2004 KIA OPTIMA Complaints

HI THERE, 2 WEEKS AGO MY KIA OPTIMA LX 2004 DRIVER DOOR GOT LOCKED OUT AND IT IS NOT UNLOCK ANY MORE. I CALLED DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT IS NOT UNDER THE WARRANTY AND THEY NEED TO ORDER THE PARTS AND I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. I UNDERSTAND THIS. BUT I FOUND LOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL AND ALL OF THOSE CONSUMER GOT THE SIMILAR KIND OF RESPONSE WHEN THE CONTACT THEIR DEALER. THE QUESTION IS SINCE LOT OF CONSUMERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WITH SAME MAKE AND MODEL WHY THERE IS NO OFFICIAL RE-CALL. SINCE THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE WITH KIA OPTIMA 2004 WHY CONSUMER NEEDS TO PAY IF THEY DID NOT CREATE A GOOD PART OR MODEL. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR ON MY 2004 KIA OPTIMA WILL NOT UNLOCK FROM THE INSIDE OR FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE POWER LOCK SYSTEM RE-LOCKS THE DOOR WHEN I ATTEMPT TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. TO ENTER OR EXIT THE VEHICLE, I MUST CLIMB OVER THE CONSOLE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE AND USE THAT DOOR. THE PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT 80,000 MILES ON THE CAR. SO FAR THERE HAS BEEN NO CRISIS, BUT IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE OR SUBMERSION IN WATER, IT COULD LEAD TO MORE HARM SINCE EXIT THROUGH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR ISN'T POSSIBLE. *TR

KIA OPTIMA 2004. DRIVER-DOOR LOCKED UP. WOULDN'T OPEN. CAN'T OPEN THE DOOR EITHER FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. I HAD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR FROM PASSENGER DOOR. WINDOWS CAN'T BE OPENED! *TR

2004 KIA OPTIMA (ALTHOUGH ALL MODELS AND YEARS ARE AFFECTED) - FRONT DOOR LATCH DEFECTIVE (RESEARCH SHOWS BOTH SIDES AFFECTED; THIS COMPLAINT IS SPECIFIC TO PASSENGER-SIDE); DOOR WILL NOT OPEN. COSTLY TO FIX; MANUFACTURER AWARE OF DEFECT. SAFETY HAZARD; IN THE EVENT ACCIDENT INVOLVING DRIVERS' SIDE, NO WAY TO EXIT VEHICLE; WOULD INHIBIT SUCCESSFUL RESCUE ATTEMPTS. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE CONSUMER TO HAVE TO SHOULDER THE COST OF REPAIR DUE TO POOR QUALITY PARTS OR WORKMANSHIP. THIS IS NOT ONLY A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT ALSO A WIDESPREAD DEFECT, AS EVIDENCED BY NUMEROUS INTERNET BLOGS ON THIS SUBJECT, AND DEALER ACKNOWLEDGMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED SHE USED THE KEYLESS ENTRY SWITCH TO UNLOCK THE AUTOMATIC POWER DOORS. WHEN SHE REACHED FOR THE DOOR HANDLE TO ENTER THE VEHICLE, THE DOORS INDEPENDENTLY LOCKED. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS, SHE WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR AND ENTER THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. THE CONTACT STATED THE ONLY WAY TO ENTER THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE DRIVER'S DOOR WAS TO PULL ON THE DOOR HANDLE WHILE UNLOCKING IT MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE EXAMINED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 76,000.

EVERY TIME MY CAR GO THROUGH A MUD PUDDLE I LOSE MY POWER STEERING DEALER CANT FIND ANY PROBLEMS SOMETHING IS WRONG. *TR

THE FUEL SYSTEM IS GIVING ME PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEMS I HAVE CHANGED THE FUEL PUMP 3 TIMES IN 12 MONTHS. AND THE HEAD LIGHTS ALSO KEEP GOING OUT. I'VE CHANGED THE LEFT SIDE HEAD LIGHT TWICE AND THE RIGHT SIDE ONCE IN 4-1/2 YEARS. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR OF MY 2004 KIA OPTIMA LOCKS BACK EVERYTIME I UNLOCK IT AND TRY TO GET OUT . THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR ME AND A SAFETY DEFECT AND I AM AFRAID OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET OUT OF MY CAR. ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE DAY I STOPPED AT THE SERVICE STATION TO GET GAS AND TRIED TO OPEN THE DOOR AS FAST AS IT UNLOCK IT WOULD LOCK BACK TRAPPING ME INSIDE THE VEHICLE I HAD TO BEG SOMEONE TO HELP ME OUT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AS THERE ARE OTHER CONSUMERS JUST LIKE MYSELF HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND WE ARE ASKING KIA TO DO A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IT TO BE A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE DOOR ITSELF. I TRIED TO OVERRIDE IT BY TURNING THE KEY AND PULLING THE LATCH AT THE SAME TIME UNTIL I GOT IT TO UNLOCK AND I LEFT IT UNLOCK AND THEN RIDING IN THE CAR ON THE NEXT DAY IT AUTOMATICALLY LOCKED AND I FREAKED OUT THANK GOD MY HUSBAND WAS THERE BECAUSE I HAD TO PULL OVER AND GET OUT OF THE CAR AND THIS IS THE THIRD DAY AND IT WON'T OPEN. I CANNOT STAND THE FEELING OF BEING CLOSED IN. I CANNOT AFFORD TO GET IT FIXED AND I NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE MY CAR PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND SEE IF IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. THANK YOU *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR WAS PERMANENTLY LOCKED AND COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO ENTER THE VEHICLE FROM THE FRONT, PASSENGER SIDE DOOR AND CRAWL OVER THE MIDDLE CONSOLE TO GET INTO THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHERE HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS MECHANICAL. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 48,015. UPDATED 10/27/10. *LJ

2004 KIA OPTIMA 140,000 MILES. THIS FAILURE HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING. I FIRST NOTICED WHEN I TRIED TO UNLOCK THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE KEY WAS HARD TO TURN AND THE UNLOCK BUTTON MOVED SLIGHTLY. UPON PULLING THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR THE LOCK AUTOMATICALLY MOVED TO THE LOCKED POSITION AND THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. THIS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY. FROM INSIDE THE CAR, IF YOU MANUALLY LOCK THE CAR OR IF THE AUTOMATIC LOCKS ENGAGE WHILE DRIVING YOU CAN NOT OPEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR BY ANY MEANS. THE LOCKING MECHANISM FAILURE CAUSES 3 SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. 1) PREVENTS THE OPERATOR FROM ENTERING THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION 2) THE DRIVER CAN NOT LOCK THE DOOR FOR PERSONAL SECURITY WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THIS WILL PERMANENTLY LOCK THE OCCUPANT INSIDE. 3) THE POTENTIAL THAT AN OCCUPANT WOULD BE LOCKED INSIDE THE VEHICLE DURING AN EMERGENCY AND PREVENTED FROM ESCAPING THE VEHICLE. FROM THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS FOR KIA VEHICLES THIS WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A SERIOUS INJURY OR A FATALITY IF THIS ISSUE IS NOT ESCALATED TO A FULL RECALL OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM. THIS SHOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL FOR MODELS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO 2001-2005. *TR