NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Kia Optima Recalls
The 2003 Kia Optima has 2 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on May 27, 2009.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Kia Optima. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 2
- Owner complaints
- 141
- Crashes reported
- 8
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
2 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Kia Optima, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
2 recalls on the 2003 Kia Optima
Suspension: front
- Campaign
- 09V183000
- Reported
- May 27, 2009
- Vehicles affected
- up to 36,538
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004 Optima
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- Campaign
- 04V180000
- Reported
- April 12, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 25,803
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2002 Optima
2003 Kia Optima complaints by year
NHTSA has received 141 owner complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima, the newest on February 3, 2025. Of these, 8 describe a crash (6%) and 2 a fire; owners reported 6 injuries.
In complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima, the component group named most often is the latches/locks/linkages (38%), followed by the electrical system (18%) and the structure (18%).
None of the 2003 Kia Optima's 2 recalls concerns the latches/locks/linkages.
Where 2003 Kia Optima owners gave the mileage (105 complaints), the median was 84,200 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Latches/Locks/Linkages53
- Electrical System25
- Structure25
- Air Bags17
- Suspension9
- Power Train8
Complaints received, by year
| 2003 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9 | |
| 2005 | 8 | |
| 2006 | 7 | |
| 2007 | 8 | |
| 2008 | 5 | |
| 2009 | 9 | |
| 2010 | 16 | |
| 2011 | 16 | |
| 2012 | 12 | |
| 2013 | 10 | |
| 2014 | 12 | |
| 2015 | 8 | |
| 2016 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima peaked in 2010, when NHTSA received 16. 23% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Kia Optima drew 0.6× the complaints of the median Kia Optima year in the same window: 17th highest of the 20 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
The 141 complaints about the 2003 Kia Optima are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Optima by model year
Other 2003 Kia models
Newest record on this page: February 3, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted