1997 Kia Sephia Problems, complaints & recalls

I purchased a 2007 kia optima used in october 2007. The car had roughly 18,000 miles on it when I purchased it. Shortly after the warranty expired in late 2009, the driver's side airbag light came on and has remained on ever since. The passenger side airbag light is always on, even when a normal-sized adult sits in the passenger seat.

The dashboard is warped/coming up and has bent/ruined the defrost/defogger system. It happened all on it's own, we did nothing to provoke this. I am the original owner and the car has never been in a wreck. I am concerned if it has caused airbag damage. It is a hazard not to be able to defrost/defog windows. Also the tailpipe keeps getting holes in it and we have to keep getting welding done on it. *Jb

Dashboard warped and coming up and touching windshield. It is breaking or blocking the vent/defroster/defogger system. Therefore the windows barely defrost and this is a safety hazard. I know of two other people having the same problem with the dashboard. Also "door open" light remains on and drains battery. *Tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 kia sephia. The contact stated that the air bag light on the instrument panel remains illuminated. He does not know if the air bags are working properly. The dealer stated that there was nothing they could do, especially since his vehicle is not under warranty. The cost would be $750 to have the sensor repaired. The dealer also stated that they are aware of the numerous amounts of complaints, but it is not a safety issue. The current mileage is 18,355 and failure mileage was 300. Updated 09/05/07. *Jb

Airbag failed to deploy during a front end crash. Injuries included head,neck and back .The car was totaled.*Ak

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and the dealership was unable to determine the problem.

I noticed a clunking sound in my front end of my 1997 kia sephia. This car only has 49,000 miles on it. I took it in to the dealer and was told I needed new axle shafts on both sides. The dealer informed me he would have to order the parts overnight and that he did not want me to pick up the vehicle until it was fixed because it was not safe to drive. The axle shafts are crumbling and he has no explanation as to why. He said you don't see that in kia vehicles. Thankfully there was no accident but had I waited the consequences could have been devastating. My car is currently at the dealer for repairs, and I have asked them to hold on to the axle shafts when they are removed. *Nm

Dt: 1997 kia sephia, the dashboard is lifting. When the consumer entered the vehicle she smelled something burning. Upon inspecting the dash she noticed the driver's side dash was burned. When the consumer cleaned the dash the cleaning cloth smelled burned and there was a brown residue on the cloth. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer because it is out of warranty and the consumer cannot afford to have it fixed. *Ak *jb *nm

Dt: consumer's vehicle was hit by another car on august 15, 2005, and the airbags failed to deploy. Were still unsure of the extend of the injuries to the consumer. A police report was taken. The manufacturer was unhelpful to the consumer. They told the consumer that the airbags should not have deployed under these circumstances. Although other information they sent her said that the air bags should have deployed. *Ak

Dt: consumer owns 1997 kia sephia. She had a problem with the dashboard. The vents for the defroster fell off, and the dashboard was brown, which began as a small spot and grew to cover the whole dashboard. She was concerned that the dashboard falling apart might somehow affect the airbags. She says that there is a burning smell coming from dash, smell has been there since she purchased vehicle. She did purchase vehicle new.*Ak

I have a 1997 kia sephia rs and I have replaced the alternator belt 11 times and 4 of those have been in the last 3 months. I am unable to get any answers about why the belt keeps breaking from any repair shop, other than it must be a sizing defect by kia. This last belt was replaced 6/05 and broke off again 8/17/05. I can only seem to get about 1-3 month use from a belt. I checked with the previous owner of the car, which I knew and she indicates that she had the same problems. I now have spoken to another kia sephia rs owner same year and they got rid of theirs for that very reason.*Jb

Dt: the contact owned a 1997 kia sephia. Contact's vehicle rear ended another vehicle at 35 mph . Upon impact, the frontal air bags did not deploy.There were three occupants in the car all wearing seat belts. The rear passenger side seat belt broke . The air bag warning light had not been on in this vehicle nor was it on after the crash. One person sustained injuries because of the seat belt. She broke two ribs. *Ak

Both of the rear seat belts will not reatract back to normal position, which is preventing the rear passengers from being safe if the vehicle were to be involved in an accident. Manufacturer has been contacted by consumer.*Ak

Consumer was driving was involved in a collision head on . Seat belt broke, throwing the consumer threw the driver's windshield. Air bags did not deploy. Vehicle was totaled. *Ak consumer is in a coma. *Nm

The dashboard lifted up from the chassis of the vehicle. Also, there was a hole that burned into the top of the dashboard. The consumer was concerned with the air bags not deploying or deploying prematurely. *Ak *sc *jb

PROBLEMS WITH SEAT BELTS AND DASHBOARD. *MR *SC *JB

When I bought the car the brakes felt bad because I had to push the brake all the way to the floor. After having it for 2 weeks other thing started to go wrong. I had to buy a cap and rotor and get spark plug and wires. Now the transmission is messing up. They are not willing to put me in something better. They want me to pay on a junk car that I will always have to be fixing day after day.

Intermittently while driving the vehicle looses power. Dealer indicated and performed a tune up on the vehicle. Consumer states the problem is recurring. Please provide further information. *Ph

The passenger side dashboard is lifting up, consumer believes this may cause the airbag to deploy. Dealer has been contacted. *Ak

The dashboard on this year vehicle starts to curl and is heading towards the passenger side airbag which may pop and cause injuries or fatalities. The dashboard also breaks the plastic vents which then does not distribute the air on the defroster properly which then could also cause fatalities or injuries.

The dashboard is pulling apart and this is unsafe and I worry about the air bags blasting off and other damage. I know this problem is prevelant to this car also there is something wrong with the breaks they squeak horribly, but the break people say they don't need to be replaced, unsure of the cause.*Ak

The dashboard came loose and lifted from the interior of the vehicle.*Mr. The molding strip around the rear window was loose.*Ts *jb

The dashboard area, in front of driver's seat developed "burn" spots and since then popped out, near the front windshield. As a result, the consumer experienced respiratory problems and blurred vision when driving for an extended period of time. The consumer believed the sun contacted the dash and had given off some type of chemical. *Ak the burn spot was approximately 12 inches in diameter. Every three to four days it created a film on the inside of the windshield(the size of the burn area) and also had given off an odor. The odor made the consumer's husband sick and her sister's eyes burn. *Scc *jb

When the consumer pulled off from a stop, the vehicle stalled. This incident occurred in traffic which made it a dangerous situation. *Nlm ph *jb

Took car into dealer because brakes were pulsing. Service consultant showed me a service bulletin indicating that there was a problem with the original rotors and that they needed to replace them with a newer design that was not subject to heat warping. The extra cost to me for replacement rotors $110 above the cost of replacing the pads and caliphers, which increased the total cost of the brake job to $307.