2012 KIA OPTIMA — Complaint #2041131
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING filed November 18, 2024
NHTSA complaint #2041131 (ODI reference 11625883) concerns a 2012 KIA OPTIMA and was filed on November 18, 2024. The owner reports the failure occurred on November 18, 2024. The vehicle had 151,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Florida based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as engine and engine cooling, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: yes, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same KIA OPTIMA cohort independently describe similar engine and engine cooling failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2012 KIA OPTIMA shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while at a stop light, smoke and flames were suddenly present coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed to an inbound facility. No report was taken and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 151,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2041131 |
| ODI Number | 11625883 |
| Date Filed | November 18, 2024 |
| Failure Date | November 18, 2024 |
| VIN | 5XXGN4A60CG |
Similar ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Complaints for 2012 KIA OPTIMA
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the engine was knocking at startup. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and the VIN was inc
Dear NHTSA, I am submitting a formal complaint regarding my 2012 Kia Optima, which experienced an engine fire directly related to the defects identified in Kia Safety Recalls SC147, SC200, and SC201.
See attached document for complaint.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving downhill at approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The battery, oil, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while at a complete stop at the traffic light, she noticed that there was smoke coming from underneath the driver's side of the hood. Additionall
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.