Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Kia Optima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact was driving a rented 2010 Kia Optima. The consumer stated she stopped the vehicle while the gear was in drive, turned off the ignition and attempted to remove the key from the ignition, but it would not release. The gear shift had lock up and she was unable to move the gear into neutral or the park position. She stated the manual read to start car, the gear shift must be in the park position and the foot must be on the brake. The consumer stated as she slightly moved the key, the vehicle started with high speed and crashed head on into a building. The consumer was injured and the air bag failed to deploy the failure and current mileages were 1,750. Updated 12/01/10.
Takata recall transmission has a grinding and whining noise!! But transmission shift gear smoothly. These noise worse at cold condition and turn to the left, and passing over speedbump. As I heard in the south Korea, this is common often reported by drivers who drive this vehicle. I am trying to figure out what is going on but all car mechanic could not found it. I am very scary when I driving. I think it could be a safety issue in the future.
The car has a lurching issue when it slows down to 20mph when the car lurches with a hard down shift to 1st gear. This phenomena is especially acute when the car is cold or when you first start driving it.
The car lurches or jerks when slowing down or stopping at about 20 mph . Lurch or jerking is enough to jerk to the driver . Has anyone got answer to why the Kia Optima 2010 does this.
Car has very hard downshift at low speed going from 2nd gear to 1st. Seems to be alot of these complaints and would be nice to know of a fix for this problem!
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle downshifted violently. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure was confirmed. The contact also mentioned that the passenger side low beam headlight failed due to the a failed wire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the manufacturer's recall. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
When slowing down, either with or without braking assistance, car jerks as the transmission does a hard downshift from 2nd to 1st gear when reaching 20 MPH. The force of the downshift is enough to jolt the driver.
Hard jerk when downshift into first gear at 20-22 MPH. I am concerned that this could cause an accident on wet, icy or snow covered roads. When I asked the dealer about this problem, he said he had not heard of it.
While decelerating, either braking or coasting, the car will lurch violently when reaching approximately 22 MPH. The severity of the lurch varies but in most instances it is hard enough to snap my neck forward.
The car buckles when reducing your speed to around 20 MPH. Also the rear seat door lock stopped working and my car is no longer under warranty and Kia wants to charge me around 700 dollars to fix it.
Transmission complaints in other Optima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2010 Kia Optima?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2010 Kia Optima, 32% of the model year's 75 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2010 Kia Optima transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2010 Kia Optima, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Kia Optima transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.