2008 KIA SPECTRA5
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › KIA › SPECTRA5 › 2008
These records cover every 2008 KIA SPECTRA5. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
16 complaints3 involved a crash5 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Vehicle speed control
There IS absolutely no anti slip resistance on the pedals at all. There has been numerous of times, where my mother or my foot would slip off the brake onto the gas causing us to move forward towards the object in front of us. It finally got me and I hit the side of my highschool which damaged my…
There IS absolutely no anti slip resistance on the pedals at all. There has been numerous of times, where my mother or my foot would slip off the brake onto the gas causing us to move forward towards the object in front of us. It finally got me and I hit the side of my highschool which damaged my hood and bumper. I would really have hated if one of my friends or anyone at all were in front of my car or if the air bags would have deployed. I got lucky this time but what about next time?
- Fuel/propulsion system · Service brakes · Vehicle speed control
Sudden unintended acceleration (sua): cruise control (cc) set to ~85 mph, sudden lurching red-line acceleration occurred, cc would not disengage. Had to fight my vehicle (pull e-brake) to get safely to freeway shoulder then turn ignition off. Car continued to try to red line after ignition killed…
Sudden unintended acceleration (sua): cruise control (cc) set to ~85 mph, sudden lurching red-line acceleration occurred, cc would not disengage. Had to fight my vehicle (pull e-brake) to get safely to freeway shoulder then turn ignition off. Car continued to try to red line after ignition killed, shifting thru all gears, battery terminals disconnected or cc module disconnected. Verified brake lights worked fine after pulling over. 1ST incident - behind an 18-wheeler, almost rear ended said 18-wheeler! after ~2HRS the car "resolved" itself & stopped trying to accelerate. 2ND incident - had to navigate multiple cars around & pulled over in a curve! did not resolve itself this time - root cause per pitre KIA: cc cable "broken" (would not engage/disengage acceleration coil as needed). extremely dangerous situations even with an experienced driver!! 1. Out-of-control acceleration run-away man-slaughter death-trap car = not safe for anyone to drive incl 16 y.o. Son who I intended to give this vehicle to nor can my disabled sister (who IS learning to drive) drive it safely!! 2. Excessive wear & tear to engine, transmission, brakes etc for red lined acceleration! 3. After research, found out the safety mechanism that would more safely shut down the cars in these type of instances was chosen by mfg to not install (KIA buys car if runaway vehicle makes headline news or if deaths there are major lawsuits). absolutely horrifying to think it would have killed my 16 y.o. Son like this article: https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2017/kia-sued-for-95-million-in-deaths-of-twin-boys.shtml
- Air bags · Electrical system · Exterior lighting
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…
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.
- Unknown or other
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.
- Air bags
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.
- Air bags
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.
- Air bags · Seats
Passenger seat air bag sensor has gone bad on my 2008 KIA spectra 5. Car has 77,522 miles. Was told by KIA dealer that seat bottom needs to be replaced at a cost of $1700. safety IS the car manufacture's big selling feature. A recall should be issued by KIA in my opinion.
- Air bags
Light for passenger airbag goes off without an occupant in the seat, then the airbag light on the dash comes on..suspect the sensor in the seat IS bad. This happens every time I drive the vehicle..before it was an occasional thing. Now its everytime I start the vehicle to drive
- Air bags · Electrical system · Seats
The airbag light IS staying on and flickers back and forth when someone light sits in the front seat. The airbag IS not going to deploy in the event of an accident and im afraid my loved ones will be seriously injured due to this malfunctioning safety feature. KIA IS responsible for refunding me…
The airbag light IS staying on and flickers back and forth when someone light sits in the front seat. The airbag IS not going to deploy in the event of an accident and im afraid my loved ones will be seriously injured due to this malfunctioning safety feature. KIA IS responsible for refunding me the $2100 in expenses for this airbag sensor and labor to replace it. I will never buy a KIA vehicle again. It IS corporate-social responsibility that KIA lacks. They chose not to recall this defective part that IS so important in protecting their customers. They obviously have no care for their customers' well-being. *tr
- Air bags
Passenger air bag light would turn on and off when there was a passenger in the seat. After a couple of months, the light began turning on and off even if the passenger seat was empty. now the air bag sensor light does not come on, but the air bag warning light IS on and has been for about 1 week. this IS a 1 owner vehicle and has never been in any type of collision.
- Air bags
My car has been in a fender bender or two (always being hit from behind) but never enough impact to cause the airbags to go off. My light has been on for well over a year and when I contacted my car dealership about it, they told me I had to replace my airbag system costing somewhere in the range…
My car has been in a fender bender or two (always being hit from behind) but never enough impact to cause the airbags to go off. My light has been on for well over a year and when I contacted my car dealership about it, they told me I had to replace my airbag system costing somewhere in the range of $2000 to $3000. I have put my car in the shop on numerous occasions and they say there IS nothing wrong with anything to be making this light stay on. I have heard from other KIA owners that are having the same issue but KIA IS not taking responsibility for this malfunction. I have not seen any recalls concerning airbags but from what I've seen and read, there really should before something catastrophic happens. I will never purchase from KIA again. They are very hard to deal with and do not keep their promises or make good on their vehicles.
- Fuel/propulsion system
This had been an ongoing problem since about 24,000 miles, but dealer just said to add power booster or something...by the time of this first documented dealer check out, it had gotten much worse... It has been in several times to no avail, and other than spending money on various solutions (that…
This had been an ongoing problem since about 24,000 miles, but dealer just said to add power booster or something...by the time of this first documented dealer check out, it had gotten much worse... It has been in several times to no avail, and other than spending money on various solutions (that did not work) it has progressively gotten much worse. Finally I was told by dealer to not overfill or top off the tank when filling with fuel. Something that I do not do!!! The vehicle has now reached the point after filling with fuel, I have to use about 1/4 of a tank before it will run somewhat normally (up to 100 miles). It dies at stops, will suddenly cut out going down the road, and when going slowly around curves, will die. This IS very hazardous, as the power steering quits at the same moment, making it very difficult to turn. I have just gotten off the phone with KIA USA, and the young lady informed me that this was a new one to her. That may be, but the internet IS loaded with incidents of this same problem, as IS your site. It does not appear to be just the 2008 models either. I believe that nhtsa should take a little look into this, before it results in some fatalities, if it has not happened already. *tr
- Air bags
The passenger air bag light would go on and off with nobody in it. After 3 months of that the light quit doing that. Then I noticed that the red warning light was on. I went to sell the vehicle but the dealership told the new buyer that it IS the ocs pad in the passenger seat. Code b1448. Could you…
The passenger air bag light would go on and off with nobody in it. After 3 months of that the light quit doing that. Then I noticed that the red warning light was on. I went to sell the vehicle but the dealership told the new buyer that it IS the ocs pad in the passenger seat. Code b1448. Could you inform me what bags will not go off with this light on. I see there IS a bypass switch you can buy to avoid this so there must be a few of these out there. [Xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
- Air bags
The airbag light in the dashboard stays on at all times. I took it to the dealer and the cost to repair IS over $1,600. I am getting it repaired, since this IS a safety issue. The manufacturer did not include any information about the air bag warranty in the warranty manual. As a safety issue, this…
The airbag light in the dashboard stays on at all times. I took it to the dealer and the cost to repair IS over $1,600. I am getting it repaired, since this IS a safety issue. The manufacturer did not include any information about the air bag warranty in the warranty manual. As a safety issue, this should be covered by the 100,000 mile warranty. *tr.. .Updated 07/21/15 *bf the air bag light warning light for the front passenger air bag was the issue. It did not matter if someone was in the passenger seat or not, the typical weight of the passenger was 150 pounds. The dealer fixed the issue by replacing he passenger side seat and air bag sensor. The total cost of the repair was $1,700. KIA paid 1/2 of the cost. Updated 07/28/15
- Air bags · Structure › Body
Driving alone on highway at approximately 55mph after dark. Hit a cow causing approximately $7,000 damage to KIA spectra5 vehicle front end body, bumper, etc. Airbags did not deploy. approximately 10 days after repairs completed airbag light came on and could not be reset by KIA shop. Per KIA…
Driving alone on highway at approximately 55mph after dark. Hit a cow causing approximately $7,000 damage to KIA spectra5 vehicle front end body, bumper, etc. Airbags did not deploy. approximately 10 days after repairs completed airbag light came on and could not be reset by KIA shop. Per KIA dealership that inspected/estimated, problem was with sensor in front passenger seat and would cost more than $2,000 to fix (did not realize it made them all inoperative.) recently had car in shop for another front end involved accident (someone else ran a red light) causing $4,000 damage and again airbags did not deploy (was not aware r side would cause all airbags to be inoperative.) shop recommended checking for recall. Appears multiple problems of same sort in spectra vehicles and that these are same type of problem experienced in the rio which was recalled! KIA needs to stand behind this very serious safety issue! *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
About 2YRS after we had purchased the vehicle, the car was parked on an incline drive way, as we pulled out it started to stall and died. well a couple of days ago, after fueling up the tank, we were at a busy intersection, upon accelerating to go the car stalled and died(almost got rear ended).…
About 2YRS after we had purchased the vehicle, the car was parked on an incline drive way, as we pulled out it started to stall and died. well a couple of days ago, after fueling up the tank, we were at a busy intersection, upon accelerating to go the car stalled and died(almost got rear ended). Well it stalled and died 3 more times before making it home. Took the vehicle in to KIA dealership the very next day, told what was happening, but they want to charge $110 to make sure. well, they looked over the vehicle and said the whole fuel system(fuel tank included), needed to be replaced, total price $950.00.!! I'D just paid the $110 and left. went home and file a complaint with KIA motor. Did some more research and found that this IS a very common issue for KIA but no recall had been issued ?? *tr
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10201529TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFORMATION FOR HEADLAMP CONDENSATION AND MOISTURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to some Kia models that may exhibit fogging, condensation, and/or moisture inside a headlamp assembly. Generally, a fogging condition is considered normal and can be eliminated by turning on the headlamps with the engine running for up to 30 minutes or during normal driving conditions. Headlamp assembly replacement WILL NOT be necessary in most cases.
Every KIA SPECTRA5 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.