2015 Kia Optima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (451) · Structure:body (63) · Steering (60)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Optima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
494 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2023-09-25 · campaign 23V652000 · 1,730,192 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2021-05-10 · campaign 21V331000 · 440,370 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles previously recalled under recall 20V-519. Brake fluid may leak inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short in the HECU increases the risk of a fire while parked or driving.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will install a new multi-fuse, and inspect the HECU for leaks, replacing the HECU if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 2, 2021. This recall supersedes previous NHTSA recall number 20V-519. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC212.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2020-08-27 · campaign 20V519000 · 440,370 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Optima and 2014-2015 Sorento vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU), possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Risk: If the HECU short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the HECU for leaking brake fluid and replace the HECU if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair is completed. The recall began October 20, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC197.
Engine 2018-12-19 · campaign 18V907000 · 71,653 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Service bulletins (200)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-06-08 · CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Structure:body 2026-02-19 · TSB_CS2312_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Structure:body 2025-12-18 · TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin provides information to install a theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector on certain 2010-2022my kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
Structure:body 2025-12-17 · CS2312_OWNR · Other
customer satisfaction campaign: owner notification (cs2312) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is conducting customer satisfaction campaign. a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made available to owners of eligible kia model vehicles free
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Power Train 2025-04-17 · TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid ty
Showing the 6 most recent of 200 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-23 · Engine“there is a known issue with this vehicle and the fix by kia is not safe nor fair to the consumer. kia's knock sensor recall centers on the knock sensor detection system (ksds) software update for theta ii gdi engines. the update listens for rod bearing wear, triggers a check engine light and limp mode via code p1326, and extends the engine warranty…”
2026-09-29 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 231,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 kia optima. the contact stated that while pulling into the driveway, the abs warning light remained illuminated after the vehicle was powered off. the contact stated that the parking brake warning light unexpectedly illuminated while the vehicle was being operated. the contact stated that the brake lights illuminated while t…”
2026-09-20 · Vehicle Speed Control“my energy in my car started messing up with only 150,000 miles it had a long knocking sound and it would not got over 20 miles while driving …”
2026-08-24 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“my 2015 kia optima experienced a catastrophic engine fire while i was driving. there was no warning, i just heard a boom in the engine bay the breaks stopped working and all electrical cut out. as i'm coasting, because i'm unable to stop, flames started to come in through under the dash. i couldn't turn the car off, nor put it in park so the doors …”
2026-08-20 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 123,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 kia optima. the contact stated that for over 8 years, the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact became aware that there was an oil leak on the ground underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions for the oil consumption failu…”
2026-08-19 · Engine“the engine in my vehicle failed while putting the car into reverse to back into my garage. i thank god i wasn't on the road when this happened. i took the car into a mechanic who confirmed that the engine was locked and that the car was very low on oil(even though i had my oil changed by him a few months prior). there was an undetected oil leak tha…”
2026-08-13 · Steering“this is a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding a manufacturer's active refusal to remedy a known safety defect under an active recall campaign guidelines.my 2015 kia optima turbo experienced an active internal mechanical engine knock, violent sputtering, and a complete engine seizure. the vehicle is currently sitting un-driveable at an authori…”
2026-07-29 · Electrical System · 88,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the rear taillight socket wiring harness failed to function as intended. the contact was informed that the brake lights were inoperable. the contact stated that the failure had occurred every 6–7 months. the con…”
2026-07-23 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 140,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2015 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. during the failure, several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel and there was smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. the contact exited the vehicle, and there were flames coming from underneath the hoo…”
2026-07-20 · Engine“my girlfriend was driving on interstate 95 to pick me up from the metro. the engine suddenly cut off in a manner that appears to have melted the wiring harness of the vehicle, risking fire. she was able to safely get to the side of the road and call a tow. after taking it to a local repair shop, they diagnosed the issue as related to the ksds recal…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.