KIA Malfunction Indicator Light – What Does It Mean?

The Malfunction Indicator Light or the Check Engine light is not something you will want to see on the dashboard of your vehicle. Unfortunately, this sign often means that you need to go to the dealer with your car and to make diagnostics. It's not always a bad problem with the engine (or it almost never means problems with the engine) but some issues are certainly happening if the light is flashing.

Malfunction indicator light highlights

• Common reasons:any code in the ECU, issues with the ECU
• How to fix:scan the codes, try disconnecting the battery for some time
• Possible consequences:depending on what triggered the MIL
• Priority level:Medium
• Can you drive?Carefully
• DIY repair:Impossible
• Repair price range:$150-$500

Why is the Check Engine light on in your KIA?

The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (of Light) is on when something is wrong with one or several engine sensors. It means that the ECU (Engine Control Unit) doesn't get the information from one sensor, or the information that it gets is not normal. This way, the check engine light goes on and signals that there is some problem with the engine.

Well, you shouldn't be afraid much when the Malfunction light is on. We are used to calling it the "check engine" light and a lot of people think that it means the engine is going to be broken soon. But in most cases, this is not true.

Here are some of the most obvious and common reasons why this light is on:

• the emission system sends wrong signals and reports about problems in catalytic converters;
• the oxygen sensor says about "too high" or "too low" oxygen level in the exhaust;
• the idle sensor malfunctions and the engine should go to a limp mode to not stall at every corner;
• the throttle position sensor is broken and doesn't send the signal to the ECU;
• any other engine sensor malfunctions and sends inappropriate data;
• the connection with a certain sensor is lost, and no data is received from this unit;
• there is a problem with the ECU, some factors of the engine work are not controlled.

Of course, the Malfunction Indicator Light in KIA may also be on because of numerous different reasons. But these are the most common ones. Once the light is on, the ECU saves a certain fault code which will then help you diagnose the vehicle without much effort on your side.

As you see, nothing extremely bad happens with your vehicle when the Malfunction light is on. In most cases, the problem in KIA is connected with exhaust and ecology equipment. For example, the catalytic converter or the EGR valve may cause some troubles and this leads to blinking or flashing Malfunction Indicator Light in your KIA vehicle.

When is it OK to see a Malfunction Indicator Light in a KIA car?

This unexpected sign is not always bad. Sometimes it's even worse that you don't see it. When you turn on the ignition, the check engine light will be on for a couple of seconds. This time is given to your vehicle's diagnostics system to self-diagnose any problems that may be bad for your engine.

If you don't see this pictogram on your dashboard when you turn the key to the "ignition on" position, you are in trouble. Probably, the self-diagnostics system is not working and you need to go to the dealer to check it. When the engine is running, this light should be off. If it's on or blinking, you should also check the possible reasons.

Can you drive your KIA when the Malfunction light is on?

For this, we've consulted with the KIA dealer and they answered that prolonged driving with the Malfunction Indicator Light on is not recommended. It may lead to damage to the emission control system and some other parts of your vehicle. Also, the emission control problems can lead to very fast catalytic converter death which is very expensive to deal with.

But if you see this light on your dashboard, you shouldn't stop your vehicle immediately and call a tow truck. You can drive home or to the next repair station to get full computer diagnostics and learn what's wrong with the vehicle.

Getting more information about the problem with your KIA

Any modern KIA vehicle has quite efficient self-diagnostics equipment. So, the ECU knows for sure which exactly sensor is in charge of the Malfunction Indicator Light flashing. But the ECU will only light the lamp and you will not be aware of the problem.

It means that you will have to pay some money to learn that. Or you can also use a free method which we'll tell you about a little later. The most obvious solution in your case is to go to the dealer or to a specialized repair shop and get your vehicle diagnosed.

The procedure is pretty straightforward:

• a mechanic will switch a special unit or a computer to the on-board diagnostics system in your KIA;
• the computer program will then communicate with the ECU and will get the fault codes that are active;
• after that, the program will translate those fault codes into the human language;
• you will get a certain message saying that you need to replace a sensor;
• also, the diagnostics can check whether all other important parts of the electronic system work well;
• you will need to replace a certain sensor and then repeat the diagnostics to see if everything is OK now.

The proper diagnostics takes just a couple of minutes. After that, the specialist will give you some recommendations on how to deal with the problems. Usually, it's not very expensive to get your vehicle diagnosed, but the KIA dealers will not do that at a low price.

You can still do it by yourself. For this, you will need a decent OBDII fault code reader. It can be bought easily online - there are dozens of versions that can work well with a KIA vehicle. But before you buy one, check if it can be connected to your vehicle's onboard diagnostics system.

Reading fault codes and making decisions

So, your KIA shows the Malfunction Indicator Light, you get the fault codes or messages with the help of diagnostics. What should you do after that? You just need to google to get some more information. It's not always so easy to understand what kind of problem is hidden under a certain fault code.

We've seen a situation when KIA on-board diagnostics said that the problem was with the oxygen sensor, but the thorough diagnostics showed that the problem was with spark plugs that didn't ignite the air-fuel mixture and let a lot of fuel and air get into the cat converter and burn there.

So, here's what you should do:

• check the fault codes or messages and google what they can mean;
• think if you can replace a certain sensor that is the most obvious problem in your vehicle;
• use different diagnostics tools if you can't get enough information;
• ask people in KIA forums - maybe, they have already solved such problems;
• reset the errors in the ECU with the help of the OBDII equipment.

These are the most obvious things you should do after you see the Malfunction Indicator Light on in your KIA vehicle. If it's flashing, it is trying to tell you about a certain problem. You shouldn't worry much because, in most cases, this is not a serious problem and it can't damage the engine.

But we don't recommend you drive the car very long after you first time see the check engine light in your KIA vehicle. All KIA cars are quite tender and require good maintenance. If you don't repair the car after it sends you a malfunction message, you can end up getting stuck in the middle of nowhere when the vehicle is broken completely.

Final words

We've seen a lot of KIA cars with the Malfunction Indicator Lamp flashing. And in 99% of cases, it didn't mean anything serious. In most cases, you will need to replace some broken sensors or check whether the spark plugs and coils are OK. Though, this 1% of serious and critical damages should make you worry a little.

You can keep driving if you see this error light flashing on your dashboard. But it's not recommended to drive long. You should make diagnostics and find out what was wrong with your KIA engine, emission control system, sensors, or any other equipment.