Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||||
| 028 | 03/01/2005 | 10015260 | Advanced air bag occupant classification systems (ocs). *tt | 07/12/2005 | |
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||||
| 055 | 03/01/2006 | 055 | 10017975 | Airbag control unit (acu) logic reprogramming. kia is changing the acu logic to permit side curtain airbag deployment at all times. *tt | 12/12/2005 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 11/07/2012 | 140000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2004 kia spectra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. the contact also stated months later the seat belt springs from the driver and passenger side exploded. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000 and the current failure mileage 143,000. dr | |||
| 06/20/2011 | 60 | ||
| The warning light on the spectra 2005 4-doorer has been a problem from day 1. the light keeps going on and off. when i brought it back to the dealer on a number of occasions, the light went off so they were never able to determine the problem. now the light is permanently 'on' and i don't know if it is working or not. it is definitely a concern and it is a definitely a problem. in addition, the timing belt keeps loosening on a continual basis. i have repeatedly bought it to my mechanic to get it tightened. this should not be the case. the timing belt, once fixed, should remain in tact at least for a length of time (not a month!). that the warranty has expired, the light remains on. whatever, i have been very unhappy with the car. am disappointed. i realize the cost was a significant factor upon purchase, but my hyundai at the same cost break (actually lower) proved to be a significantly better car. i gave the hyundai to a friend of mine and it is keeps on ticking. it is still in service and runs better than the kia at over triple the mileage. in addition, the entire suspension replaced at 65,000 which is unusual as i do not drive the car hard and i avoid bumps. | |||
| 01/13/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia spectra. the contact stated that the seat track on the passenger side was located where the air bags were. she assumed that because the wires for the air bags were run close to the seat track, the air bags were disconnected when the seat was moved back and forth because the air bag light was illuminated. the contact called the local dealer who stated that the seat mechanism would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was approximately 140,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 110,000. | |||
| 01/13/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 kia spectra. the contact stated that the seat track on the passenger side was located where the air bags were located. she assumed that because the wires for the air bags were run close to the seat track, the air bags were disconnected when the seat was moved back and forth. the air bag light illuminated. the contact called the local dealer who stated that the seat mechanism would have to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current mileage was approximately 140,000. the failure mileage was approximately 110,000-bk | |||
| 06/06/2010 | 57800 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2004 kia spectra. the contact had recall campaign number 05v431000, which deals with the air bag performed in december 1995. that repair has failed and the contacts air bag light stays on and the passenger sensor does not work at all. the passenger side sensor that is supposed to go out when someone sits in the seat does not light up. the dealer stated that this has been a problem and could either mean the air bag will not deploy in an accident or that it can deploy at given time. the failure mileage on the vehicle was 57800 and the current mileage was 58000.rl | |||
| 11/25/2008 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Black ice on roads i ended up turned upside down in a six foot ditch. car has been totaled. no air bags deployed. upset that a crash like that the air bags would not deploy. what is the protocol for something like this? *tr | |||
| 02/09/2007 | 17485 | 1 | 08/06/2004 |
| 2004 and a half kia spectra had the recall of the air bag light done, #05v431000. the light still comes on intermittently still. the dealer said that the airbag will still work if someone is sitting in the seat. happens too much. is it really safe. *jb | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 8804 | 8 | 02/28/2005 |
| Problems began october 15, 2005 details of problems: 03/25/05 - a/c vents broken - dealer replaced nozzle assy - ctr ai 10/15/05 - check engine light is on - dealer states 'heater circuit malfunction' replaced 02 sensor assy and reset codes 10/28/05 - check engine light is on and battery went dead (i had it jumped by aaa)- dealer cannot find problem 10/28/05 - emblem cracked on steering wheel - dealer states 'flaw in material' replaced driver side srs bag 11/29/05 - check engine light is on - dealer states p0442 gas cap not sealing & p0455 canister not sealing - dealer replaces gas cap and canister, also orders new ecm 11/29/05 - dealer recalled: sc053 reprogram ocs seat control and sc055 spectra air bag -dealer replaces items for recall 01/03/06 - check engine light is on - dealer states 'logic error in ecm - dealer replaced ecm 01/11/06 -check engine light is on - dealer states 'poor ground at ecm' was instructed by tech line to replace spark plugs; dealer repaired ground and replaced spark plugs 01/23/06 - engine light is on - dealer states problem at ecm - kept car for repairs 02/13/06 - dealer states that spectra cannot be repaired at this time. they also state that another car with a similar problem has been sent back to korea so that they can find the problem. dealer's estimated time to repair my car 2 months from now (has been at dealer since 01/23/06 - 20 days) as stated by keith emmerman, kia palmdale service manager. mr. emmerman also stated that i am required, as the spectra owner, to come pick up my car un-repaired and drive it anyway. i have been told by the kia dealership in palmdale, that the problem the kia is having is in the computer. they do not know how to fix it and want me to drive it any way. the car has been in the shop several times for different problems and now 3 times for the ecm. now they want me to pick up the car and drive it even though the problem has not been fixed and they don't know how to fix it. *nm | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 15000 | 1 | 10/30/2005 |
| Dt: the contact's daughter was driving at 40 mph and she ran a stop sign. she hit another vehicle head on. upon impact, the air bags did not deploy. seat belts were in use. the vehicle was totaled. the manufacturer was contacted. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| Passenger side airbag sensors in 2004 spectra. *mr the air bag sensors in the front passenger seat did not always detect when adults were sitting there. *sc *jb | |||
| 09/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| The dealer never disclosed the existence of the air bag sensor system. *nm the air bad posed a possible safety risk to consumers that were petite and weighed 125 pounds or less. *jb | |||
| 07/31/2004 | 17000 | 1 | 01/02/2004 |
| We were involved in an accident our seat belts and airbags failed to work. we were both thrown into the windsheild . suffered injuries to back, head and neck. transported to hospital by ems. our vecicle 2004 kia septra 4 door was a total loss. *jb | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 08/08/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Frontal impact at about 40 mph. none of the airbags deployed. suffered strained neck. | |||
| 07/02/2008 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Front end collision, airbag did not deploy. 2004 kia spectra. it was hit by a truck at approx. 55 mph in the left front corner pushing everything into the motor area and the airbag did not deploy. *tr | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 50719 | 1 | |
| Kia air bags did not deploy during front crash impact of about 40 mph. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2005 | 18000 | 1 | 07/10/2005 |
| I had no indication that my seat belt or airbag were faulty. while driving at 40 mph i struck a car that turned left directly in front of me. my seat belt failed to lock and i was lifted out of the seat and hit my head, shoulder, and hip on the left side of my car. the airbag did not inflate. the insurance adjuster could not believe that the airbag didn't inflate considering the force of the impact. *jb | |||
| 06/13/2004 | 100 | 1 | 06/12/2004 |
| Dt: the consumer's attorney stated that during a frontal crash the airbags did not deploy. there was a front end collision into three cement culverts. there was a police report filed. the consumer's son was driving and he passed away. a lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer, but they did not have any information as to why the airbags did not deploy.*ak | |||
| 09/27/2004 | 1312 | 1 | 09/06/2004 |
| On an impact with another vehicle on the front end of this new car at approximately 40 miles and hour, the air bag on the drivers side failed to deploy.*ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 08/01/2006 | 35000 | 1 | 06/06/2004 |
| Warning light for airbag on the speedometer panel stays on. dealer and kia tech first replaced passenger seat cover and drivers side seat buckle because they were shorted out. this did not solve the problem. they then said the problem was because of some fluid spilled on computer under cup holders in the center council. (why would anyone put a liquid sensitive product under a cup holder?) they stated that pin 3 on the computer connector was shorted out. i then pointed out that pin 3 was a ground pin. kia has had massive failures with their early airbag systems and have refused to fix an item that was the bases for choosing their product. kia has since introduced a new airbag product that seems to work flawlessly. this new product should be offered at no expense to those of us that were provided a inferior and unsafe product. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2004 | 1 | 10/05/2004 | |
| Dt: 2004 kia spectra. the consumer states the passenger seat has a feature that has a light that comes on if the person in the seat is less than 90 pounds, stating the airbag is off. this light comes on when there is an adult in the seat. the vehicle has been taken to the dealership, the seat was sent to houston, and it was recalibrated. the seat was doing the same thing, and nothing could be done until the dealership talked to a kia representative. this problem occurred since the purchase of the vehicle.*ak *jb | |||
| 03/15/2005 | 1 | 08/02/2004 | |
| My complaint is not a traditional failure as you are accustomed to receiving on your website. my complaint is that kia has redesigned the airbag module in their newly designed spectra model, and do not appear to have any plans for retro-fitting the new design to same model spectras manufactured before jan 2005. the new design was an improvement to allow the spectra to raise its poor offset iihs frontal crash rating to something better. the new tests of the redesigned module upgraded offset frontal crash results to acceptable. smaller venting holes in the airbag are described as the primary change. it is stated that the test car was indeed a 2004.5 model retrofitted with the new airbag module. my complaint is that if kia could retrofit an 2004.5 model at to obtain a new test from iihs, they should be willing to offer that module upgrade free-of-charge to purchasers of the 2004.5 and 2005 models built before jan 2005. see the links below for more of the specific iihs details. === iihs test with old airbag design resulting in a poor rating http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5fratings/ce/html/0417.htm === iihs test with new airbag design resulting in a acceptable rating: http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5fratings/ce/html/0502.htm . *ak === | |||
| 07/03/2004 | 1 | 07/02/2004 | |
| 2004 kia spectra ex experienced air bag warning light problems. person in passenger seat system not recognizing them. *bf the consumer was informed that there was nothing the mechanic could do to remedy the problem. the air bag light did not consistently turn on when individuals were in the passenger seat. *sc | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| Front air bag light doesn't consistently turn on when an individual is in the passenger seat. *bf the consumer was told by the dealer that the air bag system activates at approximately 125 pounds. the consumer and passenger are both underweight to activate the system. *tc *jb | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 4 | ||
| While the passenger seat was occupied air bag sensor appeared on the dashboard. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that air bag sensor needed to be replaced. however, the mechanic was unable to locate the sensor. therefore, mechanic replaced the passenger's seat. the problem recurred. engineer informed consumer that the problem could not be duplicated. also, stated that if vehicle was involved in a frontal collision the air bags would deploy. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 03/20/2006 | 31000 | 1 | 08/16/2004 |
| 2004 kia spectra on 3/20/06 was impacted on passenger side within the area of front and rear doors. the impact forced the rear of my car to slid away from impact and come in contact with a pickup truck damaging my drivers side rear quarter and not one air bag in my car deployed and there are 8 air bags in this model car. *jb | |||