Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 97009 | 1 | |
| Drivers side door locks and refuses to unlock if the door is completely closed. huge safety issue, as i've been forced to crawl out the passengers side multiple times daily! *tr | |||
| 09/19/2012 | 1 | ||
| Passenger side door automatically locks when you try to open it. whether in or out, it won't open. sometimes it will open with a key out of the car, but will not open from inside. *tr | |||
| 07/06/2011 | 160000 | 1 | |
| The driver side door will not unlock from the inside or outside. i can hear the assembly trying to work, the key will unlock the other doors. this is a huge safety issue in an emergency. i called the kia dealership iand they told me they had never heard of this with this vehicle. how many people are going to possibly lose their life in an accident,because of this defect before there is a recall. *tr | |||
| 12/06/2012 | 111944 | 1 | |
| The driver side door will not unlock from the inside or outside. i can hear the assembly trying to work, the key will unlock the other doors. this is a huge safety issue in an emergency. i called the kia dealership in newport richey fl and they told me this a common problem with this vehicle. how many people are going to possibly lose their life in an accident,because of this defect before there is a recall. *tr | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 67000 | 1 | |
| I have been researching the problem i have with my 2005 kia optima and i found out that i am not the only person with this issue. therefore i saw it necessary for me to bring this to your attention. the door latches are malfunctioning. this is a major safety hazard because if the car ever caught fire or if the car ever went into a river, got flooded, or in a wreck it would be very difficult for the driver to get out of the car. my driver side door will not open, from the inside or the outside. it stays locked and even when you unlock the car, the door will not open. i currently had a baby and had to have a c-section. it was horrible having to climb in and out the car through the passenger side.... from researching this issue i have come across so many people that have had the same issue. kia should recall the 2005 optima. *tr | |||
| 05/31/2012 | 65000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. while parked, the contact attempted to unlock the front driver side door but it would not unlock. the contact entered the vehicle through the front passenger side door. the front driver side door would not unlock using the key fob from the exterior or manually from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the dealer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the key fob and door locks would have to be replaced . the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000. | |||
| 09/23/2011 | 67500 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked all of the automatic doors failed to unlock when engaged. the contact had to open the front driver's side power and manually unlock the door in order to exit the vehicle. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 67,500. | |||
| 06/25/2011 | 72000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the vehicle was parked when the doors began to lock and unlock on their own. as a result, the contact had to enter the vehicle by using the front passenger door. over time, the failure progressed and the contact was unable to enter the vehicle from either front door. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but the failure was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 72,000. rvk | |||
| 08/21/2011 | 72000 | ||
| The doors lock and unlock by themselves. the two front doors will not open everytime i try to open them the doors lock up. i can not safely enter and exit my car. i have to go out the back seat but it takes some time to do so. research on this shows that this is a common problem with kia. if i were to get in an accident or a fire started i would not be able to get out of my car. also i have a bulging disc in my back and this is starting to cause pain and it can cause my back to fully seize up again. i have contacted kia and they are not willing to help because there is no recall on the item. this should be recalled because this is going to result in someone getting hurt or worse even death.. | |||
| 07/03/2011 | 72000 | ||
| Much like the countless complaints i've read, my 2005 kia optima lx has a default in the driver side and now the passanger side doors. about a month ago my driver side door stopped opening. sure i could hear the doors electronically unlocking.. but still could not open my driver side door from the inside or outside. finding out this was going to run me about 300-400 dollars i waited to see if it was something i could fix... my friend and i removed both paanels after having to slim jim and push and pull the door open. we looked at both door insides and saw no difference and nothing that seemed to be broken, bent or unattached. of coarse as i drove a way my locks locked again.. so i was back to climbing out my passanger side. as of yesterday my passanger side is now doing the same thing.. they say im up to 500 now and nothing is covered by warranty. im thinking, really!!?? this is the second kia i have purchased and have always loved my kia's but this sucks! this is a huge safety issue! how many people have to be stuck in there car on fire or at the bottom of the river dying before kia recalls this. ive read several posts about people with kids or people that are too big to go climb over their car seats to safety! at this point the only way in and out of my car is now the back doors but for how long, who knows! what's next, squeeze through the glove box? okay, okay so that's not realistic but jeez! what the heck can we do about this? | |||
| 06/25/2011 | 72000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked and the door locks involuntarily locked and unlocked themselves. as a result, the contact would enter the vehicle using the front passenger door. over time, the failure progressed and the contact was unable to enter the vehicle from either front door. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but the failure was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 72,000. sm. | |||
| 08/21/2011 | 72000 | ||
| The doors lock and unlock by themselves. the two front doors will not open everytime i try to open them the doors lock up. i can not safely enter and exit my car. i have to go out the back seat but it takes some time to do so. research on this shows that this is a common problem with kia. if i were to get in an accident or a fire started i would not be able to get out of my car. also i have a bulging disc in my back and this is starting to cause pain and it can cause my back to fully seize up again. i have contacted kia and they are not willing to help because there is no recall on the item. this should be recalled because this is going to result in someone getting hurt or worse even death.. | |||
| 07/03/2011 | 72000 | ||
| Much like the countless complaints i've read, my 2005 kia optima lx has a default in the driver side and now the passanger side doors. about a month ago my driver side door stopped opening. sure i could hear the doors electronically unlocking.. but still could not open my driver side door from the inside or outside. finding out this was going to run me about 300-400 dollars i waited to see if it was something i could fix... my friend and i removed both paanels after having to slim jim and push and pull the door open. we looked at both door insides and saw no difference and nothing that seemed to be broken, bent or unattached. of coarse as i drove a way my locks locked again.. so i was back to climbing out my passanger side. as of yesterday my passanger side is now doing the same thing.. they say im up to 500 now and nothing is covered by warranty. im thinking, really!!?? this is the second kia i have purchased and have always loved my kia's but this sucks! this is a huge safety issue! how many people have to be stuck in there car on fire or at the bottom of the river dying before kia recalls this. ive read several posts about people with kids or people that are too big to go climb over their car seats to safety! at this point the only way in and out of my car is now the back doors but for how long, who knows! what's next, squeeze through the glove box? okay, okay so that's not realistic but jeez! what the heck can we do about this? | |||
| 08/21/2011 | 72000 | ||
| The doors lock and unlock by themselves. the two front doors will not open everytime i try to open them the doors lock up. i can not safely enter and exit my car. i have to go out the back seat but it takes some time to do so. research on this shows that this is a common problem with kia. if i were to get in an accident or a fire started i would not be able to get out of my car. also i have a bulging disc in my back and this is starting to cause pain and it can cause my back to fully seize up again. i have contacted kia and they are not willing to help because there is no recall on the item. this should be recalled because this is going to result in someone getting hurt or worse even death.. | |||
| 07/03/2011 | 72000 | ||
| Much like the countless complaints i've read, my 2005 kia optima lx has a default in the driver side and now the passanger side doors. about a month ago my driver side door stopped opening. sure i could hear the doors electronically unlocking.. but still could not open my driver side door from the inside or outside. finding out this was going to run me about 300-400 dollars i waited to see if it was something i could fix... my friend and i removed both paanels after having to slim jim and push and pull the door open. we looked at both door insides and saw no difference and nothing that seemed to be broken, bent or unattached. of coarse as i drove a way my locks locked again.. so i was back to climbing out my passanger side. as of yesterday my passanger side is now doing the same thing.. they say im up to 500 now and nothing is covered by warranty. im thinking, really!!?? this is the second kia i have purchased and have always loved my kia's but this sucks! this is a huge safety issue! how many people have to be stuck in there car on fire or at the bottom of the river dying before kia recalls this. ive read several posts about people with kids or people that are too big to go climb over their car seats to safety! at this point the only way in and out of my car is now the back doors but for how long, who knows! what's next, squeeze through the glove box? okay, okay so that's not realistic but jeez! what the heck can we do about this? | |||
| 07/23/2011 | 69000 | ||
| Tl. the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the driver side door does not open. the contact has to enter and exit the vehicle through the passenger side door. the contact took the vehicle to a dealer and the dealer stated the door latch needs to be replaced. the contact has not had the door latch replaced. the contact stated the faulty door latch is a manufacturer defect and a major safety issue. the failure mileage was 69,000. jo | |||
| 07/16/2011 | 27000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the driver side door will not unlock from the inside or outside, with or without the key. the contact stated the only way to get into the driver seat is from passenger side. the contact planned to have the vehicle inspected. the failure mileage and current mileages were 27,000.rl | |||
| 07/10/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the right front passenger door would not lock or unlock. there was a passenger in the vehicle who was unable to get out of the vehicle due to the door locks. the dealer stated there were no recalls or related warranties and to bring the vehicle in to be inspected. the contact would be responsible for the repair cost. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 52,000. rvk | |||
| 07/10/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the right front passenger door will not lock or unlock. there was a passenger in the vehicle and she could not get out of the vehicle due to the lock door. the dealer was contacted who stated there was no recall or warranty and to come in for an inspection on the doors. the repairs would be a cost to the contact. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 52,000...mw | |||
| 07/04/2011 | 69000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the drivers side door would not open automatically or manually. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current miles were 69,000. rk | |||
| 07/04/2011 | 69000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the driver door would not open automatically or manually. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current miles was 69,000. li | |||
| 06/16/2011 | 75000 | ||
| I drive a 2005 kia optima. yesterday when i came out to my car the door would not unlock. everytime i put the key in and attempt to unlock the door, it locks back immediatly. i tried to unlock and open the door from the inside as well but the door will no longer open. in order to get into or out of the vehicle i have to use the passenger side door. this is a major hazard if i were to be involved in an accident or if for some reason i need to exit my car immediatly. i have 3 kids that i transport also and am terrified that something should happen. i have read the blogs that this is a typical issue but has not been recalled yet. i am going to take any action possible to insure that this issue is resolved since it is a malfunction on the part of a kia part. | |||
| 06/12/2011 | 65000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the front driver side door will not lock or open from inside or outside the vehicle. the contact has to enter the vehicle from passenger. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the actuator needed to be replaced on the vehicle. the vin was unknown.the failure mileage and current mileages were 65,000.rl | |||
| 06/16/2011 | 75000 | ||
| I drive a 2005 kia optima. yesterday when i came out to my car the door would not unlock. everytime i put the key in and attempt to unlock the door, it locks back immediatly. i tried to unlock and open the door from the inside as well but the door will no longer open. in order to get into or out of the vehicle i have to use the passenger side door. this is a major hazard if i were to be involved in an accident or if for some reason i need to exit my car immediatly. i have 3 kids that i transport also and am terrified that something should happen. i have read the blogs that this is a typical issue but has not been recalled yet. i am going to take any action possible to insure that this issue is resolved since it is a malfunction on the part of a kia part. | |||
| 06/12/2011 | 65000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the front driver side door will not lock or open from inside or outside the vehicle. the contact has to enter the vehicle from passenger. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the actuator needed to be replaced on the vehicle. the vin was unknown.the failure mileage and current mileages were 65,000.rl | |||
| 05/30/2011 | 98000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that when trying to open the driver side door with the key, she was unable to do so. she had to enter the vehicle through the passenger side door or not lock the vehicle at all. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised that she needed to replace the lock mechanism. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000. | |||
| 06/12/2011 | 65000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the front driver side door will not lock or open from inside or outside the vehicle. the contact has to enter the vehicle from passenger. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the actuator needed to be replaced on the vehicle. the vin was unknown.the failure mileage and current mileages were 65,000.rl | |||
| 05/30/2011 | 98000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that when trying to open the driver side door with the key, she was unable to do so. she had to enter the vehicle through the passenger side door or not lock the vehicle at all. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised that she needed to replace the lock mechanism. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000. | |||
| 06/12/2011 | 65000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the front driver side door will not lock or open from inside or outside the vehicle. the contact has to enter the vehicle from passenger. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the actuator needed to be replaced on the vehicle. the vin was unknown.the failure mileage and current mileages were 65,000.rl | |||
| 05/30/2011 | 98000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that when trying to open the driver side door with the key, she was unable to do so. she had to enter the vehicle through the passenger side door or not lock the vehicle at all. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised that she needed to replace the lock mechanism. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000. | |||
| 05/30/2011 | 98000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that when trying to open the drivers side door with the key she was unable to do so. she has to enter the vehicle through the passenger side door or she doesn't lock the vehicle at all. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised her that she needed to replace the lock mechanism. the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacturer has not been contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000. tb | |||
| 05/31/2011 | 145000 | ||
| I recently bought a 2005 kia optima and about the fifth time i drove it i went to the store and was stuck inside the door will not lock or unlock from inside or out then finaly it does but i never know when its goin to work or not ..this is crazy and lots of people are having problems with this why hasnt it been recalled | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that as the vehicle was shut off, all four doors began locking and unlocking repeatedly. the contact stated that the failure was a constant occurrence. the dealer was made aware of the failure and advised that the check switch in the front driver side door would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. the vin was not available. | |||
| 05/31/2011 | 145000 | ||
| I recently bought a 2005 kia optima and about the fifth time i drove it i went to the store and was stuck inside the door will not lock or unlock from inside or out then finaly it does but i never know when its goin to work or not ..this is crazy and lots of people are having problems with this why hasnt it been recalled | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. while parked the contact shut off the ignition and noticed all four doors of the vehicle began to automatically lock and unlock repeatedly on there own. the failure occurs constantly. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the dealer was made aware of the failure and stated the check switch in the front drivers side door needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. ds | |||
| 05/31/2011 | 145000 | ||
| I recently bought a 2005 kia optima and about the fifth time i drove it i went to the store and was stuck inside the door will not lock or unlock from inside or out then finaly it does but i never know when its goin to work or not ..this is crazy and lots of people are having problems with this why hasnt it been recalled | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. while parked the contact shut off the ignition and noticed all four doors of the vehicle began to automatically lock and unlock repeatedly on there own. the failure occurs constantly. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the dealer was made aware of the failure and stated the check switch in the front drivers side door needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. ds | |||
| 05/31/2011 | 145000 | ||
| I recently bought a 2005 kia optima and about the fifth time i drove it i went to the store and was stuck inside the door will not lock or unlock from inside or out then finaly it does but i never know when its goin to work or not ..this is crazy and lots of people are having problems with this why hasnt it been recalled | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. while parked the contact shut off the ignition and noticed all four doors of the vehicle began to automatically lock and unlock repeatedly on there own. the failure occurs constantly. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the dealer was made aware of the failure and stated the check switch in the front drivers side door needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. ds | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 113000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the driver door would not unlock electronically or manually. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 113,000. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 113000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated the driver door would not unlock electrically or manually. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 113, 2000. li | |||
| 06/01/2010 | 108000 | ||
| 2005 kia optima. driver door won't unlock or open from inside or outside. i have to climb across the passenger seat to get in or out of the vehicle. this is a huge safety issue, not to mention what it is doing to my lower back. the dealer says they can fix it for about $400 plus about $105 in diagnostic fees. i should not be financially responsible for something that is obviously a serious problem with a lot of the kias out there . there is a list of many owners who are having the same problem. kia needs to step up and take care of it. in the event of an accident, i will not be able to exit the car quickly or safely. this problem needs to be addressed! | |||
| 11/15/2010 | 89703 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the power locks malfunctioned, which caused the driver | |||
| 11/15/2010 | 89703 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the front driver side door would not open and the power locks malfunctioned which caused the doors to become permanently. the contact would enter the vehicle through the passenger side of the vehicle and climb over the center console. the dealer advised the contact that the vehicle could not be diagnosed because the driver side door would not open and suggested that the door be unassembled at the contacts expense. the contact stated the failure was a major safety issue because the door would not open in the event of a crash. the failure mileage was 89,703. | |||
| 03/29/2011 | |||
| I can't open my door!! my drivers side door refuses to open, from inside or out! i try to unlock it from the outside and when i pull on the latch, it locks the door again, and it will not open from the inside, sometimes relocking the door on me. it was working just fine before then, and then all of sudden it started malfunctioning, nothing happened to make this happen. only the drivers side door is affected. this is a safety hazard and i'm not the only one this has happened to, there needs to be a recall. i have been unable to get this corrected as of yet. | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 59000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the door locks became defective and would sporadically cause her to become locked inside or outside of the vehicle. the contact stated that she would often have to climb out of the windows to exit the vehicle. the vehicle was neither inspected nor repaired for the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the current mileage was 89,677 and the failure mileage was approximately 59,000. | |||
| 03/29/2011 | |||
| I can't open my door!! my drivers side door refuses to open, from inside or out! i try to unlock it from the outside and when i pull on the latch, it locks the door again, and it will not open from the inside, sometimes relocking the door on me. it was working just fine before then, and then all of sudden it started malfunctioning, nothing happened to make this happen. only the drivers side door is affected. this is a safety hazard and i'm not the only one this has happened to, there needs to be a recall. i have been unable to get this corrected as of yet. | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 59000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the door locks were defective. she either became locked inside the vehicle or outside it; at times, she had to climb out the window to exit the vehicle. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was 89,677. the failure mileage was approximately 59,000-bk | |||
| 03/29/2011 | |||
| I can't open my door!! my drivers side door refuses to open, from inside or out! i try to unlock it from the outside and when i pull on the latch, it locks the door again, and it will not open from the inside, sometimes relocking the door on me. it was working just fine before then, and then all of sudden it started malfunctioning, nothing happened to make this happen. only the drivers side door is affected. this is a safety hazard and i'm not the only one this has happened to, there needs to be a recall. i have been unable to get this corrected as of yet. | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 59000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the door locks were defective. she either became locked inside the vehicle or outside it; at times, she had to climb out the window to exit the vehicle. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was 89,677. the failure mileage was approximately 59,000-bk | |||
| 03/29/2011 | |||
| I can't open my door!! my drivers side door refuses to open, from inside or out! i try to unlock it from the outside and when i pull on the latch, it locks the door again, and it will not open from the inside, sometimes relocking the door on me. it was working just fine before then, and then all of sudden it started malfunctioning, nothing happened to make this happen. only the drivers side door is affected. this is a safety hazard and i'm not the only one this has happened to, there needs to be a recall. i have been unable to get this corrected as of yet. | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 59000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the contact stated that the door locks were defective. she either became locked inside the vehicle or outside it; at times, she had to climb out the window to exit the vehicle. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was 89,677. the failure mileage was approximately 59,000-bk | |||
| 02/01/2011 | |||
| Drivers side door will not unlock from inside vehicle or outside. this is not only extremely inconvenient but also very unsafe. last year the same issue happened on passenger side door, which i payed to have fixed and now the same issue is happening on drivers side. kia should take responsibility for this defect. | |||
| 02/09/2011 | 41280 | ||
| Driver door of kia 2005 optima will not open from the inside or outside at all. have to climb over passenger seat to get to drivers seat. called the dealership and was told that most likely the part that is bad is called the 'door checker' according to the kia manuals. i have to get a new one. called dealership there will be 2 hours of labor involved. the part wears out to the point where it tells the system that the door is not latched so it trips the auto lock feature to keep the door from swinging open. apparently this is a dealer part only. not covered under warranty. my car only has 41,000 miles on it. | |||
| 02/01/2011 | |||
| Drivers side door will not unlock from inside vehicle or outside. this is not only extremely inconvenient but also very unsafe. last year the same issue happened on passenger side door, which i payed to have fixed and now the same issue is happening on drivers side. kia should take responsibility for this defect. | |||
| 02/09/2011 | 41280 | ||
| Driver door of kia 2005 optima will not open from the inside or outside at all. have to climb over passenger seat to get to drivers seat. called the dealership and was told that most likely the part that is bad is called the 'door checker' according to the kia manuals. i have to get a new one. called dealership there will be 2 hours of labor involved. the part wears out to the point where it tells the system that the door is not latched so it trips the auto lock feature to keep the door from swinging open. apparently this is a dealer part only. not covered under warranty. my car only has 41,000 miles on it. | |||
| 09/13/2010 | 73000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2005 kia optima five. the key cannot open the driver door. it will not open from the inside or outside with or without the key. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated there are no recalls or warranty and it would cost $400 to repair the failure. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 73,000.-mw | |||
| 02/08/2010 | |||
| Driver side door will not unlock or open with a key or with the unlock switch. when i try to unlock the doors from the drivers side witht the key. it will not unlock but the rest of the doors will. normally i have to juggle and play with the key and the door will unlatch . last night i stood outside for 15 minutes and the dor would not open so i had to climg thru the passenger side. this problem is a hazzard. in the case of an emergency i would be screwed. this problem occured in early 2010. once i unlocked it the first time i decided to just leave the door unlocked for easy entry but that leaves my car vulnerable for theft or items i may leave in it. there have been many instances where a passenger has unknowingly locked the door and i would have to climb thru the other side and jiggle the key all over again. last night was the longest that i have ever had to play with the door and now i believe it will not open and i have no solution on how to open it since the company claims they never heard of this problem. | |||
| 09/13/2010 | 73000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2005 kia optima five. the key cannot open the driver door. it will not open from the inside or outside with or without the key. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated there are no recalls or warranty and it would cost $400 to repair the failure. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 73,000.-mw | |||
| 02/08/2010 | |||
| Driver side door will not unlock or open with a key or with the unlock switch. when i try to unlock the doors from the drivers side witht the key. it will not unlock but the rest of the doors will. normally i have to juggle and play with the key and the door will unlatch . last night i stood outside for 15 minutes and the dor would not open so i had to climg thru the passenger side. this problem is a hazzard. in the case of an emergency i would be screwed. this problem occured in early 2010. once i unlocked it the first time i decided to just leave the door unlocked for easy entry but that leaves my car vulnerable for theft or items i may leave in it. there have been many instances where a passenger has unknowingly locked the door and i would have to climb thru the other side and jiggle the key all over again. last night was the longest that i have ever had to play with the door and now i believe it will not open and i have no solution on how to open it since the company claims they never heard of this problem. | |||
| 09/13/2010 | 73000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2005 kia optima five. the key cannot open the driver door. it will not open from the inside or outside with or without the key. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated there are no recalls or warranty and it would cost $400 to repair the failure. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 73,000.-mw | |||
| 02/08/2010 | |||
| Driver side door will not unlock or open with a key or with the unlock switch. when i try to unlock the doors from the drivers side witht the key. it will not unlock but the rest of the doors will. normally i have to juggle and play with the key and the door will unlatch . last night i stood outside for 15 minutes and the dor would not open so i had to climg thru the passenger side. this problem is a hazzard. in the case of an emergency i would be screwed. this problem occured in early 2010. once i unlocked it the first time i decided to just leave the door unlocked for easy entry but that leaves my car vulnerable for theft or items i may leave in it. there have been many instances where a passenger has unknowingly locked the door and i would have to climb thru the other side and jiggle the key all over again. last night was the longest that i have ever had to play with the door and now i believe it will not open and i have no solution on how to open it since the company claims they never heard of this problem. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 45409 | ||
| 2005 kia optima drivers door lock malfunctions. door will not open from inside or out. this is a serious safety hazard. there are many internet reports and complaints about this issue. kia will not recall or take care of this issue. nhtsa do something about it! | |||
| 09/27/2010 | 90800 | ||
| When i got home from work and attempted to open the drivers side door it just kept relocking, the lock doesn't open all the way it makes a noise and locks again. i had to climb over the middle console to get out of the car. i went around to the drivers side to see if i could open it from the outside, the key doesnt turn all the way, if the other doors are unlocked and you try to open from the drivers side it just clicks into the locked position. i am afraid that i will be in a position to have to exit the vehicle in a hurry and can't. | |||
| 08/06/2010 | 88521 | ||
| My 2005 kia optima driver side door will not unlock. it is impossible to unlock it either with a key from the outside, or from inside the vehicle. if i needed to get out of the car in an emergency, if would be difficult to do so since i have to climb over the console and enter and exit from the passenger side. this is the second time since owning the car that this has happened to me. i am tired of having to pay to have the same problem repaired. it happens all of a sudden without warning. i have taken it to the mechanic again to get it fixed. | |||
| 05/26/2010 | 72000 | ||
| Drivers side door will not open. after being locked i cannot open the drivers side door from the inside or from the outside. | |||
| 05/15/2010 | 102500 | ||
| Drivers side door will not open. after being locked i cannot open the drivers side door from the inside, and in order to open it from the outside, i have to trun the key in the lock and pull the handle at the same time. this works about 30% of the time. otherwise, if i just turn the ket and then pull on the door handle i hear the car door relock before i can open it. | |||
| 04/17/2010 | 61095 | ||
| Driver side door intemittently would not unlock, eventually after continuing to try and unlock it the door would unlock (happened for about 8 months), now the drivers side door will not unlock from either inside or outside the car. can not get the door open at all. | |||
| 01/18/2010 | 89000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia optima. the doors automatically locked when the engine was off. the drivers side door locked and would not unlock manually or with the remote. the driver had to get out on the passenger side of the vehicle. the passenger side and rear doors will open but not the drivers side door. all four doors will lock after you get out of the vehicle even if the keys are in the vehicle. the contact had to have a police officer open the door with a slim jim. the failure mileage was 89,000. the current mileage was 89,100. | |||
| 10/06/2009 | 62000 | 3 | |
| I was leaving for some time off of work to go back to wisconsin and all of a sudden the driver door locked on me and i could not get it open. i took it to a dealer and they had to take the door off to fix it. then it only remains fixed for about 3-4 times and it locks on me again and then i have to climb over the console and go through the passenger side. i was told that it is over 60,000 miles and i would have to pay to have it fixed and then i was also told that it would probably happen again. common sense tells me that if it will happen again don't you think that it is a defect of some sort and the company kia should be looking at a recall. what is it going to take? a nice law suit. i took my car where i get my oil changed and they again opened the driver door so to unlock the door so it could be opened. well, again it unlocked for 3-4 times and locked up again, so now i am out money and the damn door still does not unlock so i can use the driver's side door. this presents a real safety issue! can someone please do something about this. *jb | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| Car driver door locks and cannot be unlocked from inside or out. in the event of accident or vehicular fire, driver would be trapped in vehicle, especially if unable to crawl out through other doors. this failure occurred without any warning or symptoms. this is an equipment design flaw and according to internet data and personal contacts, is common for this vehicle make-regardless of model of vehicle. this failure has not resulted in my harm and i do not feel that someone should have to die before your agency issues a recall. however, i am sure that someone has already been harmed due to this faulty equipment based upon the sheer numbers of people who are experiencing the same problem. *tr | |||
| 07/10/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Both low beam headlights blow out simultaneously. when this happened, high beams (separate bulbs and switch) would only work sporadically (switched 'on', nothing. switched again, may come 'on', turned 'off' then 'on' may or may not come on). dealer states 'it happens, they burn out', yet said the battery needed to be replaced.(?) non warranty, so you pay. another complaint on the same car year/make/model, same issue, has already been filed with you. in addition, 'google' search shows many entries for this same problem on kia and hyundai vehicles (same manufacturer) over many models/years. signs point to possible defective charging of battery by vehicle's electrical system (maybe why they replaced the battery at the same time). battery was previously fine. i've had many electrical problems with the car, things stop working, then work on their own (power window won't work, sticks part open. switch does nothing. then suddenly later window lowers/raises without switch being touched. trunk suddenly pops open). definite electrical problem on these make of vehicles over many years which neither manufacturer is going to address themselves. unless you do something, many will be paying for service caused by their negligence. . also, seat belt does not retract all the time. my vehicle was purchased new. *tr | |||
| 08/21/2008 | 1 | ||
| I am the owner of 2005 kia optima and i had serious problems with my vehicle door. when driving doors would start locking/unlocking for no apparent reason. when inside door would open sometimes after numerous tries. most times had to climb over seat to try other doors i had incident where i unlock door put grandson in carseat i went to driver side to get in vehicle but doors would not open each time i would unlock, doors would automatic relock temp was 97 degrees i continue to turn key and started dialing 911 when door opened dangerous/heart wrenching situation. i was afraid to ride kids in car in case of accident we may be trapped. i went to kia of baton rouge the employee stated he agrees this is dangerous but his concern was how kia was going get paid for repairs, because my vehicle was over the miles for warranty. i told him i had no problems paying for vehicle problems that is normal but this is not normal wear/tear i look up info on kias and there were numerous complaints about door locks. i already knew service dept would say it was the actuator because this is info that was on internet. kia employee stated to me if i paid for repairs he would guarantee i would not have any more problems this is not fair this is a defect. if i get stop by police he may think im refusing to get out of vehicle when im really trapped inside! i am honest hardworking individual. i do not think it is fair that my money is spent on vehicle that is a hazard to me & my family. if kia is such a great comp. i think they should realize this is a defect that their company should repair please don't wait until tragedy occur and they are facing a major lawsuit to start a recall. i hope kia does what is best for their customers. yes i did pay out of pocket for repairs because i did not want to continue riding in this unsafe vehicle. please advise. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2008 | 43906 | 1 | |
| Normal use. door lock fails locking driver in car, preventing safe exit in an emergency. this could result in death if a vehicle fire or accident were to occur. this is a common defect in this make with numerous internet-based complaints and questions related to this problem findable on the web. the $300.00-$400.00 cost of repair is too prohibitive to allow me to fix this. the life-threatening consequences of this manufacturer defect warrants manufacturer to foot the bill for the repair. this problem is listed in many years and models by same manufacturer. *tr | |||