10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,733 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2009 Kia Spectra electrical problems

electrical problem

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2009 Kia Spectra Owner Comments

problem #9

Oct 012018

Spectra

  • 95,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall, had new tires put on and now I have a light on on my dash all the time, I guess the tire place threw away or kept special valve stems, how do I turn off light. The front seat, seat cushion came loose from the seat frame while I was driving down a canyon road, now I can lift the seat cushion and see the frame and floor below and dint know if cushion will come compleatly off next time I drive down the canyon road

- Lake Isabella, CA, USA

problem #8

Dec 262016

Spectra 4-cyl

  • 124,500 miles
I installed a new battery in my vehicle recently, after removing the old battery I tried to get the new battery out of the car, which was in the back seat of the car. The doors happened to be locked but the drivers door window was down. With the battery out none of the doors would open, I reached in through the window to open the door from the inside and the door would not open and the windows would not roll down either. A person could easily become trapped in the car if it was involved in a front end collision and the battery's electrical connections were damaged, there would be no way out of the vehicle. I thought I should report this!

- Ephrata, PA, USA

problem #7

Apr 012016

Spectra

  • 89,000 miles
This car is trying to kill me. I turn on my car, feet aren't on the pedals, my rpms rev and sputter up to 4,000+ without me doing anything. Sometimes it will launch me a bit when I'm trying to back out of a parking spot. Sometimes I'll be at a stop sign or a red light, completely stopped, foot on the brake, hard. Cross-traffic flowing. Suddenly my engine revvs and my car lunges forward. Wtf Kia" I've taken it to Kia once and they told me its a transmission problem that's going to cost more than the car is even worth and more money than I have to spend. So now what? I'm going to pay for a life endangering mechanical problem that likely costs dollars and minutes to fix because the mechanic thinks its a transmission problem" hopefully something is resolved before this car wrecks itself.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #6

Dec 182015

Spectra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The back seal belts stop working. They will not come out no matter what I try. They have been doing this since I got the cat in 2012. But now they won't come out at all. Also the blower for the A/C or heat stopped working. I had to slam my hood for it to come on but now it completely stopped coming on.

- Justice, IL, USA

problem #5

Jul 012010

Spectra

  • 500 miles
After parking car, the key will not turn on ignition. Locks up.

- Laurel, MS, USA

problem #4

Aug 312010

Spectra

  • 30,000 miles
The vehicle locks on its own. The car locks have a mind of there own and I feel it can potentially be a safety danger. For instance, one time the locks unlocked on there own while my toddler nephew was in the car. Another time, my wife was trying to open the car door multiple times as she was parked and a stranger seemed to be after her. She tried many times to unlock the car door, but the doors would lock on their own. Thank you.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 012013

Spectra

  • 45,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2009 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that the engine failed to start after several attempts. The battery was jump started in order for the engine to operate. The failure recurred intermittently which required the battery to be recharged each time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the battery was replaced with a new one. The failure persisted and the vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

problem #2

Apr 102012

Spectra

  • 68,000 miles
My vehicle has had multiple problems over a 4 to 5 month period to start around the start my passenger side door handle broke, next my seat belt sensor shorted out, after that my air bag light came on after taking it in to the dealer I was informed I had not only faulty wiring in my vehicle but that my passenger side air bag was defective when it was installed and took four years to be caught unfortunately this all didn't occur in my first year of ownership and I couldn't claim the lemon law. Because now the company expects me to replace all of the faulty equipment they installed into a vehicle they told me was "safe and reliable" and now I'm riding in vehicle that I had someone who works for Kia tell was "slapped together and I was lucky my car hadn't fallen apart yet". after leaving the dealership the cd player in my vehicle decided that it to was going to short out and now this is another repair I'm sure ill be expected to pay for.

- Reidsville, NC, USA

problem #1

Dec 232008

Spectra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 13,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Kia Spectra. While driving 50 mph, the contact rear-ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt did not lock. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle has stalled at least five times since the time it was purchased. The contact feels that the vehicle is unable to be driven and wants a refund or another vehicle from Kia. The current mileage was 29,000 and failure mileage was 13,000. Updated 06/03/09 the windshield wipers worked intermittently, the rear lights were inoperative. The consumer stated the rear lights were replaced several times, because they were shortening out, . the transmission started shifting really hard and rough. The check engine light illuminated. Updated 06/04/09.

- Coal Township, PA, USA

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