U.S. District Judge J. Curtis Joyner certified a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 10,000 Pennsylvania owners of the Sephia model of Kia cars manufactured from 1997 to 2001. The suit alleges that Sephias suffer from widespread problems in the braking systems that cause premature wear, vibration and increased stopping distance. Joyner’s ruling affects only Pennsylvania owners of Kia Sephias.
Joyner found that there was “sufficient evidence” that Kia “had knowledge that a vast number of its Sephia automobiles between at least 1997 and 2001 required replacement of brake pads and rotors at intervals of less than 5,000 miles.”.
(via The Legal Intelligencer)
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Just wait until you hear this: I bought my 1999 Kia Sephia LS from a dealer for about 5,000 dollars. It looked good, sounded good, and felt good, plus it only had 35,000 miles on it. Too Good to be true, right? Right. Took it in to have it’s oil changed and within the next month the oil light was back on. I went back to wear I got it changed, thinking that maybe they forgot to put it in, but they didn’t. The oil was disappearing. I had no leaks and they couldn’t figure out the problem. So, they loaded me back up with oil and I went on my merry way. The next day, I start my car and the biggest cloud of black smoke comes out of my back pipe. I take it back to the place because the car also starts making a clicking noise and guess what? They told me that I needed a whole new engine because it was dry as a bone inside and advised me to take it to the Kia Dealership. So, I did and was lucky the original 50,000 mile powertrain warranty was transferable. So, I got a new freaking engine at 38,000 miles. I’ve had to take it back another time because the engine constantly stutters, so they did adjustments which left me without a car; the first time for a full month; the second time over a week!. Now, my cv joint covers are messed up, which means my car is clicking every time it turns right or left. The boots need to be replaced. My car is only at 45,000 miles. I called up a few companies like Midas breaks and asked them when the joints should wear and I told him my car was at 45,000 miles and he laughed, telling me nowhere near that. 60,000 at the earliest. I called the Kia Dealership and they were giving me a hard time stating that they don’t know if my warranty will cover it because my car is a 99 and this is 2004 so the 5yr or 50,000 may be up. I am at the point where I’ll gladly sew them so that I can get a new car, I’m to the point where I want to use the Lemon Law. Any advice? Here is a list of problems with the car: Engine pulses when stopping, clicking when turning right or left, interior dashboard is curling up, cd player only works when it wants to, door and glove compartment constantly rattle, car is extremely loud and shakes constantly. What makes me so mad is the fact that I take great care of my car, I loved it, it was perfect when I first got it, now I wish I could do it all over again. I feel completely unsafe in the vehicle.
I lovingly refer to my Kia as the “pile of Kia” in the driveway. Here is a condensed list of the problems I have had with it since purchasing it from a dealer. It had 16,000 miles on it and was said to be a ‘programed’ car (rental).
–One the way home after purchase, the door trim strip fell off. That continued to occur another 4 times before I glued it back on myself with military issue ‘double bubble’.
–CV joints have had to be replaced 5 times. (I finally found out the turning radius was to large and using the end of the turning range was tearing the CV boot, that quit happening when I quit turning sharp)
–I tried to change my first flat tire and broke two wheel studs. There is no way to replace the wheel studs without removing the bearings and replaceing seals. The dealer didn’t tighten the brake assembley-it came off and cracked the disc distroyed the brake assembly.
–The check engine light has been on most of the cars life. While it was under warranty, they said I needed to tighten the gas cap.
–The air bag light comes on and off when it feels like it, with no logical pattern what-so-ever.
–Both oxygen sensors failed at the same time (hint-if out of warrenty, use generic Bosch and splice the original connectors on). The rear oxygen sensor was factory striped into the muffler.
–I had to replace the timing belt
–the dash warped while under warrenty, they replaced it. Then it warped after warrenty and I can’t afford to fix it.
–The stereo quit working and was replaced while under warrenty.
–The battery died abruptly shortly after I bought it. When the battery dies on this car, nothing works. It kills the car while driving.
–It has always leaked oil
–The Exhaust manifold gasket was leaking and had to be replaced
–The front windshield trim is comming off
–Brake pads have to be replaced on a regular basis (much more often then they should)
–The A/C switch does not stay engaged (I had to insert a piece of plastic into the side of it to keep it engaged).
.
I’m sure there are many things that I have forgotten by now. Bottom line–I will never-ever buy a Kia again, and will strongly reccomend to everyone that I meet to avoid Kias like the plague.
Right now I am batteling another issue with it. It will not maintain idle and runs to rich or lean. This time it’s not the oxygen sensors (already replaced them again).
I forgot to mention that my ‘pile of Kia’ is a 1996 Sephia LS, 1.8 DOHC. I bought it in Tampa, FL, but now live in Oregon.
I purchased a 2000 Sephia about 9 months ago with 37K miles on it. I had many of these same problems, but got most of them fixed. My check engine light was blinking, the O/D OFF light was blinking, the door wouldn’t close tightly enough to lock, one day it wouldn’t start at all, and most of the time it takes about 15 tries, cranking on the starter to get it going.
Here’s what we have done: replaced the oxygen sensor (I think – I will check for sure) that fixed the check engine light. When it stranded me and made no noise when you turned the key, we replaced the transmission range sensor (it didn’t know what gear it was in). We also replaced the cam sensor. It is still very hard to start, so we are in the process of replacing the fuel pump, as it seems to start better on a new, clean, full tank of gas. I also have had a minor tune-up: there was sand in my spark plugs.
I am grateful to all of the accident victims who have posted. I want to unload this heap before I get hurt!
My oil also disappears mysteriously and I haven’t replaced brakes yet, but also haven’t had them checked! I will now.
Oh, the door was missing a bolt, so it works now too.
I really think we should start a national class action suit. Where do I sign up? TG: How can we help you?!
I bought a 2003 Spectra GS this past March 23, with 141 miles on it. I’ve put over 8200 miles on it so far. Only problem I’ve had has been with the radio/cd player, which will soon be replaced with something decent. CD player quit once, but that was due to a piece of film (from the disc itself) in the player. Now, I have a static sound when a disc is playing. No other problems.
I bought a 2003 Spectra GS this past March 23, with 141 miles on it. I’ve put over 8200 miles on it so far. Only problem I’ve had has been with the radio/cd player, which will soon be replaced with something decent. CD player quit once, but that was due to a piece of film (from the disc itself) in the player. Now, I have a static sound when a disc is playing. No other problems.
well,yesterday my mom was driving when she heard what sounded like shots being fired at her……then the car completely power!….couldnt steer, couldnt brake.nothing.she look within all the smoke and all the fluids were under her car at that point…..when she got it towed they looked under the hood…………the fan (white plastic p.o.s) had shattered……all the blaeds were everywhere in pieces……that is why all the lines and hoses were cut up…………we live up in the mountains at 7000 elevation ………she was scheduled to go that mountain in 2 days ……..thank goodness she wasnt going down those windy roads during this occurence
Bought a 2003 Kia in West Palm Beach Florida. I have 67000 miles on it. To replace a broken timing chain costs more than $3,000 due to defective engineering because I’ve had timing chains replaced before over the past 20 yrs and it’s only expensive if it rips through the engine, which they could not possibly know since they didn’t even inspect the engine. The dealer says if it breaks after 60,000 miles it has a special high teck “???” & will cost a lot if it is not replaced at 60,000 miles. No mention of this in literature or at purchase. I WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT IT HAD I KNOWN. Also, air bags didn’t deploy when my 2002 Kia was totaled in a wreck and the front end demolished. What a mess I’m in. Any help?
I have a 2000 Kia Sephia and I will buy another Kia in the future. I have read lots of complaints about this car but if you look around at other vehicles there are numerous complains on them also. I have 83 thousand mile on my car and I’ve had to fix a couple things but things happen with any car. So for most people their complaints are really unnecessary, just except that you bought a low cost vehicle and quit complaining.
I knew this car was a bad buy within the first 6 months. Fluid was pouring out on to the ground. I can’t even explained everything that they had to do. It was three major things,brake differenial,cylinder and some other major thing. It took almost two weeks to repair and I had to borrow a car to work because I am in sales and travel.Less than a month later the transmission was messed up. Then a few months later it wouldn’t hold oil and while repairing they broke a bolt and had to send off for that. Again I had to borrow a car no loaners for us Kia Spectra folks. The check engine light has always been on, so I don’t even pay attention to it any more. Today I go out and it won’t even click when I try to turn on. Just out of the blue. This vehicle is the instrument I count on to earn a living. Pretty scary. If there is anything that I can do or help this to get to the right people.. I did keep all of my repair paperwork. I wish I had done more research before I purchased this car. Unbelieveable that there isn’t a national class action suit.
Cassie
Ok I can tell everyone in here is feelingthe same as I am about anything Kia makes! I bought a 99 Kia Sportage with only 54K miles and I thought I was getting a steal… God help me if I would have known better.
I have the check engine light come on and the starter blow out within the fisrt week and the dealership wasn’t going to fix it…. well they fixed it at no charge! Well a week after that ordeal.. I see some BIG problems… i.e. my head gasket is BLOWN, the waterpump for the engine is so bad and leaking all over the belt, if I go over 55 on the highway I shimmy to death until I get up to 70 and that was a wheel bearing on passenger side front. Oh well I got those fixed! No its doing the mysterious sputtering.stalling and dieing on the side of the road thing now that every Kia owner has heard of and dreads! The check engine light came on while sputtering and dieing on me yeaterday.. I thought it was going to explode. I let it cool down and drove it to get my dog and drove 50 miles back home with my fingers crossed. Oh BTW, have I mentioned I live in Alaska and that winter is almost here and I have a odd feeling I am going to be on the side of the road in 5 degree above zero conditions. I also bought this POS on April of 04…. hmmmmm I wonder if anyone will sue Kia if I die due to extreme cold conditions cause they can’t figure out what the engine problem is! If there is a lawsuit… I wanna be on the band wagon cause I don’t have enough money for this anymore. I am about to give back the vehicle and just walk…. at least I won’t be 50 miles outside of the city in the woods and wondering if a moose is going to run over me!
Avoid Kia like the Plague. My car has gotten to 83K somehow — about 10K a tire. It still wobbles & nearest dealership is 75 miles away. The brakes have never worked well & now the transmission is picking gears at will.
I can’t wait to see what’ll take to fix it this time. Oh & all the OEM items are POS specked.
The whole point of geting a “new” car is to avoid all this.
Avoid Kia at all costs. Go buy a better car.
I have a 99 kia sephia. purchase at 32,000 and it is now at 58,000. Major problems with this car. Started with dash lights out, latches not catching, paint chipping, transmission issues. Hard shifting, not able to get from 2nd to 3rd gear, brakes noises, multiple car vibrations, door seals coming off, winshield seals flys off on the highway (finally superglued it myself), hesitations..wow the list is endless. Would love to get rid of this car, but still owe 5k. what a ripoff
Im from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I brougt my 2000 kia sephia at 5k. I also thought I was getting a deal but I begain to have problems with it like my rubber around the windshield came out, shocks went out within the first six months, loud noise coming from the fan under the hood. I hate this car and I never had so many problems in my life with cars. Please send me some useful information that I can use on getting help with this situation.
I use to work an autocenter at a mall in California and they had a Kia dealership in the mall and i tell you alot of new car owners come to us about brake problems at 5k miles and short life span of the battery (wich is very hard to find battery)i felt sorry for the customers. Though i dont (and never will) own a Kia just spread the word!
I brought my 1996 Kia within a month my check engine light kept coming on, I took it back to the Kia dealership on several occasions and was told it was fixed. Also the car would take off by itself and it would only go 5 to 15 miles
I have a 1999 Kia Sephia that is my project car. I’ve raced it at legal import races and it beats most Hondas.
P.S. Kias kick ass
My goodness! I am shocked at how BAD these Kia Sephia cars are!
Mine is not changing gears properly and it will not take off from drive or reverse at times. There is a shake in the front end, and the brakes are wearing quickly.
I think there should be a class action law suit against Kia here in Canada!!!
I have a 2001 kia sephia with 60000 miles…did all the normal wear and tear things to it timing belt @ 50000
now i have a check engine light on…
i scan it with a paper clip and i have a code p1505 iac opening coil signal low……what does this mean and how do i fix it….i admit the car was cheap and it gets me from point a-b but i will never get screwed by kia again……ps the dealer wants 500 to fix the problem
I feel your pain. I bought my 99 Kia Sephia new, it had 37 miles on it. I have had to buy new tires every year that I owned the car. Within the last year I had to replace the battery $60 (my third one), the timing belts and water pump $800, the fuel injectors $1200, struts $600 and new tires $600 and now at 80000 the crank shaft in the engine broke. I got 2 quotes of $3000 and $3500 to fix it. I am through putting money into this car. I suggest to anyone who owns a Kia to sell or trade it in. It will probably cost you more to keep it in the long run.
I bought my 98 kia in 2001 and it had 35,000 miles on it. Since I have owned it, I have had nothing but problems. Check engine light is always on. I have had to put 3 Transmissions in it!!!!!!!!! It only has 75,000 miles on it!!! New battery, breaks every other weekend, tires, tons of electrical problems…headlight problems….WORST CAR EVER!!!!!!!!111
I bought my 98 kia in 2001 and it had 35,000 miles on it. Since I have owned it, I have had nothing but problems. Check engine light is always on. I have had to put 3 Transmissions in it!!!!!!!!! It only has 75,000 miles on it!!! New battery, breaks every other weekend, tires, tons of electrical problems…headlight problems….WORST CAR EVER!!!!!!!!111
I bought a 2000 Sephia LS as a left over. My problems started @ 60k miles. The tranny went. That was a fiasco. It took 2 months for the dealer to replace it and that was only after i called KIA corporate customer service. Since then I put 24k miles on it and all the way i am hearing front end noises that range from a consistant chirping noise (kinda sounds like a turbo… Yeah right not that lucky to have that installed by accident haha) to a random clunking noise. When going over bumps but not all the time so locating the source of the noise is a P.I.A. I am beginning to loose faith in that car. I am going to unload it once my warranty is up in 15k miles because I think the tranny is going to go again.. mind you I do all highway miles running at 75 mph on the interstate. hardly abusing the car. As for the brakes… no complatints there only my second set. and second set of tires.. never had an alignment done either. just the damn tranny issue. but it was enough for me to never buy a kia again… I am going with the Subaru Imp. STI.. gimmie some of that Turbo good luck all…
I need the timeing seting 1996 sephia ?Need hellp now.
I have my 98 Sephia at the dealer right now….So far there was the brake issue, but after market parts were used after dealer forgot to put in brake fluid (That costed about $300). There is a service bulletin for interm start problems that was put out in Aug of 2000, but after 5 trips in the last 4 years to the dealer for this problem, they have been unable to find the problem. They refused to fix it under warranty because the car now has 99k miles. With the printout of the history of that car in had i pointed out that the history clearly shows that the problem existed since the beginning, they failed to fix it, Therefore, it should be covered. Still they refused untill I plainly told them “This is a manufacturer defect, if I pay anything I will sue.” They then “discovered” the service bulletin and agreed to fix it. Today, I plan to tell them I want those overlooked recalls fixed, in particular the ones that cause fire.
This car has been to the dealer for repairs about 20 times. The quality of the work, (if actually performed at all) is substandard. I have learned that with this dealership they will charge for work not performed. They finally corrected this when i took off the timing belt cover in their lot to verify the work done.
I am very interested in supporting a class action against Kia and this individual dealership in San Diego
If you own a kia sephia please contact me. We need to do something!!!
Jmat356@aol.com
My KIA SEPHIA 2000 had engine light problem too that made me very nervous. I took it in to be fixed they did charge me seventy some dollars, I took it in again because it happened again, they told me just tightening the gas tank lid or just change it, I bought a new lid and it never happen again.
My KIA 2000 do have many problems. I cant drive it on hills because it shaked so much when I stepped my brake, the first time happened it almost threw me out of los angeles forest cliff, I felt God took my life back from that cliff, now has sqeaking problem when I stepped on brake. Please write something if you have same problems so I will have some idea how much I need to spend.
I bought mine 2000 Sephia LS at 1 year old and with 34K on it. Now it has 89K miles. As far as problems I just replaced a P/S hose that was leaking, and a right side axle shaft. I have gone through 2 sets or pads and i just got my 2nd set of tires. Only bad probs are headlights dont work. Wired them up like driving lights and a “check engine” light Always on. Othen that that the car has been relatively trouble free and has endured my hard driving and my fiances easy driving. When this one is paid off Im going to buy a new Optima
Please let me know where to sign up!! I have had a problem with my 2000 Kia Sephia ever since I had first bought it! Of course the check engine light has been on for years, because it is a piece of trash! The tightening of teh gas cap is a bunch of hooey. I am also quite fond of the fact that when it gets below zero, my car will NOT GET OUT OF PARK! So I have to take a screwdriver and stick it into the hole next to the gearshifter so that way I can get my car to actually GO! Brakes constantly breaking, the transmission slipping… oh and I was in an accident where the air bags should have gone off. NOPE!! No air bags!
If you wish suicide upon yourself, buy a Kia!
I own a 98 Kia Sephia, and I’ve had nothing but problems. In 2000, I purchased my car second hand from a car dealer, it looked great, and it ran good. What I notice was that the car brakes squeaked all the time, I didn’t think much of it. I though the price was right, I just need to replace the brakes. Boy! Was I wrong, ever since I purchased my car I have had to replace the brakes (several times and they still will not stop squeaking). I had to replace the starter (the car still wont start at the first try, even after major tune-ups). Then I replaced the transmission, and now the car needs a new engine. What Can I do? My Kia is driving me crazy! I cannot recommend this maker at all, I wish I would had read all this complaints before buying this garbage of a car!
Help!
Sincerely,
Yami Allan
Wow, I just stumbled across this site and was amazed…I thought the problems I have had with my KIA were just bad luck! So, is/has anything been started to get the company to address these numerous complaints?
I purchased a 99 Kia Sephia and have had a blown tire, but my problem has been mostly brakes. I have had to replace my pads a couple times a year, and I have this awlful squealing noise when I step on my brakes that make it sound like it metal on metal. I have been dealing with this for 5 years. I would never purchase another Kia
I went to the local Hyundai and Kia dealer here in Honolulu because I was interested in the Kia SUV. I took it for a test drive and beleive it or not, a new, no tags, straight off the boat vehicle had a radio that wouldn’t work, the brakes squeeled, and the check engine light was on. I told the guy, lets go back, and I will look at the Hyundai Santa Fe.
Take my word for it, don’t buy the Kia anything, it is not limited to Sephias. I am so please with my hyundai I cannot begin to tell you. I am just sorry that Kia gets away with it.
The salesman was not too keen to sell the thing either.
i have a ‘99 Kia Sephia and it is tight some bproblems in the beginning but no more problems
I bought my 2000 Kia Sephia LS brand new, with 9 miles on it. I loved the car until I got into an accident 7 months later. I totalled the front end on the driver’s side and the airbags never deployed. I took it to a repair shop and have had nothing but problems with the front end since then.
I drive a LOT (114,000+ miles) and have only had to replace the brakes twice but the front end has a constant “shimmy” (especially between 55-65mph) and I’ve had to replace the tires approx 11 times (5 times in the past year alone).
The check engine light 1st went off at 2,000 miles and the dealer told me it was a way that Kia gets it’s car owners to “come in for routine maintenance check-ups”. He also showed me that the light will reset itself if you disconnect and then reconnect one of the battery cables while the engine is turned off. Worked great until recently…now the light goes on and off for no particular reason. I finally decided to ignore it.
The electrical system in the interior (dash lights, dome light, CD player, etc.) seems to be shutting down one at a time. The dash cover is curling up, the glove box latch is weak and opens at whim, on and on and on…
My latest problem, however, was with the oil “disappearing”, or so it seemed, according to the dipstick. Every time my check engine light would come on over the last 4 months, I’d check the fluids and each time my dipstick showed that my oil was below the “low” line but I had no apparent leaks. Not wanting to overfill the oil, we only put in 1/2 quart at a time, if even that much.
After adding oil, the engine light would go off for a while so we figured it was the source of the problem. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I started losing power and the engine started to miss and sputter. I had my uncle check under the hood and, low and behold, my dipstick showed that the oil was WAY too high. (Luckily I had managed to avoid cracking the head while the oil was overfilled.) We drained the oil, replaced it with the correct amount of new oil and most of my power returned…for about a week.
Now, my car seems to have a problem somewhere along the fuel injection system. It has always been extremely good at climbing hills but now suddenly has a hard time accelerating at all, let alone going up any sort of incline. I live in the mountains and have to gear down to 3rd (sometimes 2nd) gear to make it to the top of the hill and it jerks and sputters the whole time.
The problem temporarily fixes itself if we add a gas treatment or higher octane fuel but the problem eventually reappears.
It seems like it’s one thing after another with this car and I am going to try and get rid of it before it breaks me financially.
If anyone is starting a class action suit against Kia in California, Please email me with the info!!!
hmm, after reading this I wonder what kind of cars is kia selling in states. I’m from EU and I bought brand new KIA Sephia in 1995. None of the above problems that u described.. Car is still on the road with more than 200000 kilometres..
My 1999 Kia Sephia CAUGHT ON FIRE while I was driving it. I was at a stop light, when the light turned green, I started to drive. The car made it about 20 yards when the engine died, and smoke started coming out from under the hood. By the time my family got out (which was just a few seconds), there was fire coming out out the sides of the hood, and parts of the engine where falling on the ground in flames. The fire depatment got there quick, but by that time it was to late, it was beyond repair. They determined it was faulty wiring under the hood. When my husband had it towed to the local KIA dealership, he told their general manager what had happened, & the jerk laughed in my husbands face. This all happened just yesterday, so if anyone has any suggestions on what to do with this, please let me know. Thank you.
first off, i am sorry to hear about all your bad experiences. I was about to go buy a kia sephia today with my income tax money. THANK GOD i read all these comments you guys made. I didnt know anything about kias but after i read all these i asked my step dad about them and he said JUNK! so thank you everyone so much you have probably saved me and my sons life! and im sorry you got stuck with such a piece of crap car. god bless
What can I say that has not been said by all the other disgruntled KIA owners?
To be a little more exact, the right front passanger side break pads wear out twice as fast as the driver side ones do – and no, there is no alignment problem.
The belts tend to wear out very fast.
There is ALWAYS something making a new noise (breaks,belts,etc…)
The worst problem is finding a garage that will even touch my car, or at least carry parts.
My cams went out of alignment – WITHOUT the timing belt breaking – and I had to have the engine rebuilt. It took more than a month. The dealer had gone out of buisness. The heads had to be shipped out to a machine shop. The local KIA dealer, as well as any others, could not do the work…
That is right. KIA was unable to locate a KIA shop in my state that was qualified to do the job.
In the end, My employer took the opportunity to downsize me from a 12 year job while I was using my vacation time/sick time/PTO that I otherwise never used…
Strangley enough, My sister has a KIA that has NEVER given her any trouble – The secret of keeping a KIA that never breaks down is to never drive it for more than 15 miles a day.
I have systematicaly replaced about 70 percent of what is under the hood.
If that is not bad enough – check the trade in and/or blue book value…
BTW, KIA went bankrupt and was subsequently taken over by Hyundai; so newer KIA models seem less prone to problems, as compared to the older ones.
Also, did anyone else notice that the dealerships moved from moderate to high income white suburban areas to low income multi-ethnic urban dealerships with histories of loosing class action lawsuits for fraud?
My Auto transmission on my 2000 Sephia LS is going, at 82k miles, the precat has a horrible exhaust leak, which is almost impossible to weld, since the metals are a composite and they wont adhere. And constant noises from the brakes and engine.
Have a 1997 Kia Sephia. Car is a Witch to start, but once it does, boy does it Purrrrr. Any suggestions on a good clean start (Not after a 1/2 hour of trying)!!
WE HAVE A 2000 KIA SEPHIA AND SENSE THE DAY WE DROVE IT OFF THE LOT WE HAVE HWDE TROUBBLE WITH IT. I MEAN THAT THEY HAD TO COME AND TOW IT BACK THE SAME DAY WE TOOK IT HOME. ANOTHER MONTH WE HAD TO HAVE TI TOWED AGAIN. IT’S BEEN IN THE SHOP ABOUT 8 TIMES. WOULD NOT START TWICE JERKE, BREAKS ALL FOUR AND ROTORS,GEAR SHIFT KNOB WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR,SEVSRAL OTHER THINGS.HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK AGAIN TODAY 2-23-05 BECAUSE IT WONT START. HELP CAN I USE THE LEMON LAW?
I had a 1997 KIA Sephia until my son was hit in it by a large gravel truck. It was basically crushed on the front, back, and pasenger side. The air bags failed to deploy and when I contacted KIA about it they basically told me that it must not have been damaged in the right areas of the car for them to deploy and that it was not their problem anyway. Damage to the exterior portion of the car was over $9,000.00.
You couldn’t give me another KIA.
Wow, I’m a lot better now. I just wrecked my 2000 Kia Sephia and mangled the driver’s side rear door like it was a tissue and I was looking for parts when I found this forum. I got this car used and I had a lot of problems with it. The light on the dashboard was screwy, my radio lights go on and off and it is a bitch to get into gear. But here’s the oddest thing, my doors freeze open, not closed. In the winter, I open my doors, go to pull them shut, and they fall right back open. Has anyone else had this problem? I’ve tried lock de-icer, anti-freeze, and alcohol to help melt the ice, but now that’s not even really working. Anyone have any ideas? Other than that, my car’s been very good to me once I figured out her flaws and worked with it.
I own a 1997 Kia Sephia rs and since day 1 its been a problem. Had the a/c on and i got no further than 3 miles down the road when it decided to stall.Replaced motor mounts due to extreme vibrations.Transmission fluid hose came completely off had to be put in shop to determine this.Car constantly vibrates in gear even after replacing mounts.The car has been hesatant when put in reverse then that dissapeared,then it shot far back in reverse without my foot on the gas.Has stalled over 5 times in a 8 month period,once had to wait 15 minutes before it would start it back up again,the oil light came on and i had oil.Engine valve cover gasket had to be replaced.Brakes ALWAYS squeal and nobody can find anything wrong.The car always smells of antifreeze.Overhead light never works but will come on at odd times and the dashlights went out 3 times,including head lights,once at night.Tail lights go out at will bulbs still good sometimes.Today i took the car to the dealership because of a ticking noise in the engine and was told that i need two new head cams and some other stuff or to rebuild the engine prices ranging from $800 to $1500 for this work and it cost me $85 dollars to have the dianostics done on it.I decided not to put any more money into it and right now its running smooth even though they said i need a rebuilt engine basicly so while i have the chance i think i may sell it.I wont ever buy a Kia AGAIN.
We have a 2004 Sedona w/ 12K on the clock and only 1 YO and has been in the shop 8 times mostly from the Check Engine Light and power failure. Vehicle is a LEMON. KIA Consumer Division very non-responsive so we are proceeding w/ Attorney General Lemon Law Arbitration. You would think that KIA would want to do the right thing but the bottom line is they don’t stand behind their product. Don’t believe the hype as their vehicles certainly are not fit of its Intended Purpose, unsafe and suffer from both objective and subjective substantial non-conforming defects. Don’t jeopardize your family in a KIA!
I just purchased a 2002 Kia sportage (big mistake)i’v had the car about 30 days and in that time one of the power windows quit working the passenger side window does not seal it leaks very badley when it rains,the driver side windsheild wiper quit working and the car over heats if it is not moving. iu wish i would have done a little research before i purchased it. if i can unload it i’ll be lucky i will never buy a Kia again
YOU PEOPLE COMPLANE A LOT THESE ARE GREAT CAR’S MINE HAS 48,000 MILES AND IS STILL RUNNING STRONG THESE ARE GREAT CAR’S.
I knew kias weren’t great cars, but some of these posting are kind of freakin’ me out! I’ll have to rethink about getting another kia. Anyway, I have a 97 kia sephia which I had since ‘99. I haven’t had any major problems with it so far… Maybe it’s b/c I don’t drive it that much (it’s at 65k miles); although I did drive it cross country from Seattle to New York and back IN ONE PIECE. My biggest complaints SO FAR (yes, I’m expecting more problems in the future) are: 1)that the car shakes & rattles to a point that it gets annoying, 2) steering wheel shakes at high speeds, and 3) the CHECK ENGINE light has been on for years. My mechanic says the Oxygen Sensors are causing the check engine lights, but I have yet to change it — so we’ll see… Maybe all the hoopla about kia getting better is true, but either way I’m looking forward to getting rid of it. Also, I gotta say that from my experience, my old Fords and Chevys gave me more problems than my sephia.
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