10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,718 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Kia Sephia seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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1997 Kia Sephia Owner Comments

problem #5

Sep 242006

Sephia 4-cyl

  • 59,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Dashboard warped and coming up and touching windshield. It is breaking or blocking the vent/defroster/defogger system. Therefore the windows barely defrost and this is a safety hazard. I know of two other people having the same problem with the dashboard. Also "door open" light remains on and drains battery.

- Hyrum, UT, USA

problem #4

Jun 222004

Sephia 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,590 miles
The dashboard lifted up from the chassis of the vehicle. Also, there was a hole that burned into the top of the dashboard. The consumer was concerned with the air bags not deploying or deploying prematurely.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

problem #3

Oct 012002

Sephia 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 72,000 miles
Interior systems:passive restraint:air bag:side door:passenger summary: Dashboard has come apart. Also, seals around airbag on passenger's side has lifted up, exposing parts underneath. Heater vent on dash has cracked

- Hurricane, WV, USA

problem #2

Mar 252002

Sephia

  • miles
Was involved in an accident on 3/25/02. A woman hit me in the rear end of my car and my seat released and the back of the seat went completely back. I had to sturggle to sit up after the impact and realized she had pushed me into oncoming traffic. A school bus was coming head on into me. I had to pull myself forward without the back of my seat for support and steer best I could out of the path of the bus. My seat should never have released like it did. My air bag did not deploy. And luckily I was coherant enough to miss getting hit head on and injuring children. The woman who hit me did not see my turn signal and was going too fast for conditions. This could have been an awful accident had I not been able to pull myself upright from the back of my seat falling down. My shoes flew off and I was laying down into the back seat loosing my steering and could not reach the peddles since I was thrown so far back. I did have my seat belt on which I am sure did save me from hitting the windshield. However, it did not work like it should since I was so far back. Had I been hit by the bus a that moment, I might have been seriously injured or killed. Nlm

- Denver, PA, USA

problem #1

Jun 271997

Sephia

  • miles
During frontal impact at speeds of 46mph, the driver's side seat belt did not lock and the driver's side air bag did not deploy. Of 813636, added 0N 25-Feb-98.

- Hampstead, NC, USA

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