1998 KIA Sephia Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 108 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1998 KIA Sephia, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 50,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “engine nlm” (7% of reports).
- 108engine and engine cooling complaints
- 50,000median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 24%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Engine nlm: mentioned in 8 of 108 complaints (7%)
- Provide further: mentioned in 8 of 108 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 3 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 108 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 6 a fire, 2 an injury.
KIA Sephia engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Sephia | 1 | 50% | — |
| 2001 Sephia | 21 | 20% | 15,500 |
| 2000 Sephia | 43 | 16% | 59,000 |
| 1999 Sephia | 88 | 21% | 58,500 |
| 1998 Sephia | 108 | 22% | 50,000 |
| 1997 Sephia | 44 | 21% | 52,500 |
| 1996 Sephia | 17 | 14% | 111,432 |
| 1995 Sephia | 10 | 16% | 125,479 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My wife was driving our 1998 kia sephia and the engine began to stall. She pulled into a parking lot and the engine caught on fire. My wife ran away form the vehicle. The whole front of the car was burned up. *nm
Over a period of time, approximately 70,00 miles on my car, the ac/heater fan motor will blow air intermittently, regardless of the fan's speed setting. Eventually, the fan stops blowing all together. This same thing has happened with my 1999 kia sephia. *jb
Since may of 2002, this car has been in the shop 9 times and of this date it is still there. First they said it was fuses. Actually it has never run or started right. It had to be towed at least 4 times. The last time that it went in was 8/5/03, they fixed the water pump, belts, crank pulley. This…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 KIA Sephias have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 108 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1998 KIA Sephia (22% of the 491 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 KIA Sephia engine and engine cooling?
Yes: 1 safety recall list engine and engine cooling. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 50,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1998 KIA Sephia?
The most frequent phrase is “engine nlm”, in 8 of 108 complaints, followed by “provide further” (8).
Other 1998 KIA Sephia problems
See all 1998 KIA Sephia problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Sephia years.