2004 Kia Optima

THE DOOR (DRIVERS SIDE) WILL NOT UNLOCK. WHEN YOU PULL THE HANDLE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE IT LOCKS AND WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO EXIT THE VEHICLE WHICH CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS DURING AN EMERGENCY. I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE IN 2003 - 2005 KIAS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE HASN'T BEEN A SAFETY RECALL YET MAKING KIA FIX THIS ISSUE ON ALL VEHICLES. MAYBE IT TAKES AN ACCIDENT AND SOMEONE BEING TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND LOSING THEIR LIFE BEFORE THIS IS REPAIRED. I DIDN'T FIND JUST A FEW ISSUES WHEN I LOOKED ONLINE FOR THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING, I FOUND PAGE AFTER PAGE OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME ISSUE ON THEIR KIA. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK FROM INSIDE OR OUT. ONLY WAY IN/OUT OF THE CAR IS THROUGH 3 OTHER DOORS. CANNOT USE KEY TO MANUALLY GET IN DOOR. LATCH MECHANISM WILL NOT DISENGAGE. IF YOU ARE INSIDE THE CAR AND TRY TO UNLOCK THE DOOR AND OPEN IT, IT WILL MAKE A SOUND LIKE THE DOOR HAS BEEN UNLOCKED, BUT THEN WILL RELOCK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. *TR

IN THE CAR WITH THE DOORS LOCKED, PARKED AND DRIVERS DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. TRIED THE UNLOCK BUTTON AND THE LOCKS UNLOCKED AND IMMEDIATELY LOCKED AGAIN. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES. I TRIED TO ACTUALLY US THE LOCK ITSELF (MANUAL) AND DID THE SAME THING. I ALSO TRIED THE KEYLESS REMOTE AND THIS DIDN'T WORK EITHER. THE LOCKS WOULD UNLOCK THEN RELOCK IMMEDIATELY. I STARTED TO PANIC BUT LEANED OVER TO THE PASSENGER DOOR AND THE MANUAL LOOK UNLOCK JUST THAT DOOR. IF I WERE IN AN ACCIDENT OR IF A CHILD WERE IN THE CAR, THIS WOULD BE A HUGE PROBLEM! I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR AND I HAVEN'T HAD OTHER PROBLEMS WITH IT. I HAVE READ ONLINE AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR LOCK FAILED TO UNLOCK ELECTRONICALLY OR MANUALLY. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ALSO REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVERS DOOR LOCK ALSO FAILED AT 41,000 MILES; HOWEVER, THE ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE PASSENGER DOOR OR THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000. ..UPDATED 12-30-13 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE REPAIED. THE TECHICIAN ADVISED THERE WAS A NICKEL IN THE DOOR PANEL AND THAT THE WAS REPAIRED. THERE DOOR WAS NOT ACTUALLY REPAIRED. UPDATED 1/16/2014 *JS

WHEN I STARTED TO LEAVE FOR WORK THIS MORNING; I COULD NOT GET INTO THE CAR FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE; THE DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK; I COULD NOT GET IT TO OPEN. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPEN BEFORE SO I LOOKED CAREFULLY AND SAW NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO MY CAR SO I TRIED AGAIN TO UNLOCK AND OPEN MY DOOR. I PUT THE KEY IN THE KEYHOLE AS USUAL BUT I NOTICE THAT IT FELT LIKE IT WAS NOT FITTING CORRECTLY AND AS I TURNED THE KEY AND IT WAS HARDER TO TURN BUT I COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF THE DOORS UNLOCKING SO I PULLED THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE DRIVERS DOOR AGAIN AND IT STILL WOULD NOT OPEN. THE OTHER THREE CAR DOORS WORKS FINE; LOCKING AND UNLOCKING LIKE THEY SHOULD. I WAS THEN FORCED TO GET INTO THE CAR FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. THERE I ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE DRIVERS DOOR FROM THE INSIDE BUT MY EFFORTS THERE ALSO FAILED; WHICH WAS VERY ALARMING. I COULD FEEL MY ANXIETY BUILDING (FEELING TRAPPED & NOT ABLE TO OPEN MY CAR DOOR AT ANYTIME) I WAS RUNNING OUT OF TIME AND HAVE TO GO TO WORK . I TRIED TO OPEN MY DOOR FROM THE INSIDE SEVERAL TIMES BUT NOTHING WORKED. I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND LET DOWN ALL THE WINDOWS. I COULD BREATHE SOME FRESH AIR. ALL DAY I HAD TO GET IN AND OUT OF MY CAR FORM THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. I TRIED TO OPEN THE DRIVERS DOOR SEVERAL TIME THROUGHOUT THE DAY BUT NOTHING WOULD WORK. MY DOOR BEING STUCK SHUT IS A HORRIBLE FEELING TO HAVE WHEN DRIVING KNOWING THAT ONE OF MY WAYS TO ESCAPE FROM THE CAR GONE ALMOST HELPLESS AT FIRST SO I HOPE THIS PROBLEM IS NOT A SMALL MATTER TO YOU BECAUSE IT IS PUTTING OUR LIFE IN A SERIOUS SITUATION; SO PLEASE TREATED THIS AS SUCH. THINK OF THIS: IF THERE WERE FIRE MARSHALLS FOR CARS, WOULD THEY EVER TOLERATE A FRONT DOOR THAT CAN'T BE OPEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE INSIDE? NO. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK WITH THE KEY OR INSIDE SWITCH. ALL THE OTHER DOORS WILL UNLOCK EXCEPT THE DRIVER DOOR. AFTER TURNING THE KEY FOR ABOUT 10 MINS UP TO A DAY OR A WEEK IT WILL SOMETIMES UNLOCK, BUT ONLY USING THE KEY. THIS IS A VERY BAD SAFETY HAZARD. IT LOOKS AS IF THE PLASTIC PART INSIDE THE DOOR THAT CONTROLS THE LOCKING IS BROKEN . THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS THAT MADE THIS OCCUR . I HAVE TALKED TO KIA ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ABOUT THE MATTER AND THIS IS ONE FEATURE THAT THE CUSTOMER DOES NOT NEED TO PAY FOR. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART AND CAN TRAP SOMEONE IN A CAR . YOU HAVE TO CRAWL THROUGH PASSENGER DOOR TO EVEN TO GET IN AND DRIVE. SHAMEFUL ON KIA . SEEMS LIKE ITS GOING TO TAKE SOME ONE BURNING OR HAVE A FATALITY FOR KIA TO DO A RECALL ON THIS , BUT ALL ABOUT MONEY WHEN THEY PRIDE ON SAFETY. *TR

ON MY 2004 KIA OPTIMA WHEN I UNLOCK THE DOORS WITH THE KEY ALL DOORS UNLOCK EXCEPT THE DRIVERS DOOR REAL BIG SAFETY CONCERN, IF I GET STUCK IN MY CAR DURING AN ACCIDENT AN CANNOT GET OUT I WILL SUE KIA MOTOR COMPANY FOR NOT ISSUING A SAFETY RECALL, I HAVE ALSO NOTICE A LOT OF POSTINGS BASED UPON THIS ISSUE ON FIXYA.COM FOR THE 2003-2006 KIA OPTIMA NEED ATTENTION ASAP. *TR

THE DRIVERS DOOR WILL NOT OPEN EITHER FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE. THE DOOR REMAINS LOCKED AS THE BUTTON AND KEY DO NOT FULLY UNLOCK IT. USING BOTH BUTTON AND KEY AT THE SAME TIME, I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR AND OPEN IT. DISSASSEMBLY OF THE DOOR AND LATCH LOCATED THE PROBLEM TO BE THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM. THE DOOR LATCH IS DESIGNED TO FAIL AS EVIDENCED BY THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS LISTING THIS PART. THE LEVER THAT IS MOVED INTO PLACE WHEN THE DOOR IS UNLOCKED IS BLOCKED BY THE CAM THAT IT INTERFACES WITH BECAUSE THE CAM HAS ROTATED BEYOND THE POINT THAT IT SHOULD. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRAP SOMEONE IN THE CAR IF IT SHOULD FAIL AT THE WRONG TIME. *TR

DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN, ACCIDENTALLY LOCKED DOOR NOW IT WILL NOT OPEN, HAVE TO CLIMB OVER FROM PASSENGER SIDE TO DRIVER SIDE, WILL NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE, I AM DISABLED AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO HAVE TO CLIMB OVER TO DRIVER SIDE, FOR A LONG TIME NOW I HAVE LEFT THE CAR UNLOCKED FOR THIS REASON, SEEMS I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE PLACED POSTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. IT'S NOT ONLY AN INCONVENIENCE BUT A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR RECALL THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND FIXED. ANYONE IN AN ACCIDENT (GOD FORBID) IS TRAPPED, MORE SO IF THERE DISABLED, PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THIS ISSUE. THANK-YOU *TR