2005 Kia Spectra problems
The 2005 Kia Spectra has 130 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (33%) concerns air bags. Next are cruise control (9%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 130 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 34 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 25 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 64,000 miles 107 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 | 30 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 11 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 8 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 19 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 12 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 107 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 64,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 27,000 miles (32 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 34 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 25 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the Kia Spectra with enough data (74 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 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.
I was in a car accident on jan. 25, 2007 and my front end was damaged. The car was a total loss due to the accident. The airbags never deployed. I now have a slipped disk in my neck due to the accident. Kia refused to tell me why it did not deploy.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia spectra. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a side impact crash in which only the frontal driver side air bag deployed. The contact also stated that the seat belt did remain secure during the crash. A police report was filed and two injuries were reported. The contact was transported to the hospital via ambulance to treat serious injuries and the driver of the second vehicle also suffered injuries.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH on normal road conditions the odometer failed intermittently. And in some cases, the speedometer increased to 110 MPH while driving 60 MPH. The vehicle was been taken to the dealership four times who has been unable to duplicate the problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia spectra. The contact stated that the air bag light intermittently illuminated when she sat in the passenger seat. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed there was nothing they could do to the vehicle and they were going to send her a diagram instructing her how to properly sit in the seat. The contact was also instructed to gain weight in order for the air bag light to function properly.