2013 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

View complaints related to 2013 KIA OPTIMA. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 1,340 complaints submitted for the 2013 KIA OPTIMA. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - San Diego, CA

    The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 40 - 45 mph, the "Safely Stop And Do Not Drive" warning message was displayed and the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, a burning odor was detected. This was the third recurring failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with electrical system failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Canton, GA

    Was driving the car up a hill and alarm starting dinging and gave a notice something to the effect of Stop Safely. The car died and I was unable to move the car out of the traffic lane. People behind were blowing their horn and I did not feel safe to get out of the car. Eventually someone stopped to block traffic and we were able to roll the car back out of traffic.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Henderson, NC

    I have a 2013 Kia Optima EX, on the steering wheel, I hear a knocking sound while turning the wheel. I was informed that there was a recall for the rubber coupler replacement. I never received a recall letter from Kia Motors. I am very concerned about driving the vehicle because the sound is getting louder.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - clinton, WI

    I purchased this vehicle 10/21/2016. The vehicle was driving fine and I regularly took it in for maintenance. Regular oil changes, filters, tires rotated. I am very good at getting maintenance done on the vehicle. There was a recall on the engine, but I never received any notice. It was recalled on Mar 31, 2017. I have no records of any recalls, so I am not sure who they were sending them to. I moved shortly after the recall on February 16, 2018. I still received no notices at my new location. I did have all my mail forwarded. Long story short, my engine blew in September of 2019. I still had not received any notices of a recall. I have been trying to get this resolved with Kia for the last two years basically. I have had an independent shop verify that the engine is blown. Kia of Janesville and Madison refused to give me any help trying to get the car diagnosed or repaired. I have spent $700 getting the car towed, storage, and two years so far trying to get the car repaired or looked at. They keep on telling me that they are not going to cover anything and that I need to pay for repairs. I finally got the car towed to an independent service shop and they are telling me that the engine is indeed blown and that I need to replace it. Costs are expected to be in the $3700 range. I cant wait any longer to get this vehicle repaired as I have already dealt with it for two years with no good faith effort from Kia. I would appreciate some help dealing with the situation.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Dandridge, TN

    Driving at night the engine sputtered and stalled in traffic. Lost power to steering and had to get off main road . Towed to a mechanic and was told there was no oil in the engine and the entire engine needs to be replaced . The oil has been changed as required but constantly low and needing to be topped up . He advised checking the VIN for a recall with this particular car model having a previous recall . I checked there were no open recalls . The engine is being replaced .

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Philadelphia, PA

    My engine began smoking while I was driving I pulled over to see where the smoke was coming from and it burst into flames

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Amarillo, TX

    My 2013 Kia optima caught fire while I sitting idle in the vehicle in a parking lot outside of an establishment in May of 2021. I started my vehicle, and was finishing up a phone call when I noticed smoke coming from my hood. When I opened the hood to investigate flames shot up from my engine. I called 911 and fortunately the fire department was close and we're able to put out the fire quickly and no one was hurt. If it hadn't been for the phone conversation keeping my attention, I would have taken off normally and the outcome could of been seriously different. I'm not sure what happens when you are actively driving a car that engulfs in flames but I imagine it's not pretty. There was a open recall on my car for a low pressure fuel tube malfunction that was thought to cause fires. The Kia dealership denied I had an open recall asked me to remove car from facility or they would tow it . They were low on space. . They said that they wouldn't cover my car for any reason anyway because it doesn't have the original engine it came with. The engine was replaced by Kia because of engine defect and recall but the local dealership could not see this car history. Eventually I was able to get a case opened with the corporate office and an inspection was done. They still denied me and no one was on the same page as far as car history. Was given the run around. The inspection report and estimate I have contradict one another. They spent 6 to tell me my cars problem is not there fault. They are unable and willing to answer my questions about inconsistencies.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Tucson, AZ

    The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the engine replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,122

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - powell, TN

    The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, the front of the vehicle was in flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 KIA OPTIMA
    - Fayetteville, NC

    The stock paint on the car is chipping and peeling away without any damage being done to the paint. Specific locations are the A pillars next to the windshield. The quality of the paint and clear coat comes into question, as this is also happening on my mother's white painted Kia, and this is a common issue amongst most Kias painted in any variation of white from the manufacturer.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE