2017 Ford Fusion vs 2017 Kia Optima
Two midsize cars, compared on what actually matters when you're buying used:
what breaks, when it breaks, and what it costs you.
2017 Ford
Fusion
5/10
Great chassis and styling wrapped around EcoBoost engines that eat themselves via coolant intrusion — know which engine you're getting before you sign anything.
VS
2017 Kia
Optima
5/10
Great value on paper, but the Theta II engine's rod bearing lottery makes this a car you buy with a lawyer's eye, not a shopper's.
Dead heat: both score 5/10. The tiebreaker is which specific car you find.
By the numbers
Green is the better number — higher on every score, lower on failures, complaints and recalls.
| Ford Fusion |
Kia Optima |
| Known failure points | 5 | 5 |
| NHTSA complaints | 1102 | 254 |
| Safety recalls | 4 | 3 |
| Service bulletins | 12 | 12 |
| Reliability | 48 | 42 |
| Cheap to own | 45 | 45 |
| Fun factor | 58 | 48 |
| Holds value | 38 | 38 |
| Enthusiast cred | 30 | 25 |
The most expensive thing that goes wrong
2017 Ford Fusion
1.5L/2.0L EcoBoost coolant intrusion — cracked cylinder head/block or degraded degas bottle allows coolant into cylinders, causing hydrolock, overheating, and often full engine replacement
$4,000–$8,00030k–70k mi
2017 Kia Optima
Catastrophic engine seizure from unresolved oil consumption/rod knock (the failure mode owners report on forums and to NHTSA)
$5,000–$8,50080k–120k mi
If you buy one, buy this one
✅ 2017 Ford Fusion
2017 Fusion SE or Titanium with the base 2.5L I4, or if you want performance, the Fusion Sport 2.7L V6 AWD — both sidestep the 1.5T/2.0T coolant intrusion nightmare.
✅ 2017 Kia Optima
2017 Optima SXL 2.0T with full documented service history, clean UBPI (used bearing/piston inspection) or dealer oil consumption test, and confirmed enrollment in the Theta II engine settlement — loaded, quicker, and the least likely to burn oil catastrophically.
Narrowed it down? Get the full report
This comparison is model-level.
Milo's report goes car-level — the one you're actually looking at:
- A line-by-line negotiation script
- The pre-purchase inspection checklist
- VIN-specific open recalls
- What it's really worth right now
- Your next 15,000 miles, forecast
- Hidden features & money-savers
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Scores and findings blend documented NHTSA recalls and complaints with
patterns synthesized from owner communities. Always inspect the specific vehicle and
verify open recalls by VIN before buying.