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EnginePart report

2004 Kia Optima Engine Problems

Complaints
3about this part
Share
1%of 225 total for the year
Median mileage
89,400miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the engine of the 2004 Kia Optima, 1% of the 225 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 89,400 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My car completely turns off while im driving it, most of the time when I used it the first time of the day and try to used it again it turns of and loose power, I can't turn it on again in that moment I need to wait and then it works again but if happens really frequently and its really dangerous because im on the freeway and cars are behind me and I can cause an accident or anything worse. I went to the dealership so they could inspect my car but they couldn't find anything at that moment.”

NHTSA complaint #10683010, filed 2015-02, 89,400 miles

“The car was running fine until after a few hours of driving it just stopped running. This is the second time this has occurred. The engine RPM dropped to zero and the car coasted. After sitting for less than an hour the car started up again. I took it to the Kia dealer and they said, even though the car had less than 60,000 miles, they would have to diagnose the problem and charge us $200 to do so, and the electronic parts were not covered.”

NHTSA complaint #10470101, filed 2012-08, 51,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2004 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power and several indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle shut down and was pushed to the side of the road with the help of the state highway patrol. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing belt fractured and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10955343, filed 2017-02, 163,000 miles

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202010268%
20199243%
201813257%
201716564%
201642656%
201562362%
201428448%
201361444%
201239843%
201125643%
2010912%
20091412%
20081913%
20071610%
200675%
200431%
200321%
200244%
200121%

Other parts of the 2004 Kia Optima

Latches, locks and linkages
81 complaints
Electrical system
45 complaints
Body and structure
42 complaints
Air bags
26 complaints
Suspension
19 complaints
Other or unknown
12 complaints
Engine cooling
11 complaints
Fuel system
10 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
8 complaints
Brakes
7 complaints
Steering
7 complaints
Seat belts
6 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2004 Kia Optima

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology