2.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,286 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Kia Optima miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2003 Kia Optima Owner Comments

problem #7

Jan 012009

Optima

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Drivers side door will not unlock with key or inside door look switch. This is a real safety hazzard.

- Winnsboro, SC, USA

problem #6

Dec 252017

Optima

  • 24,000 miles
At 24,000 miles my vehicle started locking doors when temperatures reach 32 degrees or lower. Vehicle outside on city street or driveway. When temperatures get to 32 degrees, doors lock and do not unlock to allow access. If you are inside of car it locks you inside of car, as well as out of car. Locks unlock then lock instantly even when using key, not key fob to unlock car~ no access to enter vehicle until above 32 degrees. In case of emergency...you have no vehicle. This has happened every year when temperature gets below 32 degrees. I have reported this problem in past.recall and fix it please!!!

- Stanford, KY, USA

problem #5

Apr 162014

Optima

  • 88,000 miles
The problem with this make and model of car is with the door locking mechanism. It started in April with a problem with the drivers side front door. When you unlocked the doors with the key fob, all the doors would unlock, but when you grabbed the handle of the door to open it, all the doors to the car would lock.it cost me $350 to get that fixed. Now the passenger side front door will not unlock, either from the inside or out. The key fob won't unlock it, nor manually using a key. This is a serious defect that I think Kia should be fixing. What if someone was unable to get out of the car in a serious wreck, and was killed, or seriously injured? I talked to the Kia dealership, but they are not interested, because my warranty period is over.

- Aberdeen, WA, USA

problem #4

Feb 052011

Optima

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My front passenger door had become completely stuck closed and wont open. The lock mechanisms work fine for all four doors still as well as the windows.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #3

Jan 012008

Optima

  • 97,000 miles
Power locks instantly lock after unlocking, (over and over) prohibiting me and my passengers to enter or exit the vehicle. It sometimes takes 5-10 minutes of trying to unlock that they will finally stay unlocked allowing access. I have a toddler and a baby on the way. If there were to be an accident or a fire, I could only imagine being trapped inside.

- Wickliffe , OH, USA

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problem #2

Apr 182007

Optima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Radio turns off and stays off during daylight hours of normal driving on regular paved road ways. The unit is still powered on itself but no audible sound not even static can be heard from the speakers from the cd, cassette player or radio. It was taken to an authorized dealer and he stated that he didn't want to keep wasting their time (radio is no longer covered by warranty) and that I should purchase a new radio because there was something obviously wrong with the output on the factory unit. He also stated that it would cost over $1000 to purchase a new factory unit.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #1

Dec 012001

Optima

  • miles
The consumer was concerned about the time it took to get the parts to do the repairs.

- Rochester, NY, USA

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