2016 Kia Optima problems
NHTSA has received 1,088 complaints about the 2016 Kia Optima, and 41% of them involve engine. Next are electrical system (10%) and drivetrain & axles (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,088 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 41% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 48 and 38
- Injuries and deaths
- 36 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 68,000 miles 393 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 | 61 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 50 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 61 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 67 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 50 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 54 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 26 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 393 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 68,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 91,000 miles (149 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 48 complaints mention a crash; 38 complaints mention a fire; 36 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 20 model years of the Kia Optima with enough data (418 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
Tl* the contact owned a 2016 kia optima. Approximately ten minutes after the contact turned off the engine and exited the vehicle, flames ignited inside the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an undisclosed location. The cause of the fire was not determined. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000.
5/9/23 appointment for 4 recalls -completed 2 and ask if we could bring back next day to finish and we said no because granddaughter in school so service manager said important to get it back in and finish and sent granddaughter home with car 5 days later while driving car caught on fire and lost brakes and transmission and swerved into vacant parking lot smoke and flames coming into car and girls had to jump while car was still moving both girls checked on sight for smoke inhalation.
My vehicle started stalling when accelerating two days ago. My rpm's jump when shifting gears and it stalls and jerks when taking off from a complete stop. I took it to advanced auto parts and the code "p1326" showed on their code reader. Knock scensor is under the code and I've read where multiple people with this make and model of car have had the same issue and had their whole motor replaced.
The contact's son owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his son was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that his son was able to pull into the driveway. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure could be related to the engine rod bearing. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired.