2013 KIA Optima check engine

Features of your vehicle
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4
Electric power steering
Power steering uses the motor to assist
you in steering the vehicle. If the engine
is off or if the power steering system
becomes inoperative, the vehicle may
still be steered, but it will require
increased steering effort.
The motor driven power steering is con-
trolled by the power steering control unit
which senses the steering wheel torque
and vehicle speed to command the
motor.
The steering wheel becomes heavier as
the vehicle’s speed increases and
becomes lighter as the vehicle’s speed
decreases for better control of the steer-
ing wheel.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power steer-
ing checked by an authorized Kia dealer.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The following symptoms may occur dur-
ing normal vehicle operation:
• The EPS warning light does not illumi-
nate.
• The steering effort is high immediately after turning the ignition switch on.
This happens as the system performs
the EPS system diagnostics. When the
diagnostics is completed, the steering
wheel will return to its normal condi-
tion.
• A click noise may be heard from the EPS relay after the ignition switch is
turned to the ON or LOCK position.
• Motor noise may be heard when the vehicle is at a stop or at a low driving
speed.
• If the Electric Power Steering System does not operate normally, the warn-
ing light will illuminate on the instru-
ment cluster. The steering wheel may
become difficult to control or operate
abnormally. Take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
vehicle checked as soon as possible.
• The steering effort increases if the steering wheel is rotated continuously
when the vehicle is not in motion.
However, after a few minutes, it will
return to its normal conditions. • When you operate the steering wheel
in low temperature, abnormal noise
could occur. If temperature rises, the
noise will disappear. This is a normal
condition.
STEERING WHEEL

Features of your vehicle
58
4
Welcome Light (if equipped)
On - The Welcome Light function will be
activated.
Off - The Welcome Light function will be inactivated.
Welcome Sound
On - The Welcome Sound function willbe activated.
Off - The Welcome Sound function will be inactivated.
Auto Triple Turn (One-touch tripleturn signal)
On - The lane change signals will blink 3 times when the turn signal lever is
moved slightly.
Off - The Auto Triple Turn function will be inactivated.
Horn feedback
On - The hazard warning light will blinkand the horn will sound when the
door is locked or unlocked with the
transmitter or smart key.
Off - The hazard warning light will blink but the horn will not sound when the
door is locked or unlocked with the
transmitter or smart key.
AVG fuel economy
Auto Reset - The average fuel economy will reset automatically
when you drive after refuel-
ing.
Manual Reset - The average fuel econo- my will not reset auto-
matically when you drive
after refueling.
Warnings and indicators
All warning lights are checked by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). Any light that does not illuminate
should be checked by an authorized Kia
dealer.
After starting the engine, check to make
sure that all warning lights are off. If any
warning lights are still on, this indicates a
situation that needs attention. When
releasing the parking brake, the brake
system warning light should go off. The
fuel warning light will stay on if the fuel
level is low.

459
Features of your vehicle
Air bag warning light
This warning light will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON posi-
tion.
This light also comes on when the
Supplement Restraint System (SRS) is
not working properly. If the air bag warn-
ing light does not come on, or continu-
ously remains on after operating for
about 6 seconds when you turned the
ignition switch to the ON position or start-
ed the engine, or if it comes on while
driving, have the SRS inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.
Anti-lock brake system(ABS) warning light (if equipped)
This warning light illuminates if the igni-
tion switch is turned ON and goes off in
approximately 3 seconds if the system is
operating normally.
If the ABS warning light remains on,
comes on while driving, or does not
come on when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, this indicates
that the ABS may have malfunctioned.
If this occurs, have your vehicle checked
by an authorized Kia dealer as soon as
possible. The normal braking system will
still be operational, but without the assis-
tance of the anti-lock brake system. Electronic brake
force distribution
(EBD) system
warning light
If these two warning lights illuminate at
the same time while driving, your vehi-
cle’s ABS and EBD system may have
malfunctioned.
In this case, your ABS and regular brake
system may not work normally. Have the
vehicle checked by an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING
If both ABS and Brake warning
lights are on and stay on, your vehi-
cle’s brake system will not work
normally during sudden braking. In
this case, avoid high speed driving
and abrupt braking. Have your vehi-
cle checked by an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.

461
Features of your vehicle
Engine oil pressure warning light
This warning light indicates the engine oil
pressure is low.
If the warning light illuminates while driv-
ing:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and stop.
2. With the engine off, check the engine oil level. If the level is low, add oil as
required.
If the warning light remains on after
adding oil or if oil is not available, call an
authorized Kia dealer.
Parking brake & brake fluid warning light
Parking brake warning
This warning light illuminates for 3 sec-
onds after the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position and then it will go out.
Also, this light illuminates when the park-
ing brake is applied with the ignition
switch in the START or ON position. The
warning light should go out when the
parking brake is released.
CAUTION
If the oil pressure warning light stays on while the engine is run-ning, serious engine damage mayresult. The oil pressure warninglight comes on whenever there is insufficient oil pressure. In normaloperation, it should come on whenthe ignition switch is turned on,then go out when the engine isstarted. If the oil pressure warninglight stays on while the engine isrunning, there is a serious malfunc-tion.
If this happens, stop the vehicle assoon as it is safe to do so, turn off the engine and check the oil level. Ifthe oil level is low, fill the engine oilto the proper level and start theengine again. If the light stays onwith the engine running, turn theengine off immediately. In anyinstance where the oil light stays onwhen the engine is running, theengine should be checked by anauthorized Kia dealer before the car is driven again.
CAUTION
If the engine is not stopped imme-diately after the engine oil pressurewarning light is illuminated, severedamage could result.

Features of your vehicle
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Low brake fluid level warning
If the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check the brake fluid level immediately and add
fluid as required. Then check all brake
components for fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks are found, the warning light remains on or
the brakes do not operate properly.
Have the vehicle towed to any author-
ized Kia dealer for a brake system
inspection and necessary repairs.
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-diago-
nal braking systems. This means you still
have braking on two wheels even if one
of the dual systems should fail. With only
one of the dual systems working, more
than normal pedal travel and greater
pedal pressure are required to stop the
vehicle. Also, the vehicle will not stop in
as short a distance with only a portion of
the brake system working. If the brakes
fail while you are driving, shift to a lower
gear for additional engine braking and
stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so. To check bulb operation, check whether
the parking brake and brake fluid warning
light illuminates when the ignition switch
is in the ON position.Front fog light indicator
(if equipped)
This indicator comes on when the front
fog lights are ON.
Shift pattern indicator (if equipped)
The indicator displays which automatic
transaxle shift position is selected.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a warning
light on is dangerous. If the brake
warning light remains on, have the
brakes checked and repaired imme-
diately by an authorized Kia dealer.

463
Features of your vehicle
Charging system warninglight
This warning light indicates a malfunction
of either the generator or electrical
charging system.
If the warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is in motion:
1. Drive to the nearest safe location.
2. With the engine off, check the genera- tor drive belt for looseness or break-
age.
3. If the belt is adjusted properly, a prob- lem exists somewhere in the electrical
charging system. Have an authorized
Kia dealer correct the problem as soon
as possible.
Trunk lid open warninglight
This warning light illuminates when the
trunk lid is not closed securely with the
ignition switch in any position.
Door ajar warning light
This warning light illuminates when a
door is not closed securely with the igni-
tion switch in any position.
Tail light indicator*
This indicator illuminates when the tail
lights are on.
Immobilizer indicator (if equipped)
Without smart key system
This light illuminates when the immobiliz-
er key is inserted and turned to the ON
position to start the engine.
At this time, you can start the engine. The
light goes out after the engine is running.
If this light blinks when the ignition switch
is in the ON position before starting the
engine, have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer.
With smart key system (if equipped)
If any of the following occurs in a vehicle
equipped with the smart key, the immobi-
lizer indicator illuminates, blinks or the
light goes off.
When the smart key is in the vehicle, if the engine start/stop button is turned
to the ON position, the indicator will
illuminate until the engine is started.
However, when the smart key is not in
the vehicle, if the engine start/stop but-
ton is depressed, the indicator will blink
for a few minutes to indicate that you
will not be able to start the engine.

Features of your vehicle
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When the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position and the indicator turns
off after 2 seconds, the system may
need repair. Have the vehicle checked
by an authorized Kia dealer.
When the battery is weak, if the engine start/stop button is depressed, the indi-
cator will blink and you will not be able
to start the engine. However, you may
still be able to start the engine by
inserting the smart key in the smart
key holder. If smart key system related
parts need repair, the indicator blinks.Low fuel level warning light
This warning light indicates the fuel tank
is nearly empty. When it comes on, you
should add fuel as soon as possible.
Driving with the fuel level warning light on
or with the fuel level below “E” can cause
the engine to misfire and damage the
catalytic converter (if equipped).
Malfunction indicator lamp(MIL) (check engine light)
This indicator is part of the Engine
Control System which monitors various
emission control system components. If
this indicator illuminates while driving, it
indicates that a potential malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the emis-
sion control system.
This indicator will also illuminates when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position, and will go off in a few seconds
after the engine is started. If it illuminates
while driving, or does not illuminate when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position, take your vehicle to the nearest
authorized Kia dealer and have the sys-
tem checked.
Generally, your vehicle will continue to be
drivable, but have the system checked by
an authorized Kia dealer promptly.

465
Features of your vehicle
ESC indicator (ElectronicStability Control)
The ESC indicator will illuminate when
the ignition switch is turned ON, but
should go off after approximately 3 sec-
onds. When the ESC is on, it monitors
the driving conditions. Under normal driv-
ing conditions, the ESC indicator will
remain off. When a slippery or low trac-
tion condition is encountered, the ESC
will operate, and the ESC indicator will
blink to indicate the ESC is operating.
ESC OFF indicator
The ESC OFF indicator will illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned ON,
but should go off after approximately 3
seconds. To switch to ESC OFF mode,
press the ESC OFF button. The ESC
OFF indicator will illuminate indicating
the ESC is deactivated. If this indicator
stays on when ESC OFF is not selected,
the ESC may have malfunctioned. Take
your vehicle to an authorized Kia dealer
and have the system checked.
CAUTION
Prolonged driving with the Emission Control SystemMalfunction Indicator Light illumi-nated may cause damage to theemission control systems which could effect drivability and/or fueleconomy.

If the EmissionControl System
Malfunction Indicator Light illumi- nates, potential catalytic converterdamage. This could result in lossof engine power. Have the EngineControl System inspected as soonas possible by an authorized Kiadealer.