locked the car as most people do, then went to unlock the car heard it unlock but the door would not open. I could hear the door sound like it was locking/unlocking like it was stuck. I tried to climb through the passenger side to open the door from the inside and it will not open. The door appears to be "unlocked" but it is not and will not open creating a hazard if in an accident there is no way to get to safety. In researching online this is a common problem and there is a part in the lock mechanism that gets stuck so the door does not unlock and cannot open. It appears it has been reported several times on the year of my car and other years but nothing has been done. There is no warning that this will happen, you just lock the doors and then it doesn't unlock.
2002 Kia Optima: doors won't lock, open or latch
12 of the 107 complaints about the 2002 Kia Optima describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 12
- of this car's complaints
- 11%
- typical mileage
- 70,000
- recalls
- 0
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
2002 kia optima driver door will not unlock with keyless entry or from in side of car only after locking and waiting several minutes to hitting unlock about 20 times to get the door to unlock have been locked in car and crawl threw car or out window. Car has 142000.milies
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. The contact stated that the actuator door locks for the front driver and passenger doors failed. The contact stated that the window was used in order to enter the vehicle. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The the front passenger actuator was repaired previously. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
A fire started inside the drivers side door panel filling the car with heavy black smoke my wife opened the drivers side electric window to ge rid of the smoke out of the car. She drove the car into her back yard and started screaming for help since the drivers side door would not open. Her husband ran to the back yard and was able to open the passenger side door and she had to climb over the gear shift and the emergency brake to get out of the car. She was on oxygen at the time. Her husband got a water hose and put out the fire. The investigation LED to the fire starting in a electrical actuator kia number act " r assy kmc 9530-3c000. The door had to be replaced. I notified kia corp headquarters at 1‑877‑220‑3189 and sent pictures my case # [xxx]. As of this date 07/24/2014 kia has not got back with me. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Front door fails to unlock after multiple attempts. Door must be unlocked with a key, using the power locks or manually flipping the door lock doesn't do it, and the key only unlocks it approximately 1 out of every 20 tries. There are multiple complaints about this online, see for instance: http://www.kia-forums.com/1g-2g-2001-2006-magentis-optima/47179-2004-optima-door-lock-fault.html.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. The contact stated that the front driver's side door would not unlock with the key fob or manually. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated the door lock motor would have to be replaced. After the repair, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. The contact stated the front drivers side door would not open after it was locked. The driver was forced to enter and exit the vehicle by climbing out of the window. The dealer was notified; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileage was 43,000. Once the driver side door is locked it cannot be unlocked for the inside or using a key for the outside. After working the lock for sometime it may unlock or stay locked. What we do now is to leave the car unlocked which is not the best idea. The problem is not getting into the car but getting out. No recall from kia. Updated 10/26/2011 *ln
Door locks when using the door handle to open the door after the door has been unlocked using key or keyless entry. So far only been locked out of the car, but concerned I will be locked in the car at some point.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 kia optima. The contact stated that the drivers side door would not unlock by using the key or the keyless entry. The contact had to entered through the passenger side of the vehicle in order to unlock the drivers side door. The dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact was concerned about the safety issue being addressed by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 25,000.
Was locked inside vehicle. After climbing out window, was locked out of vehicle. The door would unlock with key then when you try to open door it locks itself, even with key still in door. When this happens door will not open by manual use of locks either.
Vehicle model is a 2002 kia optima 4 door sedan and the problem is regarding the drivers left door. The power lock door locks on its own immediately after the door is unlocked using the key. The car was then taken to get fixed on 05/24/02 and ounce again the same problem occurred on 01/31/08 this time cost to fix is $233.16. After the problem was fixed, again for the second time, it occurred again. I am convinced that the power locks are defect and dangerous risks of becoming trapped in the car. This problem is unpredictable it occurs from time to time, and I am unable to get it fixed because mechanics must be there to see when problem occurs in order to try to fix it. In one incident I was forced to crawl out of the window in order to get out of the car. I feel very insecure and unsafe in case of an accident if I would be able to get out of the car which is why I am raising awareness of this problem.
Door locks don't lock consistently. The master switch has been replaced twice.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2002 Kia Optima door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2002 Kia Optima?
12 of 107 owner complaints about the 2002 Kia Optima (11%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Kia Optima?
There are 0 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Kia Optima
Stalling 10Ball joint 9Airbag light 7No deployment 6Jerking 5
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