Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 10/31/2012 | 104000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle was driven and at one point there was a noticeable difference in steering and the car pulled to the right. within a few days of this event, the brand new tires that were purchased just a few months earlier, wore from the inner edge to about 1/3 of the width of the tire, exposing the belts. this caused one tire to pop, while the car was being driven. a spare was placed on the vehicle to get it to a tire repair location and after approximately 30 miles of driving, the spare lost all tread and also popped. the vehicle was then towed to the tire repair shop and the rusted and broken subframe was detected. the area was so rusted that portions of the frame broke and the tires were no longer running straight. i called kia and they told me although there are recalls for this very problem on kia optimas from 2001 to 2004, my car was not in the recall because i live in kansas. the recall does apply to kias in missouri, which is 15 minutes from where i live. the kansas city area is both missouri and kansas and the area where i live. the rusting is attributed to salt used during inclement weather in missouri and not only is the same salt used in kansas, but i also drive in missouri. the kia representative still refused to recognize that my vehicle should be part of the recall even though the exact same issue that caused other kia optimas to be recalled has happened to my vehicle. the recall needs to be extended to kansas because we deal with the same elements as missouri and iowa which are included in the recall. my son was driving this vehicle when the damage occurred and he could have suffered serious injury if he had been on the highway instead of a side street. *tr | |||
| 10/31/2012 | 104000 | ||
| The vehicle was driven and at one point there was a noticable difference in steering and the car pulled to the right. within a few days of this event, the brand new tires that were purchased just a few months earlier, wore from the inner edge to about 1/3 of the width of the tire, exposing the belts. this caused one tire to pop, while the car was being driven. a spare was placed on the vehicle to get it to a tire repair location and after approximately 30 miles of driving, the spare lost all tread and also popped. the vehicle was then towed to the tire repair shop and the rusted and broken subframe was detected. the area was so rusted that portions of the frame broke and the tires were no longer running straight. i called kia and they told me although there are recalls for this very problem on kia optimas from 2001 to 2004, my car was not in the recall because i live in kansas. the recall does apply to kias in missouri, which is 15 minutes from where i live. the kansas city area is both missouri and kansas and the area where i live. the rusting is attributed to salt used during inclement weather in missouri and not only is the same salt used in kansas, but i also drive in missouri. the kia representative still refused to recognize that my vehicle should be part of the recall even though the exact same issue that caused other kia optimas to be recalled has happened to my vehicle. the recall needs to be extended to kansas because we deal with the same elements as missouri and iowa which are included in the recall. my son was driving this vehicle when the damage occurred and he could have suffered serious injury if he had been on the highway instead of a side street. | |||
| 02/13/2012 | 140000 | ||
| My 2002 kia optima, veered of the side of the interstate due to a flat tire. the tires had been replaced that morning and within 130 miles on the highway the right front tire popped. as i took a closer look i noticed my wheel was slanted in. i then had it towed to the nearest repair shop who informed me the engine cradle was rusted and corroded. when i contacted kia about the issue they basically said sorry about your luck. there is a recall for this problem but my vin is not included. no action has been taken by kia in any of my attempts to have them resolve this problem. i am, and have been, stranded out of town for 3 weeks now waiting on them to make some kind of decision. they have overlooked every word i have said to them about the salt in my location and the cars previous locations which causes such corrosion to a poorly make vehicle. the car originates from southern california where salt is presently in the air. it then was registered in oklahoma and the texas panhandle, both having harsh snowy winters. the car clearly has been exposed to enough salt to have been included in the recall. this is kia's responsibility, yet they are doing nothing about it. when i crashed my car into the ditch on the side of the highway, my life was put at risk. there very easily could have been a car to my left or right or a pole in that ditch. kia should have fixed this problem in all optima's put out during the year of the recall. it is a serious danger to any unaware driver of a 2001-2004 kia optima. legal action needs to be taken against kia. | |||
| 05/04/2009 | 91400 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated that the subframe on the passenger side of his vehicle was very rusty. the vehicle is unable to be driven and the contact has no control of the steering because the a-arm was separated from the subframe. the dealer acknowledged the failures, but there are no recalls available. the failure mileage was 91,400. updated 05/19/09 *bf updated 05/20/09. *jb | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 09/13/2004 | 44185 | 8 | 05/02/2003 |
| Dt: 2002 kia optima lx. there is an electrical problem with the vehicle. the lights will start to flicker, and then the vehicle will lose power and shut everything down. when the temperature was around 80-90 degrees and at long distances this problem will happen. the dealership changed the battery twice, the alternator twice, the main wiring harness, and the main computer for the vehicle. this still did not fix the problem. consumer took vehicle back to the dealership when the power wentout on 7-14-05. this caused consumer's vehicle to run a stop sign , and hit another vehicle, causing both vehicles to be totaled. the brakes went out as a result of the power outage, and could not stop the vehicle. also, there was no steering. the vehicle was not overheating. the airbags did not deploy. everything electrical failed with the vehicle. the fire department disconnected both batteries to prevent fire from happening. when they did this it deleted all the codes that would have told dealer what the problem was. the mechanic said that there was battery acid all over the computer, they still were unable to identify the problem. the electrical problems have been happening since purchase. consumer has contacted the kia manufacturer at least ten times, complaint numbers for the first was 24306, on 7-18-03, and the last was on 9-13-04, complaint . 56482. when the consumer contacted the manufacture after the accident they said they wanted a copy of the police report and pictures of the vehicle after the accident. *ak | |||