2018 KIA OPTIMA

What owners reported to NHTSA, ranked by how often and how seriously.

This is complaint data, not a random sample.

It only includes owners who chose to file a federal complaint, so it over-represents dramatic and safety-related problems and under-represents minor issues an owner just had fixed without reporting. Read this as what NHTSA complainants report most, not as this vehicle's true failure rate. Full methodology.

Component ranking

  1. #1

    engine oil consumption

    50 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    51
    incidents

    Commonly reported, insufficient mileage data - n=13, median 98,000 mi, no reliable range below 25 reports.

    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact inspected the dipstick and discovered that the engine oil level was low. The local dealer wa…"~60,000 mi, complaint #1993835
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil without warning. The contact stated that after receiving an oil change, the oil reservoir was empty within less than a week. The vehicle was taken…"~64,000 mi, complaint #1802821
    • "I ORIGINALLY LEASED MY 2018 OPTIMA WITH 98 MILES ON IT AND BOUGHT IT OUT AT THE END OF MY LEASE THIS WAS MY SECOND OPTIMA, I ALSO HAD 2 HYUNDAI SONATAS. SINCE I'M IN SALES I HAD THE ADDED MILEAGE ON IT. AT 98,000 MILES THE ENGINE STARTED TICKING. I ORIGINAL…"~98,000 mi, complaint #1730413
    • "Excessive oil consumption will burn through around 4qts of oil before 1k miles "~102,593 mi, complaint #1858073
  2. #2

    engine internal

    4 stranded, 40 unsafe

    44
    incidents

    Commonly reported, insufficient mileage data - n=15, median 27,500 mi, no reliable range below 25 reports.

    • "I LEASED 2018 KIA OPTIMA EX. AT 6399MILES AND 9650MILES ENGINE LIGHT ON AND CAR VIBRATES A LOT. FIRST SERVICE REPLACED SPARK PLUG AND SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED ENGINE. THIS CAR WAS AWARDED AS BEST INITIAL QUALITY AWARD WHICH HAS ENGINE ISSUES. KIA SAYS THEY…"~9,650 mi, complaint #1672039
    • "WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE STREETS; ITS AN 2018 KIA OPTIMA.ON AUGUST 2,2019 MY CAR ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE.PEOPLE WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK AND OTHER DRIVERS STOP TO ALERT ME THAT THEY SAW FIRE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR.THEN WHILE DRIVING I START TO NO…"~22,450 mi, complaint #1601022
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was sputtering while being started. The contact stated that the vehicle also sputtered while driving at various speeds, and while reversing. The check engine warning light was illuminated.…"~70,000 mi, complaint #1895488
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The contact was able…"~82,000 mi, complaint #1965897
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart but…"~109,000 mi, complaint #2075287
  3. #3

    engine stall or no start

    2 stranded, 22 unsafe

    24
    incidents

    Commonly reported, insufficient mileage data - n=21, median 42,000 mi, no reliable range below 25 reports.

    • "ON 03/29/2019 WAS TRAVELING TO WORK. ON INTERSTATE 53 SOUTHBOUND CAR WENT TO LIMP MODE. NO POWER. MANAGED TO GET TO DEALERSHIP. THEY TRIED TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE FOR 1 MONTH AFTER THEY TOLD ME THAT ENGINE NEED TO BE REPLACED THEY MANAGED TO CHANGE WIRING HARNESS…"~14,900 mi, complaint #1591239
    • "2018 KIA OPTIMA EX. SOMETIMES HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO START, UNTIL TODAY. ALL LIGHTS ON DASH LIT UP BUT NO IGNITION. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES, THEN STEERING AND BRAKE PEDAL LOCKED UP AND I HEARD CLICKING NOISE. HAD SOMEONE JUMP MY BATTERY AND THE CAR STARTED UP,…"~19,200 mi, complaint #1701403
    • "ENGINE TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING, GOING STRAIGHT, IN CITY. DEALERSHIP CAN NOT DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE PROBLEM. *TR"~41,000 mi, complaint #1670110
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH after leaving the dealer, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact stated that the high engine temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to safely pull o…"~77,200 mi, complaint #1808732
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who related t…"~106,000 mi, complaint #2049827
  4. #4

    lighting exterior

    13 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    14
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=5)

    • "I HAVE THE KIA OPTIMA SX WITH THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE THAT COMES EQUIPPED WITH THE AUTO-LEVELING AND AUTO-BENDING LED HEADLAMPS. I BELIEVE THAT THE AUTO-LEVELING FUNCTION IS WORKING INCORRECTLY. WHEN WEIGHT IS ADDED TO THE CAR (MORE PASSENGERS) THE BEAM PATTERN…"~20,000 mi, complaint #1677692
    • "WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT THE LIGHTS WILL CUT COMPLETELY OFF. YOU HAVE TO SWITCH FROM AUTO TO THE ON POISTION. ITS A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS SITUATION."~43,000 mi, complaint #1694436
    • "WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT LIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OUT ON HIGHWAY WHILE IN AUTO MODE"~45,325 mi, complaint #1681540
  5. #5

    brake hydraulics

    9 unsafe

    9
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=5)

    • "WHEN REVERSING THE BRAKES TAKE 5 TO 10 SECONDS TO RELEASE, ALSO THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON THE ENTIRE TIME OF THIS ISSUE HAPPENING."~8,800 mi, complaint #1526089
    • "RANDOMLY BRAKE PEDAL ON MY KIA OPTIMA FREEZES AND IM UNABLE TO APPLY AND STOP VEHICLE IT HAPPENED TWICE ONCE IT HAPPENED ON HWY AND ONCE ON CITY STREET. CURRENTLY VEHICLE IS IN DEALERSHIP SINCE JAN 2ND AND DEALER STATING THEY ARE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE ISSUE"~23,000 mi, complaint #1635792
    • "LOUD RATTELING WHEN CRANKING, CONTINUOUS RATTELING WHEN ACCELERATING UNDER DRIVERSIDE FLOOR BOARD MADE A CLUNK SOUND WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND NOW ITS LIKE A SLIDING SOUND BEFORE IT CATCHES BRAKE"~40,000 mi, complaint #1723628
  6. #6

    airbag system

    7 unsafe

    7
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=7)

    • "TAKATA RECALL. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE I WAS COMING OFF THE HIGHWAY, SLID ON WATER AND CRASHED INTO A STEEL POLE. THE BREAKS DID NOT WORK AT ALL AND WHEN I GOT OUT TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE THE BREAK PADS WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET LIKE THEY HAD…"~7,418 mi, complaint #1517474
    • "I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT AS I WAS DRIVING ON I65 AND MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND MY SEAT BELT DIDN'T LOCK UP"~46,000 mi, complaint #1708798
    • "ON NOVEMBER 18, 2019 @ 6:38 PM IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA ON 59TH AVE HEADING WEST I WAS IN A VERY TERRIBLE CAR COLLISION WHERE I WAS AT A STAND STILL AT A RED LIGHT AND WAS REAR ENDED BY A TOYOTA TACOMA GOING 45-60 MPH, UPON IMPACT I WAS FORCED FORWARD AND HIT THE B…"~66,000 mi, complaint #1626119
    • "The contact called on behalf of his son who owned a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the front of the vehicle crashed into the rear end of the vehicle that was in front of him whom made a sudden stop. The contact…"~96,145 mi, complaint #2094404
  7. #7

    trunk or liftgate

    4 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    5
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY. THERE IS NO EMERGENCY TRUNK RELEASE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE EXCEPT FROM INSIDE OF THE TRUNK. MY KEYS WERE STUCK INSIDE THE TRUNK THERE IS NO WAY TO OPEN IT. THE TRUNK RELEASE BUTTON FROM THE DRIVER SIDE DID NOT RESPOND. THE TR…"~25,000 mi, complaint #1519335
  8. #8

    acceleration loss or hesitation

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=5)

    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was then taken to Battleground Kia of Gree…"~60,000 mi, complaint #1877439
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle went into Limp Mode. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a faulty knock sensor that needed a…"~62,709 mi, complaint #1840769
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle failed…"~132,378 mi, complaint #2011412
  9. #9

    other

    3 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "FIRST OFF MY CAR IS FINE. AGAIN MY CAR IS FINE NO COMPLAINTS. NHTSA HAS MISS IDENTIFIED MY 2018 OPTIMA LX WITH 2.4L ENGINE HYBRID. NHTSA WITH THIS SCREW UP HAS OHIO BMV THINKING MY CAR IS HYBRID AND WANTS AN EXTRA $100 DOLLARS AS A FEE FOR LICENSE BECAUSE THEY…"~33,000 mi, complaint #1689457
  10. #10

    transmission automatic

    1 stranded, 3 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "TRANSMISSION FAILED AFTER 4 MONTHS AND [REDACTED ADDRESS] LOCAL STREETS, KIA DEALERS REFUSED TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY."~3,800 mi, complaint #1535266
    • "SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 18:55(APPROXIMATELY) AMHERST MASSACHUSETTS, 39 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT PARKED CAR, PULLED KEYS AND EXITED CAR TO HELP MY MOTHER EXIT. PARKED ON INCLINE, VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING BACK DOWN DRIVEWAY HAD KEYS IN POCKET AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION V…"~14,770 mi, complaint #1441803
  11. #11

    control module

    1 stranded, 2 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal odor and a knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the issu…"~1,500 mi, complaint #2218922
    • "2018 KIA 12,000 MILES HAD RECALL 2 MONTHS AGO FOR SOFTWARE UPDATE AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ONE DAY GETTING ON INTERSTATE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC MY SPEED AT TIME WAS PROBABLY 60 MPH CANT PUSH THE GAS CAR JUST STALLS 18 WHEELER BEHIND BLOWING HORN I PULL CAR TO SI…"~12,145 mi, complaint #1564207
  12. #12

    fuel pump

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "ECM telling fuel pump to put too much gas, causing exhaust into cabin, unnoticed while in car, but hair and cloth reak of exhaust and getting headaches. Reduced mileage by 20+mpg from 30+ to 11mpg. BSD- no lights or codes thrown by 3rd party, but dealer said t…"complaint #1831381
    • "The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that when the vehicle's oil will be as low as half a tank or lower the engine would suddenly stall. The vehicle would immediately regain power and function as expected. The failure occurred at various spee…"complaint #1848176
    • "THE FUEL PUMP HAS AN ACTIVE RECALL. TOOK ITIN TO DEALER AND WE ARE BEING ADVISED KIA WILL NOT COVER THE COST. THEY HAVE AN ARTICLE OUT THAT CLEARLY STATES THEY WILL COVER THE COSTS. THE CAR WREAKS OF THE SMELL OF GAS AND WE ARE SCARED IT WILL CATCH FIRE. "complaint #1940165
  13. #13

    glass and windshield

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 60MPH AND SUDDENLY THE FRONT PART OF MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED. THERE WAS NO IMPACT OR ACCIDENT THAT CAUSED THIS. WE WEREN'T HIT BY ANY ROAD DEBRIS OR ANYTHING IT JUST EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING."~24,770 mi, complaint #1742378
  14. #14

    seatbelt and pretensioner

    2 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT. OFTEN TIMES THE ALARM GOES OFF WHEN NO ONE IS SEATING IN THE SEAT ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING. ALSO, WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SIT IT OVERLY LOCKS NO MATTER THE SPEED OF THE CAR, THUS CAUSING THE PASSENGER T…"~19,000 mi, complaint #1570928
  15. #15

    steering electric assist

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)

    • "TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING LOCKED IN MID TURN WITH THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT CALLED PERRIS VALLEY KIA ([REDACTED AD…"~35,000 mi, complaint #1719338
    • "HELLO I AM NYCHOLE AND IN OCTOBER OF 2017 I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2018 KIA OPTIMA . NEVER REALLY HAD ANY ISSUES WITH IT UNTIL FRI NOV 22. AS I WAS LEAVING FROM WORK MY CAR DID A VERY ABRUPT JERK THAT I ACKNOWLEDGED BUT DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BECAUSE MY G…"~57,000 mi, complaint #1623470
  16. #16

    hv system fault reduced power

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES TO NOT ONLY MYSELF. IT MY WIFE AS WELL. AS WE'RE DRIVING ANYWHERE ABOVE 45MPH. A WARNING DISPLAY COMES ON TELLING US TO CHECK THE HEV, TO PULL OVER, AND TURN OFF OUR VEHICLE. WE COMPLY TO THE WARNING AND WHEN RESTARTING T…"~30,500 mi, complaint #1705695
  17. #17

    key fob and immobilizer

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "We would like to know what Kia is planning to do to address the fact that Kia built a car without the basic immobilizer circuit making it very easy to steal. Over the last few months, local and national news reports, as well as many social media sites, have r…"complaint #1782847
    • "I got out of my car to talk to someone and my car was running With my purse and phone in the car and the trunk open.i was meeting someone to buy a vacuume from Facebook marketplace. I decided to put the vacuum in the back seat instead so closed the trunk. When…"complaint #1838447
  18. #18

    paint and clearcoat

    1 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Paint on all four door handles are bubbling and chipping. I rarely use the backseat handles and passenger door, which makes it more likely to be a malfunction in whatever paint was used for the handles. There is no fading, chipping, or bubbling on other parts…"complaint #2153836
    • "About a month ago my paint on my 2018 Kia Optima snow white pearl car started bubbling, then it turned into peeling and has since then been coming off more and more. It is occurring right under the back seat of the drivers side window. Reading into this issue…"complaint #2184131
  19. #19

    steering column

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "THE STEERING WHEEL DOESN'T LOCK WHEN I PUT IT IN PARK, TURN THE CAR OFF AND REMOVE THE KEY."~50,000 mi, complaint #1652466
  20. #20

    wiring harness

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "There is already the theta 2 campaign on my Kia optima but Kia is not upholding their warranty for a new engine. Kia customer care told me that untill my car actually throws a rod then they will not fix it. So I could be doing 80 down the freeway and jeopardiz…"complaint #2097744
    • "My cars bulbs have been blowing on a regular basis for two years..some of the bulb connections are catching fire and exploding .Ive changed on numerous occasions but doesn’t matter even with new fittings…obviously an electric problem "complaint #2122001
  21. #21

    abs module

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "THIS HAS HAPPED NOW 5 TIMES!! WHEN APPLYING MY BRAKES, THE PEDAL GETS FIRM WHICH LITTLE TO NO REDUCTION IN SPEED! THEN PEDAL GOES ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WHEELS LOCK UP, COMING TO AN ABRUPT STOP! EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM AND WI…"complaint #1676578
  22. #22

    adas collision warning

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM AND THE FORWARD COLLISION BRAKING SYSTEM DID NOT OPERATE AS INTENDED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY TWO FEET BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE C…"complaint #1482203
  23. #23

    battery and charging

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "I HAVE 63,826 MILES ON MY 2018 KIA OPTIMA S AND I DROVE IT TO THE STORE AND ALL MY LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON WHEN I WOULD COME TO A STOP AND MY POWER STEERING WOULD GO OUT AND ABOUT CAUSE ME TO WRECK. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS MY ALTERNATOR BUT AFTER GETTING A NE…"~36,826 mi, complaint #1712921
  24. #24

    brake booster

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • " I turned the car off, it had difficulty turning back on and the brake pedal got really hard. I had to wait about 30-45 minutes and then I was able to get the car started and brake pedal back to normal and no lights. Recently, I left the car on to run into a s…"complaint #2164247
  25. #25

    catalytic converter

    1 stranded

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I have had this car in the shop multiple times for a engine light that kept coming on, they would reset and say they couldn't see anything wrong. Well my car died in Dec, it made a noise and would not accelerate. To avoid any further issues I parked it and h…"complaint #1961883
  26. #26

    door latch and hinge

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "BOTH OF MY BACK DOOR SENSATORS ARE SAYING THE BACK DOORS ARE OPEN BUT THEY'RE LOCKED"~52,619 mi, complaint #1730258
  27. #27

    driveshaft axle cv

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "THE CV AXLE ASSEMBLIES SNAP LIKE THE 2016 MODELS DO KIA'S RECALL NUMBER SC139."~63,000 mi, complaint #1631545
  28. #28

    engine cooling

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "Car smoking white , and driving slow after I hit a pothole when it was raining hard."~106,983 mi, complaint #1898212
  29. #29

    engine mounts

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "High injector fuel pump top engine mount went out at 68000 miles. It caused the vehicle to stall and lose power and basically cut the car off while driving. "~68,000 mi, complaint #1899955
  30. #30

    fuel tank and lines

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Leaking gas at the firewall when running."complaint #1922276
  31. #31

    parking sensors

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE REVERSING THE VEHICLE, THE REAR AND SIDE SENSORS FAILED TO IDENTIFY TWO PEOPLE WALKING PAST. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SUNSET KIA OF AUBURN ([REDACTED ADDRESS] N, AUBURN…"~14,356 mi, complaint #1590521
  32. #32

    power windows and locks

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "THIS HAS OCCURRED ON 3 TIMES SO FAR. I WAS AT A GAS STATION FILLING UP THE TANK, THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION, THE CAR WAS IN PARK, THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING, AND MY CAR DOOR WAS CLOSED. WHEN I FINISHED GETTING GAS, I TRIED TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND IT WA…"complaint #1528890
  33. #33

    stability and traction control

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "TAKARA RECALL VEHICLE POWER DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING [REDACTED ADDRESS] THE CAR WAS STATIONARY IN MOTION THEN POWERED BACK UP WITHOUT ME TURNING THE IGNITION.WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE"~12,098 mi, complaint #1572284
  34. #34

    sunroof

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WITH NO OTHER TRAFFIC AROUND THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED. THERE WAS A SOUND LIKE A GUNSHOT AND THEN A RUSH OF AIR INTO THE DRIVER/PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THANKFULLY I HAD THE INTERIOR SHADE (PANEL) CLOSED AND WAS NOT…"~16,250 mi, complaint #1549066
  35. #35

    throttle and pedal

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Trying to cut off and jerks when stopping vehicle"complaint #1838125
  36. #36

    tire failure

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "ON NOVEMBER 7 WHILE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN SC I HAD A CATOSTROPHIC FAILURE IN MY FRONT LEFT TIRE AT 55 MILES PER HOUR. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO EXIT SAFELY AND GET MY VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. THE TIRE WAS FILLED TO MANUFACTURER PSI AND WAS DRIVEN ONLY 13,151…"~13,151 mi, complaint #1705026
  37. #37

    tpms

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND STARTED TO HEAR AN NOISE FROM THE FRONT RIGHT WHILE I WAS ON A ROAD TRIP. HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 45 MILES AND MOVED OVER ONE LANE TO THE RIGHT AND FRONT RIGHT TIRE BLEW - HAD LESS THAN 16,000 MILES ON CAR. I GOT THE TIRE REPL…"~15,000 mi, complaint #1644077
  38. #38

    unknown

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Just Started Having Problems On It’s On The Car Only Has 38,000 Miles"complaint #1843678

NHTSA investigations

Search NHTSA's own recall and complaint database for KIA OPTIMA directly.