2008 Kia Spectra Driver assistance Problems

After starting car, for first 15-20 mins, all normal. After speedometer go erratic (showing slower than actual speed - or - higher than actual speed) and soon after it just stops working. No check engine light. Dangerous to drive without knowing actual speed. Have to use mobile phone app like Waze or something which shows apx speed. Upon internet search, I found there are many Kia spectra Ex (from 05-09 models) reported similar issues. This situation is dangerous as driver may be following speedometer on highway and ending up driving slower than actual speed. NHTSA should issue a recall. Kia - as usual - never acknowledged issue to save money. Dealership recommending me buy a new car rather than fixing the issue or at least attempting to fix it. When declined for trade-in (or buy a new car) they demanded upfront diagnostic charges without telling me what is actual issue.

NHTSA ID

11602117

Incident

Jul 12, 2024

CRUISE CONTROL WON'T SET.

NHTSA ID

11258758

Incident

Sep 1, 2019

Mileage

85,000 mi

SPEEDOMETER KEEPS GOING OUT. IT WILL WORK FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, BUT MID DAY IT DROPS TO ZERO

NHTSA ID

11203224

Incident

Apr 23, 2019

Mileage

108,000 mi

MY CAR IS REVVING, EVEN IN PARK. IF IT OCCURS WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKES ARE HARD TO PUSH AS WELL.

NHTSA ID

11181442

Incident

Feb 20, 2019

Mileage

110,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL WAS RUNNING THE PAPER ROUTE FOR THE TELEGRAPH AND A DEER RAN OUT IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE INSURANCE SAID LOSS CAUSE BUT AIR BAGS NEVER WENT OFF AND SOME HOW ENDED UP IN SALVAGE...

NHTSA ID

11023779

Incident

Aug 11, 2017

Mileage

138,000 mi

THE RIGHT-SIDE PASSENGER BRAKES LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING. ALL BULBS ARE GOOD. MY CRUISE CONTROL HAS BEEN WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. AS I'M UNABLE TO VIEW MY BRAKE LIGHTS WHILE DRIVING, I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT THESE TWO PROBLEMS ARE OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME. I BELIEVE IT IS DUE TO A DEFECTIVE BRAKE SWITCH. I TESTED THE CRUISE CONTROL BY TRYING TO ENGAGE IT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH. IT DID NOT ENGAGE. WHEN CHECKING THE BRAKES WITH THE CAR PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY - THEY WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. ALL WIRES ARE IN GOOD SHAPE AND FREE FROM CORROSION. I ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR AND REPORTED THIS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION. AT THE TIME I REPORTED IT THERE HAD NOT BEEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS FOR THE SPECTRA, SPECIFICALLY, TO RECEIVE ANY HELP. THE PROBLEM DID EXIST IN HIGH NUMBERS IN OTHER KIA MODELS OF THE SAME YEAR -2008. RECENTLY, I RECEIVED NOTICE THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR DEFECT HAS NOW BEEN RECOGNIZED AND I CAN HAVE THIS REPAIR MADE AT THE DEALERSHIP AT KIA'S EXPENSE. I THINK IT IS PRUDENT TO REPORT THIS APPARENT BRAKE SWITCH DEFECT AS I NOTICE RECALLS ON OTHER KIA MODELS OF THE SAME YEAR AS MINE - 2008 FOR BRAKE SWITCH DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

10891646

Incident

Jul 29, 2016

Mileage

67,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO ENGAGE AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURES RECURRED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TEMPORARILY REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V114000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 102,000. UPDATED 05/24/16*LJ

NHTSA ID

10853353

Incident

Jun 1, 2015

Mileage

102,000 mi

LA CAJA DE VELOCIDADES A VECES GOLPEA EN AUTOPISTA CUANDO CAMBIA HACA PRIMERA NO LO HACE SIEMPRE PERO GOLPEA FUERTE

NHTSA ID

10846342

Incident

Mar 13, 2016

Mileage

117,000 mi

INTERMITTINGLY, AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, ENGINE BEGINS REVVING. INTERMITTINGLY, WHILE SLOWING & STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, ENGINE BEGINS REVVING AND ATTEMPTS TO LURCH FORWARD. I HAVE TO PRESS THE BREAK VERY HARD TO KEEP VEHICLE FROM MOVING FORWARD. FRED ANDERSON KIA, RALEIGH, NC INVESTIGATED THIS PROBLEM ON 7/10/15 BUT WAS UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. THEY RE-CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY. THE ISSUE HAS CONTINUED ON AND OFF SINCE THEN. ON 8/20/15, AFTER APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT AT WORK. I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE TO BACK INTO A PARKING SPOT & THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING DRAMATICALLY & THE CAR JERKED NOTICEABLY AS IT WENT INTO GEAR. I BACKED INTO THE SPOT & PUT THE CAR IN PARK, AGAIN JERKING. I LET THE CAR IDLE FOR A FEW MINUTES & MOVED IT IN & OUT OF GEAR. THE REVVING WORSENED, THE CAR ATTEMPTED TO LURCH FORWARD EVEN WITH BOTH THE BREAK & EMERGENCY BREAK & CONTINUED JERKING WITH EVERY GEAR CHANGE. I HAVE AN APPT. ON 8/21/15 WITH FRED ANDERSON KIA TO INVESTIGATE. MY CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE, AS I HAVE SEEN AN INDICATION OF THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER KIA VEHICLES ON THIS SITE & OTHER SITES. IT SEEMS AS IF KIA IS NOT RESOLVING THE ISSUE AND I DON'T WANT TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT.

NHTSA ID

10750044

Incident

Jul 1, 2015

Mileage

97,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR, MARCH 2013 AND THE CAR DIED WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY. I WAS AT A RED LIGHT IN MAY 2014 AND THE CAR DIED AT THE STOP LIGHT. FOR THOSE TWO INCIDENTS THE KIA DEALERSHIP INDICATED AN ISSUE WITH THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. NOW, I HAVE A THIRD INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED APRIL 25, 2015, I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR AND THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE CAR DIED WHILE DRIVING ON A MAIN STREET. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 3 BUSINESS DAYS AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE WHY THE CAR IS STOPPING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME. THESE INCIDENTS COULD HAVE HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATALITY. THE KIA DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN DILIGENTLY TRYING TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE HOWEVER; THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE. I AM SHARING THIS INFORMATION JUST IN CASE OTHER DRIVERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10713606

Incident

Apr 25, 2015

Mileage

110,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING NORMALLY GOING 45 MPH ON A RURAL STREET USING MY CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN I WAS COMING UP TO THE STOP, I HIT THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND THE ENGINE RAN FASTER. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL (THE ENGINE RPMS RED-LINED), AND TURNED THE KEY OFF AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED UNDER NORMAL BRAKING. I STARTED THE VEHICLE BACK UP, AND TESTED THE PROBLEM. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT DISENGAGING WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN I GOT HOME, I CHECKED THE BRAKE LIGHTS, AND THEY WERE NOT WORKING. I BOUGHT A REPLACEMENT SWITCH AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORK WITH THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH. IF I HAD NOT APPLIED THE BRAKES FAR ENOUGH IN ADVANCE, I AM CERTAIN THAT I WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH THE BUSY INTERSECTION AND CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10684236

Incident

Feb 19, 2015

Mileage

160,920 mi

I DRIVE A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. I'VE OWNED THE CAR FOR ROUGHLY 4 YRS. WITHIN THE LAST MONTH MY CAR CONTINUES TO STALL. THIS OCCURS GENERALLY WHEN I'M COMING TO A STOP AND TURNING. THE DASH LIGHTS WILL ALL COME ON AND MY WHEEL LOCKS UP IN THE DIRECTION I WAS TURNING. WHEN I TURN MY CAR OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON, THE LIGHTS WILL TURN OFF, BUT MY RPM'S REV UP TO A MINIMUM OF 3. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO TWO AUTO MECHANICS. THEY HAVE CHANGED A FUEL TEMP. SENSOR AND SWITCHED OUT ALL MY SPARK PLUGS. BOTH MECHANICS HAVE PLUGGED THE VEHICLE UP TO THE MACHINE AND IT READS CLEAR. THEY CANNOT FIND AN ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE. SINCE THE VEHICLE ACTS UP RANDOMLY, THEY ARE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM WHEN IT'S IN THEIR POSSESSION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10652527

Incident

Oct 1, 2014

Mileage

88,000 mi

VEHICLE SURGES WHILE DRIVING AND/OR WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. *TR

NHTSA ID

10607139

Incident

Nov 11, 2011

Mileage

35,844 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AFTER THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND INSTEAD THE VEHICLE SUDDENDLY ACCELERATED CRASHING INTO A BUILDING. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A NECK INJURY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER NOR WAS IT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 95,000.

NHTSA ID

10605992

Incident

Apr 19, 2014

Mileage

90,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER HAVING THE OIL CHANGED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE SECOND TIME THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSE THAT THE MASS AIR SENSOR FLOW FILTER AND SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED SURGING IN THE VEHICLE WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. AFTER THE SURGING, THE RPM'S WOULD RACE TO HIGH NUMBERS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 4,200. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,700.

NHTSA ID

10481543

Incident

Aug 23, 2012

Mileage

4,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD LUNG FORWARD AND ACCELERATE, ACCOMPANIED BY AN ABNORMAL INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED VIA EMAIL, BUT THE CONTACT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

NHTSA ID

10424490

Incident

Jul 8, 2011

Mileage

48,000 mi