2008 KIA SPECTRA Complaints

PURCHASED A 2008 KIA SPECTRA 5 IN 2009. FOR 3 YEARS IT WAS A GOOD COMMUTER CAR. THEN WEIRD THINGS STARTED HAPPENING OUT OF THE BLUE. FIRST, THE CAR WOULDN'T ALLOW US ACCESS BY USE OF THE KEY FOB. IT WOULD UNLOCK THEN LOCK. THE VEHICLE FLIP THE DOOR UNLOCK LEVER BACK AND FORTH LIKE A GHOST WAS MOVING. SECOND, THE CAR WOULD BLOW A FRONT HEAD LAMP ALMOST EVERY 6 MONTHS LIKE CLOCK WORK WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE FROM PARK. THIRD, THE FRONT CONSOLE CONTROLLING THE FAN, HEAT ETC. WOULD JUST STOP WORKING ONLY TO START WORKING A FEW HOURS OR DAYS LATER. ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC IN WINTER. FOURTH, THE OCS SENSOR MAT FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG HAS MALFUNCTIONED. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING OR STATIONARY. IN ADDITION THE CAR HAS A DANGEROUS LAG IN GAINING SPEED WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AT HIGH SPEEDS ON INTERSTATES. I GUESS I'M JUST WAITING FOR THE NEXT GREMLIN TO APPEAR. WILL NEVER OWN A KIA AGAIN.

RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER OPENED PASSENGER-SIDE DOOR WITH INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. DOOR HANDLE/METALLIC COATING SEPARATED AT SEAM AND CUT/PINCHED OCCUPANT'S RIGHT RING FINGER. HANDLE SEAM NOW SEPARATED/SHARP. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN DRIVEWAY.

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...

I TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND IT DROVE FINE. AFTER I SIGNED PAPERS TO BUY THE VEHICLE, I DROVE IT HOME. ON THE WAY HOME I WAS DOING THE SPEED LIMIT WHICH IS 65MPH BUT I ALWAYS STAY A LITTLE UNDER THAT SPEED LIMIT. I GOT TO ABOUT 65 AND BOOM IT WAS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION HAD COME THROUGH THE FLOOR AND IT FELT AS IF I WAS GOING TO BE EJECTED FROM THE CAR! THAT SCARED ME TO DEATH!!! AFTER THAT IT STARTED DRAGGING SO I HAD TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY AND DRIVE THE CITY STREETS WITH MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON BECAUSE I COULD DO NO MORE THAN 35-40 MPH. I GOT THE CAR NOV 2016 AND THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME I DRIVE IT. ITS DOING THE SAME THING JUST SITTING IN A DRIVE THROUGH. IT KICKS BACK SO HARD IT HURTS MY NECK. IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE HITS ME FROM THE BACK EVERYTIME. I WOULD REALLY Y LIKE TO KNOW WHERE I CAN HAVE THIS REPAIR TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE READ A LOT OF REVIEWS ONLINE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. IT'S BEEN DOING IT SINCE DAY ONE AND I NEED IT FIXED BECAUSE IT HURTS REALLY BAD. I DIDN'T DO THIS TO THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENS NO MATTER WHAT SPEED YOU'RE DOING AND THEN ACTS LIKE IT'S STUCK IN HIGH GEAR AND TAKES OFF SLOWLY AFTER IT JERKS.

MY CAR HAS APPROX 145000 MILES. DRIVES GREAT EXCEPT FOR IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS IT HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR AFTER SITTING ALL NIGHT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR YOU CAN BE DRIVING 5 MPH OR 60 MPH THE CAR WILL JERK HARD...FROM THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE HAD THE CAR INSPECTED AND FIXED NUMEROUS TIMES. MECHANIC'S SAY THE TRANSMISSION IS IN GOOD CONDITION. THEY HAVE FIXED NUMEROUS ITEMS ON 3 DIFFERENT TIMES WITH THE TRANSMISSION; FLUSHED, WELDED, ETC . MECHANIC SAID THAT AFTER GOOGLING PROBLEM THAT MAY BE A COMPUTER DOWNLOAD THAT IS NEEDED. AS STATED ABOVE NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE SAME PROBLEM WITH 2007 THRU 2011 KIA

INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES HAVE SHARP EDGES. THE THIN METAL COATING ON THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES IS PEELING OFF. THE SHARP EDGES CAUSED A CUT ON MY HAND.

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT ON JUNE 19, 2017. A VEHICLE HIT MY KIA AT A SPEED OF 30 - 40 MPH IN THE FRONT DRIVER'S WHEEL BASE. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN OUT OF A SHOPPING CENTER, MOVING LESS THAN 10 MPH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 KIA SPECTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES WHILE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN, AND THE STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE CROSSED THE INTERSECTION AND CRASHED INTO THE REAR DRIVER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE BRAKE AND STEERING LIGHTS INDICATORS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. TWO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

ON 9/19/2016 I WAS DRIVING ON THE 91 FREEWAY ABOUT 40 MILES FROM HOME, MY CAR MADE A LOUD NOISE AND SHUT OFF, I WAS IN THE LEFT (FAST LANE) AND LOST ALL POWER, I PUT ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND HONKED THE HORN AS I STEERED THE CAR TOWARD THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY CROSSING SEVERAL LANES, LUCKILY I MADE IT WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCIDENT, I CALLED FOR THE NEAREST TOW COMPANY TO COME AND TOW MY CAR HOME. WHEN I GOT HOME I OPENED THE HOOD AND SEEN THE CRANKSHAFT CAME THROUGH THE PLASTIC...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SPECTRA 5. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,989.