2015 Kia Optima won't crank, no clicking at starter—any ideas?

Kia Models Forum Optima
1

My son’s 2015 Kia Optima is giving us trouble. It won’t crank, there’s no clicking at the starter, and the code reader only shows an emissions fault. The battery seems fine, all fuses are intact, and the starter is functioning properly. We tried disconnecting the cables to reset it, but no luck. Could it be the starter relay, or is there something else we’re missing?

2

Did you check if there’s 12 volts on pin 30 of the starter relay? That’s the power source from the battery.

3

Livia said:
Did you check if there’s 12 volts on pin 30 of the starter relay? That’s the power source from the battery.

Good call on that. I had a similar issue, and it turned out the relay wasn’t clicking when I tried to start the car. Press your finger on it while someone cranks to see if it clicks.

4

If the relay checks out, it might be an issue with the ECU not sending the start signal. Some scan tools can’t pick that up. What are you using to scan?

5

robertkennedy said:
If the relay checks out, it might be an issue with the ECU not sending the start signal. Some scan tools can’t pick that up. What are you using to scan?

I’m using a Zurich ZR4S. It’s pretty basic, so I might not be able to diagnose computer-related issues.

6

Have you swapped the relays to rule out a faulty one? Identical relays can be swapped to test this without buying new parts.

7

Braint said:
Have you swapped the relays to rule out a faulty one? Identical relays can be swapped to test this without buying new parts.

Yeah, I’d swear I swapped them before, but I’ll double-check. Maybe I missed something.

8

Have you tried a full battery reset by disconnecting the cables and draining the power completely? Sometimes that clears up weird issues like this.

9

WhisperingWillow said:
Have you tried a full battery reset by disconnecting the cables and draining the power completely? Sometimes that clears up weird issues like this.

I did that already, but it didn’t help. Disconnected for at least 10 minutes, even connected them to drain the power entirely.

10

There’s a chance it’s the neutral safety switch, especially since you mentioned the dog knocked it into neutral. If it’s not detecting the correct gear, it might not crank.