The best Optima years to buy are 2018 and 2019. Avoid the 2012 and 2013: engine failures, steering couplers and fires make them the worst Optimas.
Best years: 20182019 Years to avoid: 20122013
Every Optima year compared
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold. Lower is better. The newest years have had less time to collect complaints, so they are marked too new to judge.
Known Optima problems
Year by year
About the Optima
The Optima is the Sonata's twin, with the same Theta II engines. 2011-2015 cars have engine seizure recalls, steering coupler wear and many fire reports, and Kia extended warranties on many engines. Later cars are better, though oil consumption still shows up.
- 2011-2015: Third generation. Engine seizure, fires and steering couplers.
- 2016-2020: Fourth generation. Fewer complaints; oil use and some forward collision faults.
Optima warranty extensions and special coverage
Carmakers sometimes extend the warranty on a part that fails too often, or pay for a fix outside a recall. These notices come from the dealer bulletins Kia files with NHTSA. 715 Optima bulletins are on file in total.
WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage for repairs related to low-pressure fuel pump failure for 20...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Managers that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage for repairs related to low-p...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage for repairs related to low-pressure fuel pump failure in 2016-2020 MY Opt...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: QUESTION AND ANSWER - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Warranty Extension (WTY028).
WARRANTY EXTENSION: REIMBURSEMENT FORM - This document is a Reimbursement Request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the war...
FUEL PUMP FILTER INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information associated with the 'Warranty Extension Program' (WTY028) to inspect and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump filter assembly on 2016-2020MY Optima (J...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (WTY036) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage, to all owners, for repairs related to the illumina...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: REIMBURSEMENT FORM (WTY036) - This document is a Reimbursement Request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior t...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: OWNER NOTIFICATION (WTY036) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage, to all owners, for repairs related to the illumination of the A...
WARRANTY EXTENSION: QUESTION AND ANSWER (WTY036) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Warranty Extension Campaign WTY036.
Ask a dealer to check a specific car by VIN. Extensions usually have a time or mileage limit.
Government investigations into the Optima
NHTSA opens an investigation when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Some end in a recall and some close without one.
Audit query AQ23002 · 2012–2015 · opened Nov 2023
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc.
Defect petition DP22005 · 2012–2020 · opened Jan 2023, closed Aug 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
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.
Defect petition DP22003 · 2012–2020 · opened Sep 2022, closed Dec 2023
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.
Engineering analysis EA21003 · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 · opened Dec 2021, closed Feb 2024 · led to recall 23V877
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Defect petition DP21003 · 2012–2016 · opened Nov 2021, closed Jun 2023
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.
Engineering analysis EA19001 · 2012–2019 · opened Apr 2019, closed Sep 2024 · led to recall 20V024
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.
Preliminary evaluation PE19004 · 2012–2014 · opened Mar 2019, closed Dec 2021 · led to recall 20V088000
During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima, MY 2011-2014 K...
Defect petition DP18003 · 2012–2014 · opened Aug 2018, closed May 2019 · led to recall 18V907000
In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles.
Recall query RQ17003 · 2012–2014 · opened May 2017, closed Dec 2021 · led to recall 17V224000
NHTSA opened Recall Query (RQ) 17-003 to investigate the timeliness and scope of Kia's Theta II GDI engine recall (Recall No.
Optima vs rivals
Questions
What is the best year for the Kia Optima?
2018 and 2019. The best Optima years to buy are 2018 and 2019. Avoid the 2012 and 2013: engine failures, steering couplers and fires make them the worst Optimas.
Which Kia Optima years should I avoid?
2012, 2013. These drew far more owner complaints per car sold than the Kia Optima average.
Is the Kia Optima engine covered by a warranty extension?
Many 2011-2019 Optimas got the knock sensor software update and a lifetime warranty extension for engine bearing failure. A Kia dealer can confirm coverage by VIN.
Based on 5,804 complaints filed by owners with U.S. safety regulators for model years 2012 to 2020, and U.S. sales by calendar year. How we score.