13th Jan 2007, 07:42

I am the proud owner of a 2004 KIA Optima EX. It has a 16 valve dual overhead cam engine. Its been a wonderful car.

I bought the car brand new off of the lot and it now has 86,660 miles on it. Yeah I'm a driver. I have not had a single problem with this vehicle that has not been my own fault. At about 84,000 my timing belt broke. I STRONGLY URGE you to get your belt REPLACED at 60,000 like KIA Recommends. I had to replace the engine because when the timing belt broke, it caused some serious damage. So about 2 weeks and 2900 dollars later I have a new engine in my car, and it is back up and running as good as ever. I took it up to 115 the other day, and no problems at all.

I Strongly recommend making sure all of your maintenance is done properly and in a timely fashion. I have not experience any other problems with my KIA, and I love it. Best car I've ever owned, wish I had more just like it!!!

20th Feb 2007, 15:34

My only comment is I have a 2002 KIA OPTIMA and have had all of the problems that I have read so far I bought it new right off the lot too.

16th Mar 2007, 17:15

I have a 2001 KIA Optima with 80,000 miles on it. There is no chance I will ever buy a KIA again. The front right door locked shut for good ($94.00), both right side windows do not work ($177.00 each), and the check engine light will not go away, even after being worked on by Aamco and KIA (around $600.00 so far). I have to take the car back to KIA Monday for another look at the problem with the check engine light. I also had to replace the rear wheel bearings at about 50,000 miles (around $250.00). These problems all happened around 50,000 miles. The car also runs hot, I had a mechanic replace the thermostat and flush the radiator, but it still does it. The mechanic does not know why. The air bag light is also on. I wish I found this car survey before I bought my KIA.

18th Jul 2007, 18:36

I had purchased my used 2002 KIA optima in 12/2005. It had over 51,000 miles. I had many problems with my Car. I had to get a tune- up, a water pump, fix timing Belts, and now my drivers side door will not open. It gets me were I need to go. But, I probably will not buy another KIA Again.

20th Jul 2007, 09:28

I have had my LX 4cyl Optima since 04 and 20k miles. Now at near 70k miles still going well. Had a headlamp replaced and warranty work on the door locks. Otherwise been a great car. I have driven it cross country. In the mountains of Colorado and on a dirt road for 1 year. Do the required maint. of belts and fluids. BTW in the 4cyl there are 2 timing belts to replace. Also changed out automatic transmission fluid and radiator coolant at 45k. Still rides great! Very comfortable for long drives (10-12 hours at a time). No issues with paint or dents. Still tight and quiet.

25th Jul 2007, 07:51

I bought my 2002 Kia Optima LX in Sept of 2006, it had a 92,000 miles on it, it is fully loaded, and I love my Kia.

The previous owner never had any of the problems that you stated above, and he had his oil changed every 3,000 miles, the tires rotated every 5000 to 7500 miles, and the timing belt changed at approx. 70,000 miles.

I now have 131,000 miles (I drive a lot) on it, and for the first time I have it in the shop for something other than vehicle maintenance (oil changes, and tire rotations). The fuel pump went out; found out this is a very easy fix, fuel tank has an access panel in the trunk behind the back seat for the fuel pump. The mechanic told me it would take about 1 hour of labor and the cost of the fuel pump (if we buy factory it is about $225.00).

For the amount of miles I have put on this, this is only a minor repair, and I am hoping to drive it for another 2 years or so. I know I need a tune up soon, but that is just maintenance. If you treat your car right, it will be good back to you.

20th Aug 2007, 09:44

I bought a 2002 Optima a little less than two years ago with 48k miles on it, I'm currently just below 60k. I haven't had any major issues with lights coming on, etc.

My timing belt broke with about 55k miles (fully towed, repaired and covered under factory warranty) but did take the dealer nearly a week to complete.

My passenger side front window magically came off track (still don't understand how) and this was not covered under warranty. Dealer charged me $60.

I've replaced the battery once since I've had it, died without warning. Previous battery warranty was up. $110 installed. Will do it myself next time.

One of my front fog light housings pops out all the time, I jam it back in.

Has started to make an annoying grinding noise when coming out of 2nd gear and while in reverse. We'll see what this ends up costing me.

30th Aug 2007, 14:17

I bought my 2001 KIA used. It looked as of it was a great car. The test drive and all of the inspections were great. However, I had to get the power steering pump replaced. I have had 3 alternators and 2 batteries. I've had so many electrical problems that the dealership cannot say what is going on. If I turn on my lights or push the brakes the air conditioner and the radio goes off the car even sometimes shut off. My driver side door does not unlock the car I have to unlock the doors from the passenger side. There are many more problems that I don't have time to mention them all.

27th Jul 2008, 23:51

I have a 2001 Kia Optima SE V6. I had two recalls that were totally handled by the dealership. During the warranty period I had two power window motors replaced, and the power door lock actuator on the drivers door was replaced also. The factory key-less entry system has been worked on twice, and still has the problem of only working when you are within a few feet of the car. I did not pay for any of these things. At 88,000 miles I put new front brake pads and rotors on. 97,000 I had my first check engine light come on. I changed the spark plugs and wires and that fixed that. I'm getting ready to change the timing belt soon, I'm at just over 103,000 miles. I just put new Michelins on it and it's still running smooth and quiet. I change the oil every 6 - 7,000 miles, the automatic transmission oil is due soon, I've changed it every 35,000 miles. I keep track of my gas mileage, averaging 27.2 mpg overall. My city mileage can easily be under 20 mpg, but the highway is much better in the 29 -31 range. Not bad for a 2.5 liter V6. No other problems.