| Issue ID | 968745 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10502154 |
| Manufacurer | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION |
| Brand | KIA |
| Model | OPTIMA |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 26/03/12 |
| Component | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | The drivers door will not open either from the inside or the outside. The door remains locked as the button and key do not fully unlock it. Using both button and key at the same time, i was able to unlock the door and open it. Dissassembly of the door and latch located the problem to be the door latch mechanism. The door latch is designed to fail as evidenced by the number of complaints listing this part. The lever that is moved into place when the door is unlocked is blocked by the cam that it interfaces with because the cam has rotated beyond the point that it should. This has the potential to trap someone in the car if it should fail at the wrong time. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 110000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | SPRINGFIELD, MO |
| VIN pattern | KNAGD126545XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 0 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |