1998 Kia Sephia problems
NHTSA has received 994 complaints about the 1998 Kia Sephia, and 32% of them involve brakes. Next are electrical system (13%) and engine (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 994 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 32% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 61 and 24
- Injuries and deaths
- 57 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 56 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 21 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 56 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 50,000 miles (13 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 61 complaints mention a crash; 24 complaints mention a fire; 57 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Kia Sephia with enough data (720 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Brakes failed causing accident, they have been replaced 4 times also rotors fuel pump, transmission, glovebox,wiring harness, many other things too... Could have lost my 2 of my grandsons in the accident... Are we going to put up with this???
The consumer states the front brakes are wearing prematurely. The part have been replaced five times however problem still exist. The cause has yet to be determined. Please provide additional information.
I brought a new kia sephia in 1998, and had nothing but trouble with it! Transmission was replaced 2 times by the mechanic for kia motors, and needed to be replaced again on 7/2007. Also , the brakes have been replaced 4 times and need to be replaced again. Now the headlights keep turning off while driving at night, but no mechanic can locate the electrical short problem.