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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.

All (51)Crash / fire / injury (3)Electrical system (18)Brakes (12)Engine (12)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Hybrid Propulsion System (5)Speed control (5)Steering (4)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)Lights (3)Airbags (1)

1 of 51 complaints match · Airbags · clear filters

Mar 21, 2019Airbags

2013 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID AIRBAG LIGHT CONSTANTLY ON INDICATED PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. DIAGNOSIS IS AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT FAILURE. WE HAD THE DEALER REPLACE THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH. I NOTICED THERE ARE RECALLS FOR 2011 - 2012 OPTIMA HYBRID AND 2011 - 2013 OPTIMA VEHICLES, AMONG MANY OTHERS BY HYUNDAI AND KIA. 2013 OPTIMA HYBRID MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED.

NHTSA ODI 11190560

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 →