2016 Kia Optima Check Engine Light (2024)

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Check Engine Light Service 2016 Kia Optima

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Kia Optima and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Kia owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2016 Kia Optima checked as soon as possible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2016 Kia Optima's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

2016 Kia Optima Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other common reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Kia Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Kia issue was fixed.

Every 2016 Kia Optima was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Courtesy Kia of Brandon provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Qualified Service professional.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is complicated to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we advise that you pull over and contact Courtesy Kia of Brandon to help opt for if your vehicle is dependable to commute in or if we advise a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2016 Kia Optima?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a serious problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and service is needed immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2016 Kia Optima, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Kia service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

One of the most prevalent and frequent cause is that your 2016 Kia Optima gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2016 Kia Optima serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is classic or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't costly. If your check engine light turns on suddenly after you put gas in your 2016 Kia Optima, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are crucial for your 2016 Kia Optima. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel variety in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If you're spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or classic, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, deduction to more costly repairs.
Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or alternative item can wreak havoc on your 2016 Kia Optima if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can eject the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound natural, bring your Optima to Kia and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might price a miniature bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, established as the O2 sensor, measures the reward of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less decisive when it comes to fuel economy.
Your 2016 Kia Optima has a vacuum leak. Every Kia Optima has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to extraordinary heat or extreme annoyed.
Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Kia Optima is what determines how much fuel is crucial to run your engine efficiently by measuring the reward of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to sincere changes, like altitude. If your Kia Optima is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2016 Kia Optima’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Courtesy Kia of Brandon offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Kia service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it revamped, your 2016 Kia Optima will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your automobile may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause alternative problems from overheating.
The battery is low or dead. The battery in you 2016 Kia Optima every crucial. Without a automobile battery, your automobile won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s automobile batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't truly require maintenance. The value of a new one depends on the type of Kia you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not correctly tightened to a more relentless failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it awesome to get the apt code reading and diagnosis. The average rate for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The awesome news, Courtesy Kia of Brandon offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help indicate the cause of your check engine light.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2016 Kia Optima is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2016 Kia Optima. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, ignition timing, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as serious as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2016 Kia Optima, contact Courtesy Kia of Brandon. Our Kia service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or probe why your check engine light is glaring. Contact Courtesy Kia of Brandon today!

2016 Kia Optima Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Optima. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you useful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:

Emissions controls issues
Computer output circuit issues
O2 Sensor
Old Battery
Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
Bad Spark Plugs
Fuel and air metering systems problems
Transmission issues
Ignition system faults

This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a certified Kia mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a deliberate concern, you risk damaging your car additional by not repairing the issue prudent away. Call Courtesy Kia of Brandon at 8138500547 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2016 Kia Optima will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going functional, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2016 Kia Optima light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Courtesy Kia of Brandon so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Is it safe to drive your 2016 Kia Optima with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a natural issue and it is recommended to service your Kia Optima quickly. This question is not highly classic because it entire depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be dependable to drive. This is continually indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a variation in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more present problem. Call the experts at Courtesy Kia of Brandon by dialing 8138500547 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and transport your 2016 Kia to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.

2016 Kia Optima Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2016 Kia Optima starts twinkling, that means that the problem needs urgent attention and your Kia should be brought in hastily. A twinkling light indicates that the problem is risky and if not taken care of hastily may result in extensive damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can quickly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a excessively expensive repair. If your check engine light is blinking, please contact our team of automotive experts at Courtesy Kia of Brandon immediately by calling 8138500547.