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What 31 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 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 (31)Crash / fire / injury (5)Engine (16)Electrical system (11)Speed control (4)Airbags (3)Fuel system (3)Steering (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Brakes (1)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)Hybrid Propulsion System (1)

2 of 31 complaints match · Fuel system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 17, 2014Speed controlEngineFuel systemCrash1 injury

WHILE TRYING TO PARK THE CAR IN THE PARKING LOT STRUCTURE, THE CAR ACCELERATED BEYOND CONTROL ON IT'S OWN AND HIT THE WALL HEAD ON. I WAS ALREADY IN MY PARKING SPOT AND ONLY FEW FEET AWAY WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS DEPLOYED AND BODY DAMAGE OCCURRED. EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY, I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THE SPEED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. NOTE: THIS COMPLAINT IS A DUPLICATE OF 10620789. THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS BEING PROVIDED TO INDICATE A TREND OF SIMILAR SUDDEN ACCELERATION SAFETY ISSUES WITH THE KIA HYBRID OPTIMA. THIS IS A REQUEST TO INITIATE A SAFETY INVESTIGATION AS THERE HAVE BEEN SIMILAR REPORTS WITH KIA OPTIMA HYBRID AND KIA OPTIMA. THE FOLLOWING COMPLAINTS ARE SIMILAR IN NATURE: 10608382 FOR KIA OPTIMA HYBRID 2013, 10615352 FOR KIA OPTIMA HYBRID 2012, 10552403 FOR KIA OPTIMA HYBRID 2012, 10608739 FOR KIA OPTIMA 2014 AND 10588733 FOR KIA OPTIMA 2013. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10625866

Aug 8, 2014Speed controlEngineFuel systemCrash1 injury

WHILE TRYING TO PARK THE CAR IN THE PARKING LOT STRUCTURE, THE CAR ACCELERATED BEYOND CONTROL ON IT'S OWN AND HIT THE WALL HEAD ON. I WAS ALREADY IN MY PARKING SPOT AND ONLY FEW FEET AWAY WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS DEPLOYED AND BODY DAMAGE OCCURRED. EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY, I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THE SPEED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10620789

Working with the data? Download all 31 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 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid verdict →