Hybrid system warning

Asked by GuruCG3DF Mar 17, 2019 at 12:23 PM about the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2012 kia optima hybrid. The engine does
not  start. Hybrid system warning safety stop and
do not drive

25 Answers

760

Every few hours it starts to do that until i shut it down and then it starts again. So can I drive like this?

38 people found this helpful.
290

Same thing happened to me when engine,spun bearing. Hybrid warning system said not to run engine. I replaced engine, And it wouldn't start. Called friend who a hybrid mechanic. Brought over his looked like lab top computer. Rebooted hybrid system. Started right up. I hope this helped.

29 people found this helpful.
70

GuruBVVTN....did you have any problems after doing this?

7 people found this helpful.
360

My 2012 hybrid gave me the same error last night. The problem I’m experiencing seems to be with the electric motor or transmission. When I’m in full stop and only the electric motor is on, I can hear a clicking noise like if the motor is having some sort of electrical problem. It sounds like what you hear if you stand under a high voltage power line. Also when I accelerate from a full stop, the electric engine seem to have problem grabbing or getting into the first gear, same when breaking below 30mph to full stop. It shakes when accelerating and does a hard gear change when breaking. Not too long ago the car had a bad code P0731 that the transmission oil was either dirty or low. I drained the trans oil and replaced with new one. But the problem was not fixed. I got the hybrid system warning about 30-50 miles of driving after the transmission oil was replaced. Btw the transmission oil was really dirty, completely black. Have someone experienced the same? If so, did you find a solution?

36 people found this helpful.
450

I had the same problem with my 2012 Optima Hybrid Guru. Turned out to be the transmission, repaced twice. Since 100K, no problems with the trans. But, just got the Hybrid System Warning on the dash yesterday. not sure what the problem is. not going to the dealer.

9 people found this helpful.
110

Same thing had been happening to my 2012 Optima hybrid. It first did it on a long trip to AZ. Called Kia, they said to turn off car and if it started again without any warning lights, the car rebooted itself and to go ahead and drive it. I was able to complete the trip, but a couple of months later, it happened about 6 times going and coming back from Vegas. Repair shop replaced crankshaft position sensor. That was last March 2019. Car never felt the same, lack of power and choking going up inclines. Then hard shift developed in reverse. Error code P0717, transmission input shaft speed sensor. Transmission replaced but found metal shavings on it, indicating transmission problems. Had transmission rebuilt, but hard shift remained. Even Kia could not diagnose why. Tonight, the hybrid battery warning came on after 11 months. Does it mean the battery is going? Or?

11 people found this helpful.
150

What is the problem was ???? If u solve it tell us how . Please.

15 people found this helpful.
20

Wyświetlił mi się dziś ten sam komunikat (Optima 2013) zaraz po tym jak gwałtownie przyspieszyłem i ostro zahamowałem. Ktoś pomoże?

2 people found this helpful.
20

Hi Guys! The same problem with my car. Any news? :(

2 people found this helpful.
40

Had this happen just out of the warranty period and cost me like 600$ for one of the electrical harnesses, and another electrical part still under warranty. One was the fan motor shut down in the trunk that keeps the battery's from overheating $300. This last month the Hybrid warning system came on blinking but knew if I stopped the engine it would not start up again from the above experience. Drove it to the nearest parking lot where the battery quit on me and engine stopped. It would later start again with the check engine light and run for a few seconds it would shut down. $210 tow to dealership and $85 rental car, two day later service rep called it is the 12 volt battery in the trunk repair $387. Now it is still giving me hesitation problems and ready light blinking when trying to accelerate on flooring the gas pedal. ???? Back to the service department..... Rotate tires and check for codes..... 80,000 miles guess its time to trade it in for a TESLA!!!!

4 people found this helpful.
220

Interesting find we have here. This exact same issue just happened to me on Sunday, 6/28 with my 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. Driving on the highway, I felt my car losing power and would not go when pressing the gas. I then got the Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive warning and exited the highway. At this point, the car is just dead and I am coasting. Luckily, I am able to coast into a parking lot, called a tow and now my car is at the dealership. Would love to hear from others who has had this fixed and what their problem was. Should I even bother getting this car fixed? Some of you got it fixed but had the same problem again or another problem. Is tis throwing good money at a bad investment at this point?

20 people found this helpful.
50

Any updates? My engine threw a bearing in Nov 2020. They finally included the hybrids in their recalls so I was able to have it replaced. After getting my car back, the hybrid warning system lights came on and told me to pull over and stop. This happened before I made it home. I turned around and took it back to Kia. They told me they “updated” it and it’s fixed. Since then, it’s popped up a few more times. I’ve called Kia but never had the chance to take the car in. Well I had some recalls so I took it up there and had them to look at that also. They are telling me it’s going to cost $1200 to replace the battery management system. I never had these issues until the replaced the engine. They also didn’t have a clue what was wrong with it and had to talk with Kia helpline. Anybody else replace their BMS and it fix it??

5 people found this helpful.
30

I am currently in the same situation as Amanda now. About 2 years ago (2019), the Hybrid System Warning came on, where the car stalled and I had to coast to the curb. Had the brakes checked and brake fluid flushed seemed to be okay. Last year 2020, the Hybrid System Warning lit twice more and occurred when I would start the car but keep my foot on the break for an extended time (like checking my phone before I hit the road, approximate time with brake pressed about 3-5 minutes). I turned off the ignition and waited and the car did start without the warning. There were six recalls on the 2013 so I took the car into the Stealership to see what they could find regarding the Hybrid System Warning. The said it was the 12V hybrid battery and of course, one day later, the Hybrid System Warning lights up again. I refuse to go back to the Kia Stealership at this point. An independent Prius specialist looked at it and the codes generated for him said, "THE CODES HAD TO DO WITH THE BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLY OR ABS MODULE." The ABS module/Brake Booster Assembly is $3,000. If anyone has any updates, I'd love to hear!

3 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 2013 Optima Hybrid and this literally just happened to me ( Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop & Do Not Drive) when I was dropping my car off to have an alignment (did not drop it off). I left and drove back to work with no problem but check engine light stayed on.

1 people found this helpful.
50

Same issue 2013 Hybrid. Got me for a battery the first time despite my explaining to them that there were no typical battery problems (starting) and that I was unable to turn the electrical system off so by the time it got towed to the dealership the battery had finally died. No solution so they charge you 300+ for a battery with a one year warranty! Six months later I am seeing the same problem discussed above, but at least I can turn the car off. Frankly based on this and issues with my Sportage, I do not trust the dealership.

5 people found this helpful.
80

I have a 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. First issue with the Hybrid Warning System on the dash, was in 2019. Car would not restart. The main hybrid fuse was replaced. No issues until November 2021, and then the Hybrid Warning System reappears. I was advise it was the power module that had failed. A $1300 repair. Three days later, the Hybrid Warning System appeared again. I was advised the car battery had died (of course it did, my car was on the side of the road with the hazard lights on for six hours). Battery was replaced. Roughly 20 days later, Hybrid Warning System warning appears. Please keep in mind, each time of a breakdown, car was towed to dealership. This time, the dealership kept the car for two weeks. Unable to resolve. Roughly 20 more days and the car breaks down again. Dealership replaces power module again, assuming that the previous power module was faulty. And then most recently, about a week later (February 2022), Hybrid Warning system happens again. The good news about the recent event, I learned that you can turn the car off and turn back on. The car is driveable but has an engine light on. I drove it to the dealership and I'm waiting for the next steps in troubleshooting. Kia HQ was was not able to provide any reassurance. They basically said, if our regional field technician cannot replicate the issue, it is pointless to send them out there. And, you should take your car to another mechanic. Kia hired the service technician experts at the dealership. If they are trusted to be hired, then they are trusted to be able to fix the car. I shouldn't have to take my car to different dealerships. My advice, if you come across this problem, there is no solution. None that I could find on the Internet. None by dealership and Kia experts. A master technician may be assigned my case but as of today, I'm not confident in a fix. A new car may be in your best interest.

8 people found this helpful.

i have a 2014 Kia optima Hybrid LX got it with engine changed everything seemed to be working until today 9/14/22, driving on the highway I got this hybrid system warning the battery showed to be fully charged all the way and then it got back down to 3 levels all of a sudden not sure what was the issue but I contacted the guy I bought the car from see if he is going to return my money I mean reading all these comments here looks like there is no fix to this issue, I think a new car is the in your best interest.

30

I realize these posts are mostly a year old, but I had the same issue today with my 2012 Optima hybrid. I was on a major interstate with construction. Only 2 lanes were open, and there was NO SHOULDER, only concrete barriers on each side. I was very scared. Luckily after momentarily stalling, it kept going until I could reach an exit. Terrifying. It's at the dealership now.

3 people found this helpful.
10

This post is slightly annoying, dozens of people are posting the same problem, but no fix?

1 people found this helpful.
220

I posted here two years ago and my fix was to take my car to the dealership. They had my car for 3-4 months running all types of analysis but could never determine why my engine seized up. That was my primary issue, a seized up engine. Since they were unable to determine why the engine seized, they replaced it for FREE! I just recently found out there is a class action lawsuit for this exact same issue. See link below! If you are having this issue, take it to the dealership ASAP and point out this class action lawsuit or submit a claim if you had to fix this yourself and paid out of pocket. I hope this helps someone. Please confirm you have the correct case before submitting any personal information. https://www.kiaenginesettlement.com/

2 people found this helpful.

Ohhh ! thank you for the link ! But I'm actually in Canada I wonder if it could still work for me or is it only USA? I'll definitely look into that this week cause I was about to just look for another car at this point, nobody had found the issue !

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