There are 7 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2002 Kia Spectrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
ELECTRICAL-MY KIA DOESN'T LIKE TO CRANK UP ON THE FIRST TIME, STALLS IN TRAFFIC OR WITH A/C ON I TOOK TO A AUTO SHOP AFTER BREAKING DOWN AT A LIGHT IN JACKSONVILLE FL THEY SAID IT WAS THE WIRES AND CHARGED ME $468.00 STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER SHOP IN GA AND THEY SPENT 8 HOURS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY IT STALLS AT AN IDLE. NO ONE CAN FIX IT. I THINK THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN THE CITY AND I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR LONG DISTANCE. *JB
THE VEHICLE DROPS SERIOUS POWER WHEN THE AC AND RADIO ARE ON. IF I TRY ROLLING WINDOWS DOWN WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT WITH THE AC AND RADIO ON, LOSE MORE POWER.*AK
2 PROBLEMS. 1ST THE STEERING WHEEL DOESNT LOCK WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUT OF, YOU CAN TURN THE WHEEL FREELY AND THE TIRES MOVE. ALSO SOMETIMES NOT ALL ACCESORIES WORK WHEN CAR IS RUNNING, HAVE TO MOVE THE KEY AROUND. ACCESORIES AFFECTED ARE THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER, STEREO AND CLOCK FLITTERS. THE SECOND IS THE RUBBER WINDOW STRIPPING KEEPS FALLING OFF, CAUSES DOOR TO NOT SHUT PROPERLY AND IS VERY ANNOYING.*AK
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
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.
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
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026