Known Recalls

Model year record

2010 Kia Optima

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 105 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 13V114000

Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch

Component
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
Manufacturer
Kia Motors Corporation
Vehicles affected
980,377
Reported to NHTSA
2013-04-01
Owners notified
2013-04-19

Defect description

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 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Safety risk

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.

Manufacturer 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 campaign number is SC098.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Power train2473,000 mi
Air bags1663,150 mi
Electrical system1475,000 mi
Engine1273,000 mi
Vehicle speed control670,000 mi
Unknown or other515,000 mi
Service brakes440,000 mi
Latches/locks/linkages365,000 mi
Exterior lighting299,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control2—
Seat belts263,150 mi
Steering22 mi
Structure: body268,000 mi
Air bags: frontal11,750 mi
Child seat1—
Electronic stability control (ESC)168,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system1135,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine1500 mi
Equipment: electrical: radio/tape deck/CD etc.154 mi
Fuel/propulsion system1118,000 mi
Suspension163,000 mi
Tires: temporary/emergency spare tire11,500 mi
Visibility/wiper168,000 mi
Visibility: windshield182,000 mi

The 2009 model has about half as many complaints as this one. The 2011 model has about a fifth as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.