2008 KIA SPECTRA Complaints

EXCESSIVE BRAKE FADE WHEN THERE ARE THREE ADULTS IN VEHICLE. EITHER WHEN THE ROAD IS WET OR DRY, WARM OR COLD. *TR

ON JANUARY 4TH 2010 AT 4:30AM ANOTHER DRIVER PUSHED ME OFF THE ROAD. AND MY 2008 KIA SPECTRA FLEW UP A HILL HIT TWO TREES AT FULL SPEED THEN WITH FULL FORCE HIT A TELEPHONE POLE. WHEN MY CAR HIT THE LITTLE HILL ONLY MY DRIVERS AIR BAG DEPLOYED HOW EVER I WAS STILL GOING ABOUT 49 MPH. DURING THIS TIME OF HITTING TREES SOME HOW MY SEAT BELT CAME OUT OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM. AFTER MY STAY IN THE HOSPITAL I WENT TO SEE THE CAR AND NONE AND I MEAN NONE OF MY SIDE AIR BAG HAD GONE OFF WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE. THE BACK OF MY CAR WENT AROUND A TELEPHONE POLE AND THE REAR AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF. THE AIR BAGS IN MY SEAT DID NOT GO OFF I HAVE PERMANENT SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS. ALL AND ALL THESE KIA SPECTRA''S AND ALL KIA'S SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE ROAD IN 2008 I WAS IN A CAR WRECK AT MY FAULT AT 40 MPH AND MY DRIVERS AIR BAG DID NOT GO OFF AND MY SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK UP. *TR

NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH CAR OR BATTERY NOTICED WHATSOEVER UPON ENTERING AND STARTING THE VEHICLE.. THE COMPLAINT INCIDENCE OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING APPROX 2 BLOCKS AND PARKING AND TURNING OFF CAR AND UPON GETTING OUT OF CAR NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM FRONT DRIVER SIDE CORNER OF HOOD. SINCE THERE WAS A BABY IN THE CAR FIRST ACTION WAS TO REMOVE CHILD TO SAFE AREA AND CALLED 911. WITHIN APPROX 5 MINUTES MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE POURING FROM HOOD CRACKS. BYSTANDERS ATTEMPTED TO OPEN HOOD AND SPRAY WITH BORROWED FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT COULD NOT OPEN HOOD. WHEN FIRETRUCK ARRIVED THEY COULD NOT GET HOOD OPEN EITHER AND HAD TO PRY IT OPEN AT WHICH POINT FLAMES ERUPTED BUT WERE THEN QUICKLY PUT OUT BY FIRE DEPARTMENT (GOLDSBORO NC CAR FIRE AT TJ MAXX STORE ON SEPT 28, 2009) FIRE DETERMINED TO HAVE STARTED IN BATTERY/FUSE BOX AREA - FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED FIRE WAS ELECTRICAL BUT CAUSE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO EXTREME AMOUNT OF DAMAGE RESULTING FROM FIRE IT APPEARS THAT THERE WAS SOME KIND OF ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION THAT OCCURRED SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY ADVANCE WARNING OR SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEMS BEFORE THIS INCIDENCE. NOTHING WAS POSSIBLE TO BE DONE TO "CORRECT" THE PROBLEM EXCEPT TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE CONSEQUENCE WAS THAT THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS CHARRED AND THE CAR TOTALED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRANGED TO HAVE CAR TOWED FROM PARKING LOT WHERE FIRE OCCURRED TO LOT WHERE FINAL INSPECTION MADE. LUCKILY, CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOWED FOR ALMOST IMMEDIATE AWARENESS OF FIRE OCCURRING AND THAT DRIVER AND PASSENGER WERE IN A SAFE PLACE WITH COMMUNICATION AVAILABLE. IF CIRCUMSTANCES HAD BEEN DIFFERENT, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT IT NO LONGER HAD POWER AND THAT NONE OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS WERE FUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED, TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 4000.

'08 KIA SPECTRA HIT ACROSS RIGHT FRONT & SLAMMED IN RIGHT QUARTER PANEL. VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH 6 AIR BAGS...NON OF WHICH DEPLOYED. WIFE SUFFERED FRACTURES TO ALL HER RIBS & STERNUM AND A BROKEN LEFT ARM. NINE DAYS IN SHOCK TRAUMA IN BALTIMORE, TWO WEEKS IN REHAB HOSPITAL AND NOW GETTING REHAB HELP AT HOME. *TR

WHEN THE AUTO SWITCH FOR THE LIGHTS IS ON SOMETIMES THE PARKING LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN OFF WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND THE KEYS REMOVED. WE OFTEN HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE CAR, INSERT/REMOVE THE KEY, THEN OPEN/CLOSE THE DOOR TO GET THE LIGHTS TO GO OFF. ONCE, DURING THE DAY WE FAILED TO NOTICE THE LIGHT ON AND THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED. *TR

ON OUR 2008 KIA SPECTRA THE AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT NEVER GOES OFF WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MEANS THE BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY SINCE PURCHASED IN MAY OF 2008. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINS ILLUMINATED WHEN AN OCCUPANT IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE DEALER TESTED THE AIR BAG SENSOR BY PLACING A 200 LBS. MECHANIC IN THE SEAT. THE INDICATOR DIMMED; THEREFORE, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WAS FINE. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, THE CONTACT SWERVED TO AVOID A DEER AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER FAILED WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED. KIA REPLACED THE AIR BAG COMPUTER, SENSOR, AND SEAT BELT. THE CONTACT SUFFERED A CONCUSSION AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLE WERE LABELED AS DEFECTIVE AND AFTER ALL THE REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE INAPPROPRIATELY. RECENTLY, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO AVOID A DEER AND ANOTHER CRASH OCCURRED. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AGAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED AND IS CURRENTLY AT AN AUTO BODY SHOP WAITING TO BE APPRAISED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 10,000.

2008 KIA SPECTRA, THE PARKING LIGHTS COME ON BY THEIR SELF WHEN ITS AROUND 20* OUTSIDE AND WHEN ITS AROUND 80* OUTSIDE THE ALARM WANT SET THE LIGHTS JUST BLANK ON AND OFF. ALSO I HAVE A REALLY BAD RATTLE COMES FROM THE AIR BAGS SO IT SOUND IN THE DASH AND DRIVERS SIDE POST AIR BAG. HAVE TOOK THE CAR IN 3 TIMES AND A WEEK PER TIME, AND SO FAR NOTHING AS BEEN FIXED. *TR

PARKING LIGHTS SOMETIMES TURN ON SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER REMOVING KEYS AND EXITING CAR, THIS CAR HAS AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS, THE SWITCH CAN BE TURNED OFF IF DESIRED, UNLIKE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS THAT ARE ON ALL THE TIME. WE HAVE 2 IDENTICAL CARS AND BOTH HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. DEALER CHECKED CAR OUT AND TOLD US THERE ARE NO OTHER REPORTS AND THAT WE ARE OPENING THE CAR DOOR BEFORE TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND CAUSING THE PROBLEM. EVEN THOUGH I WAS SURE THAT WAS NOT THE CASE, WE TOOK THE ADVICE AND DID AS WE WERE INSTRUCTED. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS THE PROBLEM RETURNED,THIS TIME NOT CAUGHT FOR 15 HOURS, RUNNING THE BATTERY DOWN. DEALER HAS NO SOLUTION AND TOLD US THAT MOST PEOPLE TURN THE SWITCH OFF ANYWAY, BUT THIS DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS. THE PROBLEM HAPPENED 3 TIMES WITH EACH CAR BEFORE WE LEFT THE SWITCH OFF, NEITHER OF US USE THE LIGHTS DURING THE DAY ANY LONGER BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR