2008 KIA OPTIMA — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
188
Owner Complaints
3
Recalls
4
Service Bulletins
1
Investigation
Overview of the 2008 KIA OPTIMA
The 2008 KIA OPTIMA has received a total of 188 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 3 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT. 4 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (44 complaints), Engine (18 complaints), and Power Train (16 complaints).
Recalls for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA
NHTSA has recorded 3 recalls for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA, potentially affecting up to 1,196,247 vehicles.
Recall 13V114000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
| 980,377 vehicles affected
Defect: 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 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007...
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 movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
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...
View full details →Recall 12V014000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
| 145,755 vehicles affected
Defect: KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. (KIA) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 KIA OPTIMA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 29, 2005, THROUGH JANUARY 29, 2008, AND MODEL YEAR 2007 AND 2008 KIA RONDO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 13, 2006, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2008. THE CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) MAY BECOME DAMAGED THROUGH...
Consequence: IF THE CLOCK SPRING DEVELOPS HIGH RESISTANCE, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVERS AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT THE DRIVER, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES.
Remedy: KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAG CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
View full details →Recall 11V153000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
| 70,115 vehicles affected
Defect: KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 OPTIMA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 29, 2005, THROUGH JUNE 13, 2007. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SHIFT CABLE MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED INCORRECTLY, CAUSING TENSION IN THE CABLE. IF PRESENT, THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE CABLE TO DETACH FROM THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY'S DOWEL PIN PREVENTING THE TRANSMISSION FROM BEING SHIFTED. THE SHIFT...
Consequence: IF THE DRIVER LEAVES THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ENGAGING THE PARKING BRAKE, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE VEHICLE CAN ROLL INJURE A PERSON IN ITS PATH OR CAUSE A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SHIFT CABLE AND REINSTALL IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 23, 2011. OWNER MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA
188 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2008 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle's transmission failure. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 198,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 217,000.
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2008 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle's transmission failure. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 198,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 217,000.
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2008 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle's transmission failure. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 198,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 217,000.
Occupant airbag sensor doesn't recognize whether someone is sitting or not. The occupant airbag sensor light goes on and off whether there is a passenger sitting on the seat or not. Kia has extended warranty on this issue however it doesn't let customer know about this part is defected. I was doing my research how to fix the issue and learn that kia had extended warranty for 15 years from the first day of service. the warranty currently expired right now. if I knew there was a warranty, I would go to dealer to fix the issue the day that my wife bought the car.
Power train: at low idle or while slowing down, the car will lose power for a minute until you get on the accelerator and it all comes back on. Alternator had been replaced. And is going to be replaced again soon. Not sure if it's just a bad part. Power steering pump was replaced. The pulley seized. Unrelated. Lighting: third brake light constantly flickers. All Lighting including head lights flicker on and off. Worse when slowing down. Lights on dash board, dome, rear light and head light Bulbs have been replaced. At night when the head lights flicker I cannot see the road. Airbags: the air bag light on dash is always on. Codes have been ran and there are so many. Tried resetting codes it comes back on soon after. Not sure how to go about trying to fix it. All of this has been happening since I purchased the car in November 2024.
Safety Rating for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2008 KIA OPTIMA in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA
Kia America, Inc. has issued 4 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB-GEN085 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
TSB: MANDATORY REPLACEMENT OF LOCKING/SECURITY HARDWARE - By design, certain fasteners utilized in various Kia models are strictly intended for ?one time use?. Though not limited to the following, some examples are: axle shaft nuts with stake collar, cotter pins, washers with locking tabs and other similar hardware, including threaded...
WTY002BULLETINOP — AIR BAGS
WARRANTY BULLETIN: WTY002 (REVISION #1) - 2006~2010MY OPTIMA PASSENGER SEAT OCS SENSOR MAT WARRANTY EXTENSION (WTY002) - THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES INFORMATION RELATED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) SENSOR MAT IN 2006 ~ 2010 MY OPTIMA (MG) VEHICLES. IF THE SENSOR MAT IS NOT WORKING...
WTY002OWNEROPT — EQUIPMENT
OWNER LETTER: WTY002 OPTIMA - DEAR KIA OPTIMA OWNER: KIA MOTORS AMERICAS HIGHEST COMMITMENT IS TO YOUR SAFETY. TO THAT END, KIA IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) SENSOR MAT TO 15 YEARS WITH UNLIMITED MILEAGE, STARTING FROM THE DATE OF FIRST SERVICE....
SC-122 — STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
KIA: AN ADDITIONAL APPLICATION OF ANTI-CORROSION PROTECTION WILL BE APPLIED ON SOME VEHICLES UNDERBODY COMPONENTS TO HELP PREVENT CORROSION. MODEL 2004-09 SPECTRA, 2006-10 OPTIMA, 2006-11 RIO 2007-10 RONDO AND 2010-13 SOUL. *PE
NHTSA Investigations for the 2008 KIA OPTIMA
NHTSA has opened 1 investigation into potential safety defects in the 2008 KIA OPTIMA.
Investigation PE10046 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Closed
Opened:
Transmission Shift Cable Detachment
Other Model Years of the KIA OPTIMA
- 2003 KIA OPTIMA — 190 complaints
- 2004 KIA OPTIMA — 306 complaints
- 2005 KIA OPTIMA — 180 complaints
- 2006 KIA OPTIMA — 214 complaints
- 2007 KIA OPTIMA — 217 complaints
- 2008 KIA OPTIMA (current)
- 2009 KIA OPTIMA — 166 complaints
- 2010 KIA OPTIMA — 98 complaints
- 2011 KIA OPTIMA — 766 complaints
- 2012 KIA OPTIMA — 1,239 complaints
- 2013 KIA OPTIMA — 1,822 complaints
Other KIA Models
- KIA SORENTO — 13,451 total complaints
- KIA SOUL — 7,147 total complaints
- KIA SPORTAGE — 6,540 total complaints
- KIA FORTE — 3,450 total complaints
- KIA SEDONA — 3,334 total complaints
- KIA SEPHIA — 3,080 total complaints
- KIA TELLURIDE — 2,109 total complaints
- KIA RIO — 1,784 total complaints