KIA Sephia Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 166 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the KIA Sephia across 9 model years. The 1999 model year has the most (37). The words owners use most often: “air bags deploy” (21% of reports).
- 166air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 120mention a crash
- 78mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 18%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.
- Air bags deploy: mentioned in 35 of 166 complaints (21%)
- Upon impact: mentioned in 23 of 166 complaints (14%)
- Consumer involved: mentioned in 14 of 166 complaints (8%)
- Frontal collision: mentioned in 14 of 166 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 34 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 166 complaints, 120 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 78 an injury.
KIA Sephia air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Sephia | 1 | 50% | 18,000 |
| 2002 Sephia | 1 | 17% | 18,000 |
| 2001 Sephia | 18 | 17% | 90,625 |
| 2000 Sephia | 32 | 12% | 59,000 |
| 1999 Sephia | 37 | 9% | 65,000 |
| 1998 Sephia | 31 | 6% | 40,000 |
| 1997 Sephia | 30 | 15% | 65,500 |
| 1996 Sephia | 11 | 9% | — |
| 1995 Sephia | 5 | 8% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the KIA Sephia. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 kia sephia. While driving approximately 40 mph, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle causing significant damage to the front end. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver suffered injuries to the right shoulder, head, and jaw bone. The front passenger…
Nearly fatal car accident, air bags did not deploy, the breaks did not lock up. *tr
I was on my way to college when i hit a patch of wet road, when i tried to correct the slide, the right side grabbed and put me into a spin over both lanes and i hit the left side guard rail head on at approx. 45mph. Air bags didn't deploy for either side. Car is almost worth fixing but i will…
I was driving my 2001 kia sephia approximately 45 mph in decatur county, georgia on august 1, 2006 when a pontiac bonneville pulled into my lane of travel. My sephia collided with the bonneville at a 20 degree angle. Neither of the front airbags deployed and my son (front seat passenger) was thrown…
Drive and passenger airbag did not deploy in 2001 kia sephia ls. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all KIA Sephias have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 166 owner complaints about air bags for the KIA Sephia. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the KIA Sephia air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the KIA Sephia?
The most frequent phrase is “air bags deploy”, in 35 of 166 complaints, followed by “upon impact” (23).
Other KIA Sephia problems
See all KIA Sephia problems.