Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Kia Sephia submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 44 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 44, in the owner's own words
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOOSES POWER. DEALER INDICATED AND PERFORMED A TUNE UP ON THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THE PROBLEM IS RECURRING. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *PH
WHEN THE CONSUMER PULLED OFF FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED IN TRAFFIC WHICH MADE IT A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *NLM PH *JB
IS LEAKING CAUSING ELECTRICAL LIGHTS DAMAGE, THE HAZARDS OR SIGNALS AREN'T WORKING AND THE TRUCK SMELLS LIKE MILDEW. TS
AT RANDOM THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO START, ALSO THE STEERING WHEEL DID NOT LOCK WITH THE KEY REMOVED.*JB
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN WITHOUT WARNING, DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN WITHOUT WARNING, DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTATCED. *AK CONSUMER SAID WHEN HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND ENGINE SHUTS OFF WHENEVER STOPPING, TOOK BACK TO DEALER MANY TIMES FOR REPAIR, VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE SPEEDOMETER IS ACTING ERRACTICALLY, THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED. *YD
WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED, BUT IS UNABLE TO LOCATE SOURCE OF PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
PERSISTANT OIL LEAK FROM AROUND OIL FILTER. MECHANICS UNABLE TO FIND ANY OTHER REASON FOR LEAK OTHER THAN MANUFACTURER DEFECT IN PLACE WHERE OIL FILTER SCREWS INTO ENGINE. MULTIPLE MECHANICS HAVE ATTESTED TO THIS BEING AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH KIA VEHICLES. *AK
CAR STILL DOES NOT START RIGHT A WAY/ENGINE LGTS STILL ON/RGT SIG DOES NOT WRK/CARS A LEMON/FUSE BLOWS EVERTIME I TURN ON RGT SIGNAL. *AK
CONSUMER INSTALLED NEW RADIO, WIRES WERE CROSSED CAUSING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL IT STATES THAT NON-STOCK ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT WILL CAUSE ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, OWNER'S MANUAL NEGLECTS TO MENTION THAT ENGINE LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE IF THE GAS CAP IS NOT ON TIGHT ENOUGH, VEHICLE ALSO EXPERIENCED DASHBOARD FAILURE. *SLC
ENGINE & ENGINE CHECK LIGHT & POWER/FUEL INJECTION SWITCH. BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR CHECKUPS AND REPAIRS 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME THING. CAR IS DEAD, TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND THE BLOCK FROZED UP.
BRAKES ROTORS ARE PREMATURELY WEARING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK ENGINE SURGES WHEN STOPPING AND SOME TIME SHUT DOWN WHEN STARTING. *YH
THIS VEHICLE IS A DEATH TRAP..FORD DEALER NOT VERY HELPFUL.LAST INCIDENT ALMOST CAUSED SERIOUS ACCIDENT. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
SINCE CONSUMER OWNED CAR BRAKES HAD TO BE CHANGED FIVE TIMES. 3 BATTERIES HAD TO BE PUT IN. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ON INSTRUMENT PANEL, ANTI-FREEZE IS LEAKING AND THE ENGINE IS RUNNING ROUGH. *AK *SLC
I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON, THE ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE AND THEY STILL MADE NOISE BUT THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO, THE HINGE ON THE BACK DOOR FAILED, THE LEFT STRUT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS TIME THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE CAR WAS DAMAGED THE CAR SKIPPED WHEN IN DRIVE TO REVERSE AND THE BREAKS WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. KIA NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS THESE CARS HAVE TOO MANY DEFECTS AND I'M SURE THEY HAVE MANY MOR PEOPLE JUST DON'T REPORT THEM ALL THE TIME
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY OR EXITING A RAMP VEHICLE WOULD STALL WITH ANY PRIOR WARNING OR REASON. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AT LEAST 8 TIMES FOR THE STALLING PROBLEM. PROBLEM WOULD BE ADJUSTED, BUT IT WOULD ALWAYS REAPPEAR. STALLING IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED AND DIED, CAUSING A COLLISION WHICH RESULTED IN MINOR INJURIES. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. STALLING HAS BEEN A REOCCURRING PROBLEM, DESPITE MANY REPAIRS DONE BY DEALER. *AK *ML
ONGOING PROBLEM WITH BATTERY FAILURE; DEALER NOTIFIED, AND REPLACED FAULTY BATTERY ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM REOCCURRED. ALSO, AND PROBLEM ENGINE HESITATION. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK THE CONSUMER FOUND OUT RIGHT AFTER LEASING THE VEHICLE, THAT THE RADIO WAS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE BEGAN SQUEEKING IN THE REAR END WHEN TURNING. THE HEATER MALFUNCTIONED. THE LEFT REAR STRUT ASSEMBLY FAILED CAUSING KNOCKING NOISE AT RIGHT REAR. THE O-RING FAILED CAUSEING THE DISTRIBUTOR LEAK AND THERE WAS LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. *YH
TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED TWICE/ THE ENGINE SEIZED AT 30000 MILES/ THE BRAKES WARPED THREE TIMES AND WERE REPLACED 3 TIMES/ THE WINDOWS ARE HARD TO OPEN AND CLOSE/ THE BRAKE PEDAL IS EXTREMELY LOW. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AND SLOWING DOWN OR TURNING VEHICLE WOULD STALL. CONSUMER FELT THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE, TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY WERE NOT HELPING. CONSUMER ALSO REPORTS SMELLING AGS FUMES INSIDE VEHICLE, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FREQUENTLY FLASHING. *AK *ML
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLS UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT IS ON/LEAKING MOTOR OIL/ POWER STEERING BINDING, AND FRONT AND REAR SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT.*AK
DOOR SEAL FAILED.*ET
WHILE DRIVING AND APPLYING THE BRAKES ENGINE STALLS COMPLETELY OUT. HAS TO BE TURNED OFF AND STARTED BACK UP. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE, AND CANT FIND SOLUTION.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .