AI Damage2017 KIA Optima: common problems
Owners of the 2017 KIA Optima filed 257 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and electrical system. The maker issued 140 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 257
- involving a crash
- 4
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 140
What fails most often
- 1 Engine 64% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel/propulsion system 8% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 6% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 4% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 3% of all complaints
- Engine: 165 complaints (64% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 21.
- Electrical system: 25 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 48.
- Powertrain: 21 complaints (8% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 14.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 20 complaints (8% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 15 complaints (6% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 2.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.6 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 5 complaints
- 2 L · hybrid · 4 cyl
- 2 L · plug-in hybrid · 4 cyl
- automatic, 6-speed
- dual-clutch (DCT), 6-speednamed in 1 complaints
- dual-clutch (DCT), 7-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 257 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 165 | 0 | 21 |
| Electrical system | 25 | 1 | 48 |
| Powertrain | 21 | 0 | 14 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| Vehicle speed control | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 11 | 2 | 14 |
| Engine and cooling | 8 | 0 | 37 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Air bags | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 6 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The contact stated that all four children located in the rear seats suffered minor bruising with one child suffering a seat belt laceration on their right shoulder. A police report was filed.
The Kia’s Adaptive Cruise was enabled and set to the maximum amount of safe distance. I recall the car directly in front of me changed lanes to pass a truck towing a trailer. I remember the Kia began to accelerate and I couldn’t turn the wheel. Next memory was opening my eyes to the dust smoke of deployed air bags.
The perpetrators bashed my back rear window, dislodged the undercarriage of the steering wheel, and used something as simple as a USB cable to turn a knob and start the ignition. My safety was put at risk as well as others because these people that stole my car clearly do not care about their own life or others.
While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. As a result, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle.
The mechanical issue is very dangerous the car jerks slows down to a very low speed around 30 Mi an hour in the middle of high speed traffic. Is very dangerous I've been without a vehicle for 3 weeks which is slowing down my process to continue to pay my bills I need my vehicle can I get any help from anyone.
While driving at highway speed, my engine began to produce a loud knocking noise without prior warning. Within few seconds, the engine seized completely causing sudden loss of motive power.This caused a dangerous situation— loss of power steering and barking at highway speed, leaving me stranded in traffic lanes.
I am requesting urgent assistance regarding my 2017 Kia Optima EX, which is experiencing a serious oil consumption/burning issue. The vehicle is burning oil into the engine, causing the oil level to continually decrease and creating a significant concern for engine failure, overheating, or a potential vehicle fire.
Since 4/1 my car has intermittently lost power steering. I received dashboard warning lights and the wheel was difficult to turn. When I shutoff the car and turned back on, the warning lights were gone and the steering returned.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 250 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 12% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Optima has 323 complaints (5 years in the data). This year has 257, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- 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…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS: ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REVISION 5) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 104 ) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSION SECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REV 4) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are…
- 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…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 103 / JF) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic…
- 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…
- 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…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 102 / JF) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic…
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC340 FLIGHT 101 / JF) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Electronic Control Module ‘ECM’ system software for certain…
NHTSA lists 140 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2017 KIA Optima?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 257. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (29%), knocking, grinding or other noise (21%), oil leak or consumption (17%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2017 KIA Optima?
NHTSA lists 140 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2017 KIA Optima from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2017 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.