NHTSA lists 210 complaints for the 2019 Kia Optima, 20 of them mention a crash and 6 mention a fire. 11 complaints mention an injury, with 16 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA OPTIMA.
At a glance
Complaints
210
With crash
20
With fire
6
With injury (complaints)
11
Injuries
16
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
11,423
Investigations
3
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
153
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE
90
42.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
42
20.0%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
36
17.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
23
11.0%
SERVICE BRAKES
18
8.6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
17
8.1%
POWER TRAIN
17
8.1%
STRUCTURE
14
6.7%
AIR BAGS
12
5.7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
4.8%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
30
STRUCTURE
BODY
14
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
10
LANE DEPARTURE
WARNING
4
LANE DEPARTURE
BLIND SPOT DETECTION
3
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
2
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
HOOD
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION
REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT PANEL
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Optima vehicles equipped with Gamma 1.6L Turbo-GDI or Theta II 2.0L Turbo-GDI engines. A software error in the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system may cause the braking assist function to not engage when a stationary vehicle is detected.
Consequence: Improper intervention of the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will update the FCA software, free of charge. The recall began August 27, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC179.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
3 investigations; 0 open.
DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i
Systems: ENGINE.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
EA19001
Opened: 2019-04-19. Closed: 2024-09-19.
Electrical overstress
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.A During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicl
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC367) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to ensure compliance with emissi
SC367_STKR: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL/STICKER
11037393
Date: 2026-09-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Electronic Control Module a ECMa system software for certain 2019-2020 MY Optima vehicles manufactured from May 21, 2018, through June 1, 2020, equipped with the 1.6L T-GDI engine t
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC367) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to ensure
11037389
Date: 2026-09-09. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (SC367) - This document is the announcement to dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Con
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (SC367) a This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign SC367.
11036628
Date: 2026-08-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR a ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the A
11034003
Date: 2026-06-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov
11033934
Date: 2026-06-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the drivera s door lock and trunk lid key cylinders on some 2019-2024MY Kia vehicles listed below. On affected vehicles, the stored key code may not correspond to the mechanical key profile,
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.