What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power and the brake pedal was pumped to slow the vehicle as needed. Additionally, the "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive" and "Check Brake" messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS system had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) after the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626607

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS and engine warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the failure was not related to the repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 43,494.

NHTSA ODI 11622889

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11588131

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11580611

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that after driving at various speeds, there was a burning odor present inside the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11580505

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11573928

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that the front-end of the vehicle was making an abnormal knocking sound while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the front struts. The front driver's side axle was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the MIL warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11559549

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message "Pull Over and Shut Down Vehicle" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the nearby residence, where the vehicle was parked. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and advised the contact to park the vehicle outside and away from structures. The failure mileage was approximately 128,795. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11557827

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11557224

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

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. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10596726

TO WHOM IT CONCERNS, I HAVE A GREAT SAFETY CONCERN RELATED TO THE OPTIMA 2013 HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM. I AM NOT SURE IF THE BEHAVIOR I AM GOING TO DESCRIBE IS TYPICAL OR DEFECTIVE. WHEN TRAVELING AT SPEED, WITH THE CRUISE SET, I FIND THAT ANY SUDDEN AND HARD HIT TO THE BRAKES WILL ACTIVATE SOME TYPE OF AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM. THE BRAKING SYSTEM FEELS LIKE ABS AND SOUNDS VERY MECHANICAL HOWEVER THE BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT DEACTIVATE AFTER I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES THE CAR TO A NEARLY COMPLETE STOP (LESS THAN 15MPH) WITHOUT ME HAVING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES, THE MOST RECENT WAS 4/10/14. EARLIER TODAY I WAS TRAVELING 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, WITH THE CRUISE SET, WHEN IT APPEARED A PERSON WAS GOING TO WALK INTO THE HIGHWAY. I HIT THE BRAKES HARD TO AVOID THE PEDESTRIAN, WHO EVENTUALLY DID NOT ENTER THE ROAD. THE SITUATION WAS NOT WORTHY OF COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP HOWEVER THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM I DESCRIBED ABOVE ACTIVATED. I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE BUT THE BRAKING SYSTEM CONTINUED TO BRING THE CAR TO A SPEED LESS THAN 15 MPH. THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME, UNDERSTANDABLY, HAD TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID ME AS I COULD NOT SPEED BACK UP UNTIL THE SYSTEM RESUMED TO NORMAL OPERATION. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS TYPICAL OPERATION OR A POTENTIAL DEFECT. I FEEL THIS COULD BE LIFE THREATENING. SHOULD I HAVE TO HIT MY BRAKES AND THIS SYSTEM ACTIVATES, I COULD BE SEVERELY REAR-ENDED. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10579048