"How reliable is the 2002 Kia Optima?"

"Based on 168 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Kia Optima has a median complaint mileage of 89000 miles. The most common issue is SUSPENSION."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Kia Optima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Kia Optima is SUSPENSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 168 total complaints filed."

2002 Kia Optima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 168 complaints

168

Total Complaints

89,000mi

Median Mileage

SUSPENSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

50,000 25th Percentile

89,000 Median Mileage

132,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

STRUCTURE:BODY

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

STEERING

WHEELS

STRUCTURE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE HAVE TREAD SEPARATION CAUSING A TIRE BLOW OUT. DEALER NOTIFIED SIZE#LT26575R16. DOT# UNKNOWN. MR *TT"

"THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*JB....*AK"

"WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO EXIT OFF MASS PIKE, I WAS DOING ABOUT 30-35 AND SO WERE THE OTHER CARS, I BRAKED TO CONTINUE TO SLOW - THE CAR DID NOT STOP AND APPLIED THE BRAKES ALL THE WAY DOWN AND THE CAR STILL DID NOT STOP AND I PANICKED KNOWING THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING AND FINALLY MADE IMPACT INTO THE VE..."

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