At 24,000 miles my vehicle started locking doors when temperatures reach 32 degrees or lower. Vehicle outside on city street or driveway. When temperatures get to 32 degrees, doors lock and do not unlock to allow access. If you are inside of car it locks you inside of car, as well as out of car. Locks unlock then lock instantly even when using key, not key fob to unlock car~ no access to enter vehicle until above 32 degrees. In case of emergency...you have no vehicle. This has happened every year when temperature gets below 32 degrees. I have reported this problem in past.recall and fix it please!!!
2003 Kia Optima: key fob or push-button start problems
7 of the 141 complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima describe key fob or push-button start problems.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 88,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 1 service bulletin covers this area of the car. See below
Key fob or push-button start problems by model year
What owners say
Doors (all) will lock after unlocking when you're trying to get in. I unlock the door, either manually or with the key fob, when you pull the handle to open the door the doors lock. You can play with it and finally get in but I've heard alot of problems with the same thing on the same model.
The problem with this make and model of car is with the door locking mechanism. It started in april with a problem with the drivers side front door. When you unlocked the doors with the key fob, all the doors would unlock, but when you grabbed the handle of the door to open it, all the doors to the car would lock.it cost me $350.00 to get that fixed. Now the passenger side front door will not unlock, either from the inside or out. The key fob won't unlock it, nor manually using a key. This is a serious defect that I think kia should be fixing. What if someone was unable to get out of the car in a serious wreck, and was killed, or seriously injured? I talked to the kia dealership, but they are not interested, because my warranty period is over.
The door will not unlock with a key fob, key or manually. You are literally locked in the car and cannot open the door to get out. This is horribly dangerous and if you were in an accident you could not get out of the car. Please help get a recall on this part. This car is not safe.
First: in the affect parts section of this complaint there is no where to mark defective locks. I have 2003 kia optima se four-door. It will continuously lock and unlock automatically. Will only stop clicking on and off when engine is turned off. This poses a safety issue by being locked in an auto with electronic locks that cannot be unlocked either manually or with the key fob. When will there be a recall, either involuntarily or voluntarily. I bought this auto new and still have it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. The contact stated that the drivers side door locked and she was unable to unlock it manually or by using the key fob. She was forced to climb into the back seat in order to exit the vehicle. When the failure recently recurred all of the doors failed to unlock. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the technician replaced the locks; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 90,000. Updated 2/11/14*cn the consumer stated the trunk and ignition would not unlock. The ignition and trunk lock was replaced. Also, the alternator, fuel tank sensor and timing belt were replaced. The high beam lights would come on, when she made turns.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia optima. The contact stated that she was unable to unlock the doors manually or by using the key fob. The contact mentioned that once she finally open the door and enter the vehicle the doors would lock automatically locking her in. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the key fob was defective and needed to be replaced. The remedy failed to repair the problem. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred her to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 58,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Kia Optima key fob
Is key fob or push-button start problems a common problem on the 2003 Kia Optima?
7 of 141 owner complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima (5%) mention key fob or push-button start problems. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 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 2003 Kia Optima
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