47 complaints reported

2019 Kia Optima Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
47
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Nov 2025

The motor burn oil even after the oil change is done. Also, the car shaking and is not damage to be found.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Nov 2025

Red oil light came on along with check engine light took to shop got oil change and they test pressure all is good but oil light and engine light still on replaced oil pressure sensor switch and variable valve solenoid lights still on took to kia dealership they said say thing as first shop replaced oil pressure sensor switch again because they said the aftermarket one doesn't work on my car so bought part from dealer changed it light still on.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2025
Nov 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the catalytic converter was previously replaced. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, two weeks later, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started misfiring. The contact drove to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The mechanic related the failure to an unknown engine recall, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the nearby dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine damage. The dealer acknowledged the unknown engine recall, but the engine was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part of the engine that was damaged was not covered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2025
Nov 2025

I purchased a used 2019 Kia Optima from a dealership in January 2025 with 103,000 miles. 11 months later it's burning oil. Every 2 weeks I have to add a quart of oil. I took it to my mechanic and they found cylinder 4 has been burning oil. They also found a technical service bulletin related to engine oil consumption. They recommended replacing long block assembly. They referred me to a Kia dealership. Currently, my vehicle is at a Kia dealership. They performed a "leak down test" and found cylinder 4 has been burning oil and recommend a long block assembly. I have a 3rd party warranty on my car. They are currently reviewing this claim. If they decide to replace the long block assembly, there will be additional uncovered costs that I feel Kia should be responsible for. I have only put 7,000 miles on this car since I bought it 11 months ago. The car currently has 110,500 miles on it. I understand this is a used vehicle but engines should last 200,000+ miles. I'm trying to figure out my rights. By law isn't the dealership responsible for this oil consumption loss and long block assembly replacement?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2025
Nov 2025 Fire

I recently had the engine replaced less than a year ago due to an engine recall on this model car, today 11/11/2025 the engine caught fire. We’ve kept up with oil changes on time and I had no alerts in the vehicle on the dash claiming the engine was hot.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2025
Oct 2025

I was driving in the rain on the highway and engine light started flashing!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2025
Jul 2025

I am the owner of a 2019 Kia Optima FE with the 2.4L GDI engine (Theta II). Despite following a consistent maintenance schedule with synthetic oil changes every 4,000 to 6,000 miles, the vehicle is experiencing premature engine failure. Specifically, the engine has internal valve damage, and the shop diagnosed the issue as failure of an internal valve component. The vehicle also has a leaking axle inner boot, but the major concern is the engine. Kia has refused warranty coverage, goodwill assistance, or recall support despite this engine being part of a long-standing pattern of issues documented across many Kia and Hyundai vehicles with the Theta II platform. I still owe approximately $10,000 on this vehicle, and now face a potential $5,000+ repair due to a known manufacturing defect. Kia Consumer Affairs and the dealership both declined assistance, claiming my warranty has expired, even though this engine has been involved in class action lawsuits, extended warranties, and TSBs related to premature wear, oil consumption, and mechanical failure. I am submitting this complaint to formally report the issue and to urge the NHTSA to continue investigating Kia’s 2.4L Theta II engine failures, as they represent a potential safety and financial risk to consumers. Many drivers are left stranded or in serious debt due to an engine defect they could not have prevented.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2025
Jul 2025

Excessive oil consumption for a car with 45,000 miles with no observed leaks under the car or on the outside of the engine

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Jun 2025

The engine appears to be consuming an abnormal amount of oil. There are no visible leaks or external damage, and the vehicle has not yet stalled or failed, but oil levels drop rapidly between oil changes. The engine is available for inspection upon request Driving with low or empty oil levels risks sudden engine failure while in motion, which could lead to loss of power, stalling in traffic, or even a crash. The oil warning light came on and went off at regular intervals unexpectedly during driving this week, which prompted me to get it to my mechanic asap to avoid potential engine damage or failure. They performed an oil change (even though I had done it there for this same car only 2133 miles ago NOT YET. I have contacted the dealership and have been advised to monitor the oil level or potentially conduct an oil consumption test. I have not yet received a formal diagnostic or confirmation from Kia or a third party. Yes the vehicle was formally inspected by Gettel Kia of Bradenton on 14th Street for an engine stalling issue... Have experienced a stall only once since then Yes. The oil warning light turned on (and off several times in 1 minute intervals) for the first time around 132011 miles. Upon the mechanic checking the dipstick, the oil level was significantly below minimum. No check engine light appeared. An oil change was performed only 2133 miles since the last one. Additional Notes: I have discovered multiple similar reports from other 2016–2020 Kia Optima owners via online forums such as Reddit and Kia owner groups, suggesting this may be a widespread issue related to the GDI engine design. These cases often go unresolved until engine damage occurs. I am requesting: A formal oil consumption test A full engine inspection Repair or replacement if the issue is confirmed Consideration for goodwill or warranty extension due to potential manufacturing defect I am maintaining oil top-off records and would be happy to provide them

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2025
Jun 2025

Engine failure

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2024
Jun 2025

Oil consumption

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2024
May 2025

Original owner, received in mail that this vehicle was recalled for engine issues. Provided a lifetime warranty for engine. Noticed my vehicle began consuming oil more than normal. I constantly have to put oil in the car 2-3/ week. The shops say it doesn’t need an oil change the oil is burning fast. Never notice any leaks bit my vehicle began to not pick up speed and shop said the oil is burning and possible engine is getting ready to go. Called dealership and they said they won’t replace u less the engine is totally blown and I need to have all type documents showing I’ve been doing maintenance although this is a known issue. Constant oil changes.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
May 2025

Over the past couple years, the check engine light has came on and I immediately had a mechanic look at it. The first time they said it was my spark plugs and changed them. Then this year, a year later, the check engine light came on and it became hard to accelerate on my way to a mechanic. Once again, they said spark plugs, so they changed them and claimed that they didn't look to had been changed before. Now here I am a couple of months after that, my check engine light came back on and my car started making a funny noise on my way to work. I turned back around and went home since I was closer to home than work. It sounds like rocks popping when you start it or hit the gas. I had someone check the codes and it said engine 1 and 4 coils. All 4 coils and spark plugs were changed again. That did not fix it. The sound is still there and the engine light is now blinking. I have kept up with the oil changes and everything. There is no recall. I still owe on the car and it is not able to be driven.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2025
Apr 2025

I recently had an oil change and not even 600 miles later the oil is completely gone. My engine is burning oil like crazy. This just started happening at the 95,000 miles mark

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2025
Mar 2025

My 2019 Kia Optima purchased brand new. Kia released a service bulletin on 3/1/22 citing “excessive oil consumption for 2011-2021 Optima's”. I took it in for the "updates" for said service bulletin for the engine and was told that my engine is good and covered now for the life of the engine even past the 100k miles (mind you no one mentioned doing an excessive oil consumption test at this time). On 3/22/24 car had 104k miles on it and the oil light came on. I had an oil change just 2500 miles or so prior. Pulled into an autozone and it was almost bone dry. I put oil in it and the light went off. I took it to Evans Kia and was told that they couldn't do anything because it was past 100k warranty and that they couldn't run the DX test to determine if it was excessively consuming oil as per the recall. Apparently during the recall they did the DX tests if the consumer stated it was burning oil fast or something to that extent. Mine did not get said test, only the upgrade. They should have done the test, but they just did an "upgrade" which clearly did not work. They said since I had the "upgrade", if the engine fails, then Kia would fix it under warranty. Since then, this happened at least 4 more times with the oil light coming on and engine oil practically gone. Each time took less and less miles. I showed up to Kia 2 of those times in 2024 to show them the the oil change date, mileage, and check oil light on. Also physically showed them the oil being almost empty, yet they did nothing but say when the engine dies or "knocks" they can fix it under warranty. One of those times I had it towed but they determined it was the fuel pump, never mentioned anything else. Fast forward 3/15/25 the engine starts knocking and engine light comes on. I managed to drive it to Evans Kia without any accidents. After my car sat for 9 days, they call me on 3/25/25 and tell me there is a "burnt valve on cylinder 4 and the engine will need to be replaced and it is not covered. How? Help!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2025
Mar 2025

My engine is burning oil at an alarming rate, my car is not recognizing low oil, so I no oil lights are appearing. I have to go to the oil change place weekly to have my oil checked. When my oil is low, I have to pay to have my oil replenished between months of my oil changes. My and my son safety was put at risk, when I found out at an oil change visit, I had less than an quart of oil I was driving around with. Which can cause engine failure while driving, overheating, and reduced performance while driving. This was confirmed by an oil change facility. I am currently in a ongoing dispute with the dealership I received my car from. The Kia dealership is refusing to do any maintenance until I can produce five years of oil change records that are not showing on car fax. To date my car oil light is not coming on, no signs are shown in my car showing this issue. I have to just get it checked weekly and pay for oil to be safe until, I can get a new engine.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2024
Jan 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal engine oil consumption was noticed. The check engine oil warning light illuminated abnormally often, shortly after an oil change had been performed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with defective piston oil rings. The vehicle was not repaired due to the warranty being deemed invalid. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: May 2024
Dec 2024

Since January 2024 I have had to replace the spark plugs more than 3 times. It has also had to have an oil change done at least every two months regardless of the miles that were put in it. BURNING OIL LIKE CRAZY Mid October 2024 a full tune up was done as well as oil change and less than two weeks later it started bucking like a bronco and all oil was gone out of it. Check engine light is on and oil light goes on and off. Cannot drive at all

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2024
Nov 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there was oil leaking from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the oil was changed; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,008.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2024
Sep 2024

Engine is consuming too much oil engine is shaking and knocking engine light is on reducing speed will cut off in mid drive

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2024
Aug 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. During the failure, a flashing check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the engine had experienced excessive oil consumption. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 30,449.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2021
Aug 2024

The car is using oil like crazy and is not leaking anywhere out of the vehicle. Stalling out while driving and then accelerating. Has completely lost power and rolled down an onramp. Completely unsafe. Took for diagnostic and they wanted to say I needed a new gas cap. Replaced, still doing same thing. Hesitant to start even and the alternator is less than a year old.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2024
Aug 2024

I am having to change the plugs in this car monthly. The car goes into limp mode and will not go over 15 miles an hour. There is oil getting in the plugs and causing them to burn. This car uses a lot of oil. Lots of oil!! these issues started at 100,011 miles. I have also noticed that this car has started accelerating on its own.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2024
Aug 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light was flashing, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that an unknown sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving 65 MPH, the driver came to a stop, and upon accelerating, the check engine warning light started flashing. The vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact used a code reader and determined the failure was with the knock sensor. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, who determined that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Jul 2024

Defective piston rings leading to excessive oil consumption, spark plug deterioration, and potential engine failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 KIA OPTIMA, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2024

Trend Over Time

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Quick Summary

The 2019 Kia Optima has 47 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.