Comments: 1-15, 16-17
The "check engine" light has been constant since I bought the car. I was told it is the O2 sensors, but every time I take it in to have them replaced, it just comes right back on again (once before I even left the dealership!).
The brakes went after 3 months. I had to have all four replaced. I had to have them replaced again a year and a half later. Unfortunately, it was in an accident shortly after I bought it. I was partly at fault, but I believe that I had enough room for any other car to be able to stop in time. So when the brakes went out two months later, it didn't really surprise me. However, due to the accident, I am unable to claim "Lemon Law."
The battery has gone three times and the starter went once, but it is about to go again. The third time the battery went, I said forget the dealer and went and bought a retail battery out of my pocket so I wouldn't have to deal with the hassle anymore.
It is impossible to find replacement parts anywhere other than the dealership and their prices are outrageous! They recommend a weight of oil that you cannot find in normal auto parts store (Guess where you can find it? Dealership!!!)
The interior of the car is literally falling apart at the seams and the exterior paint is no better than spray paint.
A recall issued for the wiper blade was refused by my dealership because it had been in an accident. So you can bet I was a little more than perturbed when the wiper fell off during a 3 am thunderstorm while driving through the mountains in Tennessee. The dealership reluctantly fixed it then without so much as an apology.
Not that I wanted the airbags to go off during my accident, but the impact was enough to cause $4,000 in damage and give myself and the two occupants in the other car whiplash. Yet the airbags did not go off.
It's no wonder that Kia now offers a 10 year warranty. You'll definitely need it.
If your looking to buy a vehicle and basing your decision on your budget, you'd be better off strapping a lawn mower engine to a roller skate than buying a Kia.
The engine design is very poor. Whoever heard of having to take the valve cover off just to change the plugs? That's right, the plugs are completely within the case.
When I want to go out, I do everything I can to get my friends to drive their cars instead.
Whatever you do, do not buy a Kia!!!
I have a 2001 Kia Sephia. I have experienced some of the
same problems. My tire has a constant slow leak, oil pan
replaced, lifters replaced and a leak in the AC line. My
brakes are beginning to make a funny noise. My gear shift
would not allow my to shift from park to reverse. Check
enging light constantly stay on and off.
G. Fleetwood.
I have a '98 Sephia and I replaced the plugs myself. You must simply remove the black plug cover, not the complete valve cover! It took me about thirty minutes and was about the easiest plug change I've ever done. Last Saturday, at 51,000 miles, I replaced the front pads. It took a 7mm Allen Wrench and about 10 minutes a side. Paid $22.95 for lifetime pads at Autozone. I will give you one thing. Kia Batteries are junk.
I have a 98 kia sephia that I bought with 56 miles on it from the dealership. It is the best car I have ever owned. I have only had to buy two sets of brakes for the front. I have replaced the battery 2 times (only because my wife left the interior light on) The alternator went out at 95,000 miles and the timing belt went at 106,000 and again at 160,000. Other than that just basic maintenance. I can't complain. I had an accident in 1999 with it and had I been in anything else I probably would have been seriously hurt my kia held up really well with just minor fender damage. I hit T boned a Ford Taurus, and drove my kia from the accident. So before you slam the car you need to consider that normal maintenance is required and in all cars parts go bad.
I have had a 99 Kia Sephia for 5 years now and had very little problems. Normal recalls and regular maintanence have been the only cost I have put into the car. The tune (spark plug change) was not difficult at all. I will admit that the KIA company does not put the highest quality parts in their cars. I cannot complain since this is definitely not a car priced to break your bank account. If you are looking for luxury car standards. You should probably purchase a luxury car. For the money, a very good purchase. I will mention that I was a little annoyed at the rotors and brakes needing replacement often. Most of the time the dealer covered the cost of the rotor and pads (due to a TSB out) replacement under warranty. I didn't pay over $80 for the brake replacement. Anyway, it's true you get what you pay for. I certainly am pleased with my purchase.
I have had several of the problems mentioned in most of the other complaints. my brakes and cv axles are constantly been replaced. I got my 2000 kia sephia, brand new in april of 1999, and ever since then I have been experincing problems with my car. I feel unsafe in my car and I cannot find a way out of my car and into a new car because there is no dealership that will accept the car as a trade-in, and I currently do not have the money to, but as a down payment on a new car. I wish there was something that could be done about this situation.
I am the owner of a 98 Kia Sephia. It has been a great little car. I bought it new and now have 98,000 miles on it. I've only had two problems with the car and those did not occur until after I crossed 90,000. I am very hard on my car and am amazed at how well it has held up. The first big problem was last year when the timing chain had to be replaced. $400, parts and labor, same day service. Then today, my starter went out. With 98,000 miles on the car its only natural that issues like the starter occur. But I still swear by this car. It has taken all of my abuse quite well and still has just as much pep as the day I bought it.
And I had no problem changing the spark plugs. Took very little time and effort. I'm curios to see how easy it is going to be replacing my starter tonight.
I might also ad, my wife drives a 2001 Kia Sportage. Another great car.
Kia makes a great car for the money and we have had nothing, but good experiances with the serive. We are now Kia customers for life. I just wish they would start making a pick-up.
I have had my 1996 Kia Sephia for 8 years now, and it hasn't given me one bit of trouble, other than the O2 sensor. The car is in exceptionally good condition inside and out. The paint is flawless, and virtually indestructable. The interior is like brand new. I have never and will never drive another car that is better than my Kia Sephia LS.
I have a 2000 Kia Sophia and I too have had the O2 and the check engine light. I was told to always check the gas cap to make sure it is on tight which seems to solve the problem. Worth the $40 to hook up to the computer.
I am also hard on my car with 400 miles of driving each week. Problems have been replacement of the front wheel barrings twice, back break cylinder three times and the timing belt is now being replaced with 78000 miles. I also have a feeling the clutch is going, but not too bad for three years.
When I bought the car new I didn't have expectations of it becoming a classic, but a throw-away vehicle because of my driving habits. My goal is five years which means it has to hold together for another two years.
My advice to someone looking into buying a Kia is that you get what you pay for and vehicles are poor investments.
I've had my '98 Kia Sephia for three years now. I bought it with 32k miles on it from the previous owner. To date I have had: 5 batteries, 4 starters, an ignition wire replaced, an ignition fuse, and the front brake pads. There is something that is blowing all of this out.
I've had the alternator checked out by three separate mechanics on separate occasions. All of them say the alternator is fine. Today I had to get my boss to jump it and now it is at his mechanic. It's going to be hooked up to a diagnostic and yet another new battery put in. I'm hoping this guy can figure out the underlying problem behind this.
In addition to all of this, I also have a problem with the O/D and engine lights being on. I've disconnected the battery cables to reset it and that works for a time, but doesn't solve whatever makes it happen in the first place. I've been told to ignore it... I don't know how sound that advice really is.
My car is an automatic, and another problem I had was the shift sticking. No matter how much I've wiggled, turned the steering wheel, or just plain forced it, it would not budge. I even tried turning the car off and starting it again. Finally I called a tow truck, and the guy opened the panel and broke off the safety lock on the shifting gears. I haven't had a problem with it since, but it's still a little sticky.
I've also noticed that the car has trouble after fueling up. It doesn't want to start after getting gas, and on several occasions I've had to jump myself. I do regular maintenance and recalls. It just had an oil change, new fuel filter, oil filters, tune up, and more.
I don't drive like a maniac, or push the car too hard. I seldom drive and in two years have only put less than 20k miles on it. It has been frustrating and worrisome owning a Kia, which unlucky enough has been my first car. I fell in love with the way they look. They really are cute cars. Sadly, I've found mine to be very mechanically unsound and I would not recommend them.
It's is true that you get what you pay for. However, hindsight is 20/20 while foresight is blind. With the amount of money I have shelled out in repairs, I could have purchased a luxury car. So many are swayed into purchasing Kias because their price tag is very attractive. However, you will more than likely make the difference up later down the road...literally.
Because my car was preowned, I also ran a background check. It has not been in any accident, but I did find out that the A/C had to be fixed by the previous owner. No matter how many times I get my car fixed, I always have a jumper battery -charged and in the back seat.
I have to say that the only silver lining in this was that I've learned much more about cars since owning a Kia. I was young and inexperienced when I first bought it. I had no idea what I was looking at when I opened the hood. I do now! They are great cars if you want to learn to fix them, but don't expect much security or reliability from them.
Just to touch on Kia a Lil bit, my brother owned a 1998 Sephia. It had the battery and the timing chain problems,but the one he didn't see coming was the air bag- it never deployed and it killed him. He did not have a seat belt, but if the air bag had been working he would be alive today, and his chest would not have hit the steering wheel so hard that it shattered the wheel. The accident wasn't his fault nor the air bags' fault. It was a bad fuse or a missing fuse, but Kia was the only one to work on the car mechanically, and no one knows why the fuse was not there. There should be some safety check for air bag fuses, because I don't know anyone who checks their own, and it could save lives. I would like to know how many airbags don't deploy on impact with these cars.
Just to be clear here, this guy didn't wear his seatbelt and his impact with the steering wheel is what killed him?
HMMMM, while the airbag should work it also sounds like this guy would be alive if he actually had buckled up.
I have 98 Kia sephia. While I was driving, the engine stopped. A mechanic said, timing broken, and engine may be hurt. So it may cost 1700 to 2000$ to fix it up.
So is it true, if timing belt is broken during driving, I also have engine head and/or valves gone? My car is sohc, manual shift.
I own a 2000 KIA Sephia that I bought brand new from the Dealer. I have been very pleased with the vehicle as far as handling, maintenance and comfort. The paint is still in excellent shape even though I park my vehicle outside. I had no real maintenance problems other than I had the speedometer replaced. The trip meter was sticking when trying to set it back to zero. That may have been from not using it. My interior is in great shape as is the outside of the vehicle. It definitely does not look 6 years old. I paid $8000.00 for the vehicle with a standard transmission. I have gone through Pennsylvania Inspection for 6 years now and the only item that I had to replace is the windshield wipers. Paid about $18.00 for them. The battery is still running strong. I would recommend this car to anyone. What sold me, was the 10-year warranty.
What a bad car.
I have a 2002 KIA Optima. Last spring, I think it was, the check engine light came on. Because the salesman at the dealership where I bought it mislead me about the power train warranty, which doesn't transfer to the second owner although I was told it did and was the reason I bought the car, the dealership paid the first $1250 to fix the transmission. The engine light continued to come on, and I had both O2 sensors replaced. It still came on, and a vacuum leak was found. (Luckily, I had a friend who was a KIA tech, and he would check all this new stuff at my house.) It still comes on, but will go off usually when I gas back up, if not before then, which leads me to believe I need a new gas cap. I had the timing belt and everything replaced, and yes, in the 2002 models you DO have to remove the valve cover gasket to get to the rear plugs. I will be glad when it's paid off, not because I want to get rid of it, but because I'm tired of payments. I logged on here to start with because I saw an ad for a 98 Sophia for sale for $1000. Says it's in great condition, but I wonder what great is!