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What 136 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Kia Optima

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 (136)Crash / fire / injury (8)Engine (91)Transmission & drivetrain (25)Electrical system (12)Fuel system (9)Engine & cooling (8)Airbags (7)Brakes (7)Speed control (6)Driver assistance (5)Seat belts (4)

4 of 136 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Feb 5, 2026AirbagsSeat beltsCrash2 injuries

Stable track control failed to work, the driver seatbelt did not tighten & stayed loose, & air bags did not deploy upon hitting the ditch & small trees resulting after hitting ice/water upon coming to a stop sign at a “T” cross road.

NHTSA ODI 11715952

Apr 7, 2022AirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owned a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a guardrail, causing her to hit her head on the steering wheel and lose consciousness. The vehicle came to a complete stop in a ditch. No air bags were deployed upon impact. The contact later received medical attention at the hospital for a concussion and was later diagnosed with early signs of onset dementia. A police report was filed and the contact was taken to jail under the assumption that she was intoxicated at the time of the collision. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, but the contact was not aware if it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the air bags should not have been deployed. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11460018

Dec 6, 2020AirbagsCrash

MY VEHICLE WAS MOVING WHEN A FORD 150 PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME. FORWARD COLLISION WORKED & SLOWED THE VEHICLE TO 35MPH. I HIT THE TRUCK DOING SEVERE FRONT END DAMAGE TO MY CAR. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHAT SO EVER.

NHTSA ODI 11378067

Nov 13, 2020AirbagsCrash1 injury

AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE.*DT*JB*DT*DT*DT

NHTSA ODI 11374574

Working with the data? Download all 136 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 2020 Kia Optima verdict →