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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2013 Kia Optima Hybrid Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
13%of 56 total for the year
Median mileage
67,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid, 13% of the 56 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 67,000 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11210065, filed 2019-05, 67,000 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.”

NHTSA complaint #11075603, filed 2018-03, 54,844 miles

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11190506, filed 2019-03, 89,000 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. …”

NHTSA complaint #10596726, filed 2014-06, 4,720 miles

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11489787, filed 2022-10, 159,636 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2017312%
201518%
2014310%
2013713%
2012109%
2011412%

Other parts of the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid

Electrical system
22 complaintsBrakes
16 complaintsEngine
14 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsHybrid propulsion system
5 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsElectronic stability control
3 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsSuspension
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology