RoadVitals

2005 Kia Ld Spectra

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Nov 25, 2019
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Sep 21, 2005
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Kia Ld Spectra, most frequently naming the airbags, body & structure and other / unspecified categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 4 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags125.0%
  • Body & structure125.0%
  • Other / unspecified125.0%
  • Steering125.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
05V431000

AIR BAGS

Sep 21, 2005
73,641 units potentially affected
The defect: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG FEATURE, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT OF THE VEHICLE MAY MISCLASSIFY A CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT (CRS) AS AN ADULT. THIS MAY OCCUR IF THE CRS IS INSTALLED AFTER AN ADULT HAS BEEN SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN A 'KEY ON' ' KEY OFF' CYCLE WITH THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT EMPTY PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE CRS.
The risk: THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.
The remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.Manufacturer number SC-053View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Body & structureOther / unspecifiedSteering
Filed Nov 25, 2019
Crash reported

CAR SUDDENLY BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE. WENT OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A SIGN. I HAVE REPLACED MOST OF THE PARTS I THINK I NEED BUT STILL NEED PARTS THAT WERE RECALLED AND PROBABLY AN ALIGNMENT AND COUPLE TIRES.

NHTSA ID
11282379
Incident
Oct 1, 2019
Mileage
160,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Apr 29, 2015
Crash reported1 injury reported

SORRY, HAD TO COMPLETE A 2ND COMPLAINT BECAUSE REALIZED WHEN IT WAS TOO LATE THAT IT DIDN'T SAVE THE INJURY INFO. MY SON REAR ENDED A VEHICLE CAUSING EXTENSIVE FRONT END DAMAGE WITH NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT CAUSING A CONCUSSION. *TR

NHTSA ID
10713697
Incident
Apr 19, 2015
Mileage
104,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB_BOD055_R1

EXTERIOR LIGHTING; STRUCTURE

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFORMATION FOR HEADLAMP CONDENSATION AND MOISTURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to some Kia models that may exhibit fogging, condensation, and/or moisture inside a headlamp assembly. Generally, a fogging condition is considered normal and can be eliminated by turning on the headlamps with the engine running for up to 30 minutes or during normal driving conditions. Headlamp assembly replacement WILL NOT be necessary in most cases.

TSB-015

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

KIA MOTORS: INSTALLING AN ADDITIONAL GROUND CABLE TO THE BATTERY MAY CAUSE SENSOR PROBLEMS. *RM

TSB-046

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

KIA MOTORS: RELATING TO OIL CONTROL VALVE (OCV) USED IN CONSTANT VARIABLE VALVE TIMING (CVVT). IF AT ANY TIME OCV IS SUSPECTED AS A CAUSE OF ROUGH IDLING, POOR ACCELERTION, CAMSHAFT TIMING MISALIGNMENT RELATED TROUBLE CODES, MISFIRE RELATED TROUBLE CODES ETC., ON THE VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE CVVT SYSTEM, BE SURE TO PERFORM THE OCV INSPECTION PROCEDURE BELOW BEFORE REPLACEMENT. NO MODEL YEARS SPECIFIED. *PE

KT-2008082201

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS; PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT

KIA: ALL MODELS. ARTICLE PROVIDES INFORMATION RELATING TO THE IMPROVED DURABILITY OF BULB LIFE FOR REAR COMBINATION BULB; REAR STOP LAMP/TAIL LAMP BULB UTILIZED ON MULTIPLE KIA MODELS. *PE

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Kia Ld Spectra by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2005Viewing210—
2004510—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.