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3 safety recalls. 568 owner complaints. We mapped every trouble spot before you sign the papers.
Average for the segment. Some recurring trouble spots worth knowing about.
Check engine light was flashing and the car wouldn’t accelerate up to speed, wouldn’t turn over when tried to start.
My vehicle is leaking gas from hose and it was already repaired but still happening. Only getting worse and I saw that it's recalled twice however mine is saying no recalls.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 KIA OPTIMA LX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL WHICH STOPPED THE VEHICLE FROM GOING OVER AN EMBANKMENT. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY.…
Steering column making rubbing noise when turning. It felt like a notch was rubbing against something. The car was no reason for this part to deteriorate the way it did. It just all of a sudden started this notch rubbing feeling in steering. I took car to Calavan KIA in Lithia…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
If the fuel hose cracks, a fuel leak can occur, increasing the risk of a fire.
A fuel leak can increase the risk of a fire.
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 6.4 out of 10 based on 568 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2014 Kia Optima has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is engine, with 209 complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $3,100 at an independent shop.
The cruise control is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $600 at an independent shop. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 568 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $600, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans aren't always better value.