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Recalls that may apply to the 2012 Kia Optima

A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.

Campaign 23V652000 may apply to this vehicle. NHTSA advises: park outside, away from buildings, until the repair is done.

By component

United States: NHTSA, as of 2026-10-19
23V6520002023-09-25. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving. NHTSA advises: park outside, away from buildings, until the repair is done.
22V5600002022-08-01. STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Optima vehicles. The right and left headliner plates may not be secured properly, which can result in the plates detaching in the event of a side curtain air bag deployment.
20V7500002020-12-02. ENGINE. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
18V9070002018-12-19. ENGINE; FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS. 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. Built 2010-08-12 to 2014-05-15.
18V3630002018-06-01. AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying. Built 2009-02-24 to 2012-08-31.
17V2240002017-03-31. ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE. Kia Motor Company (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine. Built 2010-08-12 to 2014-05-15.
Canada: Transport Canada, as of 2026-10-19
20235292023-09-26. Brakes. Issue: On certain vehicles, the brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) could short circuit. Safety Risk: A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the fuse(s) for the HECU. Kia recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.
20205972020-12-04. Engine. Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.0 L NU GDI or 2.4 L Theta II MPI engine, an engine compartment fire could occur while driving. Kia is conducting this recall as a preventative measure to prevent fire risk due to potential fuel leaks, oil leaks and/or engine damage. In some situations, you may notice any of the following symptoms: there could be an abnormal knocking noise from the engine; the check engine light and/or the oil pressure warning light could turn on; you may smell fuel, burning or smoke; or you may notice oil leaks. If you continue to drive the vehicle with these symptoms, the engine could fail and/or a fire could occur. An engine failure can cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart. Note: For the Optima model, only the Optima Hybrid is affected by this recall. Safety Risk: An engine compartment fire can create a risk of injury. A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Action: Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer for an inspection of the engine and engine compartment. The dealer will inspect for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, if necessary. Kia will also perform a Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software update free of charge, once it is available for your vehicle. This update will detect and prevent engine damage from worn connecting rod bearings.
20191532019-03-21. Engine. Issue: Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure may cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module. Note: Vehicles repaired under Service Campaign SC025 already have this software update.
20187422018-12-28. Fuel System. On certain vehicles, when repairs were completed under recall campaign 2017-199 (Kia RC109), the high pressure fuel pipe may not have been properly installed on the fuel pump outlet. A fuel leak could occur if the pipe was damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the recall repair. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could create the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the connections of the high pressure fuel pipe to the fuel pump outlet for leaking fuel. If leaking fuel is detected, the fuel pipe will be replaced with a new one.
20183012018-06-08. Airbag. On certain gasoline and hybrid engine vehicles, the circuits within the airbag control unit may become damaged. This could cause the airbags and seat belt pretensioners to not deploy in certain collisions where deployment is warranted, which could increase the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. Correction: Dealers will install a wire harness kit between the ACU connector and vehicle harness connector as necessary. Note: This recall does not affect the 2013 model year Optima Hybrid.
20171992017-04-07. Engine. On certain vehicles equipped with 2.0L and 2.4L engines, the engine may contain residual metallic debris from factory machining operations. If debris is present, it could potentially restrict oil flow to the main bearings and rod bearings and could lead to premature wear. If the vehicle continues to be driven with worn bearings, the bearings could fail, which could cause an engine stall while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in loss of motive power which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Worn bearings could also result in the illumination of the oil pressure lamp in the instrument cluster. Correction: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the engine sub-assembly.

A campaign lists a year, a make and a model, and often only some of the vehicles built. A list with nothing on it is not a clearance either. The lookups below check one VIN.

Check one vehicle officially

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.