Vehicle

Kia Optima · 2006

2 recalls affect this vehicle. Sorted by severity, then date.

Filter by model year

All years 2019 · 1 recall 2017–2018 · 1 recall 2016–2018 · 1 recall 2011–2017 · 1 recall 2016 · 3 recalls 2013–2015 · 2 recalls 2011–2015 · 1 recall 2013–2014 · 2 recalls 2011–2014 · 1 recall 2012–2013 · 1 recall 2011–2013 · 1 recall 2008–2011 · 1 recall 2006–2008 · 2 recalls

1–2 of 2

Severity pendingNHTSA·11V153000·2011-03-09
Kia Recalls 2006-2008 Optima Vehicles Due to Shift Cable Defect
Kia is recalling 2006-2008 Optima vehicles because an incorrectly installed shift cable may detach, preventing the transmission from shifting into Park and allowing the vehicle to roll.
Product
KIA — KIA OPTIMA
Category
Vehicle
Distribution
Distributed nationwide
Severity pendingNHTSA·12V014000·2012-01-17
Kia Recalls Optima and Rondo Vehicles for Air Bag Defect
Kia is recalling 2006-2008 Optima and 2007-2008 Rondo vehicles because the driver's air bag may not deploy in a crash due to a damaged clock spring.
Product
KIA — KIA OPTIMA, RONDO
Category
Vehicle
Distribution
Distributed nationwide

NHTSA crash-test safety rating

Federal 5-Star Safety Rating from crash testing. This is a separate government program from the recall(s) above — a high star rating says nothing about whether a specific recall has been fixed, and a recall says nothing about crash-test performance.

2006Not rated by NHTSA
2 trims tested for 2006; overall ratings can differ by trim.
View on NHTSA.gov

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), a federal crash-test program — not a recall record.

Wider context for this vehicle

Beyond the official recalls above. These are third-party figures derived from NHTSA complaint data — useful signal, but not part of our verified recall record.

Federal investigations

AQ25001 Audit Query · engine and engine cooling:engine:hard parts internal/mechanical
PE19004 Preliminary Evaluation · electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cables
RQ17003 Recall Query · engine
PE10046 Preliminary Evaluation · power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)

Complaint clusters with no matching recall

2015 · engine — 454 complaints, median 90,000 mi
Includes 30 alleging a fire. Unverified owner allegations from complaint filings — not confirmed by any agency.
2016 · engine — 314 complaints, median 92,500 mi
Includes 6 alleging a fire. Unverified owner allegations from complaint filings — not confirmed by any agency.
2013 · steering — 213 complaints, median 57,000 mi
Includes 1 alleging a fire. Unverified owner allegations from complaint filings — not confirmed by any agency.
2012 · steering — 188 complaints, median 61,018 mi
Includes 1 alleging a fire. Unverified owner allegations from complaint filings — not confirmed by any agency.
2013 · electrical — 131 complaints, median 85,000 mi
Includes 20 alleging a fire. Unverified owner allegations from complaint filings — not confirmed by any agency.

Technical service bulletins

778 manufacturer service bulletins across 16 model years. A TSB is repair guidance to dealers, not a safety recall.

Third-party reliability score

2020: 3.8/5 · 143 complaints · most complained-of: engine
2019: 3.6/5 · 205 complaints · most complained-of: engine
2018: 3.5/5 · 231 complaints · most complained-of: engine
2017: 3.4/5 · 255 complaints · most complained-of: engine
2016: 2.7/5 · 754 complaints · most complained-of: engine

This is ProblemsByVin’s own published heuristic (1 worst – 5 best), not an official rating and unrelated to our severity scale.

Data on this panel comes from ProblemsByVin, derived from US NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, and licensed CC BY 4.0. It is not published by a federal agency and is not part of our verified recall record.

← Back to all Kia models