Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2016 Kia Optima has 763 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most for the engine at 428. It gets 25 to 37 mpg combined on gasoline, with a 5-year fuel cost of $8,780 to $12,990 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 5 overall stars. Its 5 recall campaigns may apply, covering door latches and locks, engine, fuel system, and others; none were replaced by later campaigns.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
25–37 mpgcombined; city 22–35, highway 31–38; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$8,780–$12,990U.S. average; Ohio $7,840–$11,610 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2016 Optima. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 763 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Optima. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
428
4
16
5
Unknown or other
121
5
4
2
Electrical system
105
7
7
1
Power train
76
2
1
0
Fuel/propulsion system
53
0
6
1
Exterior lighting
48
2
0
0
Structure
40
4
3
6
Visibility
30
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
29
2
1
2
Engine and engine cooling
24
0
1
0
Steering
24
2
0
0
Air bags
23
13
0
12
17 more parts
Service brakes
22
2
2
1
Visibility/wiper
10
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
9
0
0
0
Seats
9
2
0
5
Forward collision avoidance
5
1
0
1
Wheels
5
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
3
0
0
0
Seat belts
3
2
0
0
Suspension
3
0
0
0
Back over prevention
2
0
0
0
Lane departure
2
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
2
0
0
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Hybrid propulsion system
1
0
0
0
Other/i am not sure
1
0
0
0
Traction control system
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Optima over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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 Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Risk: 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.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Optima, 2012-2017 Sorento and 2011-2018 Sportage vehicles that previously received an engine replacement under recall number 17V-224, warranty, or the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) Product Improvement Campaign. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC172.
Kia Motors America (Kia) has recalled one 2016 Optima vehicle. In this vehicle, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not inflate fully increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: The affected vehicle was remedied on January 10, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC143.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Optima vehicles manufactured November 13, 2015, to April 23, 2016 and equipped with a 2.4l engine. The right front axle driveshaft may crack and fail.
Risk: If the driveshaft cracks and separates from the vehicle, it will not be able to move forward. Additionally, if the parking brake is not applied upon exiting the vehicle, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front axle driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC139.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Optima vehicles manufactured November 10, 2015, to February 12, 2016. In these vehicles, a chemical enhancer required for the for the second stage deployment of the driver's frontal air bag was not loaded, resulting in the second stage not deploying in necessitating crashes.
Risk: If the second stage air bag does not deploy it increases the risk of injury or death.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC131.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 293 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2016 Optima, the latest on Aug 28, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (103), engine and engine cooling (75), equipment (60), engine (37), power train (29).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22005 Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2016 Optima.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: large cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6–9 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Optima Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (AM7)
Regular Gasoline
28 / 37 / 31
Optima Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
24 / 34 / 28
Optima Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
22 / 31 / 25
Optima FE Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
25 / 36 / 29
Optima FE Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
22 / 31 / 25
Optima Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AM6)
Regular Gasoline
35 / 38 / 37
Optima Hybrid EX Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AM6)
Regular Gasoline
35 / 38 / 36
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data