3 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
Kia is recalling certain Optima and Optima Hybrid cars. The base of the trunk latch can crack. When it cracks, the trunk can no longer be opened from the inside. Federal safety rules require a way to open the trunk from inside, and these cars do not meet that rule. A dealer will replace the trunk latch base at no cost, so the trunk can be opened from the inside again.
Some Kia Optima vehicles with certain turbocharged engines have a software error in the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist system. Because of this error, the system's automatic braking function may not engage when it detects a stationary vehicle ahead. This means the system may fail to step in and help brake the car in that situation, the way it is designed to.
Some Optima hybrid vehicles have a voltage protection device meant to guard the high-voltage battery, and it may switch on when it shouldn't. If this happens while you're driving in electric mode, the vehicle can suddenly lose power.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 232 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 206 | 20 | 6 | 16 |
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls covering the 2018–2019 Kia Optima. 1 of them is rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Kia Optima trunk latch may crack, trapping someone inside" (NHTSA campaign 23V594000), reported Aug 24, 2023.
The 2018 Kia Optima has the most, with 2 recalls. The 2019 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
No. None of the 3 Kia Optima recalls on file carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Kia dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: