Faults:

Routers are warped, but with 61,000 miles on them of course they are going to warp.

Dashboard looks like it's burned -- looks like someone took gasoline to the dashboard and lit it.

General Comments:

The car is very quick. I have had a few performance parts put on the car and it runs great! I'm pulling almost 200 hp on a stock engine with a few mods to cams and cam gears, cold air intake headers to full back exhaust.

When I first got the car, it was very torqey and had great speed for a stock engine. This car is a great import to fix up and race, it was beating v8 trucks and cars on a stock engine.

I have never had major problems with the car, except the clutch going out, but that was my fault for beating a stock clutch. It only cost $450 to put in a stage 3 racing clutch. Performance parts are very cheap for Kias, compared to a Honda or other imports.

Faults:

DASHBOARDS- There is a hole on the driver's side of the dashboard that looks like a burn and the whole dashboard is peeling away from the windshield, that may cause a hazard while driving by obstructing your view.

General Comments:

ANYONE WITH THIS PROBLEM PLEASE CALL

1-888-327-4236 (Highway Traffic Safety Division) and file a complaint so Kia can resolve this hopefully. The more who file the better our chances are of rectifying this problem.

Faults:

What is wrong the dashboard? Mine could not survive Texas heat. Looks like somebody set it on fire and it curled up so bad it blocked the defrost vents.

Desperately need Chilton's or other repair manual to fix all the problems with this car.

Passenger window has come off it's track or cable. Cannot get hand up there to fix, even.

Trunk release doesn't open trunk.

Very rough riding.

Heater takes forever to heat. Never get's to a normal hot temperature.

Only tiny people could be shoehorned into the back seat.

Cd player only works after car is warmed up for 30 minutes.

General Comments:

Does seem to have plenty of power.

Mpg about 40 on trip from Texas to Washington.

Faults:

The first two years I had to replace the brake pads and rotors a few times, but it was still under warranty.

The tape player/radio had to be replaced three times in the first two years.

Recently the radio started "hiccuping" in hot weather or if you played it more than 45 minutes.

Dashboard started coming apart at 100,000 miles.

Just recently replaced front drive axle, much of rotting exhaust system and oxygen sensor emissions problem.

General Comments:

The car was super reliable after the first year or two and was great until it got around 103,000.

I just didn't have the money to replace the whole dang exhaust system.

My friends were impressed at how nice it handled and quick it accelerated for such a cheap car.

It was great on long trips, never had any problems.

I just wish they could last as long as Honda or Subaru.

Just traded it in for a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta, but still miss the Kia's penchance for low maintenance -- Volkswagens are not like that.

Also wish the interior was not made so cheaply.

The fact that it got some of the poorest crash test scores was a bummer too.

For my seven years of ownership, I certainly feel I got my money's worth.