2002 Kia Optima Steering Problems

“While I was driving I had noticed that the car was pulling to the right. I had new tires and an alignment done 5-6 weeks prior, so I returned to the shop and they looked at everything and the front end was out of alignment. The shop looked further to see what caused this and found that the right front frame area was rusted and cracked. They advised me that the car was not save and that I should contact Kia. I was driving the car home and the car pulled drastically to right and I heard a crushing noise from the right tire area. …”

“My 2002 Kia Optima, veered of the side of the interstate due to a flat tire. The tires had been replaced that morning and within 130 miles on the highway the right front tire popped. As I took a closer look I noticed my wheel was slanted in. I then had it towed to the nearest repair shop who informed me the engine cradle was rusted and corroded. When I contacted Kia about the issue they basically said sorry about your luck. There is a recall for this problem but my VIN is not included. No action has been taken by Kia in any of my attempts to have them resolve this problem. …”

“The vehicle was driven and at one point there was a noticeable difference in steering and the car pulled to the right. Within a few days of this event, the brand new tires that were purchased just a few months earlier, wore from the inner edge to about 1/3 of the width of the tire, exposing the belts. This caused one tire to pop, while the car was being driven. A spare was placed on the vehicle to get it to a tire repair location and after approximately 30 miles of driving, the spare lost all tread and also popped. …”

“Dt: 2002 Kia Optima lx. There is an electrical problem with the vehicle. The lights will start to flicker, and then the vehicle will lose power and shut everything down. When the temperature was around 80-90 degrees and at long distances this problem will happen. The dealership changed the battery twice, the alternator twice, the main wiring harness, and the main computer for the vehicle. This still did not fix the problem. Consumer took vehicle back to the dealership when the power wentout on 7-14-05. …”

“I received a call from my 16 year old daughter that she had a flat tire on her front driver side. She is on the side of the road in the dark and cold I got dressed went there and changed it, so go the next morning and take a look at it in light what I found is very upsetting, the whole frame where lower control (arm bolts on completely rusted away. …”