2001 Kia Optima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 231 complaints
231
Total Complaints
78,500mi
Median Mileage
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
Top Issue
26
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

19,620 25th Percentile
78,500 Median Mileage
113,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
21
AIR BAGS
17
SUSPENSION:FRONT
17
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
11
SUSPENSION
10
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
7

Severity Assessment

26
Crashes
0
Fires
18
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"POWER LOCKING MECHANISM FOR DOORS OPERATE ERRATICALLY. CONSUMER CANNOT UNLOCK DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WITHOUT LOCKING ALL OF DOORS AT THE SAME TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *AK"
"WAS DRIVING VEHICLE 75MPH WHEN FRONT END LOCKED UP. TRANSMISSION DROPPED TO 2ND GEAR, AND CAUSED STEERING TO LOCK UP. VEHICLE HAD STARTED TO SKID. NOTHING WAS HIT WHEN VEHICLE SKIDDED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THE SAFE MODE SENSOR WIRE CAME LOOSE.*AK"
"WHILE DRIVING 40-50 MPH DOOR LOCKS ENGAGED NUMEROUS TIMES, THEN VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT DEALER SINCE THEN. SAFETY THEFT PROTECTION LOCK SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND WAS ON BACKORDER, ACCORDING TO DEALER. PLEASE ADD FURTHER COMMENTS. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28