10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,877 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Kia Optima brakes problems

brakes problem

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2013 Kia Optima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #37

Jul 032023

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving the car and my engine shut off completely it will no start back up.

- Amelia , VA, USA

problem #36

Aug 212023

Optima

  • miles
I was turning into some parking spots so i could put my car in reverse and park closer to building i needed. I did not get a chance to putin reverse, the vehicle surged forward and was accelerating. My foot was not on the gas pedal. I was trying to brake. I turned steering wheel so I didn't hit brick building. I swiped the building and 2 vehiles on my right AND still did not stop right away. I kept on the brake and the plants, rocks, landscaping I think helped it to stop. I can get police report in few days.

- Festus, MO, USA

problem #35

Jun 252022

Optima

  • 155,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, when the contact shut down the vehicle the warning message saying "Put into Park" displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle, shifted the vehicle into drive and then shifted back to park and the contact was able to shut down the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed. On another occasion the contact stated while pulling out the driveway the vehicle started braking on its own and the rear brake light would not stop illuminated. The traction control warning light, the ABS warning light, the auto lock warning light illuminated and the code -??EPB auto hold-?? displayed. The contact shut down the vehicle, but the failure continued. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 155,000.

- Abbeville, SC, USA

problem #34

Jun 212023

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The ESC kight keeps turning on. The brake lights wont turn off, it wont let me accelerate while im driving at different speeds or it will decelerate abruptly. Yes its available for inspection. My safety and the safety of my two young children were at risk multiple times. This is my daily driver. And i was driving them to school when the car would not let me accelerate and someone almost hit me from the back. Also it happened to us on the freeway a few times as we are driving 65 mph the car decelerates abruptly almost causing major accidents while my children are in the vehicle with me. Not yet, i called the nearest kia dealer and they didnt have appointment ls until july - august. There were no warning lights at all. At first we didnt know what was the problem. After the few times it happened then the ESC light turned on and it stays on. Also the brake light wont turn off even when the car is off.

- Corona , CA, USA

problem #33

Jun 122023

Optima

  • miles
On June 12th myself and two friends were traveling on a rural two-way traffic hwy. As I was attempting to pass another vehicle, the car lost all power. I was barely able to avoid a head on collision. I pulled over to the side of the road which had only enough shoulder to fit my car and there was white smoke coming from under the hood. All the dashboard lights were lite after I pulled over, but nothing prior to the car losing power. I was on a curve in a dead zone for our cell phones. After opening the hood, white smoke was billowing out, and I could smell what smelled like burnt rubber. Once the car cooled off, I was going to attempt to start it, but I could not depress the brakes. The brake pedal was stuck. We managed to get a ride to an area where I could call to have the car towed to a private mechanic, who told me the motor had seized. I just purchased this car in March 2022. Nothing was ever mentioned to me by the dealer of any recalls or any other issues with the car. They made me sign a paper stating I was buying the car as is, which I see now should have been a red flag. The Dealer was San Jose Kia in California, and I'm very angry that they would knowingly sell me a defective car, risking not only my self but my family and friends.

- Los Banos, CA, USA

problem #32

May 012023

Optima

  • miles
hybrid system warning safely stop and do not drive with some kind of brake warning and then the brakes were basically non existent. Could not brake had to coast to a stop in a neighborhood very scary

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #31

May 202023

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car is a total lost. Car caught fire while I was driving with my 2 Daughters. Brakes went out had to jump out of car.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #30

Jan 112023

Optima

  • miles
I have 2 separate issues. 1. Anti-lock brakes don't always work properly. They have locked up in the rain many times. 2. My white pearl paint started chipping two years ago and now has large spots missing with bubbling in other areas.

- Valencia, CA, USA

problem #29

Jan 062022

Optima

  • miles
When leaving work on 1/6/22, I didn't let my car warm up for more than 1 minute because I was in a hurry to get home. It was very cold - I think -10 if I remember right - and I had just passed through an intersection about 2 blocks from work where road construction closed the road to one lane. The car in front of me stopped because someone in front of him was turning. I had plenty of time to stop & hit my brakes but had no response, much like not having power brakes, but the pedal felt very firm. As cold as it was, there was no ice or snow & the road was dry. I had no traction control or ABS lights come on & ended up rear-ending the car in front of me. The police came & made a report & I came home & checked KIA forums to see if this had ever happened to anyone else but didn't find anything. I explained it to my KIA service advisor but they found nothing wrong & had no explanation. I thought I had maybe imagined it until it happened again, also on a very cold morning, about 2 weeks later in my own driveway. Just no response of the brakes. I couldn't push the pedal hard enough to stop the car. I also mentioned it to my insurance adjuster who just said to let them know if I found out anything further, which I didn't. I never thought to report it here until my husband had an issue with his car recently & was advised to do so. Even extreme cold should not affect a system as important as the brakes on a car & I believe this is a major safety concern. My accident was minor because I was not traveling at a high rate of speed & was at a safe distance, but the brake failure was still the cause of the accident. When the failure happened in my driveway, I had braked when pulling onto the road but didn't stop. If another car was coming or I was pulling out at the end of my street where there are 4 lanes of 45mph traffic, this could have been disastrous! Please notify me of any steps taken by KIA to remedy this issue. Thank you.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #28

Apr 182022

Optima

  • miles
Breaks went completely out while driving on freeway. Was diagnosed And this is the technician story verbatim VERIFIED CUSTOMER CONCERN CAN HEAR GURGGLING NOISE COMING FROM BRAKE AREA EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS OFF. WHEN MOVING VEHICLE INTO STALL. ALL BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED AND CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING CAME ON. INSPECTED FLUID LEVEL. FLUID LEVEL OK AT THIS TIME. WITH VEHICLE OFF CAN HEAR ESC MODULE ACTUATING. CONNECTED KDS AND PERFORMED ACTUATION TEST. ACTUATION TEST FAILED. RECOMMEND REPLACING ESC MODULE AND BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY AND RETEST CUSTOMER DECLINES TO REPLACE AT THIS TIME -DISCOUNTED RATE: $4839 PLUS TAX (NEED TO ORDER) -REG RATE: $5400 PLUS TAX (NEED TO ORDER) Manufacturer is denying any responsibility to repair. I contacted a lawyer who said the manufacturer is responsible for safety defects.

- Waimanalo , HI, USA

problem #27

Apr 152022

Optima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Traction control is too sensative. I was in a stop sign. Then tried to press the acceleration but vehicle lost power. Too sensative traction control caused me to stall in the middle. There were car coming from the left or right to me. I am glad I was at safe distance and could regain control of the car.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #26

Apr 062022

Optima

  • miles
Was driving on a busy street. Went to accelerate, car wasn-€™t getting gas. Brakes seized and steering wheel seized. Had to drift off the road since the whole car died.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #25

Feb 102022

Optima

  • miles
I put gas in my car and my hand and mileage did not move and my brakes feel stuck after I release my foot and press the gas aldeco put a protective cap Over something when they change my oil and I keep having to have my brake fluid flushed and refilled

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #24

Sep 202021

Optima

  • miles
"Hybrid System Warning Safely stop and Do not Drive" has appeared multiple times. First time, brake fluid was flushed and car appeared to operate normally afterwards. 3 months later, now, happened twice within two weeks. Apparently, a very common issue. The car shuts down and I am forced to coast/pullover/stop without any power from the engine and was fortunate this did not occur in an intersection. Others have noted the occurrence on the freeway. Like other, when I took the car in, no error codes were seen as the warning light had turned off so the mechanics do not know what the issue is. How does Kia not know what the issue is when the car could shut down, become inoperable suddenly" Once the warning light comes on, the brakes semi-lock and one is luck enough to get to safety, to pull over... Does someone have to be injured or worse for KIA to do something or for the NHTSA TO DO SOMETHING?" 1) https://www.optimaforums.com/threads/2013-optima-hybrid-hybrid-system-warning-check-brake-message.170498/ 2) https://www.kiaownersclub.co.uk/threads/how-to-fix-check-hybrid-system-warning-unable-to-charge.45921/ 3) https://www.reddit.com/r/kia/comments/lk6wvt/2013_kia_optima_hybrid_system_warning_i_dont_know/ 4) 5) https://6) https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/kia-optima.html?page=5 7) https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c23349_ds1010763

- Monrovia, CA, USA

problem #23

Feb 012020

Optima

  • 20,000 miles
When I start the car the rear break lights flicker rapidly when I press the breaks the 3rd break light won't light up at all, so the only two break light stop working, it causes the anti traction control warning light and the auto-hold warning lights to come on.

- Berwick, ME, USA

problem #22

Feb 202021

Optima

  • miles
Multiple recalls on car - been having significant issues from electrical to breaks.

- Massapequa, NY, USA

problem #21

Dec 052020

Optima

  • 127,924 miles
Suddenly the brakes were applied to the car on the road while driving at 55 mph on a highway. If there were any cars behind me, I would have gotten rear ended, at a very high speed, potentially resulting in severe injury. I was not able to drive the car anything more than 5mph due to the break constantly being applied to the car resulting in me not being able to merge across the highway safely to the side. The car gave the "check brake" alert along with "hybrid system failure". the Kia dealership in fremont, California diagnosed the issue. Attached is the diagnosis report. There was a brake fluid leak inside the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu), possibly resulting in an electrical short. That is exactly same issue as Kia recall 20V519000 issued in August 2020. If the hecu short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire. Kia needs to add this VIN to the recall. It's same year model as recall. Dealer advised to replace a part 58620-4U301. Kia shall promptly address this issue. Greatly appreciate it.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #20

Nov 062019

Optima

  • 163 miles
First I had to replace my transmission then I started getting a warning message stating hybrid system warning safety. Followed by check brakes warning. This occured while I was at a stop light.the breaks completely go out and begin to make a loud grinding sound. Once I shut the car off fir about 30-60 minutes the light goes out until the next occurance. Prior to losing all break control the car is fine. This persisted to a point that I cannot driive the vehicle. The dealership finally diagnosed the issue as a hydraulic problem and could be fixed for $2700. This is a Kia manufacturing issue and Kia should be responsible to fix it. I did submit a complaint to Kia Consumer Affairs to no avail. Please help with this issue or put this on a recall list. This is a safety hazard.

- Ellenwood, GA, USA

problem #19

Sep 032020

Optima

  • miles
My brakes on my 2013 Kia Optima have a defect when turn on car the switch gear changes to P R D and any gear without me putting my foot on the brake to put the switch gear in place and it smells like a gasoline smell when I drive my car I don't know if that's a brake fluid leak are what but I was just notified that on consumers affairs Kia has a recall on year 2013 to 2015 Kia cars and Hyundai cars. Some cars have been catching on fire. Kia recall link https://abcnews.go.com/us/wirestory/Hyundai-Kia-recall-vehicles-leaks-fires-72793532 and on consumers affairs Kia recall brake fluid leak cars on fire link https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/Hyundai-Kia-recalls-nearly-600000-cars-over-defect-that-can-cause-vehicles-to-catch-fire-090420.html

- Euless, TX, USA

problem #18

Jun 012017

Optima

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. While driving at approximately 30 mph, a warning indicator illuminated, advising the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning indicator also illuminated. The contact had to turn the vehicle off and on in order for the indicators to turn off. In addition, while attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle shook and hesitated to stop appropriately. The contact took the vehicle to archer Kia (located at 11614 southwest fwy, houston, tx 77031, 888-879-5194) where repairs were made to the hydraulics. The specific parts were not identified; however, the failure continued. The contact took the vehicle to joe meyers Kia (located at 16484 nw fwy, houston, tx 77040, 713-587-9940) where the upper and lower control arms and ball joints were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and opened case number: 13386178. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

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