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.
The doors lock again immediately after unlock. This happens almost all of the time. The locks also lock and unlock repeatedly while the car is in motion.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that none of the seat belts in the rear of the vehicle locked. Also, the locks on all the doors locked independently which caused the contact's infant child to become locked inside the vehicle alone. The failures recurred numerous times. The manufacturer had been notified. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mileage was unknown. The VIN was unknown.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that while park he attempted to open the doors from the exterior of the vehicle with the key fob. The front driver and passenger side doors began to lock and unlock independently simultaneously. The contact mentioned that in some occasions the failure occurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to three different dealers for diagnostic testing who were unable to diagnose the failure. The third time the vehicle was taken to the dealer the technician suggested the door lock module on both driver and passenger side door needed to be replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
My 2007 Kia Spectra's doors will randomly lock and unlock. This has caused great concern both in situations where I would need to get into my car quickly - for example a mugging or snowstorm, and where I leave my car parked in a public location. Research online indicates this is a common problem, yet Kia refuses to fix it unless they can replicate the issue, and instead try to hint that it's user error. I've filmed this occurrence, and multiple people have seen the door locks "argue" with the fob's unlock command. The manufacturer refuses to honor the warranty unless they can replicate it and told me "bring it back when the locks fail entirely." It is a constant issue now. I will be taking it back to Kia again this weekend.
- Canyon Country, CA, USA
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I have a 2007 Kia Spectra and the keyless door opener and lock system has never worked properly. The locks don't open when they're supposed to and lock when they're not supposed to. I brought to Kia dealer before warranty expired and they told me they couldn't replicate my problem and hinted that I was not using the buttons correctly. Well at around 60,450 miles I started my car to get the heat on, I took off the keyless entry device and closed the door to let my car warm up. I did not lock the door using the button on the keyless device, but the door locks locked automatically with my car on. No way would that keyless entry device allow me to get back in the car. It was 11:00 pm, cold, luckily some friends remained with me and tried to get in the car with coat hangars and other devices to no avail. Eventually I had to call a locksmith, to get in which cost $50, however all the trying to get in damaged both the passenger and driver door mechanisms so now I have the expense of getting this fixed, which Kia should have fixed before the warranty ran out. I tried for an hour pressing the buttons on the keyless entry, the doors wouldn't open, the trunk wouldn't open, the battery was fine in the keyless entry device, the light worked like it normally works but it wouldn't open the car! what if god forbid I had just buckled a child in the backseat and closed the back door and then tried to open my door to get in and the car locked itself. Or if there were some other emergency and I couldn't get in. In addition to this being a convenience issue I definitely think it could also be a safety issue. I feel Kia should be responsible for fixing my damaged door mechanisms, in addition to reimbursing me for the locksmith. I would appreciate any help you might be able to bring to this matter. I also feel that the dealer didn't want to be bothered really checking out the problem, because the warranty was going to be up at 60,000 miles.
The floor mat on the driver's side of my 2007 Kia Spectra will not remain anchored. Although I'm writing this complaint in 2009, this has been a problem since I bought the car in 2007. I recently brought the car in to the dealership to fix the door locks (which lock on their own immediately after you unlock them) and I brought mat issue to the attention of the service department while there. They proceeded to push the mat back into the anchor (like I haven't tried that hundreds of times in the last two years?), but it was out again within a day - so they have not fixed this nor appear to want to address it. I view this as an unacceptable safety issue and after seeing a news report tonight about a major fatal accident involving a similar problem with a Toyota I am determined to get this addressed by the dealership! on the note about the door locks - I will be bringing it back for the fourth time to address that problem next week. I also wanted to point out, that I had a safety concern with my old 2000 Kia sephia years ago where the driver's side seatbelt wouldn't stay latched if you just tugged on the belt a little. The dealership (a different one) refused to replace it (because my warranty had expired) and wanted to charge me hundreds of dollars to fix it. I filed a complaint and the usdot highway safety division paid to replace them as long as I sent the old components to them so they could test the latch. Shortly thereafter, the seatbelts to both front seats were recalled and I went back in to get my passenger latch replaced under this massive recall. I am very disappointed to find that Kia is still not stepping up to the plate on safety issues without having to get regulatory bodies involved! this is a great way to ruin customer loyalty in someone who gave them a second chance!!!!
The automatic door locks will lock independently of the fob or door button. When using the fob the doors will unlock and then lock back instantly. I have to play a 'catch me if you can' game, just to get into my car. I can not exit the car to get gas without it locking on it's own. First time I turned it in for service the problem 'could not be duplicated'. turned in second time and they are replacing the door lock mechanism. Waiting on parts.
While filling up with gas, I heard a distinct click and upon looking saw that all of the car doors had locked. My keys were still in the ignition. I called the road service that is associated with the car and they had it open almost immediately for me. The doors have locked independently a few more times since then while I have been driving down the road. Approximate mileage: 17,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Spectra. The contact exited the vehicle and shut the door with the keys still in the ignition. After a few seconds, all of the doors locked automatically with her 11 month old child still in the vehicle. The contact's father used a slim jim to open the door. She called the manufacturer, but was unable to speak with a representative. The failure and current mileages were 12,769. Updated 09/13/08. The consumer stated the engine was still running. Updated 09/16/08.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Utica, NY, USA