2001 Kia Optima Latches, locks and linkages Problems

“Just put my 2 yr old daughter in her car seat, loaded the groceries into the car along with my purse and keys. Shut the door. Doors locked automatically. Had to call 911 for police to come and get my daughter out of car. Also have been locked in the car, had the keys and still could not get doors unlocked. Thought this was just a fluke until I read other reports about this type of thing happening in kias.”

“This vehicles electrical system continues to fail along with nonworking lights, air conditioner, lock failure, battery and altrenator failure. Car has been worked on for same problems more than 5 times. Car has had (that I know of) 3 batteries and 2 alternators. Once the locks on the car failed and I was trapped inside vehicle for more than an hour. Locks would automatically relock faster than you could open the door.”

“Since purchasing my 2001 Kia Optima, I have had nothing but difficulty. I purchased an extended warranty at the dealership I purchased it from in case I needed repairs. I got my money's worth. But the problems I had are common problems with the vehicle, locks not working, windows not rolling up, paint peeling off, transmission problems, check engine light constantly on, decreased acceleration, heat surges when gas pedal released and pressed and the list goes on. It is not hard to find other Kia owners with the same problems. …”

“The front frame and many components of my 2001 Kia Optima have completely rusted out. It currently has 50,000 miles on it and has had many problems since I purchased it. Check engine light is pretty much on every day. I was told it was something to do with the gas cap, although that never really came up as the reason, there was more than that- resulting in multiple repairs. The o2 sensor has gone twice, the brakes have corroded so badly my repairman had to hit them off to remove them. I had to replace all of the brake lines since they all rusted out. …”

“When I first brought the car and drove it, the lights became dim in the inside and the headlights. The radio turned off and on, took it to dealer 4-5 times for problem and they could find nothing wrong. The car doesn't pick up spend when going over hills not even little ones. The gas needle does not read full even when the tank is practically overflowing with gas. Reading a full tank of gas happens every once in a while. Check engine light comes on . …”