KnownCarProblems2009 Kia Optima Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 116 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Kia Optima, most often about the transmission (28% of complaints, typically around 62,000 miles). It is 18th of 20 Optima model years by number of complaints and has 1 recall.
Most common 2009 Kia Optima problems
Transmission
33 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2009 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the gear shifter failed to secure into park or reverse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated that the brake switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified.…
I purchased a used Kia Optima in march 2012, but had, what I thought were "grabbing" brakes. I took it in when I found a service bulletin tsb-067. I had the car analyzed, and found it had this shifting issue. I had the reprogramming done and everything was fine for a little over a year, then not only did the…
Air bags
28 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles.
The battery died in my 2009 Kia Optima and upon replacing battery the airbag light came on. It was taken to a Kia dealership and was told that it was because we changed the battery. The airbag light was reset. About a week later it came on again and was taken back to the dealership and reset again. It came back on the…
For a long time, the air bag warning light comes on and stays on. We have taken the Kia to two different dealerships. Each one said that there is nothing wrong with the air bag and turned off the warning light. Both dealerships said that, if you put a cell phone on a Kia car seat, that will set off the air bag warning…
Brakes
21 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2009 Kia Optima. While driving the vehicle at higher speeds and attempting to reduce the speed by depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would reduce speed as normal til around 20 MPH. The vehicle would suddenly jerk forward. The failure occurred intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the…
The ESC alarm came on and the car began shuddering. I tried to brake but it seemed to make the shuddering worse. It became difficult to steer so I coasted the vehicle.to the shoulder of the road and waited a few minutes. I turned the ignition again and the car came on first try but the ESC alarm was still illuminated…
Electrical
16 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 66,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition.
Kia Optima ignition switch issues, steering wheel locked and couldn't turn car on and wheels locked. Had to have ignition switch replaced. I was told this is a safety feature of the ignition switch so someone can not steal the car. They also said if the ignition switch locked while I was driving the car the front…
After a battery replacement, the battery sparked when the car first turned on, but the car immediately turned on. From that point forward we had the check engine light on, the brake light on and two other lights on the dash on constantly. We took it in and spent $4000+ on oil changes, front end replacement and several…
Engine
16 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles.
After returning from work and parking my vehicle at home, the car sat in my driveway in 40 degree weather for approximately 12 hrs. I woke up the next morning and found my car on fire and is a total loss. The police and fire department were called and dispatched to my home. The fire department extinguished the fire…
The vehicle had three expensive problems in rapid succession. The first was the transmission which started a severely hard downshift on braking from about 25 MPH. The whole car shuddered and felt as if we slammed on the brakes for a second. After troubleshooting, Kia told US we needed a new transmission for $2700 with…
Speed control
11 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
The vehicle lurches when slowing down between 2nd gear and 1st gear. The lurch is strong enough to jerk passengers forward in their seats. I took it to the dealership in stamford, ct on april 27, 2012. They replaced the stop lamp switch. The fix lasted until 63,000 miles, almost 9 months later. It is happening again.…
When I brake and slow down my Kia Optima and it gets to 20 MPH or lower, it will jerk suddenly as if the transmission is changing abruptly and dangerously. This has been an ongoing issue and not just a recent occurrence.
Lights
10 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights.
Constantly blowing the low beam headlights. Have replaced 4 bulbs in 4 months. On 04/03/16 I left to start my car to go home at approximately 9:30 pm to discover I had no low beam headlights and my high beam would not stay illuminated unless I held the lever that controls the headlights. Both bulbs are out again! The…
Second failure of brake switch. Esc off light comes on intermittently while driving. Unsure if brake lights are working, if the ESC is working, or if the cruise control will shut off during these episodes. There is a recall on other models and years of Kia automobiles but not on this model. It seems it may have same…
Stability control
9 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 62,500 miles.
The ESC light has been coming on for about 7 months. Took car in to cowboy Kia and was told car is not covered under warranty, and there will be a $90.00 diagnostic fee.
The ESC alarm came on and the car began shuddering. I tried to brake but it seemed to make the shuddering worse. It became difficult to steer so I coasted the vehicle.to the shoulder of the road and waited a few minutes. I turned the ignition again and the car came on first try but the ESC alarm was still illuminated…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 Kia Optima recalls
Lights: switch
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'on' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in may 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is sc098.
Full defect summary
Kia motors corporation (kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 rondo, model year 2007-2011 sedona, sorento and sportage, model year 2010-2011 soul, model year 2008-2011 optima, model year 2010 forte, model year 2007-2009 amanti, and model year 2009 borrego vehicles. Originally, in april 2013, kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 rondo and sportage, model year 2007-2011 sorento, model year 2007 sedona, model year 2010-2011 soul, and model year 2011 optima vehicles. In september 2013, kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressi
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of motive power
Summary
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. And kia america, inc. Vehicles spanning model years (my) 2005-2021. The petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Summary
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. Accordingly, model year (my) 2005-2016 kia optima/k5, my 2006-2015 kia sorento, my 2007-2016 hyundai elantra, my 2007-2016 hyundai santa fe, my 2006-2015 hyundai sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a vehicle owner questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (odi) number 11439675.on november 12, 2021, odi opened defec
Questions about the 2009 Kia Optima
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 Kia Optima?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (33 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles); air bags (28 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); brakes (21 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2009 Kia Optima have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 1, 2013 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the Kia Optima?
- It is 18th of 20 Optima model years by number of complaints, with 116 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.