The 2001 Kia Optima has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 64,270 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION09V1830002009-05-2736,538 affected
Defect
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION (KMC) IS RECALLING 36,538 MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 OPTIMA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA,…
Consequence
CORROSION OF THE FRONT SUBFRAME COULD LEAD TO SEPARATION, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
KMC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 15, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA'S CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5 AND 2.7 LITER V6 ENGINES, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR (CKP) CASES DID NOT MEET DIMENSIONAL SPECIFICATIONS.
Consequence
INTERNAL GAPS WITHIN THE CASES ALLOWED EPOXY TO CONTACT THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD, WHICH RESULTED IN CRACKING OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD CAPACITOR. A DAMAGED CKP CAPACITOR COULD RESULT IN ENGINE STALLING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CKP. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 28, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
AIR BAGS01V1560002001-05-0116,231 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SIDE AIR BAG WIRE HARNESS FOR THE DRIVER POSITION COULD BE MIS-ROUTED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN IT BEING PINCHED OR CUT BY THE SEAT CUSHION TILT MECHANISM.
Consequence
DAMAGE TO THE WIRE HARNESS COULD RESULT IN THE SIDE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING IN AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL CHECK FOR PROPER ROUTING OF THE SIDE AIR BAG WIRE HARNESS AND SECURE IT IN PLACE WITH A PLASTIC TIE-WRAP. IF THE WIRE HARNESS IS DAMAGED, IT WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE…
Complaints by component
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
21
AIR BAGS
17
8crashes6injuries
SUSPENSION:FRONT
17
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
11
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10
SUSPENSION
10
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
5crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
7
Total complaints231
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My airbag light on and I've check the fuses in it,not it,,, my ac,. The drivers door lock , oxagen senser crank shaft,”
“My airbag light on and I've check the fuses in it,not it,,, my ac,. The drivers door lock , oxagen senser crank shaft,”
“My airbag light on and I've check the fuses in it,not it,,, my ac,. The drivers door lock , oxagen senser crank shaft,”
“My air bag light has been on and I've check everything and my seat belt don't lock when its on and the light to the seat belt goes off contented, I've tried to go to the dealer to have them fix my airbags and senses I don't have recall on it they won't fix it ,the air bag is very important and so…”
“My air bag light has been on and I've check everything and my seat belt don't lock when its on and the light to the seat belt goes off contented, I've tried to go to the dealer to have them fix my airbags and senses I don't have recall on it they won't fix it ,the air bag is very important and so…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 kia optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for scheduled maintenance, when the vehicle was placed on the lift, the mechanic noticed that the sub frame was severely rusted and the determined that the vehicle should not be driven.…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 kia optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for scheduled maintenance, when the vehicle was placed on the lift, the mechanic noticed that the sub frame was severely rusted and the determined that the vehicle should not be driven.…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 kia optima. While driving 15 mph, the front passenger side wheel completely detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA04030 Opened 2004-11-04 · closed 2005-11-07
POWER DOOR LOCK FAILURE
INVESTIGATION FAILED TO DISCLOSE A MALFUNCTION WITH A CLEAR AND CONSISTENT PATTERN OF COMPROMISE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY.FAILURE OF THE SUBJECT DOOR LOCKS MAY IMPEDE NORMAL EGRESS OF A VEHICLE OCCUPANT BUT DOES NOT ENTRAP THE OCCUPANT.COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY DATA DOCUMENT THE DEFICIENCIES OF THE DOOR LOCK SYSTEM, BUT…
InvestigationPE04050 Opened 2004-07-07 · closed 2004-11-04
POWER DOOR LOCK FAILURE
THIS PE DISCLOSED THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE EXPERIENCED INCIDENTS OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS.THIS PE HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA04-030) TO FACILITATE A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE MATTER, INCLUDING EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Kia Optima as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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