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What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
3 of 51 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters
Sep 30, 2018Fire
WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY 2013 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID THIS MORNING. WHILE DRIVING, I SUDDENLY GOT A WARNING MESSAGE THAT SAID "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE STOP SAFELY DO NOT DRIVE". I PULLED OVER AND SMELLED WHAT SEEMED TO BE FIRE, BUT SAW NOTHING. I CALLED MY FIANC TO LET HIM KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THE CABIN STARTED FILLING WITH SMOKE. I JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR AND POPPED THE TRUNK. THERE WERE FLAMES SHOOTING OUT OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, THE CAR IS NOW SITTING IN A TOW YARD. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CAR. THERE IS NOTHING THAT I WOULD HAVE DONE OR COULD HAVE DONE TO CAUSE THIS.
NHTSA ODI 11132366
Jun 29, 2018Fire
CAUGHT ON FIRE, NON COLLISION, PLEASE SEE LINK TO MY FEATURED NEWS STORY HTTP://WWW.EMAILTHIS.CLICKABILITY.COM/ET/EMAILTHIS?CLICKMAP=VIEWTHIS&ETMAILTOID=1865502621
NHTSA ODI 11104798
Jul 27, 2017Electrical systemBrakesCrash1 injury
VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD WHILE IN MOTION TO PARK IN A PARKING SPACE. BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE FROM A VERY SLOW SPEED OF 5-10 MPH APPROXIMATELY. HAS DONE THIS ON OCCASION AT HIGHWAY SPEED A SUDDEN SURGE SO A BRAKING WOULD RELIEVE PROBLEM.
NHTSA ODI 11011110
Working with the data? Download all 51 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026
How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your
pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the
full 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid verdict →