

Thanks! Definitely a big help.

---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

Update: Called Kia, they said 12V battery is only 2yr warranty

 

[K5 Optima Store]

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about the issues you're having.

That is correct, even as the original owner, batteries are only covered for up to 2 years by Kia.

However, if the car is having that many issues the first week you bought it, I would see about bringing it back and returning it.

I would try and get a different vehicle as I would hate to continue running into problems in the future on a car I just bought.

David

 

[TurboEX]

I feel your pain, started having issues about 6 months after we got ours.

 

[audiorage22]

I haven't checked my hybrid but the cost seems excessive for a 12 volt battery. Are the Hybrids using AGM? If so, how difficult is it to replace? I've owned quite a few new and used vehicles in the past and I've had issues with some. I hope you can get this taken care of. I have a 2015 Hybrid and love it. Got it at 55 miles. It's currently at 21k. No issues yet.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

Here's your very infortubte update:

I picked the car up Friday afternoon. They replaced the battery for $409 (parts and labor) and also did a major systems update on the HCU under warranty. I made a point to ask them about any issues with powertrain and/or drivetrain, specifically speaking about the transmission. I told them how I've read multiple forums about people in this EXACT situation and the thing that finally fixed the problem was replacing the transmission. Service manager assured me that the transmission was fine and there's nothing to worry about.

Fast forward to literally this second...I'm on the side of the highway waiting for a tow truck with my KOH showing same warnings as originally.

 

[audiorage22]

Wow. Terrible news. It sounds like it's about that time to lay one into the service writer and their manager. It's happened to me with another MFG, and I was able to get a free rental and reimbursed for the money I spent. I hope you can either get out of this car or get the issue resolved.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

Sat at the dealer last night for a few hours. They seem to believe it is the hybrid battery. Their thought is that the car sat on the lot for months before I bought it and never was run. He said hybrid batteries need to be driven or they die. So he was attempting to recharge it. He was hopeful that would work unless it's like a 12v battery that just goes dead when it gets run down sometimes. So, it might have to be replaced. Another thought is the engine generator is bad so the hybrid battery isn't able to recharge properly while driving.

They did open a service line to Kia to have them work on the case and figure out what the heck is going on.

I have a feeling I'm going to be in and out of their shop for a few weeks as they basically just play trial and error on what part replacement fixes the car.

 

[audiorage22]

Can you ask for a rental during this time so you don't have time keep coming back in to the dealer? I'd demand it.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

I did actually. I asked about a loaner or rental. They were out of loaners and when they called Enterprise they were out of rentals too. At this point the service manager was laughing in disbelief at my luck with everything. He wasn't trying to be rude, just couldn't believe was I've had to go through. I'm supposed to hear back today about any update and potentially getting a rental.

 

[audiorage22]

Yea, it sounds like a **** storm. At least he is understanding of the situation. I've had this happen to me with Honda and they just ignored me until I got corporate involved.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

Just got a call from the dealership. They had opened up a service line directly to Kia and then also happened to have a Kia service tech in town so they got him in the shop on the car too. They believe they have narrowed it down to possibly 3 different parts: Hybrid battery, generator, or the module. So, they are replacing all of the above.

They finally found me a rental to take over for the time being. These guys have definitely made sure to take care of me. Not sure if that's a personal thing or if they're just adamant about figuring out what's wrong with the hybrid car and learning. Frankly, I don't care. All these things are under warranty.

 

[audiorage22]

Good to hear. I'm glad they got you a rental. And hopefully everything they repair fixes the problem.

 

[FakeMagicMike]

So, I'm now at about 3 1/2 weeks from purchasing this car. I've driven it a total of about 6 days total. I've had a rental Sedona from the dealership for a week now. Beyond frustrated.

Anyway...Dealership called me on Monday morning. They replaced the BMS (battery management system module) for the hybrid system. They then took the car for the night and put on another 80-100 miles to be sure the car ran fine before giving it back to me. Tuesday late evening they call back to tell me that nothing did ever come up, however, Kia tech line was not satisfied and wanted more data snapshots from the car after replacing the BMS and running the car. After sending that back, they determined that the hybrid battery is in fact bad and needs replaced. They will take care of this under warranty.

So, dealership tells me they have to send in a pre-work authorization (which should be approved by end of this week), then send in the order form (should only take the day), then it has to be shipped in from LA (hazardous material means snail mail across the country, 10-14 days), and finally replace the battery (don't know how long that will take). Guy at dealership tells me to get comfortable in the rental but "at least you're not putting mileage on the car and essentially getting a new hybrid system in your car."

Will update again when this new chapter of the saga comes to an end.

On a side note and related...anyone know what is the typical lifespan of an optima hybrid battery?

 

[audiorage22]

Wow, what a way to start with the replacement vehicle. Sorry to ear about this. I've worked with hybrid vehicles, particularly Toyota's for some years and noticed the hybrid batteries would typically give way between 8 and 10 years of use. Not sure about the newer systems but I'm thinking they are probably better. Anyone else have any info on the optima hybrid battery lifespan?