2001 Kia Optima LX Stutters and shakes in the rain

Asked by migration_gfhq2002 Nov 10, 2015 at 07:41 PM about the 2001 Kia Optima LX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hello,

I have a 2001 Kia Optima. It has 127,000 miles on it. I had noticed a couple
of years ago that when it rains, the car stutters a little while driving. I
brought it in to my mechanic and they were not able to recreate the
stuttering and there were no codes displaying when they scanned so they
said to wait and see if it continued. The stuttering continued every once in a
while, usually only in the first 5 minutes of driving while it was wet. I bring it
in for maintenance pretty often and there was evidence that there was a
problem, at least one my mechanic could see.

A couple of days ago, I was driving up a hill, like I do every day and the car
stuttered and then turned off. It started immediately afterwards but seemed
to run a little "weak" like it wasn't at full power. I tested it again that night
and it seemed fine. It rained again today and I started the car and it
immediately started stuttering. I put the car in drive and it got worse and
then the check engine light came on. I turned it off because the stuttering
did not subside, and it shook worse than it ever had before.

I don't plan on using it again until I can get it checked out, but I was hoping
someone out there might have an idea about what's going on and how
costly it would be to fix. Any information would be very much appreciated!

3 Answers

Also, I recently noticed that when I hit the brakes, it sounds like I am running on a flat tire or like I'm going over train tracks. Probably unrelated and yet another problem, but I thought it might be worth mentioning. None of the tires are flat.

1 people found this helpful.

I suspect you have moisture in your spark plug connections. Use dielectric grease to seal the spark plug boots to the spark plugs. Also check your brake pads as they may be worn out.

2 people found this helpful.

Thanks for the very helpful info! It turned out to be a bad ignition coil and worn brake rotor. It's running better than ever now!

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Optima

Looking for a Used Optima in your area?

CarGurus has 254 nationwide Optima listings starting at $3,999.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Guru9SKFX
    Reputation
    2,150
  • #2
    James Warner
    Reputation
    2,020
  • #3
    GuruV9XTS
    Reputation
    1,660
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Nissan Altima
22 Great Deals out of 716 listings starting at $1,400
Used Toyota Camry
52 Great Deals out of 985 listings starting at $2,212
Used Hyundai Sonata
38 Great Deals out of 1,111 listings starting at $3,112
Used Honda Accord
40 Great Deals out of 910 listings starting at $1,599
Used Honda Civic
180 Great Deals out of 3,705 listings starting at $1,995
Used Hyundai Elantra
163 Great Deals out of 3,544 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota Corolla
108 Great Deals out of 2,035 listings starting at $2,795
Used Chevrolet Malibu
50 Great Deals out of 1,139 listings starting at $1,295

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.