This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My indicator on my dash board for an airbag problem came on, upon taking it to a maintenance shop they found out that it was due to a sensor going bad in the passenger seat. After they called multiple places, including the local Kia dealership regarding this problem, they informed me that this is a recurrent issue in my Kia model, so much to the point that a seat may only be attained from the manufacturer with a prolong waiting time because of the high demand for the replacement of them due to this problem. After researching online, many different sources have confirmed this to be true, why is this not a recall? the passenger seat airbag sensor module clearly has a fault, rendering it to have a short life span, this is a safety hazard. If it had gone bad while I was driving with someone in the passenger seat, and happened to encounter an accident, the passenger airbag would not have deployed. Not to mention that the seat module itself is by no means an inexpensive part, consumers should not be expected to pay for a problem that was guaranteed to go bad after a short time, if that was the case it should be stated upon the purchase of the car from the dealership.
As I was driving my 2007 Kia Spectra out of nowhere all my emergency lights came on and my car locked up and turned off while I was exiting the freeway. The steering wheel locked up and I could not turn it to get my car off the road. I then had to put my car in park turn the ignition off then restart it. This has happened more than 3 different times. Also as I am driving, my car starts to slow down like it starves for gas and I have to step on the gas and push the pedal down all the way before it will eventually pick up and go.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag light illuminated continuously. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the diagnostic test results were unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. Update (July 9, 2015): It doesn't matter whether there is a passenger in the seat or not, the light stays illuminated. Whether the passenger is 80lbs or 200lbs it doesn't go off. The problem has been noted by several repair shops but has not been repaired. The light has been on since about 2 months after I bought the car so that is where I got the October 1, 2010 date. SC the consumer stated it did not matter whether a passenger was in the seat or not. The air bag light was constantly on. Updated 07/30/15
Started car driver side air illuminated and stayed an still on and doesn't go off. And back driver side seat belt is lock and wont come out so no one can ride on that side of car because seat belt does not work.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. When the vehicle was started, the front passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,063.
- Plymouth, MA, USA
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On my way to work I took the same route that I always take. I was going about 25mph and all of a sudden all of the lights came on ( check oil, battery, emergency brake, tire pressure, airbag, and check engine) the steering wheel completely locked up causing my car to swerve right into a community mail box. My windshield is broken, the front passenger side is off and the two passenger side tires are both flat. When I got my car in March of this year three days after I got it it had started doing this I took it back and it was in the shop for more than 3 months. When they had told me this problem was fixed I trusted that they were right but unfortunately it led me to this... the dealership has not returned my phone call and my insurance does not cover for a rental car. I have 2 children and my job does not pay me enough to just pay and get a new car or pay and have this car fixed. I am very unhappy with the responses about this car. Why would these cars be sold to people.
Front passenger seat failed to register an adult in seat and "passenger air bag off" light remained illuminated. Two days later the air bag warning light illuminated and "passenger air bag off" would not stay on when seat was empty. Kia dealership determined it was a failed occupant sensor mat. Approximate cost of repair is $1500.
The air bag warning light illuminated while an adult passenger was in the front seat. During a visit to our local Kia dealership we were told the airbag sensor mat in the passenger seat was defective and the seat (where the module was located) needed to be replaced. Cost $1008 for the part, and $222 for labor. Since the 60,000 mile warranty had expired, there was no warranty coverage. When we contacted the Kia motor corporation to ask for financial assistance with this repair, we were told there was nothing they could do. An air bag sensor should not be considered a wear-and tear item. It is absurd that Kia would require the consumer to cover the cost of replacing a defectively designed safety component. There should be a recall for this component and replacement at no cost for those owners whose air bag sensors are found to be defective.
I have always had a problem with the passenger side airbag light, no matter the weight of the person it sometimes says its off. Have taken it to dealer and they have no solution, they cannot even diagnose it because there is no error code stored. This is supposed to be a safe car and it scares me to even drive with a passenger. Need to have a recall.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning indicator illuminated, which indicated that the air bag was deactivated. The indicator had been illuminated since the vehicle was bought brand new. The dealer could not duplicate the failure. When the vehicle was taken in for inspection, the mechanic discovered that the driver side cluster indicator on the air bag was constantly illuminated. The vehicle failed the inspection. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 10.
Reporting 3 issues: ***fuel system: In July 2009, one month after I purchased my used 2007 Kia Spectra (46K miles), the vehicle stalled at idle/low RPM while in traffic on an interstate highway. Once restarted, it continued to stall at every idle until a significant amount of fuel was consumed. Almost 5 years later, the problem is ongoing. Stalling occurs if the fuel tank is filled (to the point of automatic pump shut-off). The tank has never been "topped off". in August 2011, the stalling was so frequent and hazardous due to traffic conditions that the driver had to press the gas pedal down while braking in order to raise RPM and reduce stalling. The owner has had some success in avoiding the issue by fueling to no more than 80% of tank capacity. The repeated intermittent stalling poses an enormous safety issue, especially on congested roadways. ** bags: On numerous occasions, the passenger air bag indicator light has illuminated (indicating the air bag is turned off) while an adult was seated. ***gear shift and ignition key: Beginning in May 2012, and in numerous instances following, the vehicle would not shift into park. Mechanic discovered a broken safety lock in the shifting mechanism. This problem was not fixed, but overridden by accessing the plastic lever underneath the console and pulling with the left hand while shifting. The ignition key gets stuck frequently (4 out 5 uses) even when the vehicle is in park.
The passenger air bag light on the dash is on. Took to mechanic and they said sensors in seat are bad and would cost $1400 for new seat. I feel this should be covered under warranty as this should not go bad car only has a 85000 miles on it. This means that the passenger airbag wont work in case of accident.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, she drove over a road bump that caused her to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree. All of the air bags failed to deploy. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 80,000.
I was traveling on the highway and fell asleep behind the wheel. I was told that during the time of me falling asleep I was traveling around 90 miles and hour. I suddenly woke up to a sign saying to get over to the next lane due to a sweeper truck cleaning the highway. I remember slowing down all of a sudden and hearing my tires making a loud noise. According to the police report I hit the drivers side fender and my car began spinning around to only be cut of my car with the jaws of life, then being life flighted to the nearest hospital. None of my airbags deployed in the vehicle. My steering wheel ended up sitting on my armrest and my dashboard ended shifting forward towards me with the left side of my dashboard completely falling on my leg. I wanted to share my info with someone so Kia can check into these faulty issues.
I hit water on the highway causing my car to leave the road. I slid into several trees and completely caved in the driver side door and back fender. Not one air bag deployed at time of impact or after (it has front and side air bags). Luckily I was strapped in with the seat belt and held on for dear life to the steering wheel. Or I would have possibly gotten thrown through the front or side widows. I suffered a torn bicep tendon, whip lash, back pain and trauma to my legs. I will never trust buying a Kia again.
We bought this car brand new. From day one the front air bag will turn off when I sit in the passenger seat. I am well above the weight minimum at around 140 lbs. And am 5'2". the only way that I can keep the airbag on is to roll up a towel and put that in center of seat when I sit. This is very uncomfortable though. I complained and complained to the dealer. I even offered to have them see how I was sitting as they kept saying it was something that I was doing. But never would fix it. I don't want this to happen when a passenger is in the seat if we were to have an accident. Bought the car for the safety features and this one doesn't even work. Kia should be made to fix this!
Passenger airbag indicator failed to turn on when adult passenger sat in seat. Airbag light appeared and was brought to dealership. Was informed issue was a defective OCS mat on passenger side.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lynchburg, VA, USA