2003 Kia Optima problems
NHTSA has received 190 complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima, and 28% of them involve latches & locks. Next are body & structure (14%) and electrical system (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 190 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Latches & locks 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 10 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 84,000 miles 145 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 30 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 35 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 21 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 145 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 84,000 miles. For latches & locks specifically, the median reported mileage is about 90,000 miles (41 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 10 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 20 model years of the Kia Optima with enough data (65 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Dt*: the contact stated, while traveling through an intersection at 25 MPH., the vehicle was struck on the driver's front door by a police vehicle running a red light, without the emergency lights on. Both frontal and side airbags failed to deploy. Injuries were incurred in the collision. A police report was filed and pictures were taken at the scene. The airbag sensor light was replaced by a service dealer, approximately one-year prior to the accident.
It took 3-4 attempts to get the consumer's 2003 kia optima to start and the consumer also had to pump the gas pedal. While driving 45 MPH the vehicle accelerated suddenly without warning. While attempting to accelerate from a stop the vehicle would not move. The consumer had to pump the gas pedal in order to get the vehicle to accelerate. These problems have been present since the date of purchase.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia optima. The contact stated that the front driver side door failed to unlock. The contact stated that in order to get inside the vehicle, he had to climb over to the driver side. The contact also stated that the "air bag" warning light was illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic and the mechanic was unable to locate a solution to the problem. The vehicle was not repaired.