2004 Kia Optima Problems, complaints & recalls

Had some noise coming from the front of the car, had my mechanic look at it, he said we needed a control arm. When he took off the cover to replace the control arm, he found the sub frame had rotten and was cracking. As I looked online, I saw that KIA had a recall for this issue. When I contacted KIA, their response was "as my car is not under warranty, they are not required to repair the car" The car in question has 70, 558 miles on it. We are the 2nd owner.

Door lock/unlock mechanism has failed. Unable to unlock and open door from outside or inside. This defect causes the door to stay locked and unable to open. This can trap people inside of the car if they are unable to crawl out a window or exit from another door. There are many reports of this on Kia forums and general Google search. There was no warning that this part was wearing out until it became impossible to open the door.

The contact owns a 2004 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V180000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

I was repairing brakelines, while observing under carriage I noticed suspension rust, frame. Looked up recalls and this is one. I included screenshot of proog

While driving on a highway with cruise control active, I was unable to turn off the cruise control with the steering wheel control buttons. The cancel and set buttons had no effect when pressed. The car remained traveling at the set speed. Tapping on the brake pedal did cancel the cruise control.

While stationary - driver's side door will not open from inside or outside with key, manual lock or electronic lock controls (stuck closed). Unable to evacuate car from driver's side. Safety concern - lack of egress

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 kia optima. While driving 25 mph, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle from the front. The passenger side air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained stomach and chest injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vin was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.

Unable to open passenger door due to door lock actuator stopped working. Unsafe to drive.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. When the vehicle was taken to bill doraty kia (2925 medina rd, medina, oh 44256, (330) 721-9500) for routine brake service, the technician found a crack in the front frame. The dealer stated that the vehicle was safe to drive at that time. The contact was informed that the frame would need to be replaced, but no repairs were made. Since winter was approaching, the contact was concerned that the frame would completely crack due to the weather and salted roadways in her state....

Driver door does not open from inside nor from outside. When unlocking the doors, all doors will open except the driver's door. Center lock mechanism or manual use of keys does not help. This is without a doubt a safety problem where driver can be trapped in the car in case of emergency. This is very common in kia optima models.

Cannot add fuel because the pump stops from filling up the tank. It took me about 7 times to get in $7 worth of gas. Even though this car only has 25,830 miles on it. It has hardly been used. We put gas in about every 3 or 4 weeks - not that often.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed inspection due to severe corrosion of the subframe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 09v183000 (suspension) as a possible solution to the failure; however, the vin was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000. ..Updated 05/05/17 *bf *cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle lost power and several indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle shut down and was pushed to the side of the road with the help of the state highway patrol. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing belt fractured and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

The air bag went off while my wife was reaching for her seat belt and scrapped and burned her arm. It sounded like a gun going off. I rushed her home and took care of her wounds

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. The contact heard an abnormal loud sound from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame failed. The vehicle was serviced per an unknown recall; however, the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 178,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. The contact stated that the driver's side door failed to unlock. The contact was able to gain access after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.

Driver's door locking system will not unlock, all others do. The door locks itself immediately as you try to unlock either with the key (outside) or pressing the central lock button (when inside). This would be a serious problem if the car was involved in an accident and/or fire was an issue. Right now it is inconvenient to climb over the center console. I see this is not the first complaint on this subject and the problem seems endemic to this car. The problem started intermittently from september 2016 and now is permanent as of november 30.

Air bag light on dashboard stays on, started two days a go.

Passenger and driver door locks will not unlock 85% of the time, preventing normal entry to / exit from the vehicle. Multiple attempts using the key in the door latch are required to gain entry the other 15% of the time. This is a huge safety issue in case of crash, fire, or carjacking. Internet research shows this to be a common issue around 100k miles. This should be a recall event...

My air bag light comes on there's no wires disconnected under the seat and my seat belts do not retract well also my door locks are getting stuck in lock mode and my engine comes on and then goes off.After awhile.When in park

On several occasions, when manually unlocking the power door locks, they will immediately lock again and will go into a loop of unlock-relock, whether using the manual door lock or the power lock switch (the relay clicks but nothing happens when using the switch). This happens about 10% of the time.

Drivers door lock will not open from inside at all & only 10%of the time from outside with key. Pulled fuse on actuators & lock continues to malfunction. Can not efficiently get in or out of the car. Have to slide over center to reach passenger door to get out. I am 6'4" so this is a real safety hazard.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 kia optima. While driving at an unknown speed, an abnormal clicking noise emitted from the vehicle. The power steering failed and the wheels shook violently. The brakes failed to stop the vehicle and it crashed into a wall. The air bags deployed and an unknown substance emitted into the contacts eyes. The contact sustained burns to the body and lacerations to both eyes that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin and failure mileage were unknown. Updated 09/23/16*lj *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. The contact stated that the vehicle locked and unlocked without using the keys, and the alarm activated on its own. The failure prevented the driver from entering or exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the anti-theft system failed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

Driver door would not open from inside or out. Power door lock would automatically re-lock all doors when attempting to open or unlock with key or inside lock lever. Had to crawl over console to get in or out when finally able to get passenger front door to open. Finally able to get door open by holding key cylinder in unlock position and forcing handle to open. Unhooked door lock actuator. As long as locked or unlocked door with key only, door would open. If locked door with inside lock lever, door would not open again. Mechanic replacing the driver front door latch assembly repaired vehicle. Very dangerous situation if in accident or vehicle fire.