The 2018 Kia Optima Hybrid has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 330,167 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Rio, 2016-2018 Optima, 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The trunk latch base may crack, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety…
Consequence
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch base subassembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC278.
ENGINE21V8440002021-10-2910,731 affected
Defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which can result in engine damage.
Consequence
A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the engine. If bearing damage is found, the engine will be replaced. Dealers will also install a software update containing a Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS). Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Kia…
Complaints by component
ENGINE
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
POWER TRAIN
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints7
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While driving down the road the car said it had a major voltage failure and was shutting down. I was in the middle of the street and thankfully was able to coast to the turn lane before the car came to a total stop. Since the gas pedal didn't do anything. The car then said there was multiple…”
“While driving down the road the car said it had a major voltage failure and was shutting down. I was in the middle of the street and thankfully was able to coast to the turn lane before the car came to a total stop. Since the gas pedal didn't do anything. The car then said there was multiple…”
“While driving down the road the car said it had a major voltage failure and was shutting down. I was in the middle of the street and thankfully was able to coast to the turn lane before the car came to a total stop. Since the gas pedal didn't do anything. The car then said there was multiple…”
“The contact owns a 2018 kia optima hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "turn engine off immediately" was displayed, and the vehicle decelerated to 35 mph and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed…”
“I brought the vehicle into kia service for the recall including a computer operating system upgrade. After the recall work was done the car driving at high highway speeds failed, and immediately slowed down, almost causing a rear collision. The computer system turned off the drive mechanism and I…”
“I brought the vehicle into kia service for the recall including a computer operating system upgrade. After the recall work was done the car driving at high highway speeds failed, and immediately slowed down, almost causing a rear collision. The computer system turned off the drive mechanism and I…”
“I brought the vehicle into kia service for the recall including a computer operating system upgrade. After the recall work was done the car driving at high highway speeds failed, and immediately slowed down, almost causing a rear collision. The computer system turned off the drive mechanism and I…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22003 Opened 2022-09-12 · closed 2023-12-12
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles…
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
InvestigationEA21003 Opened 2021-12-22 · closed 2024-02-05
Engine Fires
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. During the PE…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Kia Optima Hybrid as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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