Lemon Law Check › 2016 Kia Optima
Complaint counts by vehicle system, from 742 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Kia Optima:
| Engine | 291 complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 90 complaints |
| Electrical system | 78 complaints |
| Power train | 66 complaints |
| Exterior lighting | 38 complaints |
| Structure | 33 complaints |
"While driving the car the fuel consumption in the motor would bog the engine down to where it would barely go over 40 mph on the highway. at this time the engine trouble indicator light would come on and not go off. i immediately took it to the local kia dealership in mt. hope…"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/31/2019
"I purchased this vehicle about a year ago upon purchasing vehicle i noticed i was having to get an oil change every other week and when i would go in i would have no oil. fast forward to now i am buying 5g oil from advance auto parts every week my car is burning through oil ex…"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/30/2022
"In sept the car oil light came on. the car was out of oil. took it to shop and they could not find a leak. the car was filled with oil. less than 1,000 miles later in oct the same situation occurred again. the car was inspected an no leak was found but the oil was gone. in dec…"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/30/2021
| Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings 19/12/2018 · 18V907000 | 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 … |
|---|---|
| Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module 06/01/2017 · 17V007000 | Kia Motors America (Kia) has recalled one 2016 Optima vehicle. In this vehicle, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag … |
| Power train:axle assembly:axle shaft 03/10/2016 · 16V705000 | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Optima vehicles manufactured November 13, 2015, to April 23, 2016 and equipped with a 2.4l engine. The right front axle driveshaft may crack and fail. |
| Air bags:frontal 21/04/2016 · 16V231000 | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Optima vehicles manufactured November 10, 2015, to February 12, 2016. In these vehicles, a chemical enhancer required for the for the second stage deployment of the drive… |
| Latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch 24/08/2023 · 23V594000 | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Rio, 2016-2018 Optima, 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The trunk latch base may crack, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, the… |
Recall repairs are performed free of charge at franchised dealers. Check your specific vehicle with the free VIN recall checker.
If the same warranty problem has needed 2+ repair attempts — or your Optima has spent 30+ days out of service — it may qualify for a buyback, replacement, or cash compensation under your state's lemon law. Manufacturers pay the legal fees in most states, so the case review costs you nothing.
Check My Optima — Free →Based on 742 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas for the 2016 Kia Optima are engine, unknown or other, electrical system.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Kia Optima. Recall repairs are always free at franchised dealers regardless of warranty status.
A specific vehicle qualifies as a lemon based on its own repair history, not the model's overall record. If your Optima has had engine or other warranty problems repaired 2–4 times without success, or has spent 30+ days in the shop, it may qualify under your state's lemon law — attorneys evaluate this free of charge.
Researching this car as a buyer instead? Read the full Carivo review of the 2016 Kia Optima.
All recall and complaint figures on this page come directly from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) federal records for this make, model, and year, fetched at page build time and cached daily. Complaint excerpts are owner-submitted reports to NHTSA, lightly truncated. Carivo is an independent data site, not a law firm; lemon law eligibility is determined solely by attorneys under your state's statute.