Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||||
| 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 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 12/01/2010 | |||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. the contact stated that she was unable to unlock the doors manually or by using the key fob. the contact mentioned that once she finally open the door and enter the vehicle the doors would lock automatically locking her in. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the key fob was defective and needed to be replaced. the remedy failed to repair the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred her to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 58,000. pmb | |||
| 12/01/2010 | |||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. the contact stated that she was unable to unlock the doors manually or by using the key fob. the contact mentioned that once she finally open the door and enter the vehicle the doors would lock automatically locking her in. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the key fob was defective and needed to be replaced. the remedy failed to repaired the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred her to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 58,000. pm | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 102000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. the contact stated that she was unable to unlock the driver side door. the contact stated that she had to either climb out the window or the one of the other doors in order to exit the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the locking solenoid was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 106,000. kmj | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 102000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. the contact stated that she was unable to unlock the vehicle driver side door. the contact stated that she has to climb out either the window or the one of the other doors in order to exit the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a local shop who diagnosed that the locking solenoid was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 106,000. pm | |||
| 05/15/2006 | 45000 | ||
| Power door locks re-lock after you unlock them and pull on the door handle to open the door. this can either trap you in your car, or trap you out. you have to go around to the other side, but crawling over the center console to the driver's side is almost impossible. had the switch and actuator replaced on the driver's side. about a year later, the same thing happened with the passsenger side door. kia doesn't seem to care since it gets them over $300 worth of business each time. | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 97000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 08/02/2010 | 180000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. the contact stated that the passenger doors would not unlock from the inside or outside. the only way to exit from the vehicle is to climb out from the opposite side. he also stated that the headlights would go out intermittently while driving in night time conditions. the vehilce has not been inspected by the dealer nor has it been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 180,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 04/04/2009 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Locking system failure causing all doors to lock on the vehicle with no means to get out of the vehicle. can not get out by the windows and the motor will not shut down for quit some time. we believe it also triggered or malfunctioned the anti-theft causing it to ingage which would prevent you exiting the vehicle as well. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2006 | 50000 | 2 | |
| Tl*- the contact stated that the 2003 kia optima | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 6 | ||
| Brake failure, front rotors grooved, pads heat glazed, rear rotors also. plus rear calipers were bounded up. *bf the doors locked by themselves, and there was squealing when the consumer placed the vehicle in reverse. it was found that the doors harness connection was poor and shorted out. *sc *jb | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 8 | 08/02/2003 | |
| The engine and air bag light would come on and off. the engine oxygen sensors were replaced. the air bag assembly needed to be replaced. there were several other problems. *bf the consumer was informed that he gas cap was the problem. reference to recall#04v180000. the door on the driver side continued to lock without pressing. *sc | |||
| 07/20/2004 | 1 | ||
| The consumer noticed while driving, that the doors locks unlocked and locked without pressing the lock button which was followed by the dash board lights flashing. problem. please provide details. *jb | |||
| 09/23/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer turned on the ignition switch and heard a clicking noise, and then lights/radio, and air conditioner went off. a burning smell came from the air conditioner vents. vehicle was towed to the dealer. dealer stated nothing could be found wrong with the car. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 65336 | 1 | 07/08/2004 |
| 2003 kia optima charging system indicator light illuminated. the consumer pulled off the freeway and onto a city street. the vehicle was turned off but could not be restarted. the consumer noticed the battery cables had melted. *kb *nm | |||
| 07/05/2006 | 64475 | 1 | 07/08/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 60 mph the charging system's warning light illuminated. the vehicle stalled and was coasted off the road without incident. it was towed to the dealer where the cause of the problem was undetermined; however both battery cables were melted. there were no prior warning signals indicating a problem. the manufacturer has not been alerted. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 04/01/2007 | 57000 | 8 | 05/17/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle randomly fails to start. when he turns the key in the ignition, it feels as if the vehicle does not have fuel. the contact has to make three to four attempts just to get the vehicle to start. the vehicle fails in both cold and warm weather and has occurred eight times within the past thirty days. the vehicle will eventually start after approximately five to ten minutes. the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle has been in the shop for days and no cause of failure has been determined. the current mileage is 58,400 and failure mileage was 57,000. | |||