2020 Kia Optima Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2020 Kia Optima. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 199 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

ENGINE
91
1crashes2fires
POWER TRAIN
25
1fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
15
1crashes1fires2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
11
1fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
9
AIR BAGS
7
4crashes4injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
SERVICE BRAKES
7
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
6
SEAT BELTS
4
1crashes2injuries
Total complaints199

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Engine replacement needed at 99,782 miles. P1326 code continuously popping up. Also has excessive oil consumption and electrical problems concerning the forward collision system. Kia refuses to replace engine although the p1326 code is covered by lifetime warranty. The cause of the incident was…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-06-07

“Engine replacement needed at 99,782 miles. P1326 code continuously popping up. Also has excessive oil consumption and electrical problems concerning the forward collision system. Kia refuses to replace engine although the p1326 code is covered by lifetime warranty. The cause of the incident was…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-06-07

“Engine replacement needed at 99,782 miles. P1326 code continuously popping up. Also has excessive oil consumption and electrical problems concerning the forward collision system. Kia refuses to replace engine although the p1326 code is covered by lifetime warranty. The cause of the incident was…”

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS · reported 2026-06-07

“I was driving on the freeway and my check engine light started to flicker and I felt my car shake and going to limp mode. I made an appointment with the kia dealership and they told me the engine is failing. They submitted a request for a goodwill case to kia corporation and it was denied since…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-05-15

“I was driving on the freeway and my check engine light started to flicker and I felt my car shake and going to limp mode. I made an appointment with the kia dealership and they told me the engine is failing. They submitted a request for a goodwill case to kia corporation and it was denied since…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-05-15

“I was driving on the freeway and my check engine light started to flicker and I felt my car shake and going to limp mode. I made an appointment with the kia dealership and they told me the engine is failing. They submitted a request for a goodwill case to kia corporation and it was denied since…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2026-05-15

“Car is consuming oil every three weeks. Engine is going to burn if it does not stop. It’s not in a class action but probably should be. It’s been 4 months and over 1,000 spent.”

ENGINE · reported 2026-05-11

“Car is consuming oil every three weeks. Engine is going to burn if it does not stop. It’s not in a class action but probably should be. It’s been 4 months and over 1,000 spent.”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-05-11

Defect investigations

Investigation DP22003 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…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2020 Kia Optima as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.