KIA Sephia Structure Problems
Owners have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the KIA Sephia across 7 model years. The 1998 model year has the most (26). The words owners use most often: “side door” (7% of reports).
- 109structure complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 45%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.
- Side door: mentioned in 8 of 109 complaints (7%)
- Dash board: mentioned in 6 of 109 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 26 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 109 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
KIA Sephia structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Sephia | 9 | 8% | 8,500 |
| 2000 Sephia | 18 | 7% | 30,738 |
| 1999 Sephia | 17 | 4% | 69,750 |
| 1998 Sephia | 26 | 5% | 80,000 |
| 1997 Sephia | 19 | 9% | 49,000 |
| 1996 Sephia | 12 | 10% | 38,000 |
| 1995 Sephia | 8 | 13% | 48,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists structure 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.
While driving on the interstate at 75 mph the top layer of the hood (skin) separated from the hood and flew upward into the windshield and detached itself from the vehicle causing the drivers vision of roadway to be blocked. Once it detached itself causing high risk of safety for other drivers…
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 kia sephia. When the temperature dropped below 25 degrees none of the doors latches function properly and its difficult to close the door. The failure mileage was 25000 and the current mileage was 41000. Updated 03/01/10 *bf the consumer stated when temperature dropped…
The dash board is curling up around the front window vents which is kicking the vents out. *tr
I have a 2000 kia sephia and the vents started to crack. Now the whole dashboard is curling up to where the vents won't even work. It is a safety issue because the defroster will not work because of the deformation of the dash. And with this car just being 6 years old when it happened i believe it…
Right front (passenger) door will not open. Door latch will not unlock. First time it happened, i had to cut a hole in the inside door panel to access the interior of the door. The lock mechanism was rusted due to a poorly designed window seal that drains into the interior of the door--right onto…
Frequently asked questions
Do all KIA Sephias have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 109 owner complaints about structure 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 structure?
No recall currently lists structure for this vehicle.
What do owners say about structure problems on the KIA Sephia?
The most frequent phrase is “side door”, in 8 of 109 complaints, followed by “dash board” (6).
Other KIA Sephia problems
See all KIA Sephia problems.