Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 09/11/1998 | 2 | 10/04/1997 | |
| Seals failed resulting in water leaking into vehicle. | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 08/18/1999 | 1 | 10/15/1997 | |
| Dt: consumer owns 1997 kia sephia. she had a problem with the dashboard. the vents for the defroster fell off, and the dashboard was brown, which began as a small spot and grew to cover the whole dashboard. she was concerned that the dashboard falling apart might somehow affect the airbags. she says that there is a burning smell coming from dash, smell has been there since she purchased vehicle. she did purchase vehicle new.*ak | |||
| Dashboard has come apart. also, seals around airbag on passenger's side has lifted up, exposing parts underneath. heater vent on dash has cracked, causing heater to become inoperative.*ak | |||
| 09/15/1998 | 3 | 05/21/1997 | |
| Ongoing problem with battery failure; dealer notified, and replaced faulty battery on two occasions, and problem reoccurred. also, and problem engine hesitation. dealer notified. *ak the consumer found out right after leasing the vehicle, that the radio was inoperable. the vehicle began squeeking in the rear end when turning. the heater malfunctioned. the left rear strut assembly failed causing knocking noise at right rear. the o-ring failed causeing the distributor leak and there was loss of power while driving. *yh | |||
| 11/05/1997 | 3 | ||
| Check engine light comes on; intermittent problem. windshield wiper motor fails to work. intermittent problem. heater makes noises when turned on. also, an intermittent problem. new tires wore uneven & wore out before 12,000 miles. will be taking vehicle to dealer. *ak | |||
| 1 | 10/25/1997 | ||
| Air conditioner and heating system failed. | |||
| 1 | 01/01/1998 | ||
| Windows continually fogging up with inefficient defogging system resulting in poor visibility. | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - BLOWER | |||
| 09/24/2006 | 59000 | 09/28/1997 | |
| Dashboard warped and coming up and touching windshield. it is breaking or blocking the vent/defroster/defogger system. therefore the windows barely defrost and this is a safety hazard. i know of two other people having the same problem with the dashboard. also door open light remains on and drains battery. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 07/09/1998 | 1 | ||
| Manual window regulator out of adjustment causing difficulty in rolling up. mjs | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 3 | |||
| While driving differential went out/ digital laser failed to work on cd panel/ power window electrical switch stopped working, and engine check light came on & did not go off. dashboard covering was separating from window. there was water in the headlights, and battery would go dead. took vehicle to dealer. vehicle needed alignment due to problem with transmission & the brake assembly needed replacing due to excessive wear.*ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES - EXTERIOR | |||
| 1 | 03/28/1998 | ||
| Extremely loud wind noise caused by driver side mirror when driving 55 mph or over. | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||
| 05/02/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Transmission was replaced twice/ the engine seized at 30000 miles/ the brakes warped three times and were replaced 3 times/ the windows are hard to open and close/ the brake pedal is extremely low. *ak | |||
| 01/22/1999 | 2 | 02/01/1998 | |
| I am no longer going to make payments on this lemon! *ak | |||
| 2 | 01/01/1998 | ||
| Front windows leaking water. | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||
| 01/25/2001 | 8 | 07/22/1998 | |
| While driving about any mph vehicle will suddenly accelerate without a prior warning.consumer will step on brakes pedal to stop acceleration, but vehicle will not stop, and concerned about fact of an accident.*ak transmission failed. brakes make noise due to rotor failure. wiper blades failed. battery failed. *yh | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR | |||
| 11/05/1997 | 3 | ||
| Check engine light comes on; intermittent problem. windshield wiper motor fails to work. intermittent problem. heater makes noises when turned on. also, an intermittent problem. new tires wore uneven & wore out before 12,000 miles. will be taking vehicle to dealer. *ak | |||