The 2004 Kia Optima has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 36,538 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 306 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the latches/locks/linkages. 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.
Complaints by component
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
73
1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
41
2crashes3fires
STRUCTURE:BODY
28
1crashes
AIR BAGS
21
2crashes3injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
12
SUSPENSION
11
2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
8
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
8
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
8
SUSPENSION:FRONT
7
Total complaints306
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Had some noise coming from the front of the car, had my mechanic look at it, he said we needed a control arm. When he took off the cover to replace the control arm, he found the sub frame had rotten and was cracking. As I looked online, I saw that kia had a recall for this issue. When I contacted…”
“Door lock/unlock mechanism has failed. Unable to unlock and open door from outside or inside. This defect causes the door to stay locked and unable to open. This can trap people inside of the car if they are unable to crawl out a window or exit from another door. There are many reports of this on…”
“The contact owns a 2004 kia optima. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 04v180000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the vin was not…”
“I was repairing brakelines, while observing under carriage I noticed suspension rust, frame. Looked up recalls and this is one. I included screenshot of proog”
“I was repairing brakelines, while observing under carriage I noticed suspension rust, frame. Looked up recalls and this is one. I included screenshot of proog”
“I was repairing brakelines, while observing under carriage I noticed suspension rust, frame. Looked up recalls and this is one. I included screenshot of proog”
“While driving on a highway with cruise control active, I was unable to turn off the cruise control with the steering wheel control buttons. The cancel and set buttons had no effect when pressed. The car remained traveling at the set speed. Tapping on the brake pedal did cancel the cruise control.”
“While stationary - driver's side door will not open from inside or outside with key, manual lock or electronic lock controls (stuck closed). Unable to evacuate car from driver's side. Safety concern - lack of egress”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Kia Optima as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.