2008 Kia Optima problems
NHTSA has received 189 complaints about the 2008 Kia Optima, and 31% of them involve air bags. Next are engine (13%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 189 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 26 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 31 and 12
- Typical mileage
- 69,000 miles 137 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 32 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 13 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 21 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 22 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 13 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 137 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 69,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 52,000 miles (43 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 26 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 31 injuries reported; 12 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 16th most-complained-about out of 20 model years of the Kia Optima with enough data (88 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Police request for vehicle inspection of 2008 kia optima. The information is being provided by the detective of winchester police department in winchester tn...updated local law enforcement request for assistance with an alleged sudden unintended acceleration incident that resulted in multiple fatalities. The driver of the 2008 kia optima was traveling at a high speed in the area of 90 MPH. The driver traveled down the turning lane and struck a 2003 ford windstar from the rear.
Letter from congressman desjarlais re the winchester police department requesting assistance with an issue involving the DOT. The operator of the impacting vehicle stated her 2008 kia optima accelerated out of control. *smd please mark this document for deletion. It is being replaced with document number 10838296. The consumer rear ended a minivan and was pushed across the intersection, into a third vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia optima. While the vehicle was parked, the contact was unable to change gears without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for further inspection. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12v014000 (air bags); however, the clock spring assembly failed. The mechanic indicated that the part was on backorder and that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
When placing the car in park the car isn't recognizing that the car is parked causing it to continue to roll. Once the ignition has been turned off the car will not restart and the gears will not shift.