general problems of the 2005 Kia Motor Optima - part 1

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. While attempting to exit the vehicle, the door's failed to unlock. The contact had to exit through the sun roof. The contact also stated that he was able to unlock the front passenger side door from outside of the vehicle; however, the front driver's door was inoperable. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. While the vehicle was parked, the locks on the door failed to work. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure.

2005 kia Optima. Consumer writes in regards to drivers side door issues. The consumer stated the driver's side door would not open with the key fob and it would not open with the key. When she inserted the key and turned it, she could hear the actuator engaging as though it were unlocking, but once she tried the door handle, the door refused to open. After several minutes, the door finally released and opened, but to lock the door and close it, resulted in the same issue. Updated 04/22/14.

Drivers side door will no longer open. When I try to unlock it from either the inside or outside, the unlock mechanism works, but the door will not open. I now have to crawl in from another door and would not be able to get out in an emergency. This appears to be a common problem with kias and could cause serious injury. This needs to be addressed with kia.

I became entrapped in my 2005 kia Optima when I accidentally hit the lock. Its been an issue before. While its dangerous to keep it unlocked, I chose that over being locked out or being locked in. Last night my elbow hit the lock as I parked. I had my coworker come pull the handle while I pushed the unlock button. While it has worked after several tries in the past, it just wouldn't give in. I then, had my coworker try the passenger side and it popped. I'm now reduced to climbing over from the passenger side door. While its painful and timely, its not as bad as climbing over the back. I've had to do that when I had no one to call for help. It's so dangerous not being able to get out of your car when you're ready. Its also horrible to think about your vehicle not being there when you come outside because you left your doors unlocked for a car thief. If I open my passenger side door and press lock and close it. I will not be able to enter or use my vehicle without breaking a window. If there was a fire cause by some sort of collision, my child and I would be burned before I could get to him. If me or a passenger accidentally hits the lock before we get out, I'll have to break my own window to get back in. I sent the corporate headquarters an email which I'm sure will be ignored like the many others sent before me. This is sad cause mechanically the car seems to run great. This is my second one. If I had of kept that one longer, I'm sure I would've experienced the same issue. This is definitely a safety issue that needs to be acknowledged and fixed.

The driver side door will not unlock from the inside or outside. I can hear the assembly trying to work, the key will unlock the other doors. This is a huge safety issue in an emergency. I called the kia dealership in newport richey FL and they told me this a common problem with this vehicle. How many people are going to possibly lose their life in an accident,because of this defect before there is a recall.

The passenger door lock started sticking and will not open. Now both doors are locked and I cannot open either. The back doors do open, however it was very difficult to climb out the back door. I don't know how I will even get it to a dealer to fix it.

Passenger side door automatically locks when you try to open it. Whether in or out, it won't open. Sometimes it will open with a key out of the car, but will not open from inside.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. While parked, the contact attempted to unlock the front driver side door but it would not unlock. The contact entered the vehicle through the front passenger side door. The front driver side door would not unlock using the key fob from the exterior or manually from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The dealer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the key fob and door locks would have to be replaced . The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

I am unable to unlock my drivers side door either manually/key or by remote access this is a serious safety issue due to the fact that if I need to exit my vehicle in case of an emergency (fire and or crash) I would be unable to. Also, two of my rear seatbelts are jammed in the half extended position. I would appreciate any and all help you can give me with this serious safety issue.

Drivers side door locks and refuses to unlock if the door is completely closed. Huge safety issue, as I've been forced to crawl out the passengers side multiple times daily!.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked all of the automatic doors failed to unlock when engaged. The contact had to open the front driver's side power and manually unlock the door in order to exit the vehicle. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 67,500.

The doors lock and unlock by themselves. The two front doors will not open everytime I try to open them the doors lock up. I can not safely enter and exit my car. I have to go out the back seat but it takes some time to do so. Research on this shows that this is a common problem with kia. If I were to get in an accident or a fire started I would not be able to get out of my car. Also I have a bulging disc in my back and this is starting to cause pain and it can cause my back to fully seize up again. I have contacted kia and they are not willing to help because there is no recall on the item. This should be recalled because this is going to result in someone getting hurt or worse even death. .

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated that the front drivers side door would not open. In order to enter the vehicle, the contact had to use the front passenger side door. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that the door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaird. The failure mileage was 69,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated that the front drivers side door would not unlock from the interior or exterior, with or without the key. The contact stated that the only way to enter the drivers seat was to enter the vehicle from the front passenger side. The vehicle was not yet taken to have the failure diagnosed. The failure and current mileages were 27,000. Updated 09/01/2011.

The contact owns 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated the right front passenger door would not lock or unlock. There was a passenger in the vehicle who was unable to get out of the vehicle due to the door locks. The dealer stated there were no recalls or related warranties and to bring the vehicle in to be inspected. The contact would be responsible for the repair cost. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 52,000.

The driver side door will not unlock from the inside or outside. I can hear the assembly trying to work, the key will unlock the other doors. This is a huge safety issue in an emergency. I called the kia dealership iand they told me they had never heard of this with this vehicle. How many people are going to possibly lose their life in an accident,because of this defect before there is a recall.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated the drivers side door would not open automatically or manually. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current miles were 69,000.

Much like the countless complaints I've read, my 2005 kia Optima lx has a default in the driver side and now the passenger side doors. About a month ago my driver side door stopped opening. Sure I could hear the doors electronically unlocking. . But still could not open my driver side door from the inside or outside. Finding out this was going to run me about 300-400 dollars I waited to see if it was something I could fix. . . My friend and I removed both panels after having to slim jim and push and pull the door open. We looked at both door insides and saw no difference and nothing that seemed to be broken, bent or unattached. Of coarse as I drove a way my locks locked again. . So I was back to climbing out my passenger side. As of yesterday my passenger side is now doing the same thing. . They say im up to 500 now and nothing is covered by warranty. Im thinking, really!!?? this is the second kia I have purchased and have always loved my kia's but this sucks! this is a huge safety issue! how many people have to be stuck in there car on fire or at the bottom of the river dying before kia recalls this. I've read several posts about people with kids or people that are "too big" to go climb over their car seats to safety! at this point the only way in and out of my car is now the back doors but for how long, who knows! what's next, squeeze through the glove box? okay, okay so that's not realistic but jeez! what the heck can we do about this?.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated the vehicle was parked when the doors began to lock and unlock on their own. As a result, the contact had to enter the vehicle by using the front passenger door. Over time, the failure progressed and the contact was unable to enter the vehicle from either front door. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

I drive a 2005 kia Optima. Yesterday when I came out to my car the door would not unlock. Everytime I put the key in and attempt to unlock the door, it locks back immediately. I tried to unlock and open the door from the inside as well but the door will no longer open. In order to get into or out of the vehicle I have to use the passenger side door. This is a major hazard if I were to be involved in an accident or if for some reason I need to exit my car immediately. I have 3 kids that I transport also and am terrified that something should happen. I have read the blogs that this is a typical issue but has not been recalled yet. I am going to take any action possible to insure that this issue is resolved since it is a malfunction on the part of a kia part.

I believe because of the option of 'affected parts" does not include locks/linkage, is why the NHTSA is not seeing how 1000s are complaining about having a locked door issue with kias of many models over a span of 10 years! my driver door is permanently locked and until I can come up with $700 to get it fixed I can not drive it due to safety because I can not get it inspected!!! due to safety! kia needs to be responsible for this safety issue for thousands of people!.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated the front drivers side door would not lock or open from the inside or outside of the vehicle. The contact had to enter the vehicle from the passenger door. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated the actuator needed to be replaced. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileage was 65,000.

I recently bought a 2005 kia Optima and about the fifth time I drove it I went to the store and was stuck inside the door will not lock or unlock from inside or out then finally it does but I never know when its goin to work or not . . This is crazy and lots of people are having problems with this why hasn't it been recalled.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated that when trying to open the driver side door with the key, she was unable to do so. She had to enter the vehicle through the passenger side door or not lock the vehicle at all. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised that she needed to replace the lock mechanism. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated that the driver door would not unlock electronically or manually. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 113,000.

The contact owns 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated the front driver and passenger side doors would not lock or unlock from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. The contact stated that he would have to climb over the front seat and console to exit the vehicle through the rear doors. The vehicle was not inspected for the failure. The dealer was contacted and advised that the failure could potentially have been caused by a defect in the door lock actuator. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.

I can't open my door!! my drivers side door refuses to open, from inside or out! I try to unlock it from the outside and when I pull on the latch, it locks the door again, and it will not open from the inside, sometimes relocking the door on me. It was working just fine before then, and then all of sudden it started malfunctioning, nothing happened to make this happen. Only the drivers side door is affected. This is a safety hazard and I'm not the only one this has happened to, there needs to be a recall. I have been unable to get this corrected as of yet.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated that as the vehicle was shut off, all four doors began locking and unlocking repeatedly. The contact stated that the failure was a constant occurrence. The dealer was made aware of the failure and advised that the check switch in the front driver side door would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000. The VIN was not available.

Driver door of kia 2005 Optima will not open from the inside or outside at all. Have to climb over passenger seat to get to drivers seat. Called the dealership and was told that most likely the part that is bad is called the 'door checker' according to the kia manuals. I have to get a new one. Called dealership there will be 2 hours of labor involved. The part wears out to the point where it tells the system that the door is not latched so it trips the auto lock feature to keep the door from swinging open. Apparently this is a dealer part only. Not covered under warranty. My car only has 41,000 miles on it.

Drivers side door will not unlock from inside vehicle or outside. This is not only extremely inconvenient but also very unsafe. Last year the same issue happened on passenger side door, which I paid to have fixed and now the same issue is happening on drivers side. Kia should take responsibility for this defect.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Optima. The contact stated that the power locks malfunctioned, which caused the driver¿s side front door to lock. The door could not be reopened. The contact would enter the vehicle through the passenger side of the vehicle and climb over the center console. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle could not be diagnosed because the driver side door would not open and suggested that the door be unassembled at the contacts expense. The contact stated the failure was a major safety issue because the door would not open in the event of a crash. The failure mileage was 89,703.

2006 kia Optima driverside door locks not allowing drivers door to unlock, we called dealer and they say that they are willing look at the problem for a service fee and labor, we search on-line this is a problem that there are several people having.

2005 kia Optima drivers door lock malfunctions. Door will not open from inside or out. This is a serious safety hazard. There are many internet reports and complaints about this issue. Kia will not recall or take care of this issue. Nhtsa do something about it!.

When I got home from work and attempted to open the drivers side door it just kept relocking, the lock doesn't open all the way it makes a noise and locks again. I had to climb over the middle console to get out of the car. I went around to the drivers side to see if I could open it from the outside, the key doesn't turn all the way, if the other doors are unlocked and you try to open from the drivers side it just clicks into the locked position. I am afraid that I will be in a position to have to exit the vehicle in a hurry and can't.