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What 34 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (34)Crash / fire / injury (4)Engine (19)Electrical system (6)Brakes (5)Airbags (4)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Speed control (3)Seats (2)Steering (2)Seat belts (1)Tires (1)

4 of 34 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Apr 10, 2019Electrical systemEngineFire

ECU MALFUNCTION CAUSING MISFIRE IN CYLINDER ONE RESULTING IN IGNITION COIL MELTING AND AND CAUSING ELECTRICAL FIRE IN ENGINE BAY WHILE IN MOTION ON LOCAL STREET. VEHICLE IS NOW INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11195506

Feb 26, 2019Electrical systemEngineFire

ENGINE MISFIRE IN CYLINDER # 1. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE, CHECK ENGINE (P0301) ILLUMINATED. IGNITION COIL WAS MELTED NOW CAR DOES NOT START. ENGINE FAILURE. THIS HAPPENED ON A SHORT TRIP TO THE STORE LIMPED THE CAR BACK HOME. KIA REFUSES TO RECALL THIS OPTIMA ENGINE BECAUSE ITS A HYBRID ALTHOUGH IT HAS FAILED AND HAS BEEN RECALLED ON MULTIPLE SAME YEAR KIA OPTIMAS DUE TO METAL DEPOSITS IN THE ENGINE FROM FACTORY.

NHTSA ODI 11182680

Sep 20, 2016AirbagsCrash1 injury

TAKATA RECALL--I WAS INVOLVED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH MY 2011 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. AS THE IMPACT WAS PRETTY HARD, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MY DAUGHTER WAS JERKED FORWARD AND HIT HER FACE ON THE DASHBOARD.

NHTSA ODI 10908117

Jun 24, 2016AirbagsCrash

WHILE TRAVELLING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 - 55 MPH ON A HIGHWAY A DEER HAD RAN ACROSS THE ROAD, IN ORDER TO AVOID A COLLISION HEAD ON WITH THE DEER I TOOK AN EVASIVE MANEUVER AND UNFORTUNATELY COLLIDED WITH THE GUARDRAIL ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AT APPROXIMATELY 40 - 50 MPH. IMPACTING THE ENTIRE DRIVERS SIDE OF MY VEHICLE. HOWEVER, NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT OCCURRED WITH SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS AND VEHICLE IS NOW CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES DUE TO DAMAGE AND AS WELL AS A POSSIBLE AIRBAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION IN THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 10876323

Working with the data? Download all 34 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid verdict →