Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Kia Optima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the passenger side door failed to unlock from either side of the vehicle. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact also mentioned that the same failure occurred on the driver side door prior to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 147,433.
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.
My main issue is the door lock on the drivers side. I can not open my drivers side door from inside or outside the vehicle. This is a major issue and the problem has been all over the internet for years. Everyone that I know that has a 2003 and 2004 Kia Optima has the same problem. I bet every vehicle Kia sold for these years has this problem. My other issue is I am unable to fill my fuel tank as I normally could do. I have to trickle the fuel in the tank because if I pump it too fast the pump will cut off. I've even had the fuel spill out of the tank before the tank was even full (it was at about 3/4 full). Please demand that Kia recall these problems. I can't believe it's taking this long for this recall to be issued. I just found out about this form and that is why I have taken so long to process this form. Thanks and I hope that you can help asap. [redacted] ps. …
No crash, no known vandalism. Driver's door lock just quit working out of the blue. Can not open the door at all ! (not with the key in the door, not with the manual lock actuator, not with the power door lock button.) the door just will not open ! If I have a need to make an emergency exit from the car, I will be at a great disadvantage, having to jump over the shift lever to exit from the passenger side door. My other option would be to climb out through my door window. The dealer service department inspected the door and ordered parts for it. They will fix it on December 3rd at no cost to me, since the car is still under the factory warranty. The dealer did not consider the situation serious enough to give me a replacement vehicle while I am waiting for the repair. …
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 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 2003 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the driver and passenger door locks failed and the contact was unable to unlock the doors from the inside or use the key to open the doors from the outside of the vehicle. The contact had to climb into the driver seat from the rear in order to enter and exit the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 66,196. Updated 01/31/11 the consumer stated the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs on November 17, 2010. However, the doors were still locking on their own. Updated 03/11/11
***safety issue*** 1) under normal operating conditions without abuse or consumer modification. 2) door locks frequently fail to unlock or will automatically re-lock when attempting to unlock either manually or electronically. This could cause an inability to escape the vehicle in a reasonable amount of time or May result in being unable to access children trapped inside. Thus, leading to heat stroke, death, or other physical harm. 3) had to pay to replace door latch assembly, but still intermittently fails to unlock as of the date of this report. There is no manual override to unlock the doors with this mechanical/electrical failure.
The door locks would not work properly. Sometimes the doors would unlock electronically and sometimes not. Several times we could not unlock manually either. A few times the passenger had to climb over the center console and exit the car on the passenger side. I was able to take it a Kia dealer January 28, 2010 and they replaced both door latch assemblies. The locks were working until this week, May 6, when there seems to be a problem beginning to appear. I understand that there May be a problem with an electrical component but the door should be able to be unlocked manually.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the driver's side door failed to unlock and could not be unlocked from the outside or inside of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that she had to enter the vehicle through the passenger's side door. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the latch was not working properly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 85,000. The current mileage was 86,500. Updated 12/20/13 the dealer stated the lock problem was electrical. Updated 12/26/13
The driver door on my 2003 Kia Optima will not unlock with my key, even though the inside lock would move to the "unlock" position. It will only open with a combination of turning the key and pulling the door handle at the same time or having my son push down on the inside lock while I turn the key and pull the door handle. This solution to the problem only works about half the time. If the door will not unlock, I have to enter the car through the passenger door and the driver door will still not unlock, even from the inside.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Optima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2003 Kia Optima?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2003 Kia Optima, 38% of the model year's 141 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Kia Optima door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2003 Kia Optima, though it has 2 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 2003 Kia Optima door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles.
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.