Recall Register

2011 Kia Optima: recalls and complaints

NHTSA advisory: park outsideCampaign 23V652000. NHTSA received the report on . 1,730,192 units. Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module

Remedy of campaign 23V652000, in the NHTSA record

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.

Park-outside advisory: A mark on a recall campaign in the NHTSA recall file. This site shows the mark as NHTSA sets it.

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2011 Kia Optima. The newest campaign is 23V652000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Sep 2023. The NHTSA record gives the component Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 7 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

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Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 3,907,969 units in total.

  • 23V652000Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/ModuleAdvisory
  • 18V907000Engine
  • 18V363000Air Bags / Air Bag/Restraint Control Module
  • 17V224000Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine
  • 13V114000Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights / Switch
  1. 23V652000Received . 1,730,192 units.

    Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/ModulePark-outside advisory

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.

    Report filed by Kia America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SC284. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 18V907000Received . 71,653 units.

    Engine

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC172. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 18V363000Received . 507,587 units.

    Air Bags / Air Bag/Restraint Control Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.

    Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC165. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 17V224000Received . 618,160 units.

    Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Kia Motor Company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly, and replace the engine if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC147.

    Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC147. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 13V114000Received . 980,377 units.

    Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights / Switch

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.

    Report filed by Kia Motors Corporation. Manufacturer campaign number SC098. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

The NHTSA complaint file has no complaint for this model year.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2011 Kia Optima
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
AQ23002Audit queryHyundai and Kia ABS Module FiresService Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module17 Nov 2023Open
DP22003Defect petitionLoss of Motive PowerEngine12 Sep 202212 Dec 2023
EA21003Engineering analysisEngine FiresEngine22 Dec 20215 Feb 202423V877
DP21003Defect petitionThrottle control system vulnerabilitiesVehicle Speed Control / Throttle12 Nov 202120 Jun 2023
PE19004Preliminary evaluationNon-crash Vehicle FiresElectrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables29 Mar 201922 Dec 202120V088000
DP18003Defect petitionNon-crash Vehicle FiresElectrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables21 Aug 201810 May 201918V907000
RQ17003Recall queryScope and TimelinessEngine18 May 201722 Dec 202117V224000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 20013
  2. 20023
  3. 20032
  4. 20041
  5. 20050
  6. 20062
  7. 20072
  8. 20083
  9. 20091
  10. 20101
  11. 20115
  12. 20125
  13. 20139
  14. 20147
  15. 20154
  16. 20165
  17. 20173
  18. 20182
  19. 20191

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2011 Kia Optima: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/optima/2011/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
Kia America, Inc.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2011 Kia Optima?
3,907,969 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Kia Optima have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 22 recall campaigns for the Kia Optima, model years 2001 to 2019. 5 of them name the 2011 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2011 Kia Optima open?
1 investigation has no closing date in the NHTSA file, of 7 that name this model year.