2012 Kia Optima EX won’t start sometimes

90

Asked by Heather Oct 13, 2020 at 11:43 PM about the 2012 Kia Optima EX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2012 Kia Optima and had the engine
replace a little over a year ago because of the
recall. I also had them replace the starter at the
same time. A few weeks ago I was getting ready to
leave out of town and had put some things in my
car and my car alarm went off. None of the usual
measures would get the alarm to go off so I had to
eventually disconnect the battery cables until I
could get back and find out why it was happening.
(Took my old Sorento) as soon as I hooked the
cables back up the alarm sounded again and still
nothing worked to get it to stop. Eventually I was
able to get the alarm to stop by putting the fob in
the charging port. Since then it has been going
dead for no reason. It won’t start as if the battery is
dead, though all of the interior lights work and dash
lights come on. But my car won’t even try to start
unless I get it jumped. Now my fob seems to be
intermittently not working. **note** since having my
engine replaced I’ve noticed that it often doesn’t
immediately crank when started. Instead it will
sometimes kind of sputter before turning over. This
never happened before having the engine replaced.
Also my interior lights have always flickered since a
few weeks after buying it in 2015. Any thoughts or
suggestions are appreciated:)

2 Answers

Heather, Everything you described my car has been doing the same. Please let me know if you found a solution. My battery is good, the alternator is good, and I replaced a started solenoid a few months back. Thanks, Jessica

I'm going through same thing with my 2014 kia Optima Ex, and it ended up being a fuse. The fuse was actually located on my positive side of my battery cable, mine was a 180A. Now just struggling to be able to get the fuse now, damn COVID!!!

Your Answer:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2012 Kia Optima

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Guru9SKFX
    Reputation
    2,140
  • #2
    James Warner
    Reputation
    1,990
  • #3
    GuruV9XTS
    Reputation
    1,650
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
1,543 Great Deals out of 30,088 listings starting at $450
Used Toyota Camry
2,041 Great Deals out of 34,691 listings starting at $950
Used Kia Forte
664 Great Deals out of 21,564 listings starting at $1,900
Used Hyundai Sonata
832 Great Deals out of 18,535 listings starting at $1,050
Used Nissan Altima
1,336 Great Deals out of 38,116 listings starting at $1,150
Used Honda Civic
1,369 Great Deals out of 30,774 listings starting at $800
Used Chevrolet Malibu
1,035 Great Deals out of 19,753 listings starting at $700
Used Hyundai Elantra
927 Great Deals out of 27,037 listings starting at $1,750
Used Ford Fusion
750 Great Deals out of 9,332 listings starting at $1,500
Used Toyota Corolla
1,539 Great Deals out of 24,142 listings starting at $1,450
Used Dodge Charger
794 Great Deals out of 28,018 listings starting at $2,500
Used Kia Sorento
783 Great Deals out of 19,504 listings starting at $1,100
Used Kia Optima Hybrid
16 Great Deals out of 288 listings starting at $3,300

Used Cars For Sale

2018 Kia Optima EX For Sale
8 Great Deals out of 127 listings starting at $9,093
2017 Kia Optima EX For Sale
3 Great Deals out of 63 listings starting at $8,900
2016 Kia Optima EX For Sale
12 Great Deals out of 182 listings starting at $4,850

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.