general problems of the 2003 Kia Motor Optima

While driving on the roadway, I was almost to a four way intersection, as I was going to get into the left turn lane, I turned the steering wheel slightly to the left as the steering wheel turned but the car almost did little adjusting to turn into the left turn lane. As this occurred you could here a noise underneath the vehicle . As I wasn't sure exactly what had happened, I attempted to limp the vehicle down the road to a friend's. As I did the steering got worse and as I could nearly stear the vehicle something was in the road which because of the steering I couldn't avoid it as it was late at night and raining and I ran over something that gave me a flat on the passenger side front tire . I got to my friends drive a few feet away and almost didn't get it pulled in because of the steering. As I took a look at my car, I noticed that two bolts on the driver side on the rack and pinion were almost about to fall out, two ball joints were bent and one nut was completely missing from the lower ball joint, as well as the sway bar was out of place and if I would have been driving down the highway, I do belive I would have wrecked.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 kia Optima lx. The contact stated that he had noticed that his vehicle was out of alignment. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that an alignment could not be performed because the sub frame was broken. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 09v183000(suspension); however, when he called the dealer(bob rohrman kia 801 sagamore pkwy s, lafayette, in 47905 765-746-7301), the contact was informed that the recall had already been completed. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed him that they could not assist him due to the fact the recall had been completed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 168,531. Jo.

Kia has issued a recall (09v183000) however it does not include the state in which I reside, but all bordering states to the east, west, and north. I'm in ky and states like OH, in, IL, wv, are included. I'm having the exact issue listed in the recall however as they have selected to cover only specific states I'm left with a vehicle that is now inoperable. The sub-frame on the passenger side has rusted through and caused the tire and suspension to break free.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, the vehicle began to swerve and the vehicle went in a ditch. No police report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. Ec.

The contact owns a 2003 kia Optima. The contact stated that while the driver attempted to complete a right turn, the front passenger's side axle fractured. The vehicle was inspected by a local mechanic, who discovered that the axle had become separated due to severe corrosion of the sub frame. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was not in included in NHTSA campaign number 09v183000 (suspension). The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 114,000. Updated 02/11/2014 this complaint is also associated with odi#10559087 updated 03/18/2014.

My wife noticed the car pulling to the right and called her brother. He looked at the vehicle that evening 12/30/2013. He drove the car pulling onto a highway, the car would not move -- neither forward nor reverse. He pushed the vehicle off the road and the front axle dropped out of the transmission. It was towed and the garage notified us that the front sub-frame had corroded. Online research reveals NHTSA recalled kia Optima (2001-2004 model years) on may 27, 2009. I called the dealership on 12/31/13 where the car was purchased. The customer service rep said the recall did not apply to our vehicle. The kmc was contacted on 1/2/14. I was informed that the recall was based on "salt usage of 20 states and DC. " this interpretation of the NHTSA recall id # 84125 needs direct clarification from the NHTSA. The original recall letter states: "kmc is recalling model year 2001 - 2004 Optima vehicles originally "sold in or" currently registered in the states of (20 + the district of columbia). " since I purchased the vehicle in indiana my vehicle should be covered by the initial recall. Regardless, the safety issue of the vehicle should warrant a notification to all owners of potential problems for this vehicle. This mechanical issue could have resulted in a catastrophic event. This complaint is also associated with odi# 10558172.