KnownCarProblems2014 Kia Optima Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 590 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Optima, most often about the engine (51% of complaints, typically around 88,000 miles). It is 6th of 20 Optima model years by number of complaints and has 7 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory3 recalls for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2014 Kia Optima problems
Engine
299 complaints · 51%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.
As I was driving the car it wont shift and sounds forced. The engine started making a rattle sound and I was very concerned! The car stopped in full speed and I was scared for me life and my sons. Had a car been behind US or in the intersection it could have been bad! It turned back on after putting the car in n and…
I was heading north bound, cruise control set at 55 when my 2014 Kia Optima thera II motor started making a grinding sounds, lost complete power and stalled out. Car would not turn on anymore, a texas state trooper and small town cop helped me pushed the car into a parking lot after about an hour, the car started…
Steering
96 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 11,500 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system.
It is almost impossible to drive the car straight at highway speeds. The steering sticks and in order to make the smallest correction, you have to over-correct. This results in going down the highway in an s pattern. It is not as noticeable at lower speeds. I just took a 3 hour trip on the highway and by the time I…
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. While driving various highway speeds, the vehicle would sway from right to left and the steering was unstable. The contact indicated that the vehicle was difficult to drive in a straight line. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer…
Other or unspecified
89 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 71,000 miles.
Sunroof exploded while driving. Loud explosion sound within the cabin, glass shards then broke away falling inside vehicle and outward on interstate.
The first thing my vehicle said was to check the hybrid system and it would not drive or reverse, but the steering and brakes never stopped working. Had to push it out of the street manually. Now my car is starting to put in park, shut off and charge the battery. I just replaced the main battery less than 2 weeks ago…
Electrical
60 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 71,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel.
I was driving on the highway going 65 MPH and an alert pops up. It said "possible bms condition." I immediately pulled to the side, but also noticed my car speed reducing. I safely got into the right shoulder and then the car steering wheel froze up. Another alert to check brakes went on. I pushed the brakes over and…
The push to start buttons on Kia Optima's are not turning on the cars engines. I have seen this complaint all over the internet and it seems to be a very common issue among Kia Optima owners. The car will be turned off and parked, you will go to push the brake and start the car and you will get nothing from the…
Body and structure
48 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 75,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
Sunroof exploded while driving. Loud explosion sound within the cabin, glass shards then broke away falling inside vehicle and outward on interstate.
2014 Kia Optima shark fin radio antenna cover broke off after exiting the freeway. All five screw holders cracked inside the housing, obviously a faulty design. The 2016 Kia Optima shark fin radio antenna was recalled for the exact same problem. My vehicle is stored in a garage each night and has never sustained any…
Fuel system
48 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 92,500 miles.
I took my car in after smelling fuel and they said there was a tear in my fuel line and it needed to be replaced. My car was included in the recall but Kia would not pay for the repairs because when they previously reviewed for recall issues they said there was no issues found. I attempted to contact Kia and they did…
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 20v10000 (fuel system, gasoline) and 21v331000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the engine and entering the cabin of…
Brakes
42 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles.
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that she lost consciousness while driving at 65 MPH which resulted in her vehicle rolling off the road and into an embankment and landed into a tree. The air bags did deploy upon impact. The contact had to be cut out of the vehicle through the driver side door…
Hev light came on dashboard stating "check hybrid system. Stop vehicle and turn off engine". Vehicle was in motion in city on traffic light and suddenly got that and car stopped in 15 sec and could not move anymore. Luckily it did not happen on highway cause 15 sec is not enough for safely stopping! Witnesses helped…
Speed control
21 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.
Takata recall'. When driving 70 miles the car gets uncontrollable at times so you have to lower your speed , when parked an I put my foot on brake there's a ticking noise an you can feel pressure . The engine has been ticking a lot more am hesitant I know a lot of complaints has been made on the steering an it's…
After beginning to accelerate to make a left turn through an intersection, the acceleration cut out and the engine began making a grinding/ cranking noise. I rolled to a stop just past the intersection (luckily no one hit me) and had to turn the car completely off. It reset and everything began working again after…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2014 Kia Optima recalls
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the hecu fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed november 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed march 29, 2024 through june 18, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc284.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 borrego, 2014-2016 cadenza, 2010-2013 forte, forte koup, sportage, 2015-2018 k900, 2011-2015 optima, 2011-2013 optima hybrid, soul, 2012-2017 rio, 2011-2014 sorento, and 2010-2011 rondo vehicles. The hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Fuel system: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: A fuel leak can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel hose, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 2, 2022. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-33-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc228.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2014 optima vehicles that were previously repaired under NHTSA recall number 20v-100. The low pressure fuel hose may be damaged, or missing heat-protective tape, which can result in a fuel leak.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An electrical short in the hecu increases the risk of a fire while parked or driving.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will install a new multi-fuse, and inspect the hecu for leaks, replacing the hecu if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on july 2, 2021. This recall supersedes previous NHTSA recall number 20v-519. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc212.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 optima and 2014-2015 sorento vehicles previously recalled under recall 20v-519. Brake fluid may leak inside the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: If the hecu short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the hecu for leaking brake fluid and replace the hecu if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. The recall began october 20, 2020. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc197.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 optima and 2014-2015 sorento vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Fuel system: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: If the fuel hose cracks, a fuel leak can occur, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the low pressure fuel hose for damage or leaking, replacing it as necessary. If no damage or leaking is found, a heat-protective tape will be installed. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began june 12, 2020. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc187.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2013-2014 optima vehicles equipped with 2.4l gasoline direct injection (gdi) or 2.0l gdi turbo engines. The low pressure fuel hose may deteriorate and crack over time due to heat generated within the engine compartment.
Engine
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began january 17, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc172.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 optima, 2012-2017 sorento and 2011-2018 sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17v-224, warranty, or the knock sensor detection system (ksds) product improvement campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Engine
Risk: Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began june 20, 2017. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc147.
Full defect summary
Kia motor company (kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 optima, 2012-2014 sorento and 2011-2013 sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
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
Hyundai and kia ABS module fires
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has received eight hyundai motor america (hyundai) and eight kia america, inc. (kia) part 573 recall reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or hydraulic electronic control units (hecu) manufactured by the equipment supplier mando. The part 573 recall reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by mando. Safety recalls included in this audit query (aq) review include: hyundai recalls 20v-520, 20v-543, 21v-161, 21v-160, 21v-303, 22v-056, 22v-810, and 23v-651. Kia recalls 16v-815, 20v-518, 20v-519, 21v
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
Engine fires
Summary
On march 29, 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened two preliminary evaluations (pe19-003 on hyundai and pe19-004 on kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year hyundai and kia vehicles.â during the pe investigations, hyundai and kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types.â the remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement.â additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software modif
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
Electrical overstress
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.â during the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (acu) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ecu) manufactured by zf-trw. â the ecu receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with m
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
During this preliminary evaluation (pe), the office of defects investigation (odi) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima, my 2011-2014 kia sorento and my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles equipped with theta II, gamma, nu and lambda II engines (approximately 1.7 million vehicles). Odi also reviewed field and other data on other kia vehicles (approximately 3.6 million additional vehicles) equipped with the same engines used in the above-mentioned vehicles.as a result of this pe, kia has issued NHTSA recalls 20v-750 and 2
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
In a letter dated june 11, 2018, the center for auto safety (cas) petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima and sorento, and hyundai sonata and santa fe vehicles. In a letter dated july 24, 2018, cas requested that my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles be added to the petition. Cas stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The office of defects investigation (odi) had already opened recall queries (rq17-003 and rq17-004) on all kia and hyundai vehicles equipped
Scope and timeliness
Summary
Nhtsa opened recall query (rq) 17-003 to investigate the timeliness and scope of kia?s theta II gdi engine recall (recall no. 17v-224), and kia?s compliance with reporting requirements. On november 23, 2020, the agency entered into a consent order with kia to administratively resolve NHTSA?s assertions of violations of law in connection with rq17-003. Nhtsa?s assertions included that kia may be liable for civil penalties on multiple grounds, including that recall no. 17v-224 was untimely and kia?s recall report contained certain inaccuracies.under the consent order, kia agreed to a total civil penalty of $70,000,000. The total civil penalty included a payment of $27,000,000 as a non-deferred
Questions about the 2014 Kia Optima
- What are the most common problems with the 2014 Kia Optima?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (299 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); steering (96 complaints, typically around 11,500 miles); other or unspecified (89 complaints, typically around 71,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2014 Kia Optima have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 25, 2023 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2014 a bad year for the Kia Optima?
- It is 6th of 20 Optima model years by number of complaints, with 590 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.