hybrid battery low won't crank but turns on and says park do not drive check charging system
2013 Kia Optima Hybrid electrical problems
22 complaints (39% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 50,521. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 22
- of this car's complaints
- 39%
- typical mileage
- 50,521
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Propulsion system: hybrid management1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Kia Optima Hybrid electrical problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Non-crash Vehicle Fires
During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima, MY 2011-2014 Kia Sorento and MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with Theta II, Gamma, Nu and Lambda II engines (approximately 1.7 million vehicles). ODI also reviewed field and other data on other Kia vehicles (approximately 3.6 million additional vehicles) equipped with the same engines used in the above-mentioned vehicles.As a result of this PE, Kia has issued the federal safety agency Recalls 20V‑750 and 21V‑844 to address potential engine failures and fires in certain Kia vehicles equipped with various engine types.Additional information on these and other related recall actions is available in the downloadable version of this resume available at addition, ODI has upgraded this PE to an Engineering Analysis (EA) 21-003 which will focus on potential recall scope concerns and recall remedy concerns related to the engine failure-related recalls mentioned above and conducted previously.See the EA21-003 Opening Resume available at for more information.Also available in the downloadable version of this resume is a list of the reference numbers for the 444 ODI reports, or Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs), cited above which ODI received through mid-November 2021.Note that the Manufacturer reports cited above are customer complaints received through March 2019.
PE19004
Non-crash Vehicle Fires
In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the federal safety agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition. CAS stated that there is a higher number of complaints to the federal safety agency regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) had already opened Recall Queries (RQ17-003 and RQ17-004) on all Kia and Hyundai vehicles equipped with Theta II engines for engine failures that may cause stalling and fires.The queries cover most of the petition subject Optima, Sorento, Sonata, and Santa Fe vehicles but not any of the subject Soul vehicles.On August 21, 2018, ODI opened a Defect Petition (DP18-003) to evaluate whether to grant or deny the CAS petition. ODI sent Information Request letters to Kia and Hyundai (September and October 2018) requesting information on all engine and non-engine related fires in the petition vehicles.ODI performed extensive analysis on the information obtained from Kia and Hyundai. During the DP18-003 analysis, Kia and Hyundai each initiated three additional safety recalls related to engine compartment fires on certain petitioned and non-petitioned vehicles (nearly 740,000 total vehicles: Recalls 18V‑907, 18V‑934, 19V‑101, 19V‑063, 19V‑120, and 19V‑204). Based on ODI?s review of the applicable materials, including responses to Information Requests sent to multiple manufacturers, Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ), and Early Warning Data, the federal safety agency decided to grant the petition.The CAS petition was granted on March 29, 2019. Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) have been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety-related consequences of alleged defects relating to non-collision vehicle fires in the 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe, and 2010-2015 Kia Soul.Attached is a list of the reference numbers for the 404 VOQs cited above.
DP18003
What 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I took my car to riverchase Kia to get a battery and to get the battery installed I have the invoice I was charged $762 and he also told me that he was doing some recalls on wiring and he told me he completed it well recently I was driving and the brakes gave out on me he was supposed to do a recall job on the he cu but he only put a fuse in and press complete on your system to let you all know that he completed the job but he did not complete the job he patched it up and I almost lost my life the Brits gave out on me I pressed the brakes down to the floor I pressed the the parking brake and I put the car in park while driving because it lost power of breaking and a warning came up popped up and it said it's a safety race warning do not drive do not drive no brakes do not drive and I almost ran into a building finally the car out down and I was able to stop but I can't drive the car because it's a safety risk the the brake fluid keeps coming out and the car keeps telling me warning do not drive and the brake warning light is on and when I check the brake fluid reservoir is no brake fluid in it it keeps running out and I feel like I'm at a dead end I don't have any transportation I can't drive my kids to school I can't do the things that I need to do in my normal life because I don't have any breaks and this dealership did not perform the job that they were supposed to perform he did not repair the he cu he just passed it up and I almost died
Based on reading some service forms, it seems it may be the hydraulic booster, causing the issue. In order for them to take a look at the brakes system. I was charged a upfront diagnostics fee of $316. While driving warning light comes on " Check brake system " then the car slows down to 10mph immediately. While pressing on the brakes they squeaking, very badly. I have to turn the car off and back on until the flashing " Check brake system" turns off. This happens every 5 to 10 minutes while driving multiple times a day, everyday. This could have caused an accident on multiple occasions. When the warning light comes on, the car immediately goes down to 10mph making it impossible to pullover in time. The car is currently at the dealership for inspection, they're the only ones that i had inspect the car. However reading the Kia forms online alot of other customers are having this same issue. This issue started happening about two months ago. And has progressively gotten worse.
I googled and a recall # SC200TE showed it was uncompleted. I called Holly Kia in Felton, Delaware, and they informed me my title is "branded" and therefore not covered under recalls. Then i google the recall again and now its gone.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Hybrid battery system warning - Pull over -Do Not Drive" was displayed, prompting the contact to pull over and discontinue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The ABS and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 146,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia optima hybrid. While driving 45 MPH, the contact noticed that the check charging system warning indicator illuminated. While attempting to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road, it completely shut off. The vehicle was towed to earnhardt kia (2121 e bell rd, phoenix, az 85022, 602‑346‑5400) where it was diagnosed that there was electrical failure; however, the specifics were unknown. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
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
Vehicle was traveling 65 MPH when a hcs warning light came on and the vehicle stopped completely in the middle of the freeway. I had to get the car towed. The kia dealer said the safety fuse of 125 had to be replaced with a 150 safety fuse as well as the new battery, $897 to fix the problem. When I asked kia why they didn't recall the 125 safety fuse, they said it was not a safety issue!
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia optima hybrid. While driving approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle stalled and "hybrid failure" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to kia store east (7301 new la grange road, louisville, kentucky 40222, (502) 425-1234) where the relay and ecu battery were replaced, but the failure recurred. While driving 25 MPH, a faulty fuse blew out within the hybrid motor. An independent mechanic replaced the relay with an increased voltage from 125 amps [watts] to 150 amps [watts]. The failure was remedied. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
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
Questions about the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid electrical
Does the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 22 complaints about the electrical of the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid, 39% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid electrical problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 50,521 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid electrical?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Kia Optima Hybrid have the most electrical problems?
The Kia Optima Hybrid model years with the most electrical complaints are 2013 (22 complaints), 2012 (20 complaints) and 2014 (11 complaints).
Other 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid problems
Brakes 16Engine 15Transmission 7Acceleration 5Fuel system 5Steering 4Driver assistance 3Lights 3Suspension 2Airbags 1
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