The 2009 Kia Optima has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 980,377 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 166 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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…
Consequence
Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional…
Remedy
Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
29
1fires
AIR BAGS
28
4crashes4injuries1deaths
SERVICE BRAKES
17
ENGINE
14
4fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
12
2fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
11
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
9
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
8
1fires
STEERING
7
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4
1injuries
Total complaints166
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2009 kia optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle was making an abnormal knocking noise and then stalled. The contact stated that the battery and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The…”
“After 131,500 miles, struts, rotors and pads wore out. Lower ball joint and control arm also wore out, no injuries or accident.”
“After 131,500 miles, struts, rotors and pads wore out. Lower ball joint and control arm also wore out, no injuries or accident.”
“The airbags did not deploy while the car was being driven at 65 mph on interstate 275 s and crashed into a wall barrier. Since the airbags did not deploy, the driver's head was thrown around because the rest of his body was held firm by the seat belt. The driver was transported by ambulance to the…”
“While driving the car when cold the car downshifts hard into first at about 20 mph. Almost at sometimes feeling like I have been hit from the back. My neck has started hurting from whiplash. This is a very horrible problem that needs to be fixed. In states where roads become wet, icy, and covered…”
“Transmission downshift very hard from 2nd to 1st. Dealer reset module 10 months ago. Solved problem. Problem recurred. Dealer reset module but problem continues. Checked internet, problem seems to be widespread.”
“When car is slowing down and /or approaching a stop sign it gives a hard jerk. Even if traffic slows down on the express way it gives a hard jerk. This has been going on since november 2020.”
“Last week, on aug 29th 2020, I tried to make a left u-turn on a residential street and the steering wheel locked up. I got scared and just drove forward to the next street and turned right onto that street. On aug the 17th, 2020 I had my car inspected. The mechanic said the brake fluid was leaking…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP21003 Opened 2021-11-12 · closed 2023-06-20
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.…
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2009 Kia Optima as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.