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 | |||
| 10/10/2008 | 68592 | 1 | |
| Rt ball joint/axle broke while driving on 10 oct 08. my vehicle is a 2004 kia optima. *tr | |||
| 10/20/2003 | 30 | 1 | 09/19/2003 |
| My 2004 kia optima pulls to the left. it will pull you into oncoming traffic. your web page doesnot have kia listed as a vehicle choice. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 67000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle would make a loud noise and the steering wheel would vibrate violently. a local mechanic informed the contact of the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v183000 (suspension:front). an authorized dealer was then notified and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 67,000. sm. | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 67000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle would make a loud noise and the steering wheel would vibrate violently. a local mechanic made the contact aware of the nhtsa campaign id number: 09v183000 (suspension:front) recall, but the dealer made the contact aware that the vin was not associated in the recall. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure was not remedied. the failure and current mileage was 67,000. nw | |||
| 06/19/2011 | 85854 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. while driving approximately 10 mph, an extremely loud sound of metal to metal emitted outside of the vehicle. the contact maneuvered to the side of the road and noticed the front driver's side suspension and frame completely fractured due to rust corrosion. the vehicle was towed to the residence. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v183000 (suspension: front). the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact planned to notify the manufacturer of the defect. the failure mileage was 85,854. js | |||
| 10/08/2010 | 86500 | ||
| As described by others driver side lower ball joint on '04 kia optima broke with 1 sheared bolt and 1 bolt just falling out (rusted with no clean areas) the ball joint had 1 part of the sheared bolt remaining and 1 rusted threaded hole. dealer offered no help other than to indicate that this was not related to the subframe recall of last august ('09) | |||
| 10/31/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| I have been refused the repair on my 2004 kia by no less than 3 dealerships about the rusting front end because of lack of rust proofing. it made the car undrivable 4 months ago and i have had no satisfaction. you are going after toyota with both barrels yet you are leaving kia alone and i have had nothing but serious expenses and problems with this car since it was purchased brand new in 2004. i have made several attempts at contacting your office with negative replies. if i do not here from this agency in the near future concerning my issues i will contact the media and seek my restitution through the squeaky wheel getting the grease method and my attempts to have the government assist will be part of that discussion. please put heat on kia to get aggressive with the recall repairs. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 89250 | 1 | |
| Wheel misalignment and other noticeable stress in steering, or accelerated abnormal tire wear. rattling noise coming from left front end area, not cv axle or strut. *tr | |||
| 10/10/2008 | 68954 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. while driving 20 mph out of a parking lot, the front passenger side lower ball joint and axle detached from the vehicle. the contact controlled the vehicle until it came to a stop twelve feet from the incident. her insurance company provided roadside assistance and the vehicle was towed to a collision shop. prior to the failure, the contact informed the dealer of a grinding noise she heard. they stated that they were too busy to check the vehicle, but three hours later the axle and lower ball joints failed. the failure mileage was 68,954. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 08/04/2005 | 10700 | 1 | 10/13/2004 |
| Vehicle was involved in a single car accident impacting a fixed median curb. the car was towed to a repair shop identified by my insurance company. the tow truck driver remarked that the front suspension appeared to have bolts missing. this was independently verified by the body shop. in their damage assessment, they found that the lower control arm to ball joint bolts were missing and the 2 holes were rounded out in a way that would be consistent with the bolts falling out. the bolts falling out caused the left front suspension to collapse thereby causing the accident. a complaint was filed with kia motors america. they required the insurance company or myself to provide all of the evidence to show that their car was at fault. after submitting the repair estimate and pictures from both the scene and from the repair shop, kia motors america and their legal department determined that they are not at fault. the repair shop manager could not believe that they would make a determination without ever looking at the car. according to jennifer at kia, the complaint is closed and i have no further recourse other that to contact a lawyer. the vehicle has not been repaired as it will be shown as a claim against my insurance policy and then cause my rates to increase. i fear that this problem may be present on other 2004 kia optimas or other models that both kia and hyundai makes. *jb updated 01/11/06. *jb | |||