Kia Motor Optima - Problems, Statistics, and Analysis

Kia Motor Optima owners have reported a total of 10,243 problems for their cars built in the 20 model years listed in the chart below. The chart shows the number of problems reported across all service years for each given model year of the Kia Motor Optima. The 2013 Kia Motor Optima cars have the most problems reported (1,873 problems).

Table 1. Total number of problems by model year for Kia Motor Optima

Model Year	Number of Problems
2020 Optima	195
2019 Optima	294
2018 Optima	336
2017 Optima	382
2016 Optima	1,034
2015 Optima	1,373
2014 Optima	780
2013 Optima	1,873
2012 Optima	1,266
2011 Optima	766
2010 Optima	101
2009 Optima	167
2008 Optima	190
2007 Optima	215
2006 Optima	208
2005 Optima	180
2004 Optima	299
2003 Optima	188
2002 Optima	164
2001 Optima	232

🔍 Common problems of Kia Motor Optima

The following chart shows the 34 most common problems for Kia Motor Optima cars. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling (3,328 problems). The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's equipment (940 problems).

Table 2. Common problems of Kia Motor Optima

Problem Category	Number of Problems
Engine And Engine Cooling	3,328
Equipment	940
Electrical System	938
Steering	758
Air Bag	565
Structure	549
Service Brakes	532
Power Train	508
Other Fuel System	380
Exterior Lighting	355

Vehicle Speed Control	268
Latches/locks/linkage	228
Suspension	180
Visibility	172
Gasoline Fuel System	97
Electronic Stability Control	88
Seat Belt	77
Forward Collision Avoidance	69
Wheel	69
Seats	46
Tire	33
Lane Departure	15
	13
Air Brake	7
Firerelated	5
Back Over Prevention	4
Hybrid Propulsion System	4
Parking Brake	3
Other/i Am Not Sure	3
Traction Control System	3
Child Seat	2
Unknown Or Other	2
Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness	1
Diesel Fuel System	1

📉 Compare Reliability Across Model Years Using PPMY Index

It would not be fair to compare the Kia Motor Optima of an older model year to newer model years since older vehicles have been in service longer and thus are expected to have more problems. In order to compare the reliability across Optima model years, we use the PPMY index which is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. A smaller PPMY index indicates greater reliability of the given model year cars.

PPMY = P / S / Y * 1000,

where P = total problems reported during the life of a Kia Motor Optima model year; S = total units sold of the model year; Y = years since the debut of the model year (the age of the vehicle).

The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Use PPMY Index to Compare Reliability Across Optima Model Years

Optima Model Year	Problems	Sales [1]	Vehicle Age	PPMY Index
2020	195	71,060	6	0.46
2019	294	102,277	7	0.41
2018	336	95,756	8	0.44
2017	382	57,621	9	0.74
2016	1,034	128,507	10	0.80
2015	1,373	215,029	11	0.58
2014	780	100,153	12	0.65
2013	1,873	192,298	13	0.75
2012	1,266	96,266	14	0.94
2011	766	61,630	15	0.83
2010	101	25,177	16	0.25
2009	167	35,857	17	0.27
2008	190	47,487	18	0.22
2007	215	42,265	19	0.27
2006	208	45,840	20	0.23
2005	180	31,276	21	0.27
2004	299	67,232	22	0.20
2003	188	23,475	23	0.35
2002	164	27,778	24	0.25
2001	232	24,896	25	0.37

📊 Number of Problems Reported During the First Year

Another way to measure the reliability across the model years of the Kia Motor Optima is to use the total number of problems reported during the vehicle's first year in service, as shown in the Table 4.

Table 4. Number of problems in vehicle's; first service year

Model Year	Problems Reported
2020 Optima	11
2019 Optima	20
2018 Optima	9
2017 Optima	11
2016 Optima	24
2015 Optima	21
2014 Optima	50
2013 Optima	68
2012 Optima	86
2011 Optima	50
2010 Optima	5
2009 Optima	6
2008 Optima	19
2007 Optima	12
2006 Optima	30
2005 Optima	5
2004 Optima	22
2003 Optima	6
2002 Optima	4
2001 Optima	13

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