Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 008 | 03/01/2002 | 629469 | Automatic transaxle diagnosis. certain models including all rios. *slc | 04/02/2002 | |
| 003 | 10/01/1999 | 609808 | This techinical service bulletin outlines the new sephia remanufactured automatic transmission program. *tt | 04/10/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 007 | 12/01/2001 | 632302 | A logic change in the transmission control module (tcm). *tt | 07/12/2002 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | ||||||
| PE00028 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 07/12/2000 | 11/07/2000 | TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE | ||
| The oil cooler line allegedly develops leaks at it's junction to the radiator | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 05/15/2001 | 44508 | ||
| I bought a 1998 kia sephia from toyota carlsbad 2 years ago in may, 2001 that i paid cash for. right after i bought the kia sephia the check engine light came on. i took it back to toyota carlsbad and they told me that i didn't put the gas cap back on correctly. august, 2002 the check engine light came back on. i took it to my mechanic at future automotive in rancho bernardo and he told me it was the transmission. future automotive sent the car to mike's transmission in poway. mike worked and worked on the transmission. it was in his shop four times. the last time the kia sephia was in the shop, it was there for three weeks. toyota carlsbad told me they couldn't help me because the warranty had expired, but they would gladly sell me another car. when i told them i couldn't afford that, toyota carlsbad told me to take it to an independent repair shop because they could not help me with my problem. both times the bbb tried to help me, kia stated the first time that the warranty had expired. the second time, kia stated that they wouldn't do anything because your vehicle exceeds the age requirements set out in the manufacturer's program summary. light comes on. i was informed that i should have taken it back to toyota carlsbad or another dealership. when i stated that i was told by toyota carlsbad to take it to an independent repair shop, i was told to contact the dvm fraud unit. when the transmission wouldn?t shift out of first gear, i had it towed to north county gmc jeep kia in escondido. my kia was at north county gmc jeep kia for six weeks when the transmission failed again. my car has had three transmissions put in the car. the kia tech specialist worked on my car several times during that time. in order to get the transmission work correctly, i replaced the power distribution center, a new fuel filter and a whole instrument cluster. i only needed a small part replaced in the instrument cluster, but i had to buy the whole instrument cluster. | |||
| 09/24/2000 | 1 | 07/01/1998 | |
| Brakes,lights,seats,battery,airbags,odometer,leaks,aircondition,leftdoorhandle (tiresize: 14`)( dot number: tire size: 14` ) | |||
| 3 | 04/12/1998 | ||
| Front brake rotors warping/ stripping of windshield wiper gears/ speedometer head broken. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/02/1999 | 80 | 6 | 06/13/1998 |
| I brought a new kia sephia in 1998, and had nothing but trouble with it! transmission was replaced 2 times by the mechanic for kia motors, and needed to be replaced again on 7/2007. also , the brakes have been replaced 4 times and need to be replaced again. now the headlights keep turning off while driving at night, but no mechanic can locate the electrical short problem. *ak | |||
| 08/27/2004 | 1 | ||
| While shifting transmission down shifted on its own, and the shift lock system failed. consumer was unable to unlock the shift lever in order to move the vehicle. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. *ak | |||
| 10/23/2003 | 100000 | 1 | 02/14/2000 |
| While driving transmission light appeared on the dashboard. then, the vehicle lost speed. *ak | |||
| 09/09/2003 | 0 | ||
| I have had my car for about 7 months, and i have found out that it had 5 recalls and the problems i have had consists of check engine light coming on and o/d light flashing. also, car acts as if it does not want to go into gear. when it is put into reverse it also seems as if hesitate to crank up as well. *la | |||
| 12800 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle wouldn't start intermittently. about a month ago it started to happen more frequently. shifter assembly was replaced. vehicle would also roll while in park. dealer told consumer that transmission would have to be replaced to solve the problem. *ak | |||
| The transmission was very bad and defective. vehicle would stop without any warning. vehicle was taken to dealer 3 times and each time the transmission was replaced for the same problem. ts | |||
| 11/27/2002 | |||
| The vehicle stop while driving, engine remain running but vehicle would not move repair was made at the dealer, but the probblem is reocurring. ts | |||
| 06/09/2001 | 08/01/1998 | ||
| This vehicle has been in the shop 4 times for various brake problems and although repairs were made i do not have any confidence in the reliability of this car. and, now that transmission had to be replaced, with such low mileage, i don't want to drive the car. i find it hard to believe that kia is not aware of all the problems with their vehicles! thank you for looking out for our safety. | |||
| 03/01/1999 | |||
| In 2 years i had to get a new transmission, replace my brakes 6 times, service engine problems 7 times, fuel pump, 8 recalls, wipers, new tires, and many other problems... copies of repairs are available upon request. i have also been discriminated against by the dealer many times. | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 0 | ||
| Engine check light and overdrive light would flash, second time vehicle just quit, this was second transmission vehicle has had. *ak | |||
| 09/01/1998 | |||
| 11 major failures with my vehicle. not all are listed in this complaint. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 04/13/2001 | |||
| I bought my kia sephia in 1998. since then i have had the brakes fixed 2 times and tay replaced once. i have had the transmission replaced also. recently my car has been riding very sluggish. when i press on the gas it makes a very loud sound. when i tr to accelerate the car does not seem to want to change into gears. it also constantly makes a loud humming sound when i am at about 40-50mph. this car has given me nothing but trouble and $$$. i am tryin to figure out if there has been a whole bunch of recalls i did not know about or if there is something that i may be able to do here to save money. i still owe 9,000 and feel like i am constantly inconvininced bringing the car in for constant repair. help!*ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 3 | 03/01/1998 | |
| The ignition system is hard starting at times, even right after i got a tune up from the dealer. glovebox has been replaced once before because the closing mechanism jams and will not open. transmission has slipped, shifts roughly since new. the brakes grind constantly, dealer has replaced rotors, then replaced brake pads after that, now grinding again. *ak | |||
| 02/20/2001 | 3 | 07/01/1998 | |
| My vehicle stalled on the highway due to the transmission failing in third gear. in addition, the brakes failed as well. i have experienced these issues four times to date. i had to have a total brake replacement in the past two years and the transmission was rebuilt at 6800 miles. since the transmission was rebuilted, i have returned it four times for additional failure. the problem has not been resolved. this vehicle is defective and unsafe to operate..*ak | |||
| 03/01/2000 | 1 | ||
| Transmission has been worked on over past year. *ak abs light came on and stayed on due to catalytic converter failure. wheel bearing failed and was replaced. automatic transmission had no engagement due to half shaft failure. engine stalled at a stop due to transmission assembly failure. brakes were noisy and were replaced, including the rotors. engine will not start due to battery and starter failure. *yh | |||
| 02/01/2000 | |||
| Transmission slipped and vehicle stalled/ malfunctioned. contacted dealer, and dealer replaced transmission, but problem still occurs.*ak | |||
| 01/31/2001 | 2 | 02/01/1999 | |
| I bought the car with 7000 miles on it, it has needed 4 brake jobs (every 7k -front then rear then front then rear) in the 28k that i've owned it. the rear brakes do not engage so the front brakes wear out. i had it put on a rack and someone step on the brake pedal, the rear tires could be turned easily. with strong pressure on the pedal, the rear tires were hard to move, but still could be moved by hand. the 2x the rear brakes were serviced, the cylinders had cracked and leaked. a friend has suggested this means the hydraulic pressure is going into the cylinders but they were a 'bad casting' and the pressure isn't pushing the pistons out, but eventually causes them to crack. 09/18/00 a flexplate in the transmission needed to be replaced. less than 6 weeks later, the car went out of gear as i pulled into an intersection. it could not be driven. it was towed to the dealership and they replaced the transmission, drive shaft, and front axle on the car. *ak | |||
| 12/31/2000 | 4 | 12/01/1999 | |
| Check engine light on & o/d light flashes after almost every 300 miles since recall campaign to replace orvr valves was serviced by dealer. o/d light flashes would then follow engine stalling (after driven 150 miles) and would only crank engine but wont start. also after orvr was replaced, every full tank of fuel ( 12.7 gals.) would cause hesitation but would go away after driven for 8 miles . engine stalling luckily occurred only on street roads but could pose serious risk if it would happen on freeways.*ak | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| The first problem was the electrical system, the car kept blowing fuses and would not start. after 4 visits to a kia service center it was learned that the fuse box had been built wrong. kia had a rebuild kit on hand for this problem and corrected it, as well as replaceing a number of sensors and other equipment damaged by this problem. next was the transmission, which whould and does switch gears for no reason, jumping into higher gear or downshifing into lower gear without warning and staying there until the car is brought to a complete halt. this problem has not been traced, kia service technicians claimed to have driven the vehicle extensively but could not reproduce the problem, dispite the fact that it occures frequently for myself and my wife. the brakes started acting funney at around 11,000 miles and upon inspection by kia personell were found to be worn excessively in the center of the rotors, dispite telling me that it was a very common problem kia refused to repair it, saying that it was a maintiance issue, and not a defect. the door latches failed on a trip to indiana and the doors had to be locked or they would not stay closed. the glove compartment latch failed at the same time, falling open at any bump and the handle was falling off, so it had to be left open the entire time. the weather stripping began falling off shortly thereafter causeing water leaks into the car, and sometimes preventing the doors from closeing correctly. i have attempted on numerious occasions to have these issue delt with by kia motors and they have faid to do so, beyond the bare minimum. i have even been attempting to return the car in accordiance with michigan's `lemon law' and kia's only response is to attempt to half-hartedly repair the vehicle at my expense. dispite the fact that some of these issues could be dangerious.*ak | |||
| 06/18/2000 | 0 | ||
| Vehicle was not shifting correctly. it would shift roughly and hard. also, brakes made a squeaking noise when druving. *ak | |||
| 03/24/2000 | 1 | 06/01/1999 | |
| I would never buy a kia again. this car has been nothing but trouble. the transmission prematurely went out with no warning. had to be completly replaced. both front headlight assemblies melted due to reasons still unknown. the brakes worn prematurely. not to mention all of the other hassles i've had with this car. sometimes i wish someone would just take it, i hate it so much! | |||
| 1 | |||
| Transmission failed. yh | |||
| 05/04/1999 | 50 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Engine stalled, lost all power at speed of 5 mph. since april of 1999, the vehicle jerks back when it is passing 20 mph. now, it jerks harder while power is losing, required heavier gas pedal depression. | |||
| 02/04/2000 | 5 | 10/01/1998 | |
| Brakes failed causing accident, they have been replaced 4 times also rotors fuel pump, transmission, glovebox,wiring harness, many other things too... could have lost my 2 of my grandsons in the accident... are we going to put up with this??? i can be reached at vitello@pgh.net | |||
| 11/06/1999 | 07/01/1999 | ||
| This car has had new transmission/brakes/radio and battery, and i am waiting on something new to happen soon. i bought this car because i thought that my feet was not aas dependable as a car..my mistake. if the repairs keep up i will have a new car without even trading!!! this car gives new meaning to lemon. *ak | |||
| When the transmission was in reverse, it would pop out of gear into neutral. then vehicle would stop. also, abs brakes were replaced twice due to excessive wear to drums. headlights would have condensation, and dashboard was replaced due to cracks. vehicle now on third transmission and it still slips out of reverse when backing up. *ak | |||
| 02/03/1999 | 1 | 03/30/1998 | |
| Transmission won't shift into gear. nlm | |||
| When changing gears from park to reverse the shift lever becomes stuck between gears, cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 11/30/1998 | |||
| Overdrive light keeps coming on, and the front brake pads had to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 04/07/1999 | 5 | ||
| Transmission would make funny noises when shifting into gear. a new transmission was installed. vehicle still having problems. brakes: would squeal when applied. had entire brake system changed twice & problem still exists. alignment: due to the brakes, the tires were worn out on the inside & had to be changed. *ak *yc | |||
| 05/01/1998 | 3 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Break pads and rotors need to be replaced approximately every 3000 miles when car is taken in for oil change. i could not fill the gas tank completely when i first purchased the car because the automatic shut off. gas tank and float valve were replaced after waiting a month for the parts. check engine light would stay on and o/d off light would flash, called dealer and had to wait a week for appointment. dealer stated new coupling was needed. waited month for part. when i went to pick up car, dealer stated it need a new transmission instead. i waited two weeks for parts. now car is at dealership again because it will not start. lights, horn, radio, etc. still operate | |||
| 10/05/1998 | |||
| Consumer was experiencing the following ongoing problems: transmission made loud noise when changing gears , and gears did not lock into place when put in park/fuses kept blowing out, had replaced electrical wires/starter was not strong enough to start vehicle & needed to be replaced, and brakes had to be replaced due to excessive wear of front brake rotors, calipers & pads. brake problem still exists. *ak | |||
| 09/29/1998 | 1 | 05/20/1998 | |
| Transmission needs replacement due to vibrations. | |||
| When traveling at any speed the transmission would not allow any acceleration. consumer also noticed very hard jerking when placing the vehicle in gear. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| 09/07/1998 | |||
| Front axle made a noise due to a wrong size of the axle on the vehicle. also there was a defective transmission/ emission control system. axle and transmission replaced. gas tank will not fill properly, spits gas back onto the ground. *ak *ml | |||
| 09/29/1998 | 3 | ||
| I have had my car in the shop many times just for the rotors and brakes and a new master cylinder and now a new transmision and now the brakes are starting all over again something has to be done before someone gets killed . i have contacted kia and they haven't done nothing for me i went to the dealership and they said they couldn't do any thing but help me refince again i shouldn't have to .i want them to buy back the car it is not safe for the road . please help me tjones5460 thank you. | |||
| 07/15/1998 | |||
| When attempting to accelerate to change lanes the vehicle went in reverse and the gear shift was in drive. consumer also having problems with poor braking, poor braking responds when making a normal stop. consumer has contacted the dealer. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||
| 11/18/1999 | |||
| Engine caught fire while driving due to transmission fluid leaking into engine compartment. dealer has repaired vehicle. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 11/04/2003 | 42000 | 1 | 02/20/2000 |
| I bought a 1998 kia sephia in feb of 2000 i have had to replace 3 gear shifters and three transmissions and the car has only been driven 2/3 of the time that i have owned this car. my signal light on one side has never really worked properly and the the headlight constantly shorts out. of course now i'm out of warranty and still experiencing these problems and many more i dont know where else to turn because all i'm ever told is that's a kia for you. i still have a loan of this car and dont think it's right that almost every year the gear shifter and trans need to be replaced. i would great appreciate any help you can give me because i havent been able to drive the car for the last 2 months because the gear shifter wont come out of park and when it did the trans raced when reaching 2 gear. there is no way anyone should experience this much trouble whether being a used car or not. please help me. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| The vehicle is hard to put into park. nlm | |||
| 04/17/2000 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Gear shift sticks. yh | |||
| 12/18/1998 | 10 | ||
| When starting the vehicle up vehicle doesn't start up properly. also, when driving at any speed and applying the brakes, they go half way to the floorboard, and vehicle jerks. in addition, computer chip/ gear shift malfunctioned. vehicle has been into the shop over ten times. air bag light and the check engine light keep coming on. dealer can't determine the cause of the problems. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT | |||
| The 4-wheel drive failed to work properly in snow, it went out. also, disc brakes were not working when applied. took to dealer & informed disc brakes were warped. catalytic convertor had failed. in addition, mechanic found that the muffler did not work properly due to having a hole in it. all parts has to be replaced. owner feels its a lemon. mfg is no help. *ak | |||
| When changing gears from park to reverse the shift lever becomes stuck between gears cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 11/19/1999 | 1 | 02/04/1999 | |
| Gear shift started to stick. yh | |||
| 10/19/1998 | 3 | ||
| The floor shifter has a rattling noise. had shifter replaced several times. the dashboard rattles. glove compartment fell down. radio speakers blown. bearings in wheel grind. doing fwy speed, vehicle would shimmy & shake. when slowing to stop, brakes would jerk. while waiting at stop, engine would be surging. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 01/01/2001 | |||
| After getting out of the vehicle and putting it in park vehicle came out of park and rolled back. please provide more information.*ak | |||
| 12/19/1999 | 07/13/1998 | ||
| Vehicle experienced movement while parked and emergency brake engaged. while consumer was scraipping snow off front windshield and his foot was caught under the tire. dealer/manufacturer notified. *ak | |||
| 10/10/1999 | |||
| Driver is able to shift vehicle from park to drive without brake application, which is suppose to be a safety feature. the safety feature is not working. vehicle was taken to the dealership. the dealership stated that some type of liquid must have spilled down in the console. the problem has not been corrected. please provide any further information. *ak | |||
| 03/29/1999 | 1 | 03/30/1998 | |
| Vehicle is hard to shift. nlm | |||
| 08/18/1998 | 3 | 04/29/1998 | |
| A/c not cooling vehicle properly. nlm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 09/07/1998 | |||
| Front axle made a noise due to a wrong size of the axle on the vehicle. also there was a defective transmission/ emission control system. axle and transmission replaced. gas tank will not fill properly, spits gas back onto the ground. *ak *ml | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT | |||
| 03/08/2000 | 04/10/1999 | ||
| Car needs front axles. also, motor mounts were replaced along with flywheel and fuel pump. in addition, consumer just received a recall notice 99v271/ winshield wiper linkage. car is 1 year old and has 26000 miles, owner has already experienced many problems with it. *ak *ml | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE HUBS | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 5 | ||
| Braking system malfunctioned, causing brake rotors to go out 3 times and hubs twice, which resulted extended stopping distance, and may cause a crash. dealer cannot determine the cause. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 12/01/1998 | 09/01/1998 | ||
| Since the time that i have purchased this car it has been falling apart. the car is constantly shutting down or it just won't start. at this present time my car is sittting at stonemountain kia whereas it is in need a third battery all within less than a years time. eventhough they know the dangerous history of this car that i purchased new, they continually return the car to me without doing a safety check. i have had my car towed to their location several times in the same week because they have felled to fix the problem. once again my car is continually suffering from the same problems that are continuing to grow worst. the air conditioning system fails to work properly. the driveshaft is always sticking in the gears. the air bag light continually blink and stay on for periods at a time. the exhaust still making loud noise that i have complained about since i brought the car. the engine jerks and the car is burning a lot of gas. the battery acid continues to leak out into the car. the air vents broke just from a slight touch and so did the knob that control the air circulation. the car is constantly stalling. the car shakes badly when pressing on the brakes. firestone refuses to work on kia's because they are aware of all the faulty system pertaining to kia's. lation | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 1 | |||
| While driving approximately 65 mph, hood released and smashed into windshield which blocked vision of driver, consumer felt problem was due to brake pads and rotors that cause severe vibration and had to be replaced frequently, there was no crash or injury to report when this incident occurred.*ak brakes would vibrate and were noisy, requested rear brakes be cleaned lubed, dealer found rotors warped and pads worn and excessive dust in rear brakes, numerous engine problems such as cooling fan rumble, check engine light on, engine stall, burning smell, belt squeaks, electric cooling fan inoperative, fan blade, plug wires and coil boots, valve cover gasket were replaced, evaporator was replaced and recharged, many electrical problems including ignition switch, starter, alternator, multifunction switch, battery terminal, and bulb failure, dealer has also found corrosion, poor connections and low voltage, consumer states numerous problems with shifter, harsh shifts and clunks, dealer replaced old style flex plate, binding shifter which was cleaned and lubed, fluid leaks, dealer replaced leaking power steering hose, multiple structural problems such as missing wiper arm cap, key will not open trunk, trunk lever does not release, broken trunk release handle, left rear door molding coming off, dealer replaced trunk release, reinstalled door weatherstrip, found oil leaks, and undercarriage showing signs of damage, bubbles in dash pad, sunvisor coming loose, dealer replaced dash pad, dealer found tail pipe damaged, both front aftermarket tires (no tire information) worn, left rear rim bent, rear tires (no tire information) cupped and feathered due to lack of rotation and alignment problems, consumer also requested dealer to check cv boots for grease leak, dealer found no problem. *tt | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer states the transmission failed. *yh | |||
| 07/03/2001 | 2 | ||
| Consumer had vehicle towed to dealership, and was informed that a new transmission was needed, however three days lated consumer began experiencing problems again.*yh | |||
| 12 | |||
| Since purchasing vehicle consumer has had nothing but problems, vehicle has been in and out of repair shop 10-12 times,consumer took vehicle back to repair shop and was told that a new transmission was needed.*jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle is slipping out of gear while driving. *mjs | |||
| 02/01/1999 | |||
| Engine check light came on and stayed on. also, transmission stick shift kept sticking, and engine head gasket blew out. dealership replaced engine head gasket and stick shift.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Transmission fluid leaking resulting in transmission problems. nlm | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 5 | 06/01/1998 | |
| This vehicle was purchased in june of 1998, it has been out of service for more than 40 days for repairs for various electrical, braking, transmission, and various other defects that have rendered the car inoperable since february, 1999. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle stalls and loses power from 50 mph to 40 mph. dealers are not able to duplicate problem. also vehicle has many other defects. *ak consumer states while traveling 45-55 mph, vehicle will decrease in speed approximately by 3-15 mph, this happens almost on a daily basis. difficulty shifting into reverse and 5th gear, with vehicle in reverse and on an incline, vehicle will stall while attempting to back up. *slc | |||
| 07/15/1998 | 02/01/1998 | ||
| Many problems with the car some have been caused by the dealer | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION - FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/20/2001 | 1 | 03/23/1999 | |
| Shifter knob was loose. *yh | |||