2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,457 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 Hybrid drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Kia Optima Hybrid Owner Comments

problem #7

Jun 302022

Optima Hybrid

  • 159,636 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while her daughter was reversing the vehicle, the Hybrid Propulsion System message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 159,636.

- Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

problem #6

May 112019

Optima Hybrid

  • 67,000 miles
Hybrid warning light suddenly came on indicating that I should pull over while I was driving on the freeway. I immediately veered to my left to get to the shoulder, as the car had already died, and I was moving only on momentum. I was almost hit by a car behind me. I waited a while, and the car restarted. The engine light came on and went away later that day. This was a Saturday, and I took the car to the dealership on Monday. This was not the first occurrence. The first time I experienced the same scenario and also almost got hit by a car as I was trying to get to the right shoulder. My car did not start in that incident, and I had to get it towed. The second time was again the same scenario, and it did restart. Each time I took it to the dealership. Each time they said they couldn't replicate the problem, and they made ancillary updates, which didn't help. The third time it happened, I was adamant that they fix it because they were at risk of serious liability because I was being placed in extreme danger. Further, it brought about much anxiety knowing that this could happen without warning at any time while driving. My car is still within the 100K warranty. The first time, they refused to address it under warranty, and they argued with me about it only to concede later that, in fact, it was covered under warranty.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #5

Jun 012018

Optima Hybrid

  • 90,000 miles
Engine oil leaking

- Duluth, GA, USA

problem #4

Jan 032019

Optima Hybrid

  • 89,000 miles

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

The vehicle has had a hybrid safety warning lighting up. It goes on and then the vehicle powers down to 25 mph. This happens at random when driving specially in cold weather.

- Pewaukee, WI, USA

problem #3

Feb 282018

Optima Hybrid

  • 54,844 miles
From a stop at a light or intersection, over seven (7) times the car has jolted forward and stopped abruptly, losing most power to the motor at that point. Audible alarms ring and the dashboard has read both "hybrid system warning! immediately stop and do not drive" and "check charging system". this has happened during left turns with oncoming traffic that then has to slow as I slowly creep out of the intersection.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

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problem #2

Nov 152017

Optima Hybrid

  • 35,000 miles
Takata recall: Car at 35K mileage and displays 'hybrid system warning, safely stop and do not drive'. have been in and out of dealerships who still can't seem to figure out what the issue is. Also, seems like the battery is discharging while driving on the highway which is completely unsafe!! issues have yet been fixed!

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #1

May 202014

Optima Hybrid 4-cyl

  • 4,720 miles
Upon acceleration from stop or low speed, brake warning message displayed instructing me to safely pull over and stop the vehicle. Additionally, essentially all warning lights displayed on the information screen. Warning lights began flashing and door locks began clicking on/off. Car became disabled after a short distance and car would not move forward when in drive. Required tow to dealer for service. Dealer scanned the vehicle and found over 20 history codes pointing towards a can issue. After vehicle was serviced and road tested, history codes were cleared by dealer on 5/24/2014. Same problem repeated under similar conditions on 5/28/2014 and again on 6/4/204. During the third incident, the car became disabled immediately after entering an intersection at low speed and could not be moved out of the intersection under its own power, creating a safety hazard with cross traffic waiting to enter the intersection. After the second occurrence, dealer service department was unable to diagnose the problem or repeat the conditions. After the third occurrence, the car became operable a short time after the incident after turning the car off and on again a few times. After each occurrence, the passenger air bag warning light remained in the history code. Currently awaiting response and diagnosis of problem by Kia district parts service manager.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

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