2017 Kia Optima Check Engine Light

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

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how frequent miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Nalley Kia to help designate if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

2017 Kia Optima Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that tiny 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 present as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Optima. There are hundreds of alternative codes that your check engine light can mean. While that sounds daunting, with a tiny patience, tackling needed diagnostics will give you helpful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, clear and superb 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:

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

This is why it is effective for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Nalley Kia at 7702885283 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a perilous concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out rapidly by a certified Kia mechanic.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most constantly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2017 Kia Optima is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few explicit 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 collection of things for your 2017 Kia Optima. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions 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 plain as your gas cap being loose or as alarming as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2017 Kia Optima, contact Nalley Kia. Our Kia service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is blinking. Contact Nalley Kia today!

Check Engine Light Service 2017 Kia Optima

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Kia Optima and quickly, 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 2017 Kia Optima checked as soon as functional. Ignoring that warning could end up causing forceful damage to fancy engine parts.

When your 2017 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 definite, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is continually 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.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic observe tool that is used by our Kia auto repair mechanics at Nalley Kia. There are also a number of comparably economical code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you select that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an skilled mechanical to indicate the issue and repair it.

2017 Kia Optima Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are many attainable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are various principal causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Alternative principal reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, 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 imperative 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 2017 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 hard systems. The sensors are frequently 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 precisely is liable nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Kia provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Excessively Qualified Service professional.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2017 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 competent, 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 2017 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 Nalley Kia so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2017 Kia Optima?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as real as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a relentless problem that could cause relentless damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow naturally means something less relentless but a blinking check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in relentless trouble and service is mandatory immediately. If your check engine light is blinking in your 2017 Kia Optima, we exceptionally recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Kia service today. Below is a list of the most ordinary reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be changed. The mass airflow sensor in your Kia Optima is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to actual 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 2017 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 frequently caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Kia offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Kia service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2017 Kia Optima will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause different problems from overheating.
• One of the most natural and frequent cause is that your 2017 Kia Optima gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2017 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 erstwhile 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 expensive. If your check engine light turns on immediately after you put gas in your 2017 Kia Optima, authentic thing you should check is to make positive the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be changed. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less practical when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2017 Kia Optima's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to designate the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2017 Kia Optima is every vital. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't absolutely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Kia you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• Your 2017 Kia Optima has a vacuum leak. Every Kia Optima has a vacuum system that performs a expansive collection 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 significant heat or extreme brisk.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2017 Kia Optima. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture 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 your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or erstwhile, 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, leading to more expensive repairs.
• Issues with each aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or different item can wreak havoc on your 2017 Kia Optima if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound plain, bring your Optima to Kia and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed properly and aren't causing each issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts authentic place might price a meager bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.

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

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

Is it safe to drive your 2017 Kia Optima with the check engine light on?

This question is not very classic because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is usually indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more dangerous problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a dangerous issue and it is recommended to service your Kia Optima hastily. Call the consultants at Nalley Kia by dialing 7702885283 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and transport your 2017 Kia to our certified mechanics as soon as accessible.

2017 Kia Optima Check Engine Light

A flashing light indicates that the problem is draconian and if not taken care of immediately may result in important damage to the automobile. If the check engine light in your 2017 Kia Optima starts flashing, that means that the problem needs urgent attention and your Kia should be brought in immediately. This blinking light often indicates a draconian 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 achievable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A bad, traditional 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 particularly expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive experts at Nalley Kia promptly by calling 7702885283.