KnownCarProblems2013 Kia Optima Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,386 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Optima, most often about the engine (47% of complaints, typically around 100,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Optima model year since 2000 and has 9 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory3 recalls for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2013 Kia Optima problems
Engine
651 complaints · 47%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
I was on my way home from work, and at the light I noticed my engine started knocking a little but there was no check engine light, oil light, etc notifying me of any problem. I gave it a little gas to get up the hill and my car shut off almost instantly and I was in the middle of traffic helplessly trying to get…
My vehicle started using a lot of oil and was losing power upon acceleration. I had read online that there were problems with the engine and I kept hoping for a recall. However, the recall hasn't happened and I am almost at 100,000 miles. My car started making a ticking noise when I would accelerate and I had just had…
Steering
213 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles.
The steering wheel is 'cog-wheeling' to far left or right. Can't keep the steering wheel neutral/center to keep the vehicle straight. Either the steering wheel is rotated just off the center, cogged too far to left or too far to right. I need to constantly make adjustment and zig-zag through the straight road. This is…
At speeds above 50mph, after Kia performed and alignment and new tires installed, the steering requires constant correction. There also appear to be alot of play in the steering wheel. The car will not drive in a straight line. It takes alot of work correcting the steering.
Other or unspecified
186 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles.
On september 16, 2018 at approximately 930am, while on duty at work(correction officer) my Kia Optima gdi 2013 went up in flames in the parking lot of my job.. I was not present and the vehicle. I had already been on duty 530am that morning. Once I made it to the scene my car was completely almost burnt to the ground.…
Takata recall - we called dealer ball Kia in national city, ca & were told that we would receive a letter. For US to call back then & that we had to continue to operate an un-safe vehicle until the letter arrived and a appointment could be made. This car could kill US upon impact!!! Please, there has to be a better &…
Electrical
146 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 87,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring, horn.
My 2013 Kia Optima caught on fire just short of driving it for about 15-20 min on 9/23/18. We got no warning on the dashboard we heard a light pop noise, the vehicle turned off when we got off there was fire coming out from the hood that fastly spread throught out up to the whole front of the car destroying the whole…
I thought my key fob stopped working I took it to the dealership had it tested and they said it was fine. They said it had to be the wiring in my car for my alarm system. About 4 months ago I was going to get into my car. I put my key in the dot unlocked it pulled my door open and my car alarm started going off. I…
Body and structure
127 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
On september 16, 2018 at approximately 930am, while on duty at work(correction officer) my Kia Optima gdi 2013 went up in flames in the parking lot of my job.. I was not present and the vehicle. I had already been on duty 530am that morning. Once I made it to the scene my car was completely almost burnt to the ground.…
Waiting on a red light, the Kia Optima stalled and then smoke started coming into the cabin. Within seconds the front of the car caught fire and my wife and two children had a very limited time to get out from the burning car into safety. The burning car was eventually extinguished by the fire department. Local police…
Fuel system
123 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 88,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
Car smelled like gas when air was on and even with air off. Fixed march 2019 and I believe I see a recall for it now. We paid a pretty penny to get fixed. My paint on my car is coming off everywhere like bad nail polish. It is peeling off and continues to happen in new parts of the car. I'm trying to get this fixed…
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, fuel odor was detected but the contact did not see fuel leaking onto the ground. The contact's cousin, an independent mechanic, inspected under the engine cover and saw that there was fuel leaking on top of the engine…
Brakes
114 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, she observed a gasoline odor coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while her husband was turning off the vehicle, there was an abnormal clicking noise was detected. The window failed to roll down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes…
Transmission
64 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. While the vehicle was parked, the gears failed. The contact used the shift lock release to take the vehicle out of gear. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the…
I stopped in a parking space and shifted into park and turned off the car. When I stepped out of the car it started rolling. I jumped back on the car and stepped on the brake. The lever was in park but the transmission was in drive or neutral. I could have been run over. The linkage that connects the shift lever to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Kia Optima recalls
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the hecu fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed november 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed march 29, 2024 through june 18, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc284.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 borrego, 2014-2016 cadenza, 2010-2013 forte, forte koup, sportage, 2015-2018 k900, 2011-2015 optima, 2011-2013 optima hybrid, soul, 2012-2017 rio, 2011-2014 sorento, and 2010-2011 rondo vehicles. The hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Body and structure: roof and pillars
Risk: A plate that detaches during a crash may strike an occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will secure the headliner plates, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed september 26, 2022. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc245.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 optima vehicles. The right and left headliner plates may not be secured properly, which can result in the plates detaching in the event of a side curtain air bag deployment.
Fuel system: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: A fuel leak can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel hose, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 2, 2022. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-33-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc228.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2014 optima vehicles that were previously repaired under NHTSA recall number 20v-100. The low pressure fuel hose may be damaged, or missing heat-protective tape, which can result in a fuel leak.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An electrical short in the hecu increases the risk of a fire while parked or driving.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will install a new multi-fuse, and inspect the hecu for leaks, replacing the hecu if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on july 2, 2021. This recall supersedes previous NHTSA recall number 20v-519. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc212.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 optima and 2014-2015 sorento vehicles previously recalled under recall 20v-519. Brake fluid may leak inside the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: If the hecu short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the hecu for leaking brake fluid and replace the hecu if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. The recall began october 20, 2020. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc197.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 optima and 2014-2015 sorento vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Fuel system: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: If the fuel hose cracks, a fuel leak can occur, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the low pressure fuel hose for damage or leaking, replacing it as necessary. If no damage or leaking is found, a heat-protective tape will be installed. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began june 12, 2020. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc187.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2014 optima vehicles equipped with 2.4l gasoline direct injection (gdi) or 2.0l gdi turbo engines. The low pressure fuel hose may deteriorate and crack over time due to heat generated within the engine compartment.
Engine
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began january 17, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc172.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 optima, 2012-2017 sorento and 2011-2018 sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17v-224, warranty, or the knock sensor detection system (ksds) product improvement campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
Risk: If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Fix: Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 sedona vehicles, kia will instruct dealers to verify the acu part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the acu connector and the vehicle harness connector. For all other affected vehicles, kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began september 28, 2018. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc165.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 kia forte, forte koup, 2011-2013 kia optima and 2011-2012 kia optima hybrid and sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (acu) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.
Engine
Risk: Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began june 20, 2017. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc147.
Full defect summary
Kia motor company (kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 optima, 2012-2014 sorento and 2011-2013 sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Hyundai and kia ABS module fires
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has received eight hyundai motor america (hyundai) and eight kia america, inc. (kia) part 573 recall reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or hydraulic electronic control units (hecu) manufactured by the equipment supplier mando. The part 573 recall reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by mando. Safety recalls included in this audit query (aq) review include: hyundai recalls 20v-520, 20v-543, 21v-161, 21v-160, 21v-303, 22v-056, 22v-810, and 23v-651. Kia recalls 16v-815, 20v-518, 20v-519, 21v
Loss of motive power
Summary
The national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated july 13, 2022, petitioning the agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain hyundai motor america, inc. And kia america, inc. Vehicles spanning model years (my) 2005-2021. The petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are
Engine fires
Summary
On march 29, 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened two preliminary evaluations (pe19-003 on hyundai and pe19-004 on kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year hyundai and kia vehicles.â during the pe investigations, hyundai and kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types.â the remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement.â additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software modif
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) of the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated october 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (etc) system on certain kia vehicles resulting in the opening of dp21-003. Accordingly, model year (my) 2005-2016 kia optima/k5, my 2006-2015 kia sorento, my 2007-2016 hyundai elantra, my 2007-2016 hyundai santa fe, my 2006-2015 hyundai sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a vehicle owner questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (odi) number 11439675.on november 12, 2021, odi opened defec
Electrical overstress
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.â during the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (acu) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ecu) manufactured by zf-trw. â the ecu receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with m
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
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 NHTSA recalls 20v-750 and 2
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
In a letter dated june 11, 2018, the center for auto safety (cas) petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) 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 NHTSA 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
Scope and timeliness
Summary
Nhtsa opened recall query (rq) 17-003 to investigate the timeliness and scope of kia?s theta II gdi engine recall (recall no. 17v-224), and kia?s compliance with reporting requirements. On november 23, 2020, the agency entered into a consent order with kia to administratively resolve NHTSA?s assertions of violations of law in connection with rq17-003. Nhtsa?s assertions included that kia may be liable for civil penalties on multiple grounds, including that recall no. 17v-224 was untimely and kia?s recall report contained certain inaccuracies.under the consent order, kia agreed to a total civil penalty of $70,000,000. The total civil penalty included a payment of $27,000,000 as a non-deferred
Questions about the 2013 Kia Optima
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Kia Optima?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (651 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles); steering (213 complaints, typically around 40,000 miles); other or unspecified (186 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Kia Optima have?
- 9 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 25, 2023 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Kia Optima?
- It is the most complained-about Optima model year since 2000, with 1,386 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.