Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 05/10/2010 | 162000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 kia sephia. the contact stated that when she depressed the accelerator pedal, the engine would race first and then the vehicle would move forward. the over drive light stayed on and the engine light would blink. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the dealer changed the sensors for the lights. however, the over drive and check engine lights were constantly illuminated. the failure mileage was approximately 162,000. the current mileage was 162,384. | |||
| 09/15/2004 | 59000 | 3 | 05/21/2001 |
| Consumer complained that instrument panel gauges worked intermittently. abs light, air bag light and the engine check light illuminated while driving at any speed. consumer stated, this problem started after a service campaign was done to the battery cable. *ak | |||
| 03/08/2004 | 78000 | 2 | 01/10/2004 |
| While driving vehicle stalled. engine check light came on twice prior to vehicle stalling. dealership was unable to indicate the reason why the engine check light came on. *ak | |||
| 3 | 07/24/2000 | ||
| The vehicle leaps forward when put into gear, and while driving the vehicle lever popped from drive into neutral and the vehicle seems to be running on 2 or 3 cylinders instead of 4, the a/c system does not properly during these episodes of problems, the dealership has been unable to correct the problems after several attempts. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 07/06/2005 | 59000 | 3 | 02/24/2004 |
| Dt: while driving, the battery light came on and the engine began to run hot. the cooling system rocketed to high after the battery light illuminated. the engine went dead in the middle of the freeway. the car was towed to a dealership. the dealer informed the consumer they would not be able to check the vehicle until after july 11th. the consumer did not know what exactly the dealerships diagnosis was because they have yet to check vehicle. consumer suspected this was a cooling system issue with battery problems as well. *ak | |||
| 03/12/2001 | 4 | 03/18/2000 | |
| Engine will continueously overheat when traveling long distances. contacted dealer, and dealer cannot find cause.*ak *mj | |||
| 06/24/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states a cloud of smoke began to rise from the hood of the vehicle, consumer pulled over and noticed that the anti-freeze was leaking when the vehicle was turned off, it was also during the incident that the engine overheated, mechanic replaced the cooling fan relay and fuse and resecured wiring connections, consumer states on a separate occasion the malfunction indicator light began to flash, in which the vehicle would slow down and then speed up, the vehicle felt as though it was going to loose power even as it struggled to reach 50 mph, vehicle began to back fire and a loud rattling noise from the engine, which forced consumer to have vehicle towed.*jb | |||
| 10/18/2000 | 1 | 03/01/2000 | |
| Water pump replaced. cj | |||
| 11/26/1999 | 0 | ||
| Vehicle overheated. also, rear doors were stuck.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 11/30/2000 | |||
| Engine fan would intermittently shut off and on. engine check light would come on/ off intermittently. also, problem with brakes failing to stop vehicle properly. vehicle been in / out of dealer shop on several occasions, and problem still reoccurring. please feel free to provide any further details on these matter. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/28/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| Engine light came on, car began to idle really high then really low and would stall. thermostat was replaced only a week later after the dealership supposely called korea. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/24/2005 | 81000 | 1 | 08/01/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving a clanking noise was heard in the engine. then, with no warning lights, the engine seized. the vehicle was towed to the dealership, who determined there was sludge in the oil and the engine needed to be replaced. *ak updated 03/03/06.*jb | |||
| 10/01/2000 | 18000 | 4 | 07/25/2000 |
| I have <45000 miles on my car (2000 kia sephia) and have had to have the front brakes replaced 3x and the back brakes replaced 1x. also, when i turn on the ac, there is a loud noise from the front of the car. the car hesitates when trying to get up to speed. the car also feels like it is trying to pull something of great weight when driving at 55 mph. the back seatbelts do not always lock. the dealer informed me that the seat belts are only to lock when the brakes are slammed or the vehicle is hit (so how is a child booster seat supposed to stay put when the vehicle is in motion?) *jb | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1999 | ||
| The vehicle caught on fire. ph *cb *jb | |||
| 03/05/2000 | 549 | 4 | 03/15/2000 |
| Our kia sephia 2000 is a lemon. we have had to replace the brakes four times because of premature ware and shaking due to poor design. we received the car with a dead battery. we are on our third battery. we were on our third set of tires before 30,000 miles. the gear shift will stick so that you can not take it out of park. the weather molding is falling off. check engine light goes on and they could not keep it from coming on. *jb | |||
| 05/09/2003 | 1 | ||
| The engine light illuminated on the dashboard, and then the vehicle lost power. *jb | |||
| 05/02/2003 | 24650 | 5 | 01/01/2001 |
| While driving, the vehicle shut down and to restarted ten to twenty minutes later. *nlm by the time the vehicle was pulled over to the slow lane, the acceleration started again. (after a minute or two with no power) it sputtered before, while cruising. a carb cleanser was placed in. as the vehicle approached 35 mph or 45 mph, the acceleration restarted and the consumer was able to pull back onto the road. *scc *jb | |||
| 10/08/2002 | 3 | 10/02/2002 | |
| The engine light illuminated on several occasions, the dealer was unable to fix the problem. ts *jb | |||
| 03/01/2000 | 1 | ||
| Oil pan leaked. nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/22/2003 | 19000 | 1 | 11/27/2003 |
| I bought a 2000 kia sephia on november 27, 2003. this car has the balance of a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and only had 15,000 miles on it when i bought it. i noticed that it was using a quart of oil every 1,000 miles and after i changed the oil it was using a quart every 500 miles. i had already taken it in to the dealer for 15,000 mile servicing and took it back about this oil problem. the first thing they asked was permission to pull the heads, after which they informed me that the top of the motor was burnt and the only cause for this was failure to perform maintenance. i was asked to produce maintenance records for the life of the car, which i did. after producing these records, the service manager at the dealership now wanted permission to drop the oil pan. i gave it as i thought my car would finally be fixed. i called the service manager and was informed that since there was sludge in my oil pan they would not fix my car, even though i had proven it had been serviced, and it was still under factory warranty. i don't know where to go for help, so am filing this complaint hoping your agency can in some way help me.*ak | |||
| 10/01/2002 | |||
| Consumer states vehicle looses power in the middle of traffic. took to mechanic and he states the coils are defected. please provide any further information. ts | |||
| 10/10/2002 | |||
| Vehicle stalls while driving, engine light intermittenly flash off and on, also dealer change odometer to cero miles, delaer has been notified several times please provide further information. mr | |||
| 07/01/2000 | |||
| The brakes have numerous problems with this car since purcahsed. resulting in frequent repair, inconvenience, safety concerns and other problems. was told today by a brake specialist that the reason why the front brakes keep wearing fast is that the rear brakes do not work. nlm | |||
| 06/05/2002 | 1 | 09/23/2000 | |
| When vehicle was being driven it cuts off without warning. also, will not start back up. consumer has to get it towed every time. then, it is towed back to dealer, yet, dealer cannot find out the problem. consumer states he is afraid that he or his daughter is going to get hurt.*ak consumer adds there is sudden acceleration then slowing down of the vehicle without brakes being applied. experiencing fuel relations problems possibly related to the fuel box. it is also possible that the alternator and battery failed. *tt | |||
| 01/07/2002 | |||
| Vehicle would intermittently stall while driving. dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 3 | |||
| While driving the vehicle suddenly stall, dealer has not been able to locate the problem. | |||
| 1. driving car and a piece of exhaust fell off 2. numerous times car would not start. taken to dealer twice and they said they could find no problem. 3. while driving vehicle with check engine light on it accelerated at a high rate of speed. this happened again when backing out of driveway. | |||
| 06/24/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states a cloud of smoke began to rise from the hood of the vehicle, consumer pulled over and noticed that the anti-freeze was leaking when the vehicle was turned off, it was also during the incident that the engine overheated, mechanic replaced the cooling fan relay and fuse and resecured wiring connections, consumer states on a separate occasion the malfunction indicator light began to flash, in which the vehicle would slow down and then speed up, the vehicle felt as though it was going to loose power even as it struggled to reach 50 mph, vehicle began to back fire and a loud rattling noise from the engine, which forced consumer to have vehicle towed.*jb | |||
| 07/01/2001 | |||
| While driving at a speed of 70mph vehicle suddenly dropped from 70 to 20 mph without any notice.consumer has contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak | |||
| 12/16/2000 | 2 | 12/01/2000 | |
| Oil light came on. checked oil on 12/16/2000 & put in four quarts. vehicle did not overflow. on 12/17/00 the oil light came on again at 65 mph on s/b 15 fwy. on 12/19/00 car went to high desert kia where they found nothing worng with oil light. but they replaced a exhaust sensor sliencer and center pipe was replaced. on 12/20/00, i drove to work and loma linda with no problem. on my return from loma linda the oil light came back on. i pulled over checked the oil and added one quart to make sure. oil light remained on. drove to the 215 fwy and the car started to skip (jolt). this was at about 70 miles per hour. as i went down the fwy it became more profound. i pulled over and called tow service. strong burning smell coming from vehicle. bosh kia presntly has vehicle. they still claim there is nothing wrong with this vehicle.*ak | |||
| 07/28/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| Engine light came on, car began to idle really high then really low and would stall. thermostat was replaced only a week later after the dealership supposely called korea. *ak | |||
| 06/15/2000 | |||
| Vehicle experiencing problems with running rough/hesitating and front brakes squealing intermittently; vehicle been in dealer shop on three occasion and unable to duplicate the problem. please provide any further details: | |||
| 1 | 01/26/2000 | ||
| The vehicle hesitates at a speed between 35 and 55 mph while driving. yh | |||
| 05/24/2000 | 1 | 01/26/2000 | |
| Some times there is loud noise from the engine area when starting the vehicle. yh | |||
| 01/01/2000 | |||
| The car will lose all power and die out for no reason, no matter what the speed: (the car can be in neutral or in gear, either idleing or being driven). the dealership says there is nothing wrong.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 10/19/2002 | 3 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Consumer stated the catalytic converter separated, which emitted fumes and caused a rattle noise.mr *jb | |||
| 07/01/2000 | |||
| The brakes have numerous problems with this car since purcahsed. resulting in frequent repair, inconvenience, safety concerns and other problems. was told today by a brake specialist that the reason why the front brakes keep wearing fast is that the rear brakes do not work. nlm | |||
| 05/14/2002 | 2 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Daughter drive car in hospital 05/12/02 and 06/06/02 from fuel leak back into car, causing her to passout, dizziness,/ nausea/ vomting and diffcult in breathing and headache. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Exhaust system center pipe split at seams and cracked causing noise. replaced center pipe. | |||
| 05/04/2002 | |||
| Obd-2 malfunction control light came on while driving. emission was inspected and nothing could be found. dealer was not notified at this time. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 3 | |||
| Consumer stated the silencer next to the catalytic converter is rusting out. took to dealer and had repaired but problem still exists. nlm brakes, rotors and pads failed and were replaced three times. *yh | |||
| 1 | |||
| Exhaust system center pipe split at seams and cracked causing noise. replaced center pipe. | |||
| 06/07/2000 | 1 | 04/01/2000 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 1. driving car and a piece of exhaust fell off 2. numerous times car would not start. taken to dealer twice and they said they could find no problem. 3. while driving vehicle with check engine light on it accelerated at a high rate of speed. this happened again when backing out of driveway. | |||
| 10/15/1999 | 3 | 10/01/1999 | |
| 10 days from date of purchase engine malfunction light has been on, sometimes not all the time. have lemon law arrbitration hearing coming on the 12th of sept 2000. this problem is on going with very little input from the factory or dealer. each time except for final repair order under lemon law, there was a problem with the emissions control systems, which is ongoing as of this date. vehicle owners manual clearly states that prolonged driving with malfunction indicator light on may cause damage to the emissions control systems which could effect driveability/and or fuel economy. dealer and kia motors are very evasive on subject. purpose of this note is to make any future buyers of kia products on guard, an possibly gather other victims of the kia corp for a class action law suit. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 01/15/2000 | |||
| Fuelfumes/vapor coming into vehicle. vehicle has been in repair shop on one occasion, but problem still reoccurring. feel free to provide further details. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 09/07/2004 | 62325 | 4 | 08/18/2000 |
| I've had many problems with the catalytic converters disintegrating from within. i've had them replaced many times at least 3 or 4 times in the last 2 yrs the most recent was this summer about 2 months ago. i am having this problem again it begins to act like it's going to stall, then starts vigourously shaking, and it also loses acceleration speed. i'll be driving and all of a sudden it starts acting up and losing speed and it wont go any higher than 20 mph or so. this is a continuous problem and one that i consider very dangerous because i could be driving on a busy street or a hwy and i lose acceleration speed and it shakes. this poses a problem to my own safety and that of others driving while these effects occur. i'm scared it will blow up, burn up, or fall apart with all the shaking or even stall and cause a major accident. please help!!! i've taken it numerous times to the dealership to get this fixed and i've only gotten a temporary fix as you can see. if its not the catalytic converter, its the fuel injectors, or the fuel gauge, it's always one thing or anther. this car is a lemon!!! *ak | |||
| 01/24/2003 | 72000 | 2 | 09/18/2001 |
| The sensor/gas level in the gas tank went out when the car had 53000 + or - on it and it cost us $300 to fix it. the driver's door doesn't seal. and now, as we left a store tonight, the flashing (yes flashing) check engine light came on again and the car is sputtering and clanging from under the bonnet. it is in the evening and a friday night. i opened the hood and it smelled funky/burnt. it was sputtering. the car currently has 72000 miles on it. i'll try to get it looked at in the morrow. | |||
| 06/01/2000 | |||
| The mold in the car has caused two people to get sick . we have told kia of the problem and they have not done anything for us. the car has been test for toxicity mold. i have contacted the bbb auto line and nothing as been resolved in this matter. we are seeing a doctor for the mold and are unable to drive the vehicle on doctor's order and do to the level of mold in the vehicle. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 10/12/2001 | 3 | 07/01/2000 | |
| Front brakes and rotors had to be replaced on april 2001. brakes had to be replaced again in october. *ak consumer states that brakes and rotors were replaced again at 9468 miles and again at 15500 miles. check engine light illuminated due to faulty fuel control valve within the fuel tank. radio changer would get hot and would not change stations, dealer replaced the radio. vehicle experienced an exhaust leak, dealer replaced the muffler. *jb | |||