NHTSA Safety Recalls
2018 Kia Optima Recalls
The 2018 Kia Optima has 2 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on August 24, 2023.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2018 Kia Optima. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 2
- Owner complaints
- 233
- Crashes reported
- 10
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
10 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2018 Kia Optima, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
2 recalls on the 2018 Kia Optima
Latches/locks/linkages: trunk lid: latch
- Campaign
- 23V594000
- Reported
- August 24, 2023
- Vehicles affected
- up to 319,436
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 401, interior trunk release
- Same campaign
- also 2016–2017 Optima, 2 other models
Hybrid propulsion system
- Campaign
- 18V161000
- Reported
- March 8, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,710
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2017 Optima
2018 Kia Optima complaints by year
NHTSA has received 233 owner complaints about the 2018 Kia Optima, the newest on October 21, 2026. Of these, 10 describe a crash (4%) and 10 a fire; owners reported 9 injuries.
In complaints about the 2018 Kia Optima, the component group named most often is the engine (57%), followed by the electrical system (14%) and the power train (8%).
None of the 2018 Kia Optima's 2 recalls concerns the engine.
Where 2018 Kia Optima owners gave the mileage (73 complaints), the median was 45,325 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine132
- Unknown Or Other38
- Electrical System33
- Power Train19
- Service Brakes17
- Engine And Engine Cooling14
Complaints received, by year
| 2018 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 17 | |
| 2020 | 20 | |
| 2021 | 17 | |
| 2022 | 32 | |
| 2023 | 43 | |
| 2024 | 35 | |
| 2025 | 44 | |
| 2026 | 19 |
Complaints about the 2018 Kia Optima peaked in 2025, when NHTSA received 44. 26% arrived between 2017 and 2021, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2018 vehicles, the 2018 Kia Optima drew 1.2× the complaints of the median Kia Optima year in the same window: 7th highest of the 20 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 5/5
The 233 complaints about the 2018 Kia Optima are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Optima by model year
Other 2018 Kia models
Newest record on this page: October 21, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted