This hub covers 10 Kia model-years across 3 models: Forte, Optima, Sorento. Across those model-years, NHTSA's databases record 6,154 owner complaints and 42 recall campaigns. The most-recalled is the 2013 Kia Optima with 9 campaigns, while the 2013 Kia Optima has the most owner complaints at 1,386. 7 of the 10 model-years earned NHTSA's top overall rating of five stars. Complaint totals are raw counts from the database and are not adjusted for sales volume, so they are best used to compare components and patterns within a model rather than as a league table between brands. Each model-year page reproduces the full underlying records: every recall campaign with its official summary and remedy, complaint counts by component, the complete crash-test scorecard, and EPA fuel-economy figures for every configuration.
Kia Model-Years
| Model-Year | Complaints | Recalls | Overall Rating | Combined MPG (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Kia Forte | 195 | 5 | ★★★★☆ | 27 |
| 2017 Kia Forte | 305 | 3 | ★★★★★ | 28 |
| 2013 Kia Optima | 1,386 | 9 | ★★★★★ | 27 |
| 2015 Kia Optima | 1,009 | 4 | ★★★★★ | 31 |
| 2017 Kia Optima | 257 | 3 | ★★★★★ | 30 |
| 2013 Kia Sorento | 982 | 5 | ★★★★☆ | 22 |
| 2015 Kia Sorento | 755 | 3 | ★★★★★ | 21 |
| 2017 Kia Sorento | 808 | 4 | ★★★★★ | 22 |
| 2019 Kia Sorento | 433 | 2 | ★★★★★ | 22.5 |
| 2021 Kia Sorento | 24 | 4 | ★★★★☆ | 25 |
What Kia Owners Complain About
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 3,065 | 49.8% |
| Unknown Or Other | 841 | 13.7% |
| Electrical System | 719 | 11.7% |
| Structure | 484 | 7.9% |
| Steering | 479 | 7.8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 444 | 7.2% |
Across the tracked Kia range, 190 complaints report a crash and 329 report a fire, with 197 injuries recorded in owner filings. The most fuel-efficient tracked Kia is the 2015 Kia Optima, whose EPA configurations return a median of 31 combined MPG, while the most-complained-about is the 2013 Kia Optima with 1,386 filings. Tracked years run from 2013 to 2021. Component shares are computed against the make's tracked complaint total; because an owner can name several components in one filing, shares can sum to slightly more than 100%. Use the component table to see whether a make's problems concentrate in one system — a pattern worth checking on the individual model-year page — or spread evenly across the vehicle, which usually reflects age and mileage rather than a single defect.
Models covered: the Forte (2 model-years, most-reported component: Engine); the Optima (3 model-years, most-reported component: Engine); the Sorento (5 model-years, most-reported component: Engine). The highest-rated tracked Kia is the 2017 Kia Forte at 5 stars overall for its tested variant. Where a model's most-reported component repeats across several of its model-years, the pattern is visible in the model-year pages' component tables — the clearest sign in this dataset of a systemic issue rather than scattered owner experience.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026.