2009 Kia Optima

midsize car / 4-door sedan

2009 Kia Optima 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2006-10 models built after September 2005

Tested vehicle: 2006 Kia Optima LX 4-door

The Kia Optima was redesigned during the 2006 model year. It no longer shares its body structure with the Hyundai Sonata, which was also redesigned for 2006.

All 2006-10 manufactured after September 2005 are redesigned (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door). 2006 Optima models manufactured in Sept. 2005 or earlier share the previous design with 2001-05 models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the roof rail during rebound. Head acceleration from this hit was low.

Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injuries.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0606
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 6
Left (cm) 7
Center (cm) 11
Right (cm) 9
Brake pedal (cm) 13
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 4
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 1
Rearward (cm) 1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0606
Head
HIC-15 275
Peak gs at hard contact 38
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 20
Maximum Nij 0.42
Chest maximum compression (mm) 33
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 2.8
Femur force - right (kN) 3.8
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 3
Maximum tibia index - left 0.49
Maximum tibia index - right 1.05
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.7
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 76
Right 99

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2006-10 models built after June 2006

Tested vehicle: 2008 Kia Optima LX 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Kia Optima was redesigned during the 2006 model year. It no longer shares its body structure with the Hyundai Sonata, which was also redesigned for 2006.

Beginning with 2006 models manufactured after June 2006, design changes were made to the rear door structure and trim to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door).

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0812
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -1.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0812
Head HIC-15 273
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.7
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 43
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 39
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.34
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.81
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.9
Combined force (kN) 5.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 77
A-P moment (Nm) 45

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0812
Head HIC-15 304
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 32
Lateral force (kN) 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 29
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.18
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.33
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.3
Combined force (kN) 2.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.3
L-M moment (Nm) 176
A-P moment (Nm) -61

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2006-10 models built after September 2005

Tested vehicle: 2009 Kia Optima LX 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,203 lbs
Peak force 9,998 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 3.12

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seats AHR built after Sept 2005

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seats AHR mfg after Sept 2005
Geometry
Backset (mm) 28
Distance below top of head (mm) 32
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.6
Head contact time (ms) 60
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 16
Max neck tension (N) 376

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

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