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2019 KIA OPTIMA — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

fire · 2154091 · 2025-12-04

Vehicle

Make
KIA
Model
OPTIMA
Year
2019
Manufacturer
Kia America, Inc.
Component
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

After routine maintenance replacing the valve cover gasket, the low pressure GDI fuel line developed a leak in an area away from where the maintenance had occurred. After a 10 minute drive, the car developed a fire in the engine compartment. Upon investigation by an independent auto mechanic, it was determined that the fuel line had become brittle and developed a crack that had sprayed fuel into the hot surfaces of the engine compartment. This appears similar to the scenario affecting earlier Kia Optima models with the 2.0L Turbo engines. The heat from the fire caused the brakes to start to fail and the amber check engine light to come on within about 5 seconds before smoke was observed coming from the engine compartment. Fortunately, the fire occurred as the vehicle was pulling into the owner's driveway and a fire extinguisher was nearby and used to put out the fire. The vehicle's occupants were able to exit the vehicle with no injuries.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11702944
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown