1998 KIA Sephia Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sephia years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 491 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 KIA Sephia. That is the most of any Sephia model year in the database (9 years). The most reported problem area is service brakes, hydraulic (250 complaints, 51%), typically at around 45,000 miles. Complaints mention 34 crashes, 16 fires, 19 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 12 defect investigations involving it.
- 491owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 12NHTSA investigations
- 34complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 KIA Sephia problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 250 | 51% | 45,000 | “brake rotors” (10%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 108 | 22% | 50,000 | “engine nlm” (7%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 104 | 21% | 55,735 | “start nlm” (8%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 68 | 14% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline problems | 51 | 10% | 74,250 | “fuel pump” (25%) | — |
| Visibility | 43 | 9% | 19,830 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 31 | 6% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 29 | 6% | 41,596 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 27 | 5% | 51,587 | — | — |
| Equipment | 26 | 5% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 26 | 5% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 24 | 5% | 92,777 | — | — |
| Suspension | 23 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 11 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 7 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 1% | 85,126 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 1% | 160,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | 119,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 55,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 KIA Sephia recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seat belts:front:buckle assembly
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the safety belt buckle may "false latch" and expose the driver to unrestrained movement during a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Owner notification began december 20, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles with 36,000 miles or less as of july 15, 2002, an electrical contact problem may have developed in the hazard switch which could result in inoperative hazard lights and/or inoperative turn signals.
Risk: The loss of turn signals or rear hazard lamps could fail to warn a following driver that the vehicle is turning and/or is stopped and could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the hazard switch. Owner notification began september 6, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Manufacturing changes were made to the orvr spring force and float wire length reducing the valve angle. Certain valves caused fuel shut off before the tank reached 95% of nominal capacity.
Risk: This would cause customers to add more fuel to the tank causing fuel spillback or spitback from the fuel filler neck.
Fix: Dealers will replace the orvr valve. Owner notification began november 13, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Electrical current to the fuel pump passes through the c304 and c305 connectors. If exposed to moisture, these connectors could corrode. Over time, the fuel pump will not receive enough current to operate.
Risk: This condition could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the existing connectors and reposition those connectors to an area where the placement is designed to prevent contact with moisture.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The electrical circuit for the fuel pump is grounded at junction connector g300. If the pin tension is poor, or the bolt securing the connector to the vehicle floor is not tightened sufficiently, a poor connection is made. As the fuel pump operates, the poor connection can create heat which in turn increases resistance. Eventually the fuel pump will not receive enough current to operate.
Risk: This condition could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: This corrective action is being performed in conjunction with recall no. 99v317.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The ball socket on the windshield wiper link may be out of tolerance resulting in the link disengaging from the wiper motor drive under load, such as pushing against ice, snow or other resistance. Also the wiper arm retaining nut could be inadequately tightened allowing the wiper arm to slip and/or stop functioning.
Risk: This condition could cause impairment of visibility in inclement weather increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the windshield wiper link and also properly tighten the wiper arm retaining nuts.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Refueling spit back (EA04004) — opened Feb 3, 2004, closed Jul 29, 2004.
- Refueling spit back (RQ03006) — opened Aug 15, 2003, closed Feb 3, 2004.
- Non-crash engine compartment fires (EA02016) — opened Aug 6, 2002, closed Oct 7, 2003.
- Safety belt buckle malfunction (PE02051) — opened Jun 17, 2002, closed Sep 20, 2002, led to recall 02V216000.
- Battery cable chafing (PE02028) — opened Mar 6, 2002, closed Aug 6, 2002.
- Transmission oil cooler line (PE00028) — opened Jul 12, 2000, closed Nov 7, 2000.
- Turn sighal (EA00018) — opened Jun 29, 2000, closed Jul 29, 2002, led to recall 02V207000.
- Turn signal, traffic safety hazard (PE00004) — opened Jan 13, 2000, closed Jun 29, 2000.
- Refueling spit back (EA99034) — opened Dec 16, 1999, closed Jun 29, 2000, led to recall 00V175000.
- Intermittent stalling (SQ99020) — opened Jun 30, 1999, closed Jan 12, 2000, led to recall 99V317000.
- Refueling spit- back (PE99042) — opened Jun 24, 1999, closed Dec 16, 1999.
- Windshield wiper (PE99033) — opened May 6, 1999, closed Oct 21, 1999, led to recall 99V271000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 KIA SEPHIA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 99V317000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED FOR THE…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 kia sephia. The contact stated that when she activated the windshield wipers, the wiper scratched the windshield and did not clear the rain. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign id number: 99v271000 (visibility)…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 kia sephia. The contact was reversing from a parking space when he heard an unusual click. The steering wheel began to lock yet the contact was able to move the wheel. He proceeded to drive to his residence as the steering became increasingly difficult. The contact…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 kia sephia. While driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle began to accelerate to 50 mph on its own. The driver stated that he had to press the brake pedal excessively in order to slow the vehicle down. The failure mileage was 160,000. The current mileage was 171,000. The…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 kia sephia. The contact noticed that his vehicle would periodically fail to start. On one occasion, the vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the mechanic changed the fuel pump. A few weeks later, the failure recurred. The mechanic changed the fuel pump relay, but the…
Other KIA Sephia years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Sephia | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 Sephia | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 Sephia | 107 | 0 |
| 2000 Sephia | 266 | 1 |
| 1999 Sephia | 428 | 5 |
| 1998 | 491 | 6 |
| 1997 Sephia | 205 | 1 |
| 1996 Sephia | 118 | 1 |
| 1995 Sephia | 64 | 1 |
See all KIA Sephia problems by year, every KIA model, or the KIA VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 KIA Sephia?
Owners most often report service brakes, hydraulic, engine and engine cooling, electrical system problems. The top one, service brakes, hydraulic, accounts for 250 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 KIA Sephia?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 KIA Sephia a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sephia model years, the 1998 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.