2004 Kia Optima

I PURCHASED MY 2004 KIA OPTIMA WITH 100K MILES ON IT AND AFTER ABOUT 30 DAYS THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WITHOUT BEING INVOLVED IN ANY MOVING INCIDENT AND REMAINED ON. I TOOK IT TO THE KIA DEALER (ROSEN, MILWAUKEE, WI) AND THEY BELIEVED IT WAS THE CONTACTS BECAUSE I GOT CODE B1378, AIRBAG RESISTANCE TO HIGH. THEY SPRAYED SOMETHING ON THE CONTACTS BECAUSE THE COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. THEY RESET THE AIRBAG LIGHT FREE OF CHARGE, BUT AFTER DRIVING ABOUT ONE WEEK THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT KIA NEEDS TO RESOLVE BECAUSE THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IF THE CAR IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR FAILED TO UNLOCK, WHICH PREVENTED ACCESS IN ENTERING OR EXITING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO ACCESS THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TO ENTER OR EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

DRIVER DOOR REFUSED TO OPEN. I HAVE A DISABILITY SO THIS CREATED A HUGE PROBLEM FOR ME. WHEN I PUT GAS IN MY CAR (REGARDLESS OF GRADE OR GAS STATION) MY CAR REFUSES TO START. WHEN I MAKE A U-TURN, MY CAR MAKES LOUD CLICKING SOUND. I HAD IT CHECKED...MY AXLE AND EVERY THING ELSE LOOKS FINE. NO ONE CAN ESTABLISH WHERE THE NOISE COMES FROM. MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 60,000 MILES ON IT, AND IT SHOULD NOT HAVE ALL THESE ISSUES BUT IT DOES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AFTER RECEIVING A JUMP START TO THE BATTERY. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WAS 80,034.

THE DRIVERS DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE OR THE INSIDE. I HAVE TO CRAWL IN FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THEN WHEN I WANT TO GET OUT I HAVE TO CRAWL OVER AND EXIT FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE. TRIED TO UNLOCK IT WITH MY KEYLESS ENTRY AND NOW IT DOESN'T WORK. REPLACED BATTERIES BUT STILL NOT WORKING. MY SON KEPT TURNING THE KEY IN THE DOOR AND FINALLY GOT IT OPENED. THE NEXT TIME I DROVE IT THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I AM TIRED OF HAVING TO CRAWL IN AND OUT OF MY CAR. I ALWAYS ENJOYED DRIVING MY KIA BUT NOT ANYMORE. *TR

DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK. NEITHER THE KEY NOR THE DOOR LOCK KNOB ON THE INSIDE WORKS TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE BEEN ENTERING AND EXITING THE DRIVER SIDE BY ENTERING THE CAR FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH ALL KIA MODELS AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE WEBSITE HTTP://VLANE.COM/DISCUSS-TOPIC/989/MY-DRIVERS-DOOR-IS-LOCKED-WILL-NOT-UNLOCK . THE PROBLEM IS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE ONCE IN THE DRIVER SEAT, THE DRIVER CAN NOT EXIT THE CAR THROUGH THE DRIVER DOOR WHICH CAN PROVE TO BE A PROBLEM IN AN EMERGENCY. KIA IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OWNERS BY NOT ADDRESSING THE ISSUE. I AM AFRAID FOR MY SAFETY, MY FAMILY'S SAFETY WHILE DRIVING AND EMPHATICALLY PLEAD WITH YOU TO RECALL THESE KIA CARS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO START AFTER FUEL FILL-UP. IT GOT WORSE AFTER EACH FILL UP. TRIED PUTTING FUEL IN WHILE CAR WAS RUNNING, BUT IT WOULD JUST CUT OFF. MUST PUT FOOT ON BRAKE AND REV GAS AFTER PUTTING IN FUEL TO GET GOING. I WAS USING KROGER GAS, I SWITCHED TO SHELL GAS BUT THE PROBLEM PERSIST. ALSO ENGINE LIGHT HAS NEVER COME ON. I THINK THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 2003 KIA. *TR

WE JUST PURCHASED IS CAR LAST SATURDAY AND WENT TO THE STORE AND LOCKED THE DOORS THEN WHEN WE WENT TO UNLOCK THE DOORS WITH THE KEY ON THE DRIVER SIDE THE DRIVER DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. I WOULD TURN THE KEY AND PULL THE HANDLE AND THE DOORS WOULD LOCK BACK. I HAD TO GET IN AND BACK OUT THROUGH THE PASSANGER SIDE. WHEN I GOT HOME MY SON FINALLY GOT IT TO UNLOCK AND OPEN AND EVERYTIME WE WOULD LOCK IT IT WOULD NOT UNLOCK OR OPEN. WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP WORKING WITH IT UNTIL IT FIANLLY UNLOCKS AND THE DOOR OPENS. SO NOW I AM AFRAID TO LOCK IT. I READ ONLINE OF MANY REPORTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM AND IT WOULD REALLY BE NICE TO GET A RECALL FOR IT. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WAS INOPERABLE. ONCE LOCKED, IT COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,580.