2007 Kia Optima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
217 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2007 Kia Optima, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 11/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 77,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2007 Kia Optima has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2007 sits among all Optima years
What owners report
“The air bag light stays on all the time 1 the passenger airbag light will say on with an adult sitting in the seat!!1 visors do not stay up! Headlights are very dim . I've changed them out to a few different types still dim cannot see at night”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 Optima
“The low beams are very dim. The fog lights light up the road better than the low beams. I replaced the lowbeam bulbs with sylvania silverstar ultra bulbs which are very bright in my other car, they still are very dim.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 Optima
“Passenger sun visor stopped working and stays down affecting visibility on right side.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 Optima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 161 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 45,000 and 114,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V153000.
Technical service bulletins
31 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and airbags — are on file for the 2007 Kia Optima. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2007 Optima TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2007 Kia Optima reliable?
The 2007 Kia Optima drew 217 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 11/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2007 Kia Optima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2007 Kia Optima are airbags (67 complaints), electrical (42), and visibility & wipers (33).
At what mileage do 2007 Kia Optima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2007 Kia Optima problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 45,000 and 114,000 miles.
Does the 2007 Kia Optima have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2007 Kia Optima. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.