Used Kia Optima Parts

The generation and platform decide whether a used part interchanges. Match yours before you request a quote.

• 2011–2015 (TF, 3rd gen) — Theta II fours only: a 2.4L GDI or a 2.0L turbo GDI, both on a six-speed automatic; a six-speed manual came only on the LX four-cylinder. The hybrid of these years is a separate 2.4L powertrain.
• 2016–2020 (JF, 4th gen) — The 2.4L GDI and 2.0L turbo GDI carried over on the six-speed automatic; new for 2016 was a 1.6L turbo on a seven-speed dual-clutch. All front-wheel drive. The hybrid changed on its own schedule: 2.4L for 2016, 2.0L Nu GDI from 2017.
• 2021 onward (renamed K5) — A different platform with eight-speed transmissions and optional all-wheel drive. Order it as a K5, not a late Optima.

The hybrid is the split that costs people money. The 2011–2016 Optima Hybrid used a 2.4L Atkinson-cycle four joined by a wet clutch to an electric motor and then a six-speed automatic. For 2017 Kia replaced that 2.4L with a 2.0L Nu GDI, and in that transmission a 38 kW motor and clutch take the place of the torque converter. The 2017–2020 Plug-in Hybrid uses the same 2.0L Nu with a transmission-mounted 50 kW motor. So a hybrid Optima's six-speed automatic is not the non-hybrid car's, and it has no torque converter to order. High-voltage components are qualified-technician work.

• Rod-bearing wear in the Theta II GDI engines is the defining Optima problem: Kia recalled certain 2011–2014 Optima vehicles over machining errors that could cause premature bearing wear and seizure. Two separate Kia engine programmes list Optima years, with different covered years and different remedies. Kia's 2021 settlement lists 2011–2019 Optima on its covered-vehicle list, with a lifetime remedy for short-block assembly repairs, for original and subsequent owners. The separate agreement dated 26 September 2022 lists 2011–2020 Optima Hybrid and 2017–2020 Optima Plug-in Hybrid on its own covered-vehicle list, with a 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty rather than a lifetime one. The lists overlap, and neither document maps a vehicle to an engine, so which programme applies to your car depends on its engine and VIN — confirm it with Kia or the settlement administrator. Neither covers a used engine bought from us: coverage attaches to the vehicle and its VIN, and both are engine programmes — they say nothing about transmissions.
• If an Optima has already had its engine replaced, check the follow-up recall: certain 2011–2017 Optima vehicles that got a replacement engine under recall 17V-224, warranty or the knock sensor campaign were recalled because the high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during that work, risking a fuel leak. Have a used engine fitted by a shop that will torque the fuel plumbing to spec.

Safety- and emissions-related parts should be diagnosed and installed by a licensed mechanic.

Send the full 17-digit VIN and tell us three things: hybrid, plug-in hybrid or non-hybrid; which engine (2.4L, 2.0L turbo or 1.6L turbo); and which transmission. For an engine, say whether you need a short block, long block or complete unit — the 2021 settlement's remedy is written around the short-block assembly. We do not publish stock or pricing; send the VIN and we will match it.