Kia Optima: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Kia Optima: 10 model years scored from 6,077 NHTSA owner complaints and 41 recall campaigns. Worst year 2013, best year 2020.
Kia Optima: which years to avoid
Across 10 scored model years the Kia Optima ranges from 26/100 in 2013 to 91/100 in 2020 — a 65-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy an Optima at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (612 of them).
Avoid: 2013, 2015 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
The Optima shares the Sonata's Theta II engines and the same recall history, and its 2013 and 2015 model years carry the highest counts — engine knocking, stalling and fire risk, addressed by the 2017 recall and the extended engine warranty. From 2017 the Optima improves sharply, and the 2018–2020 cars score around 90. The nameplate was replaced by the K5 for 2021. As with the Sonata, an early Optima is a reasonable buy only if the engine recall, the knock-sensor update and, ideally, an engine replacement are documented.
Read the guide
Used Kia Sorento, Sportage and Soul: the recall years and the good years after them — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
How the Optima changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2016
Mean score 52/100, about 71 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (2,594 complaints). 27 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2017–2020
Mean score 89/100, about 28 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (481 complaints). The record improves by 37 points against the years before it. 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2020 (score 91). Worst: 2013 (score 26, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 91 | BUY | $3,689 | 145 | 0 |
| 2019 | 89 | BUY | $3,929 | 206 | 1 |
| 2018 | 89 | BUY | $4,061 | 232 | 2 |
| 2017 | 86 | BUY | $4,188 | 255 | 3 |
| 2016 | 53 | CAUTION | $5,322 | 754 | 5 |
| 2015 | 42 | AVOID | $6,269 | 1,007 | 4 |
| 2014 | 61 | CAUTION | $5,596 | 585 | 7 |
| 2013 | 26 | AVOID | $6,628 | 1,381 | 9 |
| 2012 | 58 | CAUTION | $5,996 | 919 | 5 |
| 2011 | 73 | BUY | $5,540 | 593 | 5 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Optima, through the years →
Optima sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Optima on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Kia Optima
Across every Optima model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine3,075 complaints across all Optima years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other787 complaints across all Optima years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System722 complaints across all Optima years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Steering664 complaints across all Optima years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Service Brakes374 complaints across all Optima years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Structure251 complaints across all Optima years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Kia Optima years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2013, 2015 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2013 is the weakest at 26/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Kia Optima years to buy?
2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2020 at 91/100, on 145 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Kia Optima problem?
3,075 of the complaints filed against the Optima across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04