Owners filed 16 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train. It has been recalled 1 time.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
3
0
0
0
Vehicle Speed Control
2
0
0
0
Power Train
2
0
0
0
Steering
1
0
0
0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor
1
0
0
0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components
1
0
0
0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
1
0
0
0
Seats
1
1
0
0
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
1
1
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
1
0
0
0
1 safety recall
Part 573 reports
Power Train94V134000
Filed Jul 25, 19946,945 vehiclesKia Motors America, Inc.
Defect. THE ELECTRONIC SPEEDOMETER SENSOR CAN SEIZE, CAUSING THE SPEEDOMETER AND CRUISE CONTROL (IF THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH CRUISE CONTROL) TO STOP FUNCTIONING.
Risk. THE LOSS OF CRUISE CONTROL WILL CAUSE TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE SPEED. LOSS OF THE SPEEDOMETER WILL RESULT IN THE OPERATOR NOT KNOWING THE ACTUAL SPEED OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW SPEEDOMETER DRIVE GEAR, ELECTRONIC SENSOR, AND FLEXIBLE SHAFT ASSEMBLY.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Sep 18, 2000CA
VEHICLE WAS IN A N HEAD-ON ACCIDENT AT 45 MPH, AND AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor
Filed May 21, 1999OK
THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED SINCE A THERMOMETER DIDN'T TELL THE ENGINE IT WAS HOT. WHICH BLEW THE HEAD GASKETS, MELTED THE SPARK PLUGS, TOOK OUT THE WATER PUMP, AND SO OVER HEATED THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE FRONT ROTORS WENT OUT TWICE. SOUNDS LIKE A WIND TUNNEL, SINCE THE SEALS AREN'T GOOD. THE CAR DOESN'T ACCELERATE PROPERLY WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS PRESSED. NEVER DRIVE IT DURING A 20 MPH WINDY DAY. IT GET GOOD GAS MILEAGE - STILL AT 29 TO 33 MPG. *AK
Power Train
Filed Mar 8, 1999NV
THE ELECTRONIC SPEEDOMETER SENSOR WAS REPLACED UNDER THE 1994 RECALL. CONSUMER SAYS THAT THE EXACT SAME PART HAS GONE BAD AGAIN IN EARLY JAN. 1999. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. 94V-134. *AK
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Feb 23, 1999UT
FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WORE OUT.
Steering
Filed Mar 11, 1998CA
POOR STEERING FUNCTION AND UNABLE TO MONITOR SPEED, MILAGE OR USE CRUISE CONTROL.
Electrical System › Alternator/Generator/Regulator
Filed Jan 21, 1998CA
ALTERNATOR FAILED.
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Oct 3, 1997CA
ENGINE: WHEN DRIVING AND DOWNSHIFT TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT ONE IS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN, WHEN DOWNSHIFTING THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE JUST COMPLETELY DIES, THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY. *AK CONSUMER STATED SEATBELTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, ALSO THE BRAKES WERE REPLACED.*JB
Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 20, 1997CA
VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO FAILED IDLE SPEED CONTROL VALVE.
SeatsCrash
Filed May 9, 1997CA
DRIVING AT LOW SPEED, VEHICLE WAS IMPACTED AT 6:00 POSITION, DRIVER'S SEAT TRACK AND ANCHORS BROKE, CAUSING THE SEAT TO FALL BACKWARDS. *AK
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Jan 3, 1997CT
FRONT SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT WHEN PUT ON DURING A SUDDEN STOP, CAN GO RIGHT IN THE WINDSHIELD. ALSO THE SHIFT GEAR WILL NOT MOVE WHEN READY TO SHIFT THE GEAR. *AK
Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Jul 12, 1996AZ
SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. *AK
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Feb 15, 1996ID
THE DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT GETS STUCK IN THE HOLDER AND WILL NOT RELEASE AND THE BELT CANNOT BE USED. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Jul 25, 1995CA
WHEN SEAT IS MOVED FORWARD SOME, SEAT BELT PERFORMS ERRATIC. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components
Filed Jun 26, 1995CA
THE SQUEAKING NOISE WAS PRESENT WHEN THE VEHICLE MOVED. THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS BROKEN. TT
Power Train
Filed May 4, 1995NM
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE. VEHICLE SEIZE. TT
Power Train › Automatic TransmissionCrash
Filed Jan 3, 1995CA
SHIFTED INTO REVERSE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY. RESULTING IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT. TT
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Jul 25, 1994. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.