Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | ||||||||||||||||
| 09V183000 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | from 10/06/2000 to 11/19/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 36538 | 06/16/2009 | MFR | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 05/27/2009 | 05/27/2009 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Kia motors corporation (kmc) is recalling 36,538 model year 2001-2004 optima vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. road salt applied in these states during the winter months may result in progressive, internal corrosion of the front subframe. over time, such subframe corrosion near the connection to the lower control arm can lead to wheel misalignment and/or other noticeable stress in steering, or accelerated abnormal tire wear. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Corrosion of the front subframe could lead to separation, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Kmc will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. the safety recall began on june 15, 2009. owners may contact kia's consumer assistance center at 1-800-333-4542. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Kmc's recall campaign no. sc075.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 10/04/2012 | 126513 | ||
| Car was making strange noise. took to mechanic to have check. it was discovered that the subframe is completely rusted through on passenger side at frame mounts and almost rusted through on drivers side. mechanic determined that due to the severity of problem vehicle is unsafe to drive and will not allow back on road until necessary repairs are made. i contacted kia and was told that this particular year vehicle was in a recall due to this problem. however, this particular vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was orginally purchased in the state of west va, as stated in the recall. vehicle is still parked at mechanics garage and i would greatly appreciate communication regarding this matter. i was told by kia representative that i would need to contact your organization. | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle veered to the right in a jerking motion. the failure occurred whenever the brakes were depressed. the contact stated that the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. the contact noticed that the passenger's side tire was positioned outwardly. also, both front tires had prematurely worn due to the defect. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 09v183000 (suspension). the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000. mah | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle unintendedly pulled into the right direction in a jerking motion. the failure occurred whenever the brakes were depressed. the failed recurred on a separate occasion. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. the contact noticed that the passenger's side tire was positioned outwardly. also, both front tires had prematurely worn due to the defect. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and repaired under a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v183000 (suspension). the contact was displeased that the recall defect did not include a repair such a front wheel alignment and the replacement of the defective tires. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000. js | |||
| 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. | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a loud noise near the front driver side tire as the vehicle dropped to the ground. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic for inspection where they advised that that the ball joints needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact stated that he still heard a noise after the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they stated that there was nothing that could be done. the failure mileage was 85,000. | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a loud noise near the front driver side tire as the vehicle dropped to the ground. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic for inspection where they advised that that the ball joints needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact stated that he still heard a noise after the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they stated that there was nothing that could be done. the failure mileage was 85,000. kmj | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated while driving 5 mph, the contact stated that her heard a loud noise near the front driver side tire. the vehicle dropped to the ground. the contact state that he had the vehicle towed to a mechanic for inspection and they stated that the ball joint needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact stated that he still heard a noise after the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they stated that there was nothing that could be done. the failure mileage was 85,000. ap | |||
| 04/13/2012 | 64148 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for routine service when he was advised that the sub frame was corroded. the manufacturer was contacted but denied any assistance with the repairs because the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v183000 (suspension: front). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 64,148. kmj | |||
| 04/13/2012 | 64148 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. the contact stated while the vehicle was at the local mechanic for routine maintenance the subframe was found corroded. the manufacturer denied assistance with the repair because the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v183000 suspension: front. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 64,148. li | |||