Four problems related to door latch have been reported for the 2003 Kia Motor Optima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Kia Motor Optima based on all problems reported for the 2003 Optima.
The contact owns a 2003 kia Optima. The contact stated that the passenger doors would not unlock from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. The only way to exit from the vehicle was to climb out from the opposite side. The contact also stated that the headlights would fail intermittently. The vehicle was not inspected by the dealer nor was it repaired for the failures. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
No crash, no known vandalism. Driver's door lock just quit working out of the blue. Can not open the door at all ! (not with the key in the door, not with the manual lock actuator, not with the power door lock button. ) the door just will not open ! if I have a need to make an emergency exit from the car, I will be at a great disadvantage, having to jump over the shift lever to exit from the passenger side door. My other option would be to climb out through my door window. The dealer service department inspected the door and ordered parts for it. They will fix it on December 3rd at no cost to me, since the car is still under the factory warranty. The dealer did not consider the situation serious enough to give me a replacement vehicle while I am waiting for the repair. So I am going to work and picking up my 4 and 6 year old girls every day, just hoping I don't get into a wreck or have a vehicle fire. I would be very mad if I suffered a great loss because I could not get out through my door.
The contact owns a 2003 kia Optima. The contact stated that she has been locked in and out of the vehicle on three occasions. She attempted to unlock the door to enter the vehicle and heard the locks unlock. However, when she grabbed the handle to open the door, all of the doors locked again. The first time this occurred was approximately three years ago. The current mileage is 73,800 and the failure mileage was unknown.
When pulling the door lock up to get out or pull the door handle, the locking mechanism fails to disengage. The consumer was trapped inside the vehicle. A tow company was called to assist the consumer in getting out of the vehicle. Please provide any additional information.
| Latches/locks/linkage problems | |
| Door Latch problems |