NHTSA Complaint #11699168 — 2002 KIA OPTIMA STRUCTURE:BODY

Complaint Details

ODI Number	11699168
Vehicle	2002 KIA OPTIMA
Component	STRUCTURE:BODY
Date of Incident	November 12, 2025
Date Filed	November 13, 2025
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	AZ

Consumer Description

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.

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