The 2017 Kia Optima Phev has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 330,167 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 37 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
11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
8
1fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
1fires
AIR BAGS
2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN
2
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
1
SEAT BELTS
1
SERVICE BRAKES
1
Total complaints37
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I was driving the vehicle home on the freeway after just buying it. I had only driven it for about 35-40 minutes and after 5 minutes the ev battery was drained completely and the car was running in hybrid mode. The vehicle suddenly lost all its power and a warning light came on flashing saying…”
“I was driving the vehicle home on the freeway after just buying it. I had only driven it for about 35-40 minutes and after 5 minutes the ev battery was drained completely and the car was running in hybrid mode. The vehicle suddenly lost all its power and a warning light came on flashing saying…”
“I was driving the vehicle home on the freeway after just buying it. I had only driven it for about 35-40 minutes and after 5 minutes the ev battery was drained completely and the car was running in hybrid mode. The vehicle suddenly lost all its power and a warning light came on flashing saying…”
“The contact owns a 2017 kia optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated and then turned off independently. The contact slowed…”
“-”
“This car was purchased [xxx] and has been in my possession for 3 years and 4 months. It has sat in a dealership repair facility for 13 of those months to replace the engine and high-voltage hybrid battery. Meaning I have actively driven this vehicle for approximately 27 months and the retraction…”
“The contact owns a 2017 kia optima phev. The contact noticed a failure with the key fob and manual locking function with the trunk. The contact was notified of nhtsa campaign number: 23v594000 (latches/locks/linkages). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with…”
“Oil pressure sensor leaked out all of the oil and no warning lights lit on the dashboard to let me know that I had lost oil pressure or that I was low on oil. Problem part #1: oil pressure sensor problem part #2: no warnings on dashboard result: #1: engine failure / loss of engine #2: this caused…”
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 2017 Kia Optima Phev as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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