Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
00803/01/2002629469Automatic transaxle diagnosis. certain models including all rios. *slc04/02/2002
00310/01/1999609808This techinical service bulletin outlines the new sephia remanufactured automatic transmission program. *tt04/10/2000
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)
00712/01/2001632302A logic change in the transmission control module (tcm). *tt07/12/2002

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
08/15/200321788
 Gear shift is my big problem right now with my car. it has been in 3 times in the past 2 years. 1st two times was due to the in-ability to get the car out of park. 1st repair could not get the car out of park. repair was lubricate the gear shift cable. (accused driver of getting pop in the gear shifter) 2nd repair could not get the car out of park. repair was to replace the gear shift cable. 3rd repair car stalled on the road and would not start. repair "free-up shifter shat in transmission (would not go all the wasy in park and was hard to find any gears and would cause a no start)". this is the quote on the back of the repari ticket. when the car was pick-up. the car again refused to start. was told that the gear shifter on the floor had to be shoved to the consolse to make the car recognize that it is in the "park" location. what i want is fair market value for my car from kia. right now getting run around. they need more information from the kia repair and service manager before anything else can be done. right now i am afraid to drive this car because if it stalls on a busy road, it takes about 30 seconds to force the gear shift into the right location to get the engine to turn over. second complaint is now i am being told that the car needs new tires and brakes (rotors). again kia blaming the driver, break down is due to bad braking habbits.
08/14/200321788311/05/2000
 Car died on the road for no reason. then car would not start. driver verified that gear-shift was locked in park position. just glad this did not happen on a busy highway. this is the 3rd time the car has been in the repair shop due to getting the car into or out of park. repairs over the past 18 months have been re-lubricated the gear-shift cable (1st repair). replace the gear-shift cable (2nd repair). the last (3rd) repair was a re-lubrication of the replaced gear-shift cable and re-adjustment of the linkage so car could recognize that it was in park. these required repairs are being blamed on not driving the car enough. also having trouble with premature warring on the break rotors and pads. car has just over 22,000 miles on it. reason is driver (that is not driving enough) is too hard on the breaks. (my other car has 78,000 miles on it. it is now ready for the 1st break job.) i am also being told that the tires need to be replaced. again the car has only 22,000 miles on it. i have read reports on the internet that mis-adjustments form the factory can lead to early ware. *la
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10/06/200580000106/01/2003
 Over the course of the previous few months, prior to the incident, i noticed that the 2000 kia sephia with 80000 miles began to have a hard time with the shifter. it became increasingly more difficult to get the car to shift from park to drive. it continually felt like the shifter was stuck. i ended up having the car towed via flatbed because the car refused to start. after getting it to a mechanic i was told that the transmission had failed, however, being the car only had 83000 miles i sought a second opinion. after contacting the dealer and describing the problem to one of the mechanics (who will not be named), i was told this is a common problem with this make and model kia. that the seal is faulty in the transmission casing and after a period of time dirt and/or water leaks into the linkage causing it to not shift. the way to correct is to either replace the transmission or to have the linkage redone and re-lubricated for proper operation. a third opinion revealed the same information. a kill switch does not allow the car to start unless the car is in park or neutral. so once the automatic transmission was manually shifted into park the car started immediately. it was indicated this problem is common and will more than likely re-occur but that the treatment should hold for at least a year. after $485.00 in repairs not including the tow the transmission is beginning to act up again. i don't want this happening to other people and wanted to make sure that this complaint is lodged and urge that transmission issue records be seized because it seems to be a pretty common knowledge thing among mechanics that this happens on this make and model kia sephia. the seals had to be repaired and the linkage properly lubricated to correct the issue. however, reading the kia website for information about transmissions this is supposed to be a non-serviceable area and the dealer is supposed to replace the transmission to the tune of $1800.00 plus labor and taxes. *jb
02/10/200467251712/01/1999
 Transmission on vehicle was fixed 7 times. *mr the transmission would slip, shift hard and at times the reverse gear would not work. front rotors warped. *nm
05/28/200445000504/29/2000
 Constant problem with check engine light. transmission replaced on 5/28/04 (47,800 miles). on 7/5/04 had same acceleration problems, dealer found no evidence of problem after having car for 2 days. on 8/3/04 again had same acceleration problems with transmission, again after having car for 2 days, dealer found no evidence of problem. same day (8/5/04) took car home transmission would not change gears. pulled off road, put car in park, shut off car, waited a couple of minutes, restarted car, no problem at that point with shifting. called dealership in brandon (who replaced transmission) spoke with andy advised him what had happened. he stated it was an electrical problem and it was reseting itself once the car was turned off. he said he would get in touch with his technical people to find out what to replace to fix car. i have called andy every day, sometimes twice a day and all i can get from him is his people will not return his call and in turn andy is not returning my calls. the check engine light is still coming on and now you have to bump the starter a couple of times to get the car cranked. the starter was not giving me a problem until the transmission was replaced. all i am asking is for this car to be properly fixed. *jb
04/20/2004300007
 Consumer complained about a transmission problem. transmission has been replaced 7 times. consumer contacted the better business bureau. *ak
10005
 The transmission has been replaced four times since the consumer owned the vehicle. the vehicle is currently in the shop waiting for a fifth transmission. *nm
12/17/20032
 I have had the transmision replaced twice in my 2000 sephia, and it is about to quit again. *ak
01/01/20013073810010/25/2000
 Transmission failure. *ak
300001
 While driving engine light came on and overdrive light flickered. then ,vehicle hesitated to accelerate. per dealership this was due to transmission failure.*ak
03/05/2000549403/15/2000
 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
9887308/01/2000
 This is the third time to be replaced and fixed (transmission). *ak *ph *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**765382
500001
 There was a delay in the shifting of transmission while driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer was unable to correct the problem. *nlm
12/11/2002
 Consumer stated that while driving at any speed and without the transmission failed causing the vehicle not to accelerate. dealer replace transmission three times. ts
11/30/1999409/01/2099
 30 nov 99-blinkers intermittently inoperable (mo=2,415);28 dec 99-blinkers intermittently inoperable (mo=3,044);13 jan 00-blinkers intermittently inoperable (mo=3,423);16 mar 00-blinkers intermittently inoperable (mo=5,268);8 mar 01-gear shift lever intermittently won't shift(mo=26,471);20 nov 01-gear shift lever intermittenly won't shift(mo=33,853);30 may 02-gear shift lever intermittently won't shift(mo=33,853);5 jun 02-gear shift lever intermittenly won't shift(mo=33,933);19 jun 02-gear shift lever intermittenly won't shift(mo=34,443);20 jun 02-gear shift lever intermittenly won't shift(mo=34, 536);gear shift assy changed 4 times--company claims can't verify problem. have two witnesses with signatures from place of employment who have signed statements that they tried to get gear shift lever out of park without success. car goes out of bumper to bumper warranty in less than 1500 miles. power train warranty still in effect. informed company that refund is desired. filed with bbb here in ca as required. this problem presents a real danger to myself if can't get car out of park; can't trust car.*ak
06/20/2002
 Consumer was unable to shift out of park intermittently. vehicle been to the dealer on six occasions, and problem has continued. feel free to provide any further information.*ak
 After vehicle had been in an accident fuel system did shut down, causing transmission and other fuel to leak out. *ak
10/23/2000503/03/2000
 The gear shifter gets stuck, it is hard to release from park.*jb
01/07/2002
 Transmission failed for second time while driving. dealer notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak
11/11/2001110/07/1999
 Transmission failed while driving vehicle ,it would run roughly. when vehicle was driven a certain distance and tried to accelerate vehicle would not accelerate. contacted dealer and dealer stated warranty expired. *ak *jb
10/23/2000503/03/2000
 The gear shifter gets stuck, it is hard to release from park.*jb
105/01/2000
 I have had to have a power steering, rack and pinion, 4 sets of brakes going on 5. i have had to have my tires rotated more times than necessary. the brakes makes a grinding, rattling noise when i try to stop. when i press on the brakes it doesn't stop quickly. the gaskets around the door ifs falling off. the radio will shut off for no reason. the heater works when it's hot outside. the windshield was leaking. it has since been repaired. sometimes the car wont crank after sitting for a while it will crank. the engine light comes on. the glove box fell apart. i have computer problems and wiring problems. the gears are hard to put in reverse and then when it finally pops into gear it makes a loud popping sound. it slow to put in drive and then it will take off real fast almost making you run into something.*ak
02/16/2001211/01/2000
 Fuel guage faulty, has been replaced 4 times, brake rotors replaced less than 5000 miles. transmission slips
09/01/2000
 While driving 70 mph overdrive and engine check light came on. vehicle then dropped down to 20 mph. towed to dealer, and transmission was replaced. this happened again, and transmission was replaced again. consumer doubted that it was replaced the second time. she never received anything in writing. on 4 june, 2001 this problem happened again. after a few minutes, she was able to resume driving at normal speed. consumer believed transmission was defective. *ak
11/01/2000
 Consumer has had transmission replaced twice. contacted dealer. *ak
4
 Car has been towed for repair 8 times in less than 18 months. no safety defect listed. *ak
10/12/2000203/01/2000
 Transmission replaced twice, wiring to sensor of transmission repaired and grounding wiring to transmission upgraded, however, transmission still slips, it does not shift properly and hesitates when pulling off from a stop. cj
06/10/2000303/01/2000
 Transmission slips ( might happen at any time), and speedometer quit working. both have been replaced by the kia dealer, but both continue to experiance the same problems. dealer just says they can't find any cause. *ak
09/07/2000508/10/2000
 Brakes squeaking when applied. dealer notified, and rplaced both front brake rotors. *ak transmission failed twice within two months. the brake failure resulted in accident. check engine light came on several times but dealer checked and stated okay. *yh
02/01/2000
 No summary
04/01/2000
 Upon test driving a different kia sephia on the evening of our purchase,i noticed the rough shift of the vehicle.i was told by the sales person that it was a very new car and that it shifted hard because it had not been driven.i accepted that explaination and we proceeded to purchase a different kia sephia that evening. my wife drove the car to work and noticed that this vehicle shifted very hard also,especially when cold. we called the dealership and mentioned this to the salespreson greg,and he said that the service department would check it out later that week when they repaired a scratch we saw on the spoiler at the time of purchase. they said a 200 mile trip we were planning would help smooth everything out. it didn't. after another week we complained again and were told the car needed 10,000 miles on it before the transmission would smooth out. when we mentioned that seemed strange they then dropped the miliage estimate to between 3000-5000 miles. we feel the design of this car's transmission is faulty and uncomfortable to drive. we were basically told too bad...we don't think so. they even went as far as to tell us that all new vehicles shift very hard. in addition to the very hard shift, our gas miliage is well below the advertised fuel economy information. we were also told this will improve in 7000-10,000 miles. we are very unhappy with this car and would appreciate any help you can give us.*ak
 While traveling at 35 mph transmission failed without any indication. please provide further information. *ak
06/01/2000104/01/2000
 Had the car one moth had bad transmission,1 month later horn sounds off and on. *ak
05/06/2000304/01/2000
 I have reported this because of the fact that upon failure, due to the fact that the transmission shifts erratically, it caused a near miss at approx 30 miles per hour because the vehicle would move fast enough to get out of the way of an approaching semi-truck. *ak
03/15/2000
 Brakes overheated badly, and consumer was able to smell them. also, brake pedal went to the floor. even when pumping it hard, brake pedal still remained at the floor. in addition, transmission failure. when shifting gears, it caused vehicle to jerk violently. dealer notified, and was unable to resolve the problems. *ak
02/01/20000
 When coming out of first gear vehicle will stall. it may stall anytime of the day. *ak
11/23/1999
 Horn failure. dealer notified, and informed consumer that transmission needs to be replaced. they do not know how long before replacement transmission would arrive. asking nhtsa to look into this matter, and provide additional information. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
12/01/200010
 Shift lever will does not shift out of park. dealer has inspected vehicle. manufacturer has been notified.*ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
04/01/20051
 While making a right turn a loud knocking noise ca from the from the vehicle. driver took the vehicle to dealer, and mechanic determined that front passenger side axle needed to be replaced due to corrosion. *ak
09/23/2003328000108/05/2000
 When my boy friend went to change the front brake pads on my 2000 sephia he was told that kia didn't make pads for my car.we had to purchase new rotors because the old ones were so warped you could hardly drive the car.kia said there was a defect in the rotors and that replacement ones were avaiable(at my expense).this ocurred in spring of 2003 then in sept 2003 my cv axles went out.my boy friend is an automotive technicianb and he is continuning his education at austin peay state university. he took my car to his professor who is a.s.e. certified and he was told that the axles most likely went out due to the vibration of the rotors. we replaced the rotors but waited until the dealer told us that they were not covered by the warranty.thus the damage incurred because of the rotors was kia motor comapnies fault.we have paid over 1200.00 dollars on repairs in 2003 and this vechicle only has 42000 miles on it.can you please help us?*ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL
06/24/20001
 Consumer states there was a slight hesitation when the brakes were being applied during or following a period of rain, mechanic replaced transaxle seal.*jb
POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
2
 The consumer stated the clutch became stuck and had to be replaced twice, due to failure. in every instance of sticking or failure, the consumer narrowly avoided colliding with another vehicle. the clutch failed once on 09/2002. the dealer diagnosed styrofoam at the tip of clutch cable as the cause of the 2nd failure. *ak *scc *jb
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
10/01/200018000407/25/2000
 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
09/19/2002
 Automatic transmision failed. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. *mr
06/01/2002303/01/2000
 Master cylinder needs to be replaced due to leaking brake fluid. consumer is adding a pint of brake fluid daily. brake light illuminates on dashboard, when the brakes are applied, there is extended stopping distance.*ak. consumer stated the master cylinder has been replaced previously, this will be the 3rd master cylinder, the vehicle also vibrates and the dealer stated it was because the vehicle was out of alignment, however the vibration continued after the alignment, the transmission was replaced at 17,000 miles.*jb
1
 The transmission fell off of the chasis.*yh
02/15/2001311/10/2000
 When vehicle is in reverse it does not move, only after pressing the accelerator lightly it slams into gear throwing the vehicle backwards, vehicle gets stuck in first gear at 30 mph when the air condition is in, and does not exceed this unless the accelerator is pushed to the floor, at which point the vehicle shifts an extremly hard shift into second gear, the transmission has been replaced three times including the upper transmission case seal, however consumer is still experiencing problems.*jb
12/21/2000209/30/2000
 Intermittently, engine will rev up and cannot go over 20 mph. engine check light will come on. *ak the cause for check the engine light was found to be computere failure. also, transmission problem caused the vehicle to stall. *yh
10/07/20002
 Consumer felt a shake in the front of the vehicle, dealer balanced the tires, replaced the front tires, and lubed the front end, none of this remedied the problem, dealer finally found cause to be a faulty transmission, however now that the new transmission has been replaced it doesn't shift probably, it's hesitating, and it slams into gear. *slc
05/08/20001
 The transmission shifts hard when changing gears. nlm