There are 5 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2008 Kia Spectrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THIS HAD BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE ABOUT 24,000 MILES, BUT DEALER JUST SAID TO ADD POWER BOOSTER OR SOMETHING...BY THE TIME OF THIS FIRST DOCUMENTED DEALER CHECK OUT, IT HAD GOTTEN MUCH WORSE... IT HAS BEEN IN SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL, AND OTHER THAN SPENDING MONEY ON VARIOUS SOLUTIONS (THAT DID NOT WORK) IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN MUCH WORSE. FINALLY I WAS TOLD BY DEALER TO NOT OVERFILL OR TOP OFF THE TANK WHEN FILLING WITH FUEL. SOMETHING THAT I DO NOT DO!!! THE VEHICLE HAS NOW REACHED THE POINT AFTER FILLING WITH FUEL, I HAVE TO USE ABOUT 1/4 OF A TANK BEFORE IT WILL RUN SOMEWHAT NORMALLY (UP TO 100 MILES). IT DIES AT STOPS, WILL SUDDENLY CUT OUT GOING DOWN THE ROAD, AND WHEN GOING SLOWLY AROUND CURVES, WILL DIE. THIS IS VERY HAZARDOUS, AS THE POWER STEERING QUITS AT THE SAME MOMENT, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. I HAVE JUST GOTTEN OFF THE PHONE WITH KIA USA, AND THE YOUNG LADY INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS A NEW ONE TO HER. THAT MAY BE, BUT THE INTERNET IS LOADED WITH INCIDENTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM, AS IS YOUR SITE. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE JUST THE 2008 MODELS EITHER. I BELIEVE THAT NHTSA SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE LOOK INTO THIS, BEFORE IT RESULTS IN SOME FATALITIES, IF IT HAS NOT HAPPENED ALREADY. *TR
ABOUT 2YRS AFTER WE HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE CAR WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE DRIVE WAY, AS WE PULLED OUT IT STARTED TO STALL AND DIED. WELL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, AFTER FUELING UP THE TANK, WE WERE AT A BUSY INTERSECTION, UPON ACCELERATING TO GO THE CAR STALLED AND DIED(ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED). WELL IT STALLED AND DIED 3 MORE TIMES BEFORE MAKING IT HOME. TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO KIA DEALERSHIP THE VERY NEXT DAY, TOLD WHAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT THEY WANT TO CHARGE $110 TO MAKE SURE. WELL, THEY LOOKED OVER THE VEHICLE AND SAID THE WHOLE FUEL SYSTEM(FUEL TANK INCLUDED), NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, TOTAL PRICE $950.00.!! I'D JUST PAID THE $110 AND LEFT. WENT HOME AND FILE A COMPLAINT WITH KIA MOTOR. DID SOME MORE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE FOR KIA BUT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED ?? *TR
KIA VEHICLES,FUEL SYSTEM FAILURE, MFG BLAMES GOVERNMENT FOR THIS, IT IS DUE TO TANK OVER FILL, WHEN FUEL IS UP INTO FILL NECK IT PUTS TO MUCH FUEL IN TANK AND INTURN FLOODING SOME FUEL CANISTER OF THE SYSTEM AND THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO DIE, A SEVERE DESIGN FLAW, I HAVE HAD THREE STALL OUTS, THE THIRD ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT I WAS PULLING INTO HEAVY FLOW OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR UP AND DIED, MFG SAYS NOTHING CAN BE DONE TO CORRECT FROM A MECHANICAL STAND POINT CAUSE IT MEETS GOV-SPECS, CUSTOMER MUST NOT ALLOW THE TANK TO BE OVER FILLED. *TR
1. THE CHECK LIGHT ON KIA SPECTRA 2008 REMAINED ON STARTUP. 2. TOOK THE CAR TO DON BEYER KIA IN FALLS CHURCH, VA. THEY ORDERED A PART 31435-1EA00 SENSOR - FUEL AND INSTALLED IT. 3. NOW CANNOT PUT FUEL IN GAS TANK. *TR
THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON 12/29/08. THE CAR WOULD NOT START WHEN MY WIFE TRIED TO BACK IT OUT OF THE GARAGE. THE MECHANICS EVENTUALLY DETERMINED THAT WE MUST HAVE OVERFILLED THE GAS TANK. TODAY -- 9/4/12 -- IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I FORGOT ABOUT THE PROBLEM WE HAD IN 08 AND MISTAKENLY FILLED UP THE GAS TANK. FOR THE LAST 30 MILES I'VE DRIVEN IT, IT HAS STALLED OUT AT LEAST SIX TIMES AND FREQUENTLY SHUDDERED. I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT WON'T START TOMORROW MORNING. *TR
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 26, 2026