I have a Kia optima 2014 Kia optima love my car. There's only one bad thing I go do my recall on march 28 2019 it says everything had passed but in reality. The service that they did was careless 9 months later my car is bad motor. Has 130,000 that's what 20,000 dollar is worth wow. They did my oil Kia change they put the wrong oil 5-30 really that for Kia turbo and Kia optima 5-20 now my car…
2014 Kia Optima cruise control problems
critical 12 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $600 · see cruise control across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
12
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$600
3crashes
1fire
2injuries
1fatality
When does it fail?
Of the 12 cruise control complaints filed for the 2014 Kia Optima, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 125,000-150,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
No new NHTSA cruise control complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 6 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
The failure pattern owners describe
Buyer takeaway: Owners report serious throttle and brake issues—hesitation under acceleration that dealers cannot duplicate, unintended acceleration causing crashes and at least one fire, and stalling at highway speeds. Multiple safety incidents and unexplained engine problems even after recalls and engine replacement.
Owners of the 2014 Kia Optima describe two broad problem patterns here: throttle control failures and brake response issues. Loss of acceleration appears most frequently—drivers press the gas pedal and the engine "chokes" or loses power, RPM staying flat despite full throttle input. This happens sporadically but often enough that owners report near-misses in traffic. Dealers consistently tell owners they cannot duplicate the problem and find no diagnostic codes, though some complaint narratives mention Turbocharger Boost Control codes (P2562/P2565) appearing and disappearing. One owner reports engine replacement that did not resolve the codes or loss-of-power events afterward.
The flip side is unintended acceleration. Owners describe the vehicle accelerating forward on its own, backward in parking situations with foot on brake, and in one catastrophic case, accelerating despite brake application before the vehicle caught fire at 72,000 miles, resulting in two occupants suffering severe burns and injuries, and a third-party fatality. One owner reports the vehicle would accelerate, then slow down erratically in traffic, forcing them to pull over repeatedly. A police officer responding to one parking-lot incident noted he'd seen similar issues in news reports. Stalling and no-start conditions also appear across multiple complaints, with owners requiring multiple tows and part replacements that did not hold. All these failures span from early life (3,000 miles) through higher mileage (130,000 miles), and most occurred despite recalls or recall service attempts.
Same Kia Optima cruise control reports on nearby years: 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2015 · 2016
Failure modes owners describe
Loss of acceleration / hesitation under throttle
Engine chokes or loses power when driver presses accelerator, either from stop or to increase speed. RPM remains flat despite pedal pressure. Occurs sporadically but frequently. Multiple owners report dealers cannot duplicate and find no codes.
When: From 3,000 miles to 130,000 miles; sporadic occurrences during acceleration attempts
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle chokes when throttle applied; Engine loses power despite hard pedal pressure; RPM stays flat / does not increase with pedal input; Hesitation and attempted stall; Loss of acceleration as if voltage or fuel was lost; Grinding/cranking noise during acceleration cutout
Codes mentioned: P2562 (Turbocharger Boost Control Position Sensor A Circuit High), P2565 (Turbocharger Boost Control Position Sensor A Circuit Low), No codes detected (multiple complaints)
Repairs/costs cited: Engine replacement performed in one case (Case #14397135, PI1803Y/Z) but codes and loss of acceleration persisted post-repair; multiple tows to dealership with parts replaced daily but problem returned; gas cap replacement attempted in one case without resolution
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Campaign 20V100000 (fuel system, gasoline) recalls mentioned; dealers report unable to duplicate problem in multiple cases; Kia reportedly telling owners this is normal behavior
Unintended acceleration
Vehicle accelerates forward or backward without driver input, or accelerates when brakes are applied. Occurs independently and without driver command, sometimes with jerking motion.
When: Unspecified mileage; can occur during routine driving or parking
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle accelerates forward while odor present under hood; Brake pedal depressed but vehicle accelerates forward; Vehicle accelerates and slows down sporadically while driving in traffic; Vehicle launches backward with jerking motion with foot on brake; Engine races, vehicle speeds up, brakes fail to stop; Acceleration occurs independently
Codes mentioned: No codes mentioned
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle 1 caught fire and was totaled; involved collision with other vehicle resulting in third-party fatality; two vehicles struck in crash (complaint 10); towing and emergency repairs made
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Campaign 20V100000 (fuel system, gasoline) mentioned in complaint 1; police officer noted similar issue seen in news reports
Engine stall and no-start conditions
Vehicle will not start or restarts but dies; stall risk during normal driving. Owners report multiple tows to dealership with multiple parts replaced on successive days.
When: Early life (mentioned as new 2014 at time of complaint); 72,000 miles in one case
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle cannot start; Engine stalls while driving; Vehicle stops in the middle of freeway; Erratic driving pattern preceding no-start
Codes mentioned: No codes mentioned
Repairs/costs cited: Owners required multiple tows to dealership; parts replaced daily without lasting resolution; one owner notes wrong oil grade (5-30 instead of 5-20 spec) put in after recall service at 130,000 miles
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Recall service performed (March 28, 2019 in one case) did not resolve underlying issues; one owner attributes engine failure to careless recall work and wrong oil grade installed
Steering wheel speed control malfunction
Cruise-control buttons on steering wheel no longer function properly after engine work.
When: Post engine replacement
Symptoms owners cite: Speed control buttons (+/-) no longer properly function
Codes mentioned: No codes mentioned
Repairs/costs cited: Issue appeared following engine replacement (Case #14397135, PI1803Y/Z)
Check engine light / emissions fault
Check engine light illuminates and remains on; emissions test failure. Codes appear and disappear sporadically. Owner replaced gas cap based on mechanic diagnosis without resolution.
When: Unknown timing; one case at 130,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Check engine light on and off; Failed emissions test; Smell of gas inside vehicle (past complaint, no longer present)
Codes mentioned: P2562 / P2565 mentioned in one case, Engine light codes (unspecified)
Repairs/costs cited: Gas cap replacement attempted; no fuel leakage found at time of inspection
Fire and fuel system failure
Vehicle caught fire while driving after unintended acceleration event. Fire developed under hood and engulfed vehicle, resulting in explosion and airbag deployment.
When: 72,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Abnormal odor under hood; Unintended acceleration; Vehicle caught fire and engulfed in flames; Explosion occurred
Codes mentioned: No codes mentioned
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle totaled by insurance; airbags deployed
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Campaign 20V100000 (fuel system, gasoline) recall performed 4 months prior to failure; owner believes recall caused the failure
Synthesized from 12 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 1 most recent
Had cruise control trouble with your 2014 Kia Optima?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the cruise control problem on the 2014 Kia Optima?
It's a serious issue. 12 complaints have been filed, including 3 reports involving a crash and 1 fatality(ies). We've classified it as critical based on NHTSA's reported outcomes.
At what mileage does the cruise control typically fail?
Across the 8 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most cruise control failures cluster between 40,000 and 89,000 miles, with the median around 55,562. A quarter of owners report trouble before 40,000; a quarter make it past 89,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $600 for cruise control repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to cruise control?
No active recalls currently cover cruise control issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2014/Kia/Optima.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.