Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| TSB-068 | 05/01/2010 | 10034246 | Kia: intermittent mil on with no fault code stored; information about dtc p1330. provides information relating to certain vehicles. in affected vehicles an intermittent short to ground in a circuit only intended for testing purposes may c | 10/29/2010 | |
| TSB-044 | 11/01/2009 | 10033464 | Kia: ecm upgrade with tp sensor replacement-mil on with dtc p2135/p0638. information related to ecm software and tp sensor upgrade on some vehicles with 2.7l engines which may experience a malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated with | 08/18/2010 | |
| 038 | 11/01/2007 | 10023626 | This bulletin provides information relating to an engine hesitation or the illumination of the malfunction indicator lamp (mil) for p0123 (throttle position sensor / switch (a) circuit high input). *nj | 01/15/2008 | |
| 040704 | 04/07/2004 | 10006106 | Dealer principal notification regarding engine control module reprogram and oxygen sensor replacement. *tt | 04/16/2004 | |
| 041204 | 04/12/2004 | 10006104 | Owner notification regarding campaign sc037 to replace the engine control module (ecm) and oxygen sensor. *tt | 04/16/2004 | |
| 040704 | 04/07/2004 | 10006107 | Service manager notification regarding engine control module reprogram and oxygen sensor replacement. *tt | 04/16/2004 | |
| 037 | 03/01/2004 | 10006103 | A service campaign for possible o2 sensor malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination. kia will reprogram the engine control module (ecm) and replace the oxygen sensors as needed. *tt | 04/16/2004 | |
| 040704 | 04/07/2004 | 10006105 | Questions and answers for campaign sc037 engine control module (ecm) reprogram and oxygen sensor replacement. *tt | 04/16/2004 | |
| 012 | 05/01/2003 | 10002355 | Optima charging system - v6 engine. *tt | 08/22/2003 | |
| 028 | 03/01/2003 | 10001683 | Service campaign to replace oxygen sensors and to reprogram the engine control module (ecm) to reduce incidence of malfunction indicator lamp illumination with oxygen sensor related diagnostic trouble codes. *tt | 06/19/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||||
| 82 | 01/01/2005 | 10015272 | Improved timing belts for the kia rio and optima. *tt | 07/13/2005 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 09/20/2001 | 16 | 4 | 09/17/2001 |
| Vehicle stalled intermittently while driving from 20 mph. vehicle would restart within a few minutes. vehicle was taken to the dealer on 3 separate occasions, and they were unable to duplicate the problem.*ak | |||
| 02/17/2004 | 11 | 06/30/2002 | |
| While driving at any speed, the check engine light appeared on the dashboard intermittently. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection, but the dealer was unable to resolve the problem. *ak the button on the shift lever popped out. the warning light had come on due to an open circuit and the seal on the gas cap was deformed, there was a rattle coming from the rear ash tray, the front window was inoperative due to a tangle wire in the drum, there were engine/electrical problems due to the oxygen sensors and crank sensors, the abs light had come on, the console lid was loose due to cracked screw holes, there was a body electrical problem with the driver side regulator, there was poor sound in the radio due to an open circuit. *sc the air bag light illuminated. *jb | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| I don't have the exact dates of these repairs as my car is at the dealership right now being looked at again and i am going to get a history when i pick up the car, here are the issues i've had since spring/summer of last year. we have lost time, money, wages and possible employment because of these problems! 1. air conditioner seemed very cool, but not cold. checked two or three times, each time service dept. said it was fine. 2. car died and wouldn't restart without a jump 3 times. called towing twice. service could not "recreate the problem." third time they replaced the battery. seemed to fix the problem temporarily. fourth time (current) car had to have the headlights replaced once a month, windshield wipers, door locks locked and unlocked on their own when entering/exiting the car, windows rolled up/down slowly, blower on air went up and down with engine speed, lights behind console go out and come on periodically, clock loses time, headlights dim when using power, radio flashes on and off. today total system failure, all electrical systems went down while driving. towed car to dealership. have to pay out of pocket rental fees. still waiting on result. 3. loud rattling underneath car periodically. 4. whistling in engine 5. check engine light came on periodically. 6. antenna broke and then fell off. 7. suspension very poor. 8. when purchasing car, dealer stated air bag recall had been fixed on car. when looking online, found another recall on the car, called kia and they said the air bag repair had not been made. i've only had this car for 17 months and have had nothing but problems. currently in contact with lemon law laywers in indiana to get total refund for car. only physical problem right driver door panel from small non-fault accident, no internal damage. | |||
| 03/11/2003 | 54000 | 1 | 01/03/2001 |
| Driving and car just died with no warning. engine is seized. getting a hard time from dealership because we do our own maintenance. rep approved taking the engine apart to see what problem is. dealer put 3 gallons of antifreeze in and it went right out the tailpipe. oil changed and antifreeze checked a week before incident. want me to pay $7 a day rental and put me in a rio or spectra. i have an optima not a little matchbox car. i should get a free loaner because top tech is out and it may take longer than usual to do repairs, if repairs are approved.*jb | |||
| 01/06/2003 | |||
| Nhtsa#14716-02-v-040-000: kia/crankshaft position sensor. consumer states while driving the vehicle at 55mph engine stall, brake and steering wheel froze. dealer was notified and wont honoring the warranty, please provide further information. ph | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 08/03/2006 | 87000 | 10 | 04/02/2005 |
| When i first brought the car and drove it, the lights became dim in the inside and the headlights. the radio turned off and on, took it to dealer 4-5 times for problem and they could find nothing wrong. the car doesn't pick up spend when going over hills not even little ones. the gas needle does not read full even when the tank is practically overflowing with gas. reading a full tank of gas happens every once in a while. check engine light comes on . have taken to shop and was told that my spend sensor is going out and that is why the car is going from 1st to 3rd gear and skips 2nd altogether i've only had the car for one year the warrinty is gone and i was never offered the extended warrinty and really didn't think of it since the car was only 4 yr old. back brakes have also gone out at least i think so they started grinding with no warning 2 days ago i'm going to have them checked this weekend. air (never used befoe this summer)doesn't get cold like it should. door lock making a crazy sound on drivers side, believe the motor is going out on power locks they also tend to not want to unlock sometimes. atenna broke.air bag light came on and won't turn off. also how can i find out if any recall items have been fixed on my car or not or if they still need to be replaced. *jb | |||
| 11/02/2004 | 4 | ||
| Driver noticed that the check engine light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the pcv pipe needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. while driving 25 mph vehicle stalled. the driver was not able to restart vehicle, and it was towed to a dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the cam shaft position sensor needed to be replaced and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 09/09/2008 | 90000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 kia optima. while attempting to make a turn around a bend at 45 mph, the contact overcorrected the turn. she turned the vehicle back in the other direction and overcorrected again. she was two feet from driving off the road. the vehicle was driven to a mechanic and it was discovered that the engine cradle was corroded and rotten in half. the current and failure mileages were 90,000. | |||
| 10/18/2007 | 8900 | 6 | 10/15/2007 |
| Purchased oct,15,07. within 3 day we had it up to dealer were purchases 1) for windows not going up or down all the time. 2) light on radio and heater do not work. 3) the car had no power and would go from 1st gear to 3rd gear and would stay that way until car turned off. 4)had to replace speed shift sensor. 5) brakes. got looked in car several times and could not get out. sometimes they work most of the time they don't. 6). antenna broke off for no reason. went out on day barely touched it and it feel off. 7) on feb 9th car would not start for 4 days for no reason had towed from own house to garage were they know believe it has a cracked head or blown head gasket. this car only has 89,000 miles and should not have all these problems already. there needs to be something done i have a 3yr old and a 7 yr old. i fear for there lives and mine. . i don't even want this car anymore and have had it for only 4 months. please help if u have any advice. don't buy a kia. also this car came with a 90 day warranty from harry's auto sales and they kept telling me for 3 month there was nothing wrong and only would reset computer until i took it to another garage and they found out differt. they told us head gasket. harry said noooooo. when warranty ran out then they informed me i need a head gasket. they said i would have to pay for it cause warranty out. that sounds like a lemon. please help me find legal advice. *tr | |||
| 12/09/2002 | 3 | 11/21/2002 | |
| The driver's side door did not lock and the timing belt and tensioner was replaced twice. *sc *tc *jb | |||
| 05/13/2002 | 8264 | 16 | |
| I purchased my brand new car on august 31,2001. i started having electrical problems 9 months after i bought it. i now have a list of problems from electrical to check engine light, fuel sensors, 2 new batteries etc. i have a long long list of repairs that nobody can seem to fix. i am told the problem has been fixed and then my check engine light comes back on and i am told there are additional problems. meanwhile, i have been stranded on the highway due to these problems, i have had to be towed out of my own driveway to due the electrical problems. i have tried numerous times to tell kia corporation that i do not feel safe driving this vehicle any longer and nobody is listening. the general manager of the dealership i bought the vehicle from even agrees and feels this car to be very unsafe and dangerous to drive. i have tried to talk to joe petazoni(spelling) who is supposed to be a kia representative that would decide what to do, he has been no help at all. i feel that kia corporation should buy back my vehicle because of all the unsafe issues i have had. i feel i bought a lemon and if i can't get anywhere with the company, i will be forced to contact the states attorney's office regarding this lemon of a vehicle!!!!! i have left messages for debbie wojciechowskii and she will not return my calls. i have told the people at 800-333-4-kia how unsafe i feel and nobody puts that information into the system. *la | |||
| 2 | |||
| The vehicle failed to start, the dealer replaced the battery, however the problem recurred.*jb | |||
| 02/07/2003 | 1 | 09/11/2001 | |
| There was a problem with the engine.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 10/13/2003 | 54000 | 1 | 01/04/2002 |
| 2001 kia optima with approximately 57,000 miles has been regularly maintained at kia dealerships since purchase in jan 2002 (used). since june 2003 car has been serviced for numerous recall items. car has had many problems since then. check engine light continuously lit. engine surges or stalls while driving. car fails to accelerate then surges. very high rpm with no acceleration. engine coils misfire. difficulty starting occasionally. after four months of frequent trips to dealership service area, (june-october 2003) service manager calls to tell owner to contact insurance company because there is sand/sugar in gas tank that has caused all of these problems. they claim the car falls out of warranty because of this. customer disagrees that sand/sugar is cause because problems have persisted for four months. car currently in shop for past 10 days. dealership service area will not do any more work until insurance people come. needless to say the customer is not happy. *la | |||
| 09/17/2002 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 40-50mph the vehicle hesitates and surge forward without warning. the dealer has inspected the vehicle and could not find the problem. provide further information. *mr | |||
| 06/26/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states the vehicle stalled out without warning. the dealer has been notified. please provide additional information.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 02/16/2006 | 68000 | 1 | 09/30/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph all the lights on the dashboard illuminated and the engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealership and the diagnostic code stated engine failure. upon inspection, the dealership determined the timing belt came loose and the timing belt was replaced. | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 54000 | 3 | |
| Vehicle stalled 3 times while driving on the highway. vehicle was towed to a dealership, who indicated that the timing belt disintegrated, and the crankshaft position sensor went out. the recall 03v067000 wa sissued on the crankshaft position sensor but only for vehicles equipped with a v6 engine. this vehicle was equipped with a v4 engine. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CRANKCASE (PCV) | |||
| 03/06/2002 | 24 | 03/06/2002 | |
| 03/06/02 purchased a optima kia 2001, still under warranty until 2/6/06. problems with airbag, engine, and locks from the date of the purchase of this car. car brought in for airbag light problem 14 times since 2002 to present date 2005 and still not fixed as we speak. engine brought in 6 times, and locks work when they want too. last time service on airbag was 6/5/05 light back on. kia knows this car can not be fixed and refuse to give me a safe car for me and my 11 year old son | |||
| 11/02/2004 | 4 | ||
| Driver noticed that the check engine light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the pcv pipe needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. while driving 25 mph vehicle stalled. the driver was not able to restart vehicle, and it was towed to a dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the cam shaft position sensor needed to be replaced and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. *ak | |||
| 12/03/2004 | 68000 | 1 | |
| While driving 15 - 20 mph vehicle just quit in its track. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer, where consumer was told that this vehicle was being recalled for the crank shaft position sensor recall 03v067000. consumer then contacted the manufacturer, who indicated that this vehicle is not included in the recall due to vin. *ak | |||
| 04/13/2004 | 81000 | 1 | |
| Crankshaft sensor failed. as a result, engine stalled. a recall was issued. however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak | |||
| 01/29/2003 | 11/19/2001 | ||
| I have took my car in numerous time for the squeking brakes. also, the thermostat has been replaced for the 4th time. i have had my car since nov of 2001. since then i have had it in the dealer ship about 10 times. i have taken it to 2 different dealers. the brakes they just blow out and say it is mettalic dust. that i need to clear them out when the car is washed. the squeak still comes back. they have also told me it is the humidity doing this. the thermostat has been replaced for the 4th time today. also, i have had problems with my locks and enigne light coming on all the time. i have had problems with the air bag light also. the car has been nothing but problems. i have notified the kia consumer customer services no help at all. my complaints go back about 1 yr. it all started in jan of 2002 | |||