2020 Kia Optima owner complaints
Most named: engine
100 of 148 complaints
- Crashes
- 6
- Fires
- 3
- Injuries
- 4
- Deaths
- 0
Owner complaints to the US safety agency (NHTSA), 2020 models.
Components named most often
A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 100 | 68% |
| Transmission and drivetrain | 27 | 18% |
| Other or not specified | 16 | 11% |
| Electrical system | 13 | 9% |
| Fuel system | 11 | 7% |
| Engine and engine cooling | 8 | 5% |
Complaints by model year
| Model year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 116 |
| 2010 | 75 |
| 2011 | 593 |
| 2012 | 919 |
| 2013 | 1,383 |
| 2014 | 586 |
| 2015 | 1,009 |
| 2016 | 756 |
| 2017 | 256 |
| 2018 | 232 |
| 2019 | 210 |
| 2020 | 148 |
Rivals, 2020
| Rival | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Ford Fusion | 183 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 178 |
| Subaru Legacy | 121 |
| Honda Insight | 31 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 18 |
| Mazda MAZDA6 | 2 |
What this cannot tell you
Counts, not rates. Sales volume differs by model.
Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed defects.
Source: NHTSA complaints data (api.nhtsa.gov), public domain. Collected 2026-10-05.
- Two or more sources agree
- One source
- Model-level or estimate
- Sources differ