Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Kia Optima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2002 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after he replaced all four tires, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an alignment; however, the mechanic was unable to perform an alignment due to the subframe corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V183000 (Suspension) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
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.
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. I am, and have been, stranded out of town for 3 weeks now waiting on them to make some kind of decision. They have overlooked every word I have said to them about the salt in my location and the cars previous locations which causes such corrosion to a poorly make vehicle. …
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 [phone] and sent pictures my case # [redacted]. As of this date 07/24/2014 Kia has not got back with me.
Over a weeks time,I noticed my steering wheel was turned like maybe I needed an alignment and it started pulling to the left so bad that I had to force the steering wheel to the right so I wouldn't wreck into the median on the interstate. I could only go about 45 or 50 MPH or it would start shaking the entire car and was absolutely impossible to control it on the road. Had it looked at and at the bottom control arm that bolts to the subframe had rusted out and the right side was on the verge of doing the same! The fl and fr tires, that I had gotten brand new 5 months ago, were wore down to the wire!!! I'm surprised I had the chance to get it home and get it looked at before it rusted all the way through! I was so blessed I didnt have a horrible accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Kia Optima. While driving approximately 10 MPH and making a left turn, the front driver side control arm, tie rod, and cv axle fractured. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the subframe needed to be replaced along with the driver side control arm, tie rod, and cv axle. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09V183000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 133,313.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Kia Optima. The contact stated that there were holes from corrosion due to sub-frame rust. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the sub-frame to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 09V183000 (suspension) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Kia Optima. While driving 50 MPH, the front driver side lower subframe detached due to corrosion inside the subframe. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09V183000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Kia Optima. While the vehicle was being serviced, the mechanic noticed that the subframe was rusted out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
This is concerning my 2002 Kia Optima, and the subframe recall that was issued on this car. . The sub frame was replaced due to corrosion but the garage has done something wrong because the grinding noise that is coming from under this car is just ridiculous! I took the car back to the Kia dealer who removed the rusted sub frame and replaced it with the new, to find out why its making this horrid noise,oh yes they also forgot to put a bolt in. And still don't know why the part is grinding so. So then I called the Kia corporation to let them know that my car is not right and something is wrong. And they did nothing but put it on the computer I was not satisfied. Now I have to take this car to a body shop and pay for this to be repaired out of my pocket. I know there was no problem with this before and no noise going into the shop, I don't expect this to be going on now. …
Body complaints in other Optima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2002 Kia Optima?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the body & structure of the 2002 Kia Optima, 28% of the model year's 107 complaints. The component named most often is frame and members (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Kia Optima body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2002 Kia Optima, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Kia Optima body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 127,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.