Kia Optima problems, by model year and system
1,667 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Kia Optima 2016–2020, and the 4 systems the record is deep on — engine (1,005), electrical (218), transmission and drivetrain (166), fuel system (130). Each system has a page across the years; 8 model-year pages go deeper still. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate or a verdict on one car.
The systems the record is deep on
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEngine problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Electrical problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Transmission and drivetrain problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Fuel system problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Kia Optima complaints, year by system
Source: NHTSA complaint database| Model year | engine | electrical | transmission and drivetrain | fuel system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 148 in all | 108 | 14 | 28 | 12 |
| 2019 211 in all | 94 | 23 | 17 | 18 |
| 2018 243 in all | 152 | 37 | 20 | 14 |
| 2017 305 in all | 200 | 39 | 26 | 24 |
| 2016 760 in all | 451 | 105 | 75 | 62 |
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA naming each system, per model year; a bold count links the year’s own page on that system. Counts scale with sales and with time on the road; nothing here is a rate, and NHTSA’s headings are coarse (“Power Train” is the transmission and the driveline).
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseWhich Kia Optima system draws the most complaints?
Engine: 1,005 complaints across 5 model years, 60% of everything owners filed about the Kia Optima. A count, not a rate — it says nothing about how many were sold.
Which Kia Optima year has the most complaints?
2016 (760), 2017 (305), 2018 (243). Older years have had longer to collect them; the year pages show each year's share by system.