2002 Kia Spectra Complaint Log

THE VEHICLE WAS HIT IN THE FRONT RIGHT CORNER BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING 10-15 MPH. THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS IMPACTED BUT THE FRONT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DRIVER RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE BACK AND NECK. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *NLM

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 45 MPH WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH A TRUCK. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED,AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE SHUTDOWN FORCING CONSUMER TO PULL OUT OF THE ROAD. DEALER REPLACED TWICE THE BATTERY,BUT PROBLEM STILL RECURRING. *AK

TRANSMISSION: CAR WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD, ONLY REVERSE. THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME IT HAS BEEN IN FOR THIS COMPLAINT.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED IN FRONT OF THE CONSUMER AND CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE HEAD ON. NONE OF THE VEHICLES AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. *NLM PH

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION.*JB

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, VEHICLE WAS T-BONE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE FENDER, AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. THIS RESULTED IN DRIVER BEING INJURED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS

WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH ON THE HIGHWAY HIT A CURB. AND LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND THEN HIT A TELEPHONE POLE. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. TS....*AK

WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN THE VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AT 17MPH. UPON IMPACT AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PH *JG

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY FUEL TANK SENOR, AND PART WAS REPLACED. PROBLEM RECURRED. *TT

KEY WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION LEAVES BATTERY ON. DEALER FIXED THE TUMBLER TWICE, NOW WILL NOT FIX ANYMORE SAYING THERE IS NO PROBLEM. TOLD ME IF IT SHOULD DO THIS AGAIN TO CALL ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEY WILL TOW IT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FROM DEC 02 ONLY 9 MONTHS AFTER BUYING THE CAR. THE PROBLEM IS STILL NOT FIXED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM THE REAR AND THE FRONT AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. THIS RESULTED IN DRIVER BEING INJURIED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS

HIT GUARD RAIL HEAD ON AT 50 MPH AND AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DT

HAD KIA SINCE 11-2002, HAD TO TAKE BACK TO THE DEALER OVER 10 TIMES WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH. HAD BRAKE PROBLEMS, ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND STICK SHIFT WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR EASILY. DASH BOARD HAS STARTED WARPING BECAUSE IT IS NOT GLUED TOGETHER. THE STEERING COLUMN ALSO COMES APART. DEALER SAYS IT IS SUPPOSE TO DO THAT. HAD TAKEN IT TO MECHANIC WHO INFORMS ME THAT EVENTUALLY MY DASHBOARD WILL WARP ALL THE TO THE AIRBAGS. NOW I AM AFRAID THAT AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE BACK BRAKES BECAUSE THEY WERE LEAKING, AND I WAS NEVER INFORMED AND HAD TO PAY TO HAVE MY BRAKES FIXED MYSELF. I HAVE TALKED TO THE HOME OFFICE OF KIA AND EVERYBODY REFUSES TO HELP ME. PLEASE GIVE ME ANY FEED BACK TO HELP ME. *NM

CAR WILL NOT START WITH FIRST TURN OF THE IGNITION, NEED TO CRANK AND STEP ON GAS ABOUT 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE CAR WILL START. TOOK INTO DEALER SERVICE DEPT AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SERVICE DEPT TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO JUST WAIT UNTIL IT DOESN'T START AT ALL.

WE HAD THE CAR ONLY 7 WEEKS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION DIED. IT HAPPENED VERY SUDDENLY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN ABOUT 30 MILES LATER IT WOULD BARELY DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP. DT

CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE HEAD LIGHTS KEEP BLOWING OUT ON BOTH SIDES OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE HEAD LIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACE FOUR TIMES. DEALER NOTIFIED. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE DRIVER SIDE WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND GO INTO A DITCH. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON VEHICLE IMPACT WHICH RESULTED IN INJURIES TO OCCUPANTS. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS.TS

WHILE DRIVING VEHCILE WAS IN HIT ON THE DRIVER SIDE, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND WENT INTO A DITCH. THE DRIVER NOR THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTED UPON IMPACT CAUSING INJURIES TO BOTH OCCUPANTS. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS

I RENTED A 2002 KIA SPECTRA IN COLORADO AND EXPERIENCED 3 "SKIDS" WHEN IT WAS RAINING, EVEN THOUGH I WAS GOING ONLY 30-50 MPH. MR

WHEN DRIVING ON FLAT SURFACE CONSUMER WAS HIT ON FRONT LEFT DRIVER SIDE OF VEHICLE AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK CONSUMER STATES DURING THE ACCIDENT THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT AND THE BACK SEAT UNLOCKED AND CAME DOWN. *YH

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, BUT WAS NOT FLASHING. FELT LIKE GEARS WERE SLIPPING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY STATED IT WAS TRANSMISSION FAILURE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

CAR WAS 4 WEEKS OLD WHEN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME - CALLED DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO GAS TANK CAP. MADE APPT W/DEALER - NEXT DAY ENGINE LIGHT OFF - FOLLOWING WEEK 6/18/02 ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN IT WENT OFF BEFORE DEALER APPT. ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF AND ON RANDOMLY. FINALLY ENGINE LIGHT REMAINS ON AT ALL TIMES. ON JULY 10 TAKE TO DEALER KEEP CAR OVER NIGHT REPLACED TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. NEXT DAY JULY 11 HAVING TRAVELED 125 MILES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON - AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS GEARS DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY AT TIMES UNABLE TO ACCLERATE PAST 50 MPH - ENGINE REVVED LOCKED IN WRONG GEARS FOR SPEED TRAVELED - HAD TO PULL OVER TO SHOULDER SEVERAL TIMES TO TRY AND GET GEARS WORKING RIGHT. WITH EXCEPTION OF A FEW HOURS ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON . SO FAR DEALER FINDS NOTHING WRONG AS ENGINE LIGHT WANT OFF MERE MINUTES BEFORE MY SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT. ALSO TRUNK RELEASE ON HATCHBACK ONLY WORKS 1/3 OF THE TIME THE REST OF THE TIME IT OPENS HALF WAY AND YOU MUST USE KEY

POWER IS DOWN IF RADIO AND AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY RESTART IF STALLED. DEALER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ENGINE MAY POSSIBLY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR VEHICLE. *AKWHEN ON AN INCLINE, THE VEHICLE WILL ROLL FORWARD EVEN THOUGH THE CLUTCH AND THE GAS HAD BEEN ENGAGED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT ILLUMINATE TO GIVE WARNING OF A FAILURE. *JG

WHILE DRIVING IN THE SUN WINDSHIELD HAS LITTLE SPECS THAT CAUSE SLIGHT VISIBLITY.*AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKED EASILY. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND SERVICE MANAGER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM. NOTICED OTHER COMMENTS OF WINDSHEILD CRACKING ON EDMUNDS.COM WEB SITE. APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR FLAW IN THE WINDSHIELD, AND MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FUTURE CAR ACCIDENTS. MANUFACTURER SHOULD CONTACT KIA OWNERS AND RECALL WINDSHEILDS DUE TO FAULTY GLASS.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 KIA SPECTRA. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN APRIL 2002. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE AFTER THE BRAKE WAS ENGAGED. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BRAKES ARE FINE AND TO PULL A LITTLE HARDER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

I REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 30-40 MPH, FRONT END DAMAGE RESULTING IN OVER $6400, INCLUDING UNIBODY ALIGNMENT. UPON IMPACT DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BRAKES LOCKED UP AND DID NOT RELEASE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE AND WOULD LIKE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER.*AK

PASSENGER FRONT DOOR LATCH DEFECTIVE. *AK

I HAVE OWNED MY 2002 SPECTRA SINCE NOV. 2001. WHEN I GO TO START THE CAR UP IN THE MORNINGS THE CAR WILL STALL OUT AND THEN WHEN I GO TO RE-START THE CAR IT WILL FINALLY START THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SHOP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE PROBLEM BUT TO NO AVAIL THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED. THEY HAVE STATED TO ME THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MY CAR IN THE SHOP OVER 7 TIMES FOR NUMEROUS PROBLEMS; THE STRUTS HAD TO BE REPLACED, THE RECALL ON THE GAS LINE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON AND ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS HAD BLOWN OUT OF IT.*AK

CONSUMER 2002 KIA SPECTRA AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UPON FRONTAL COLLISION. *TS *JB

SEATBELTS NOT LONG ENOUGH ! STANDARD SIZE PERSON JUST DOES FIT. PERSON 6FT A LITTLE HEAVY CAN'T BUCKLE THE BELT. ASKED DEALER TO SEE IF WE COULD GET EXTENSIONS FOR THE BELTS OR NEW LONGER BELTS PUT IN. WE KEEP GETTING TOLD NO. WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE NEW BELTS MADE WITH HARDWARE FOR THIS MODEL CAR ONLY LONGER. WAS TOLD THAT THIS CAR WAS NOT TESTED FOR LONGER BELTS. WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LENGTH WOULD MAKE? BELTS MOUNT UNDER REAR SHELF WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF ROOM TO INSTALL. WE ARE EVEN OFFERING TO PAY FOR BELTS. BUT WE FEEL THAT THE LENGTH OF THE BELTS NEED TO BE LOOKED INTO. THANK YOU!*AK

ON TWO OCCASSIONS, THE VEHICLE HAS DROPPED OUT OF GEAR WHILE BEING DRIVEN HIGHWAY SPEEDS. OWNER PULLED OVER AND GEARS FAILED TO RESPOND AS THE SHIFT LEVER WAS MOVED FROM DIFFERENT POSITIONS EXCEPT FIRST GEAR. DEALERSHIP IS GOING TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR THE SECOND TIME. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.

MY DRIVER'S WINDOW AND PASSENGER'S RIGHT FRONT WINDOW HAS A AIR LEAK AND WATER WILL COME IN, AND ENGINE RUNS VERY ROUGH. *AK

FAILURE TO START ON INITIAL STARTUP OF THE DAY, ENGINE STALLS AND GOES DEAD. THIS IS EVERYDAY, KIA DOESN'T KNOW WHAT PROBLEM IS AND HAS NOT CONTACTED ME TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. PROBLEM STARTED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE AND HAS GRADUALLY WORSENED, KIA HAD IN SHOP OVER APPROX 1 MONTH TO FIX PROBLEM AND COULD NOT. WE DO NOT KNOW IF THIS COULD CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS IN A RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC SITUATION. THIS WAS NOT A PREVIOUSLY OWNED CAR AND KIA CAN NOT OR WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A 35-40 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION HITTING A TREE IN WHICH DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

CONSUMER STATES OF HAVING PROBLEMS WITH HER WINDOWS. TS

WHEN STOPPING VEHICLE , IT WILL SURGE FORWARD. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. PH

THE VEHICLE RAN ROUGH, IDLED ROUGH AT STOP LIGHTS, AND HAD A HARD START IN THE MORNING. IN A FEW WEEKS OF PURCHASE, TWO SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THE ROUGH RUNNING WAS NORMAL. SCC *JB

THE RUBBERS SEAL AROUND THE DOORS FRAME CAME OFF TRACK. THIS RESULTED IN THE DOOR NOT BEING CLOSED PROPERLY. *TT

THE WINDSHIELD GLASS CRACKED VERY EASILY WHEN IMPACTED BY THE LIGHTEST OBJECT PER CONSUMER. *TT

WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH VEHICLE EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE WHEN BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. ENGINE THEN DIED, WHICH STOPPED THE VEHICLE, BUT RESULTED IN LOSS OF POWER STEERING.*AK