AutoUtility currently tracks 205 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2019 Kia Optima. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 80 complaints (39% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 20 filings cite a crash, 6 cite a fire, 11 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 205 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (80 reports • 39% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (46), Electrical System (22)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 20 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 11 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2019 Kia Optima
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #19V539000 FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Electrical System
Brakes & Traction Control
Fuel & Propulsion System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2019 Kia Optima
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2019 Kia Optima
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired...."
"The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on two occasions, the vehicle lost power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven over to the side of the road and then towed to the dealer twice; however, the failure was not..."
"Strong smell of gasoline from the rear of the vehicle started around 60,000 miles . Car dealership said it’s normal but I don’t smell other cars like this"
"Blind spot forward collision detection lane departure warning rear cross traffic warning"
"Unknown was just driving to go to my husband to work and it came on when I was coming back home and when I went to pick my husband up from work and was stopped at a stop sign the lights came back on"
Complaint History for Kia Optima
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2020)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Kia Optima | 1019 | 31 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Kia Optima | 758 | 27 | 5 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Kia Optima | 303 | 6 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Kia Optima | 242 | 10 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Kia Optima Current Page | 205 | 20 | 1 | Current |
| 2020 Kia Optima | 143 | 6 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2019 Kia Optima
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 65 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 51 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 10 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,WHEELS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (3)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
Loss of Motive Power
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 experienc...
Electrical overstress
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. 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 (AC...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.