Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
| 08/11/2011 | 133000 | ||
| I recently have been in an acciedent where my airbags did not deploy. and i was a little concerned that they didnt so i did some research and there has been a recall on my airbag system. i was wondering why i was not contacted about this so i could take my car in for service. | |||
| 03/25/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia spectra. while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle was involved in a side impact crash in which only the frontal driver side air bag deployed. the contact also stated that the seat belt did remain secure during the crash. a police report was filed and two injuries were reported. the contact was transported to the hospital via ambulance to treat serious injuries and the driver of the second vehicle also suffered injuries. the vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent repair shop. the cause of the air bag and seat belt failure was not determined. the failure and current mileage was 130,000. | |||
| 03/25/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia spectra. while driving approximately 5 mph the vehicle was involved in a side impact crash in which only the air bag on the steering wheel deployed. the contact also stated the seat belt did not retain her in the seat. a police report was filed and two injuries were reported. the contact was taken to the hospital via ambulance to treat serious injuries and the driver of another vehicle also suffered injuries. the vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent repair shop. the failure was never diagnosed. the failure and current mileages were 130,000. sm. | |||
| 09/17/2010 | |||
| Airbags did not deploy durring frontend collision! my wifes head was slammed against the side window. hospital to be visited soon. (this was about an hour ago) | |||
| 05/13/2009 | 25000 | 1 | |
| Kia automobiles places the airbag wiring and circuits inside their seat cushions without proper insulation to safeguard against electrical shorts and/or fires. for a while now, kia owners like myself have experienced electrical shorts for the airbag(s), there is a manufacturer defect that improperly insulates the wiring and circuitry for the airbags that is stored within the seat cushion. even should a minor beverage spill occur on the cushion, or the occasional spill that happens to all drivers/passengers from time to time, kia tells us that we are responsible for causing the airbag failure by virtue of the spill. should we get injured in an accident....it's our own fault...not kia's. i say that kia.....not the consumer,,,is responsible for improperly insulating their wiring and circuits and placing those wires and circuits in the most illogical place without proper insulation. had kia taken the time, effort and expense to engineer a better vehicle, airbag functions would certainly not be suspect. i say...recall the kias to better insulate the airbag wiring that is inside the seat cushion...what do you think? should a soda or water spill on a seat cushion jeopardize lives? *tr | |||
| 03/02/2007 | 2358 | 4 | 04/03/2005 |
| Electrical problems, stalling, air bag light and even car shut off on the freeway. after only two weeks the car started with electrical problems; the right head lamp kept burning, the car was at the shop for two weeks for repair. on 5/24/06 the car was in the shop again for electric problems with the air bag light, there was already a recall on this problem and the repair was done to it. on 08/15/06 the car was taken in for multiple electrical and engine problems, the car had previously stopped in the middle of the freeway, had a stalling problem, the radio would scan back and forward for a station by it-self when the a/c or the traffic light came to use, also the battery went dead. the car was at the shop for two days and many repairs were performed, unfortunately this time the dealer did not provide a written repair description, (but i have a copy of the complaint invoice). now, 03/02/2007 and with 27700 miles the car started to produce all the above problems and i will take the car for a 4th repair on monday 03/05/2007. i already called kia's consumer service 800-333-4542 to request a lemon exchange or refund. *jb | |||
| 11/09/2006 | 25300 | 6 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vehicle hydroplaned and crashed into a wall four times smashing all four corners of the vehicle. all six air bags failed to deploy. there were no injuries to any occupants. | |||
| 03/11/2006 | 1 | 09/30/2005 | |
| We own a kia spectra 05 , we had trouble with the passenger air bag sensor light not going out when there was a passenger in the seat. we brought in the recall for this problem and it as reflashed. but the problem still continued. we were in an accident in march where our car was broadsided by an suv at the speed of at least 40 mph. my wife was stuck in the passenger seat of the car and the air bags did not deploy at all. the fire department had to extract her with the jaws of life and taken to the hospital by ambulance. the fire chief was very upset that the air bags did not deploy. we contacted kia national consumer affairs to look into why the air bags did not deploy. we sent pictures of the car and a police report. their response was very poor. it stated that from the evidence, we were hit behind the front wheel well and in front of the door handle.( the front of a suv is larger than the area they claim was damaged.) so the b pillar sensors were not activated. the garage that towed our vehicle clearly states that the b pillar was smashed. the insurance company totaled our car. damage was in excess of $10,000. my wife's hip was dislocated and she was bruised on the entire right side of her body. our concerns about the air bags have been denied twice by kia. they say that there is no proof that the sensor worked or did not work. *nm | |||
| 02/24/2006 | 10000 | 1 | 09/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph the contact rear ended another vehicle. the airbags did not deploy, the seat belt did not restrain the occupant. minor injuries were sustained. the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard were it was deemed totaled. the manufacturer has been alerted. | |||
| 09/07/2005 | 3000 | 0 | 07/11/2005 |
| I purchased a 2005 kia spectra ex on july 11, 2005 and have also been experiencing issues with my advanced passenger air bag system. as other posters have stated, the light has come on while driving when a person of proper stature is in the seat and stays off for varying amounts of time. i live in massachusetts thankfully we have the lemon law here that allows you some protection for defects of this nature. tomorrow my car goes in for the final repair attempt and if it is not fixed, it will be classified as lemon, allowing me a refund or replacement vehicle. my vehicle has been in for this problem 4 times and still does not work properly. the last time it was in, the system was re-programmed in accordance with a recall that was issued. this reprogramming did not fix the problem, there is obviously a larger issue at hand. if anyone else has gotten to this point, please contact me at sweetclr@yahoo.com. *nm | |||
| 03/15/2005 | 3400 | 6 | 10/11/2004 |
| I have advanced airbags in my car and a light passenger airbag off light on the dash that lets me know when the airbag is off. on numerous occassions the light has come on while driving down the highway with a passenger in the passenger seat. the light has on several occassions stayed on for up to 10 minutes. it has been doing it for several months now and i have taken the car to the dealership where i bought it several times and asked them to check it out but it still continues to do it. i'm worried that in the event of an accident that the airbags may not deploy if needed. | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 10/22/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2005 kia spectra. consumer states airbags did not deploy during an accident *tgw the consumers daughter was driving. also, the seat belt did not lock into place. *jb | |||
| 05/15/2009 | 63533 | 1 | |
| I own a 2005 kia spectra and was in a car accident where the airbags did not deploy. the is significant front end damage. my passenger and i were both wearing our seatbelts and only had minor injuries but i'm very surprised that the airbags did not deploy. i was driving south and a car in the northbound left turn lane turned in front of me and i hit her. the majority of the damage is on the passenger front side> the hood crumpled, the power steering pump and radiator are cracked, there is wheel and axle damage and the engine won't start. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2007 | 45 | 1 | 08/13/2005 |
| I was in a car accident on jan. 25, 2007 and my front end was damaged. the car was a total loss due to the accident. the airbags never deployed. i now have a slipped disk in my neck due to the accident. kia refused to tell me why it did not deploy. *tr | |||
| 10/23/2006 | 10500 | 1 | 12/05/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated intermittently, while the passenger was sitting in the passenger seat, the airbag light illuminated, alerting the driver the airbag was not working properly. the dealership replaced the seat and the wiring harness. the passenger weighed 177 lbs. | |||
| 06/23/2005 | 1700 | 1 | 05/27/2005 |
| Dt: consumer stated that there was a loss of steering control, and when she tried to steer the car to the right it continued to go to the left. approximately four hours prior to this there was a grinding noise with vibration in the steering wheel. the car went in to a guard rail on southbound 14 freeway in palmdale, ca. she notified the manufacturer. a recall was issued for this problem, but this vehicle was not included. only the passenger carriage of the vehicle remained. . when the car hit the guard rail, it was thrown to the other side of the freeway, then hit the other guard rail. upon impact, none of the airbags deployed. consumer sustained a concussion and bruises. there was also a police report.*ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 08/25/2009 | 82000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia spectra. the contact stated that the air bag sensor in the front passenger seat failed. as a consequence in a situation that warrants the air bag may fail to deploy, which increases the risk of serious injury. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and a technician concluded that the entire air bag cluster under the seat needed to be replaced. however, the repair is not specified in the warranty so he would liable to pay the expense. the failure mileage was 82,000. | |||
| 12/05/2005 | 314 | 3 | 11/19/2005 |
| Vehicle was driven 70 miles before passenger airbag system failed, 1400 miles before i determined the stalling problem was not operator error, and about 90 days before driving at highway speeds and finding a shake in the steering. the vehicle has been taken to the selling dealer 20 times with the airbag problem and steering shake un-repaired. sc0055 on the airbag issue, reprogramming the sensor(s) and replacing the seat bottom has not eliminated the problem or failures. 7 new tires have been installed and balanced, to include road-force balancing 3 times without correcting the shake in the steering. vehicle has been test driven hundreds of miles at the dealers request. *jb | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 21000 | 3 | 07/21/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the passenger airbag warning light intermittently illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer three times but the service dealer was unable to duplicate the issue. | |||
| 11/13/2006 | 28165 | 1 | 09/21/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the air bag sensor light illuminated intermittently, even when a passenger was in the passenger seat. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was also notified. updated 1/10/2007 - *nm | |||
| 05/26/2006 | 8500 | 2 | 06/24/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the air bag sensor in the passenger seat works intermittently. when the seat is occupied the air bag indicator light illuminates indicating the air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash. the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on numerous occasions for inspection. the dealer determined the failure was due to the way the passenger was sitting in the seat and offered no repairs. updated 06/30/06. *jb | |||
| 02/28/2006 | 6 | 09/27/2005 | |
| Passenger airbag off light continues to come on at various times while driving with an adult passenger in the seat. i have had it in the shop four times in the 5 months that i have owned it. they have checked connections etc. and said they could not get it to duplicate the problem. i met with the kia rep last week and he said he had never heard of this problem in a spectra. they are replacing the seat bottom now to see if this helps. they implied that the problem was probably because the passenger was large and their weight was resting on the outer edge of the seat and not placing enough weight on the gel pad in the center of the seat. *nm | |||
| 11/10/2005 | 1 | 04/21/2005 | |
| We are having problems with passenger side air bag light coming on at any given time . even after the air bag recalls were performed on it. regardless of weight. it will come on and stay on. we have complained and said there can be nothing done unless you bring it in while passenger is sitting in sit an air bag light is on. *nm | |||
| 09/20/2005 | 600 | 1 | |
| Dt: the contact stated the air bag light on the dashboard red turned off regardless of the weight of the passenger sitting in the seat. the vehicle has been taken back to the dealership three times. when at the dealer the air bag light red correctly, therefore no repairs have been made. *ak | |||
| 09/02/2005 | 6 | 09/02/2005 | |
| Dt: the contact states the passenger side air bag has a seat sensor and it should turn the air bag on when there is a passenger in the seat. the passenger is an adult male. the vehicle has been to a dealership, they could not duplicate the problem. therefore, there have been no corrections made to the vehicle. *nm updated 11/29/2005 - the failure occurs each time the male passenger sat in the seat. *nm | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 100 | 2 | 07/01/2005 |
| I have a 2005 kia spectra, the front passenger seat has a feature that measures the weight of the passenger and turns on or off the front passenger air bag. twice now with a full sized adult sitting correctly in the seat the air bag would turn off for no reason. both times it happened while we were traveling down the highway or in city traffic...the air bag remained off for around 5-10 min when it just would turn back on. there was no cause that we could see for it to just turn off and on. during that time, if we would have crashed the air bag would not have deployed. nothing has been done to correct the problem. no recalls have been issued. *jb | |||
| 10/12/2005 | 200 | 2 | 09/20/2005 |
| I bought a new 2005 kia spectra 5 (less than a month ago) with airbag sensors in the front passenger seat. on several occasions the passenger airbag disabled light has come on and stayed on with an adult sitting in the front seat. i have taken it back to the dealer twice for repairs. the first time, they said there was nothing wrong (and that the person may not have been sitting properly in the front seat). the second time, after stating that i was not leaving until something was done, the seat was removed and sent out for repairs. when i got the car back three days later, nothing had been fixed. while my car was in the shop, i was given a kia spectra as a rental car. the rental car exhibited the exact same issues. *jb | |||
| 08/22/2005 | 0 | 06/26/2005 | |
| Car has sensor in passenger seat to disable passenger air bag. air bag disable light comes on even when adult sitting in seat. seat cushion and sensor was replaced by dealor but the problem still exists. contacted kia directly and was told they are aware of the problem but have no fix. this is a very serious problem and could result in serious injury or death in the event of a frontal accident and tbhe passenger air bag does not deploy. from my research i find this is a common problem and not unique to my vehicle. i think a recall should be considered. | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 02/15/2008 | 48000 | 1 | 10/04/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia spectra. while driving 35 mph, the contact's vehicle was struck on the rear driver side door. the side air bags failed to deploy and his seat belt did not tighten on impact. the contact was injured and a police report was filed. the manufacturer stated that from the angle the vehicle was struck, the air bags would not have deployed; however, the dealer stated that they should have deployed. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 48,000. | |||
| 03/11/2006 | 1 | 09/30/2005 | |
| We were broadsided on the passenger side of the car, the other vehicle was traveling in excess of 30 mph. the side curtain air bags did not deploy. we contacted kia and they determined that the damage was not enough to deploy the air bags. my wife had to be extracted by the jaws of life. we had problems with the sensor light no going off when a passenger was in the front seat. we had it brought in and they did the recall. but they say there is no proof that they did or did not work properly. kia covers themselves by stating that not all accidents will deploy the air bags. *nm | |||