Vehicle report
2004 KIA OPTIMA
This model year
What the record shows
The 2004 Kia Optima is a midsize car, and the 4th model year of a nameplate NHTSA records from 2001 to 2020.
The EPA rated four configurations: engines from 2.4-litre four-cylinder to 2.7-litre six-cylinder, front-wheel drive only, two transmissions and running on regular gasoline.
Combined fuel economy ranges from 21 to 23 mpg depending on which one you have.
The federal record holds 225 owner complaints and 15 service bulletins for it.
Counts are reports, not rates. A complaint is something an owner chose to file; it is unverified and unadjusted for how many of these cars were sold, so the useful comparison is against other model years of the same car. Recalls and investigations carry more weight because a manufacturer or regulator acted on them.
Reading this report
Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.