2012 KIA OPTIMA

5 safety recall campaigns, 7 defect investigations (1 open), 1,261 owner complaints filed with NHTSA.

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The record

Recall campaigns5
Park it0stop driving until repaired
Investigations71 open
Owner complaints1,261
Complaints citing a crash37
Complaints citing a fire120

Complaints are reports from owners of this model year, not findings about any particular vehicle, and a model that sold in large numbers will collect more of them. They are counted here as filed; nothing is inferred from them.

Recall campaigns 5 of 5

23V6520002023-09-25

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

22V5600002022-08-01

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

A plate that detaches during a crash may strike an occupant, increasing their risk of injury.

18V9070002018-12-19

ENGINE

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

18V3630002018-06-01

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

17V2240002017-03-31

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.

What owners report most

  • 397ENGINE
  • 185STEERING
  • 121ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
  • 87UNKNOWN OR OTHER
  • 53POWER TRAIN
  • 52SERVICE BRAKES
  • 47AIR BAGS
  • 42FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This page is about a model, not a car

Two 2012 KIA OPTIMAs can have entirely different histories, and a recall campaign usually covers a build-date window rather than a whole model year — which a VIN does not encode, so only the door-jamb label settles it. Scanning the VIN adds the decode, the crash tests, the fuel economy and the complaints matched to that exact engine, trim and assembly plant.

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