Reliable Auto DB

2016 Kia Optima reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 754 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Optima over 11 years — 17 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Optima years here — under the median of the other years, which is 21. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Latch, Hoses and fittings, and Inflator.

2012 Kia Optima
Photo by Throwawayacc222, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC0
Complaints

754

Per year

17

Recalls

5

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (424 of 754), then Electrical system (102) and Powertrain (73). Those filings include 27 that report a crash, 19 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Optima has 1,008 complaints, 27 per year, and the 2017 has 255 complaints, 10 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Kia Optima. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, trunk lid, latch 2023-08-24 · NHTSA campaign 23V594000
Summary 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, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Remedy Dealers will replace the trunk latch base subassembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC278.
Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2018-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 18V907000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2017-01-06 · NHTSA campaign 17V007000
Summary 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 in the event of a crash.
Remedy The affected vehicle was remedied on January 10, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC143.
Recall powertrain, axle assembly, axle shaft 2016-10-03 · NHTSA campaign 16V705000
Summary 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.
Remedy Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front axle driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC139.
Recall air bags, frontal 2016-04-21 · NHTSA campaign 16V231000
Summary 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 driver's frontal air bag was not loaded, resulting in the second stage not deploying in necessitating crashes.
Remedy Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC131.

Complaints by component (754 total)

Engine
424
Electrical system
102
Powertrain
73
Fuel and propulsion system
53
Exterior lighting
47
Structure
40
Visibility
30
Speed control
29
Engine and engine cooling
24
Steering
24
Air bags
23
Service brakes
22
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
Seats
9
Visibility and wipers
9
Fuel system, gasoline
8
Forward collision avoidance
5
Wheels
5
Latches, locks, and linkages
3
Seat belts
3
Suspension
3
Back-over prevention
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Lane departure
2
Tires
2
Hybrid propulsion
1
Other or not sure
1
Traction control
1
Show 20 more Show less
Crash-flagged

27

Fire-flagged

19

Injury reports

17

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

32016192017302018632019602020672021109202216220231212024762025442026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Vehicle was purchased in 2023. AC blower failure occurred for the first time in June 2024 and was repaired by PepBoys. On 4/2/2025 the ve3hicle had an active recall event when the engine seized on the highway because of…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system, Exterior lighting · filed 2026-08-25
  • "While driving at highway speeds on the freeway in San Diego, the engine of my 2016 Kia Optima catastrophically seized without warning. I instantly lost all power steering, brake assist, and electrical power, creating an…"
    Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-08-21
  • "Blower motor is drawing excessive electricity, which in turn burns the fuse and junction pin, which in turn can start a fire in the car. Kia of Irvine suggested redoing all electrical wiring in the car, but that will…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-20
  • "Window falls into the door. The rear two windows have been repaired 3 times. They are currently both broken again along with the front drivers side. I currently have three windows being help up by tape. They are taped…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-08-13
  • "The engine assembly completely seized and the vehicle is currently stored at an independent repair shop . While traveling at high speed on Interstate 4 on July 24, 2026, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-08-05

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Kia Optima 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2016 Kia Optima Hybrid 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Optima 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 34 28 MPG $2300
Optima 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (7-speed) Front-wheel drive 28 37 31 MPG $2100
Optima 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 31 25 MPG $2600
Optima FE 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 36 29 MPG $2250
Optima FE 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 31 25 MPG $2600
Optima hybrid 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 35 38 37 MPG $1750
Optima hybrid EX 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 35 38 36 MPG $1800

Specs and fitment

4th generation (JF), 2012–2020
Body styles Sedan
Oil 5W-20 or 0W-20 (2.4L and 2.0L turbo per manual) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R17 to 245/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 18V161000. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kia Optima hybrid vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a Voltage Protection Device (VPD), designed to protect the high voltage battery module, that may activate inadvertently. If the VPD activates while the vehicle is being operated in Electric Vehicle (EV) mode, there may be a loss of power, increasing the risk of a crash. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will remove the VPD switch and install two newly designed Battery Management Systems (BMS) that contain Overvoltage Protection Devices (OPDs), free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC162.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Kia Optima Next year 2017 Kia Optima See every Kia Optima model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Kia Optima reliable?

Owners have filed 754 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Optima over 11 years — 17 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Optima years here — under the median of the other years, which is 21. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Latch, Hoses and fittings, and Inflator.

What are common problems with a 2016 Kia Optima?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (424 of 754), then Electrical system (102) and Powertrain (73). Those filings include 27 that report a crash, 19 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2016 Kia Optima more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Optima has 1,008 complaints, 27 per year, and the 2017 has 255 complaints, 10 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Kia Optima been recalled?

The 2016 Kia Optima has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Kia Optima?

Owners have filed 754 complaints about the 2016 Kia Optima with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Kia Optima get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Kia Optima is 30.1 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Optima take?

5W-20 or 0W-20 (2.4L and 2.0L turbo per manual)

What does NHTSA recall 18V-161 cover on the Kia Optima?

NHTSA campaign 18V161000.

What generation is the 2013 Kia Optima?

4th generation (JF) (2012-2020).