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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)

3 of 51 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · clear filters

May 25, 2019Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

ELECTRICAL INTERIOR LIGHT TURN ON WHEN YOU LEAN ON THE ARM REST ALSO GOT A OIL CHANGE AND THE OIL LIGHT WILL NOT RESET CAUSE THERE IS A MALFUNCTION IN THE OIL PRESSURE

NHTSA ODI 11209961

Oct 28, 2018Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

TODAY MY CAR CUT OFF AS I WAS DRIVING. THE DISPLAY READ HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING. IT THEN PROCEEDED TO SAY FOR ME TO PULL OVER AND STOP DRIVING THIS HAPPENED TO ME 3 TIMES OVER THE WEEKEND AND I'VE READ MANY OTHER COMPLAINT ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM I ALSO REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND THAT WAS A WASTE BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER THAT WAS SERVICED IT HAPPENED AGAIN

NHTSA ODI 11143580

Aug 8, 2017Electronic Stability Control (esc)

TAKATA RECALL. CAR HAS BEEN SAYING "WARNING PULL OVER DO NOT DRIVE" ALTHOUGH I AM IN PARK IN MY DRIVEWAY, IN THE CAR WASH OR ON THE FREEWAY. TOOK INTO DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES NOW AND THEY SAY DRIVE IT HERE NEXT TIME WITH THE WARNING ON BUT THE CAR FREEZES UP AND TURNS OFF WHICH RESETS THE WARNING DISPLAY! THE DEALERSHIP IS ACTING LIKE NOTHING IS WRONG. MILEAGE THIS STARTED IS 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11013742

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 →