There are 4 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2002 Kia Spectrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
A FRONT TIE ROD BROKE, SOMETHING IN THE STEERING COLUMN BROKE, AND THE AIR BAG INDICATOR LIT UP BUT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE TWO FRONT TIRES WERE NOT POINTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. I HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC, AND THEY SAID THAT THE STEERING COLUMN ISSUE LIKELY CAUSED A DISCONNECT IN A CIRCUIT, WHICH CAN PREVENT ALL AIR BAGS FROM DEPLOYING.
POWER STEERING BELT FAILED AT 15,000 MILES. DEALER REPLACED THE PART. HOWEVER, CONSUME R NOTICED THAT THE PART NUMBER WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL. CONSUMER WAS WILLING TO SEND FAILURE PART. *AK
EVER SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR--2002 KIA SPECTRA, THERE HAS BEEN PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING AND SUSPENSION IN THE FRONT. IT BASICALLY SITS ON THE GROUND, THE STEERING "SLIPS" FROM TIME TO TIME WITHOUT WARNING AND IT JUST DOES NOT FEEL RIGHT. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT THIS IS THE WAY THE STEERING IS SET UP, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY AND THE DEALER WILL NOT CHANGE IT UNTIL IT IS RECALLED BY THE GOVERNMENT. COULD YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE? THANKS.
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
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