2004 Kia Optima

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RUNS WELL, BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE BEGAN ON MAY 12, 2007 AND HAS BEEN OCCURRING EVER SINCE. SHE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID AND THE LIGHT, BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO ILLUMINATE. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 96,000.

PUNCTURED TIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE DAMAGED TIRE HAD EXCESSIVE TREAD WEAR IN RELATION TO THE MILES DRIVEN ON CAR. THE FIGURES SHOWED THE TIRE WAS WEARING 3-1 EXP: UNIROYAL TOURING TRACK, P205/60R15-90H WITH 60,000 MILE TREAD WEAR. 10/32ND TREAD DEPTH NEW. I BOUGHT THIS TIRE ON 03/07/07, AND WAS DAMAGED ON 05/14/07= 70 DAYS OLD. BOUGHT TIRE FROM WAL-MART, BRUNSWICK, GA 31520. TOOK TIRE TO SAME ON 05/14/07. TIRE SHOWED 4/32NDS WORE OFF OF TREAD. THIS = 24,000 MILES OF WEAR AT 6,000 MILE PER 1/32ND OF TREAD. TRAVEL NO MORE THEN 100 MILES PER DAY AT 68 DAYS AND 1 ROUND TRIP OF 1,500 MILES = TOTAL OF8,300 MILES OF TRAVEL ON CAR. AS I SAID 3-1 WEAR OF TREAD.MFG WILL NOT AJUST PRORATED COST OF NEW TIRE NOR WILL WAL-MART. NEW TIRE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED FREE BUT COAT ME PRORATE OF $49.00. *AK

I BOUGHT MY CAR IN AUGUST 2004, A 2004 KIA OPTIMA, AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL ABOUT APRIL 2006. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND I NOTICED WHEN I LEFT MY HOUSE THAT THE CAR SOUNDED A LITTLE FUNNY AND THE CLUTCH WAS GIVING ME PROBLEMS. I WAS STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST DIED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INSURED ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND IT WOULD ONLY COST $50 AT THE MOST. THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR AND I WENT TO WORK. THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER TO INFORM ME THAT THE CLUTCH WASN'T UNDER WARRANTY AND IT WAS GOING TO COST ME $1500.00 TO FIX MY CAR. THEY FIXED IT AND I PAID. UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S NOT THE END OF THE STORY, A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER MY CAR BROKE DOWN AGAIN AND I HAD IT TOWED TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP, THEY INSTANTLY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR AND I WENT TO WORK. THEY CALLED ME A FEW HOURS LATER AT WORK TO TELL ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS BAD AGAIN AND TRIED TO TELL ME IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS RIDING THE CLUTCH. I TOLD THEM THAT THIS WASN'T THE ONLY MANUAL TRANSMISSION I HAD OWNED. I'VE OWNED 4 MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS SOME NEW SOME MUCH OLDER AND I'VE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A CLUTCH. THEY DID TELL ME THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING BECAUSE THE NEW CLUTCH WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. ABOUT A WEEK LATER THEY CALLED TO TELL ME THAT THEY HAD INSTALLED THE CLUTCH BUT THEY FOUND THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I ASKED THEM IF IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND CAUSED BOTH CLUTCHES TO GO BAD BUT THEY INSURED ME THAT IT WASN'T POSSIBLE. THEY PAID FOR THE CLUTCH AND THE TRANSMISSION. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA OPTIMA. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER ,WHERE THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE REPAIRED THE AIR BAG SENSOR ON TWO OCCASIONS, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE SENSOR WAS SUPPOSE TO DETECT A WEIGHT 90 POUNDS OR ABOVE. *AK UPDATED 2/6/2007 -*NM

I HAVE A 2004 KIA OPTIMA WITH A BELT THAT SQUEAKS RATHER LOUDLY. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD COST $120.00 TO REPLACE IT IF I WANTED TO, BUT IT WAS NOT DANGEROUS. MY PROBLEM WAS THAT I HAD JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND IT MADE THIS AWFUL SOUND. I EVEN CONTACTED KIA'S COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT, BUT NOTHING WAS EVER DONE. THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST KIA. THIS JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN ONCE, BUT SQUEAKS ON A REGULAR BASIS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE GAS CAP WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED TO REMOVE PRESSURE IN THE FUEL TANK. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, IT WAS SLUGGISH, AND HAD VERY LITTLE POWER, AND A CLUNKING NOISE WAS HEARD. SO, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERS MECHANIC RAN A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC TEST, WHICH REVEALED SEVERAL MISFIRE CODES. UPON REMOVING THE FUEL PUMP, MELTED WIRING WAS DISCOVERED RUNNING FROM THE FUEL PUMP TO THE GAS TANK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A KIA OPTIMA 2004, ON DECEMBER 28,2005 I NOTICE A PIERCING NOISE COMING FROM THE BACK OF MY CAR. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED THAT I NEEDED NEW BRAKE PADS AND THAT MY ROTORS WERE RUSTED. MY QUESTION IS HOW CAN A CAR THAT IS BRAND NEW AND ONLY DRIVEN FOR 14 MONTHS HAVE RUSTED ROTORS. ISN'T THERE SAFETY STANDARDS ON MATERIAL USED SO THAT THIS DOES NOT OCCUR IN SUCH SHORT OF A TIME. IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY WHICH RESULTED IN A BILL TOTALING $659.00. MY PURPOSE OF PURCHASING A NEW CAR WAS TO AVOID CONSTANT REPAIRS RIGHT AWAY. I FEEL THAT ALL OF THE FINE PRINT WAS NOT DISCLOSED WHEN KIA ADVERTISES A BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY FOR A CAR UP TO 100,000 MILES. I EVEN CALLED THE NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE FOR KIA AND THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THIS COULD HAVE OCCURRED IN SUCH SHORT OF A TIME. THE CAR HAS ONLY SEEN 1 WINTER. *JB