2019 Kia Optima: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2019 Kia Optima. The campaign is 19V539000. NHTSA received the report on 19 Jul 2019. The NHTSA record gives the component Forward Collision Avoidance / Automatic Emergency Braking. NHTSA has 210 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on this campaign.

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

Remedy of campaign 19V539000, in the NHTSA record

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will update the FCA software, free of charge. The recall began August 27, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC179.

NHTSA VIN lookup

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

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

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

1 campaign. 11,423 units in total.

19V539000Received 19 Jul 2019. 11,423 units.
Forward Collision Avoidance / Automatic Emergency Braking
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Optima vehicles equipped with Gamma 1.6L Turbo-GDI or Theta II 2.0L Turbo-GDI engines. A software error in the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system may cause the braking assist function to not engage when a stationary vehicle is detected.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Improper intervention of the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will update the FCA software, free of charge. The recall began August 27, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC179.
Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC179. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 27 Aug 2019.

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

210 complaints, 327 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2019 Kia Optima
All 2019 vehicles

2019 Kia Optima: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2019 Optima	All 2019 vehicles	Optima, all years	Mentions
Engine	275.2	145.3	303.2	90
Forward Collision Avoidance	134.6	54	8.1	44
Unknown or Other	128.4	103.3	81.2	42
Electrical System	70.3	130.6	90.8	23
Service Brakes	55	49.9	30.2	18
Power Train	52	123.7	48.7	17
Fuel/Propulsion System	52	49.2	36.4	17
Structure	42.8	29.2	54.3	14
Air Bags	36.7	25.7	55	12
Vehicle Speed Control	30.6	23.7	26.4	10

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 25.

Complaints that report a crash: 20
Complaints that report a fire: 6
Injuries in the complaints: 16
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 30 Sep 2026

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2019 Kia Optima, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2025, with 48 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2019 Kia Optima
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
DP22003	Defect petition	Loss of Motive Power	Engine	12 Sep 2022	12 Dec 2023
EA19001	Engineering analysis	Electrical overstress	Air Bags / Air Bag/Restraint Control Module	19 Apr 2019	19 Sep 2024	20V024

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.

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

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2019 Kia OptimaThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2019 Kia Optima: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/optima/2019/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Kia Motors America

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 2019 Kia Optima?: 11,423 units in 1 campaign. 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 2020. 1 of them names the 2019 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2019 Kia Optima name most often?: Engine: 90 of 327 component mentions, or 275.2 per 1,000. For all 2019 vehicles the figure is 145.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2019 Kia Optima open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.