2014 KIA OPTIMA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 609 complaints · 0 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: ENGINE (244 complaints · 40.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 24
  • Fires 42
  • Injuries 22
  • Deaths 2
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 244 of 609 owner complaints (40.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 244 complaints, 40.1% of reports ENGINE 244 · 40.1% · 7 crash reports 21 fire reports STEERING: 85 complaints, 14.0% of reports STEERING 85 · 14.0% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 34 complaints, 5.6% of reports STRUCTURE 34 · 5.6% · 1 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 32 complaints, 5.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 32 · 5.3% · 3 crash reports 7 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 29 complaints, 4.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 29 · 4.8% · 2 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 18 complaints, 3.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 18 · 3.0% · 2 crash reports 3 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 17 complaints, 2.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 17 · 2.8% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 15 complaints, 2.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 15 · 2.5% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 12 complaints, 2.0% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12 · 2.0% · 2 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 155 complaints, 25.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 155 · 25.5% · 5 crash reports 9 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 244 40.1% 7 crashes · 21 fires
STEERING 85 14.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 34 5.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 32 5.3% 3 crashes · 7 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 29 4.8% 0 crashes · 2 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 18 3.0% 2 crashes · 3 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 17 2.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 15 2.5% 3 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12 2.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 155 25.5% 5 crashes · 9 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2014. 2014-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2014-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2014-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2017-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2018-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2018-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2018-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2019-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 2019-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2019-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2019-Q4: 19 owner reports 19 2020-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2020-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2020-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2021-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2021-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2021-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2021-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2022-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2022-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2022-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2022-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2023-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2023-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q4: 19 owner reports 19 2024-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2024-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2024-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 2024-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2025-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2025-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2025-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2025-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2026-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2026-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2026-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 Owner reports Jan 2014 Jul 2026 Investigation RQ17003 ● Investigation RQ17003 Investigation RQ17003 ● Investigation RQ17003 Investigation DP18003 ● Investigation DP18003 Investigation DP18003 ● Investigation DP18003 Investigation PE19004 ● Investigation PE19004 Investigation PE19004 ● Investigation PE19004 Investigation EA19001 ● Investigation EA19001 Investigation EA19001 ● Investigation EA19001 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation EA21003 ● Investigation EA21003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005 Investigation AQ23002 ● Investigation AQ23002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2014-Q1 Owner reports 9
2014-Q2 Owner reports 8
2014-Q3 Owner reports 17
2014-Q4 Owner reports 8
2015-Q1 Owner reports 6
2015-Q2 Owner reports 5
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 6
2016-Q2 Owner reports 6
2016-Q3 Owner reports 6
2016-Q4 Owner reports 8
2017-Q1 Owner reports 6
2017-Q2 Owner reports 12
2017-Q3 Owner reports 7
2017-Q4 Owner reports 4
2018-Q1 Owner reports 15
2018-Q2 Owner reports 11
2018-Q3 Owner reports 16
2018-Q4 Owner reports 13
2019-Q1 Owner reports 21
2019-Q2 Owner reports 18
2019-Q3 Owner reports 22
2019-Q4 Owner reports 19
2020-Q1 Owner reports 11
2020-Q2 Owner reports 18
2020-Q3 Owner reports 14
2020-Q4 Owner reports 15
2021-Q1 Owner reports 10
2021-Q2 Owner reports 18
2021-Q3 Owner reports 20
2021-Q4 Owner reports 10
2022-Q1 Owner reports 14
2022-Q2 Owner reports 17
2022-Q3 Owner reports 19
2022-Q4 Owner reports 11
2023-Q1 Owner reports 16
2023-Q2 Owner reports 15
2023-Q3 Owner reports 11
2023-Q4 Owner reports 19
2024-Q1 Owner reports 10
2024-Q2 Owner reports 12
2024-Q3 Owner reports 15
2024-Q4 Owner reports 10
2025-Q1 Owner reports 14
2025-Q2 Owner reports 11
2025-Q3 Owner reports 14
2025-Q4 Owner reports 10
2026-Q1 Owner reports 11
2026-Q2 Owner reports 10
2026-Q3 Owner reports 4
Defect investigation 1 RQ17003
Defect investigation 1 RQ17003
Defect investigation 1 DP18003
Defect investigation 1 DP18003
Defect investigation 1 PE19004
Defect investigation 1 PE19004
Defect investigation 1 EA19001
Defect investigation 1 EA19001
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
Defect investigation 1 EA21003
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
Defect investigation 1 AQ23002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (0)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

Zero safety recalls recorded for this model year in official NHTSA records.

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot Aug 21, 2026
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 609 complaints · page 1 of 25

No complaints match the current filters.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot Aug 21, 2026
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources