NHTSA recall 19V539000
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.
| Published by | NHTSA (United States) |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | 19V539000 |
| Manufacturer's number | SC179 |
| Manufacturer | Kia Motors America |
| Reported | 2019-07-19 |
| Owners notified | 2019-08-27 |
| Component | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING |
| Units potentially affected | 11423 |
| Report | Quarterly report 6, for 2020 quarter 4 |
|---|---|
| Filed with NHTSA | 2021-01-18 |
| Vehicles in the campaign | 11423 |
| Reported remedied | 9844 (86%) |
| Reported unreachable | 410 |
| Reported removed | 101 |
These are the manufacturer's totals for the whole campaign at the end of 2020 quarter 4, as filed with NHTSA. They do not say whether one vehicle has been remedied: check the VIN with the official lookups. The reports are from data as of 2026-10-19.
What is wrong
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Optima vehicles equipped with Gamma 1.6L Turbo-GDI or Theta II 2.0L Turbo-GDI engines. A software error in the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system may cause the braking assist function to not engage when a stationary vehicle is detected.
What can happen
Improper intervention of the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will update the FCA software, free of charge. The recall began August 27, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC179.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
| 2019 KIA OPTIMA | Built 2018-05-21 to 2019-05-29. |
|---|
A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.
Bulletins for the same vehicles and component
| PS797 | 2025-12-18. Other. PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane film of the ultrasonic sensor is used for object detention and can be damaged by stone chips or foreign substances while driving. Damage to the cover of the ultrasonic sensor can also lead to damage to the internal circuit. As a result of this external damage, the PDW system may not receive the proper signal from the ultrasonic sensor. In some cases, the system may cause a false alarm, no alert, or phantom warnings by a “Warning Lamp’ to be displayed on the cluster. The ultrasonic sensor membrane film should be always inspected for external damage and if any part replacement should be treated as a general repair, not as a warranty claim repair for this concern. (Please note that this Pitstop only applies to models/trims that are equipped with the ultrasonic sensors.) |
|---|---|
| PS704 | 2021-08-25. Service bulletin. PITSTOP: FRONT RADAR SENSOR MOUNTING INSPECTION (PS704) - This pitstop provides information regarding front radar sensor alignment on 2014MY and later vehicles that may exhibit a warning light ON related to radar sensor alignment errors in the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA)/Smart Cruise Control (SCC) system. |
A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.