Worst 2009 Kia Optima Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
POWER TRAIN
AIR BAGS
SERVICE BRAKES
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2009 Kia Optima.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 29 | — | 1 | 70,335 mi | |
| AIR BAGS | 28 | 4 | — | 64,962 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 17 | — | — | 76,720 mi | |
| ENGINE | 14 | — | 4 | 86,715 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 12 | — | 2 | 66,079 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 11 | — | — | 65,661 mi | |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 9 | — | — | 65,189 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 8 | — | 1 | 103,638 mi | |
| STEERING | 7 | — | — | 65,697 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 4 | — | — | 18,950 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 19,058 mi | |
| SUSPENSION | 4 | — | — | 19,119 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 2 | — | — | 8,150 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 | — | — | 77,200 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | — | — | 73,468 mi | |
| CHILD SEAT | 1 | — | — | — | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 | — | — | 66,000 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 | — | — | 50,250 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH | 1 | — | — | 97,000 mi | |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | — | 1 | 140,000 mi | |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | — | — | 914 mi | |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 | — | — | 114,856 mi | |
| STRUCTURE | 1 | — | — | 33,500 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 | 1 | — | 95,000 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 | — | — | 83,000 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 | — | — | 123 mi | |
| VISIBILITY | 1 | — | — | 4,000 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR | 1 | — | — | 19,000 mi |
Search Owner Complaints
Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2009 Kia Optima. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.
Recalls for 2009 Kia Optima
1 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~980,377 vehicles.
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.
Other Kia Optima Years
Wider context: See the full Kia Optima reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.
Check Your Specific 2009 Kia Optima
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.
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