Kia Spectra Engine Issues

acm563 · May 2007

I purchased a 2002 Spectra for my son. AT, 32,000 miles on it, transmission went out, KIA would not honor warranty because maintenace records showed Dextron 3 being used for servicing(although every book we can find shows D3 Ok) Evidently KIA book says SP3 only...Anyway, we bought new trans from KIA, had our mechanic put it in. Car ran fine prior to trans replacement now car acts as if it is a manual transmission trying to start out in 5th gear. Noone seems to have any idea as to what could be the issue...Any ideas would be much appreciated.

acm563 · May 2007

KIA will not honor their warranty in any way if there is even a 5 mile deviation off from their service/maintenance recommendations. ALSO, make sure you check only the KIA book for fluids etc as that is where we ran into issues. Any off market books may not give you the same info as the KIA book , we did not have one with our used KIA and that is where we ran into our issues. I have 5 books telling me it is OK to use Dextron 3 in the 2002 Transmission...WRONG! per KIA so dont lose ur warranty due to something like htis as it is a COSTLY mistake!!!

spectra · May 2007

The good news:
I purchased my Spectra5 when in reality I was shopping for a Toyota (again). I have not regretted buying the Spectra 5.
Outstanding value and pricing. Thought-out practicality. Good fit & finnish. Quite ride under normal conditions. Good back seat leg room. Great body styling. Great driving dynamics on the twisties & turns.

The so-so news:
I need to be aware of tire stops or curbs when parking the vehicle. The paint is a little thin. The engine is constantly searching for the right gear when going uphill.
The seat belt chime is a little annoying when I'm cleaning the interior and listening to the CD.
The engine looks better without the funky plastic engine cover (but I appreciate it as a sound barrier).

The Twilight Zone news:
At 3,000 miles, I took the Spectra5 in to Glendale KIA dealer (L. A. Calif.) for:
1) Oil change (I know, I know).
2) Slight vibration on the right front tire.
3) The car wants to pull slightly to the right on the open highway.
The oil change went without drama. But when it came to the alignment and balance, Oh My God.
The service manager tried to convince me that the steering pulled to the right because the pavement was paved at an angle for rain run-off. If that's the case, it should pull to the left. And my improper tire pressure (28 front & 30 rear) is the cause of the right front vibration.
Needles to say, I felt uncomfortable with Glendale KIA's service manager's incompetence and left in haste.

At 8,000. I took the Spectra 5 to El Monte KIA dealer (hoping for service) for oil change and right front vibration. Oil and filter changed, tire balanced, life is good. All went well until I drove out of the dealers driveway. It felt like they accidentaly removed the struts. I checked the tire presure (while still in the driveway and tires cold). Lo and behold, 55 psi on all 4 corners. The reason I say 55 psi is because my tire guage only goes up to 55 psi. I will not return to El Monte KIA.

In retrospect:
Great car for my needs and purpose. Great price and finacing. Better looking than the 08 model. The light window tint all around on my red KIA looks and feels cool.

Attention KIA Motors USA, I thuroughly enjoy my Spectra5 for what it is and how it gets me there. KIA Motors in Korea make a great product.
Dealers in L.A. County are:
1) Hiring high school grads as automotive mechanics.
2) Don't understand the "Return business" credo.
3) Have no intentions of resolving normal automotive
issues (under warranty) in an effort to reduce cost.

KIA Motors, Irvine, USA, wake up.
Enjoy the ride. HV

jacobrich · May 2007

Original Message:
I have a 2002 Kia Spectra, automatic transmission, 47,000 miles. I have the same problem. In the morning I will try to start the car and it will sputter out and die. Then if I try to start a second time, it works fine. Once warmed up the problem goes away.

I am going to take it to the dealer for warranty repair. I had a similar problem happen to a Saturn SL a couple years ago - on the Saturn it was the "Cold Start Valve".

If I find out what the cause it, I will post it here.

Result: I took my car to the Kia dealer to see if they could diagnose the problem. The tech discovered that there was a "software update" for the ECM. They uploaded the update and the car runs fine again. They charged me $90.00 to diagnose the problem and upload the software. I feel a little bit "had" because they seemed to know what the problem was immediately - and they seemed to know that the software would fix the problem. I am going to research Kia software issues now and see if there were any recalls/updates. I'll post my results when I find them.

I don't understand why the software would have been fine and then suddenly one day go bad. I supposed that it is like Windows that can become corrupt for any number of reasons at any given time. I hope it doesn't happen again.

jacobrich · May 2007

Original Message:
I have a 2002 Kia Spectra, automatic transmission, 47,000 miles. I have the same problem. In the morning I will try to start the car and it will sputter out and die. Then if I try to start a second time, it works fine. Once warmed up the problem goes away.

I am going to take it to the dealer for warranty repair. I had a similar problem happen to a Saturn SL a couple years ago - on the Saturn it was the "Cold Start Valve".

If I find out what the cause it, I will post it here.

Result: I took my car to the Kia dealer to see if they could diagnose the problem. The tech discovered that there was a "software update" for the ECM. They uploaded the update and the car runs fine again. They charged me $90.00 to diagnose the problem and upload the software. I feel a little bit "had" because they seemed to know what the problem was immediately - and they seemed to know that the software would fix the problem. I am going to research Kia software issues now and see if there were any recalls/updates. I'll post my results when I find them.

I don't understand why the software would have been fine and then suddenly one day go bad. I supposed that it is like Windows that can become corrupt for any number of reasons at any given time. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Please disregard what I wrote above. The dealer said they fixed the problem, but the very next morning, the problem happened again.

I called the dealer and they said I could bring the car in again at no charge. I left it with them overnight. They said they can't find any problems at all. They even said the car started up with out stalling - I find that hard to believe. The only rational way I can see the car starting properly for them is if the mechanic has an assistant who goes and gets the car from the parking lot. This assistant would experience the car stalling on the first start. However, the mechanic might not, since the car would have already been started once.

At this point I am going to give up, either the dealer is lying, incompetent or the problem really doesn't occur for them. I will just start it twice every morning before I leave. Eventually, it will probably not want to start, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I've also decided that I will not buy another Kia when this one dies.

acm563 · May 2007

After 2 months the Spectra is still sitting in the shop with no explanations as to why it will not run correctly. Of course that doesnt stop the car payments. I would never again buy another KIA for several reasons, the first one being the fact that they do not stand behind their warranty and the second being noone in the world seems to be able to diagnose the probelems and fix them, it is all trail and error at the owners expense.

caliberchic · May 2007

Sorry you are having such difficulties with your vehicle it must be really frustrating. Are they still trying to figure out what the problem is?

acm563 · May 2007

Yes, they(local mechanic) just dont have a clue. I guess it is back to the Kia dealership with it. If they would honor the warranty in the firstplace it would have never left the dealership.

chevman792001 · June 2007

Does anyone know if somebody makes a turbo kit for the spectras. A friend told me that a turbo for a mazda miata would work.

albertomg · June 2007

As I look through all of this I noticed there isn't much about the '07 Spectra5 yet; that makes sense. However, I also noticed a good amount of information about Bad shop experiences for repairs and/or warranty claims. "Spectra" above (#44) does a great job of giving us that what's what but I wondered whether it wouldn't be a good idea to begin a thread for people who want to share their Good experiences:
Where are they and what dealership did they visit?
What year is their car?
What was the issue?
How long did the repair take? How about total experience time?
Who gave them great service? (Name, contact info?)
Was the problem satisfactorily corrected or, if the owner had to compromise, does it seem fair?

I feel this kind of information would be really, really helpful to new car owners and two those who are beginning to experience warranty-covered issues.

Just my two cents. Thanks, mods!

specblue84 · June 2007

yeah i have the site if you need it they run about $2,500 for a complete turbo its bolt on if you want the site just go to my name

froverdrive · June 2007

I have a 2003 Kia Spectra GS. I have had multiple problems with the car that are covered under warranty. The first problem is that the car eats tires, meaning that the tread wears unevenly and quickly. I thought that maybe it was the tires, but I have been through 3 brands. According to my dealer I have a lead tire issue, which I think is an excuse for not knowing what the problem is. The other issues I have had are the breaking system. When I lock my breaks, the engine shuts off. This is not good, because I drive the base model, no extras, so the car is impossible to drive when it is off. I believe this is a vaccuum problem, but the dealer cannot "replicate" the incident. Also, the heat sheild became loose after almost every oil change, and I know the heat shield is not even close to the oil pan. After my last oil change I looked underneath my car, and realized that they are removing the one heat sheild bolt. I confronted them, and they charged me $75 to remove the heat shield altogether. Next, my engine almost seized this weekend due to lack of oil. I do not know how this could have happened, but my car lost about 3 quarts.

The dealership is very SHADY. Dorschel KIA in Rochester, NY likes to schedule your appointments, and then do absolutely no work on the car. This has happened to me twice. If I have an appointment, I expect work to be done on my car, especially a simple oil change. The other problems with Dorschel are the heat sheild issue. According to my maintenence record, the heat sheild has been removed 3 times, not replaced. They have been charging me money each time and will not own up to their mistakes.

Does anyone else run into these issues?

hatchielover · June 2007

hey froverdrive: I have a 2006 Kia Rio 5 with just over 10,000 miles on it. I noticed my front tires were wearing excessively down the center treads, nearly down to the indicators. They are Kumho Solus HP4+ tires. The back tires seem to be wearing fine. The service department was totally unhelpful at Auffenburg KIA in Belleville IL. They said it was either overinflation or because I didn't rotate them. I've been to them for all my oil changes and they are supposed to inspect the tires as part of that service. Obviously, they didn't because they would have seen the wear sooner and if they would have told me to have them rotated, I would have. I know we have never inflated them over the recommended psi on the car door label because they always look low to me and when we check the pressure its never been over. They also told me that it could be because they are low profile tires. They said it was not alignment or camber before they ever looked at the car. I think there is something wrong with my car that they won't or can't fix. I hoped KIA would be different, but all car dealers service departments are the same. I'm going to replace the two worn tires on my own. What other tires have you tried? Please write if you find out what the problem is. Good luck.

froverdrive · June 2007

Dorschel Kia test drove my car, aligned my car, checked my frame, my suspension, my rims, and concluded that my car pulls to the right because I have a bad lead tire, which is BS for, "We really don't know!"

caaz · July 2007

Sounds like all of you with starting issues need to put in NGK Irridium plugs....you'll be very happy you did....(hint hint)

ayden_boi · July 2007

A few months ago i took my car to the kia dearlership to get fixed since it was making a funny noise and also it was still under warenty. they fixed it and said it was my radiator but it still made the funny noise so i took it back. this time they said my transmission was bad and they cant do it under warrenty. so i had someone else look at it and they said the transmission was fine that they just wanted my money.

Another problem im having is that when i go up hills i lose horsepower example i will be going 50mph as soon as i start up the hill i drop down to 20mph and i cant get speed built back up til i go down the hill then my gas goes down alot.

acm563 · July 2007

This is interesting as this is the same symptoms my sons car had after we put the new transmission in it so I have to question and ask if the transmission in your car needs reprogrammed for some reason...and that may also be why the dealership in their infinite ignorance

:) thought you actually needed a new transmission...
IMO KIA's just suck, noone knows how to work on them and as I stated before they give you every excuse not to honor the warranty.
Since the reprogramming of the transmission my sons KIA is running fine although check engine light now stays on....

ayden_boi · July 2007

how much did it cost and does he get horsepower going up hills after this was done?

acm563 · July 2007

yes, he had nopower even on straight rds with no inclines. it cost him $134..i would ask them if they think the the reprogramming would help

axel_rose · July 2007

I bought my Spectra 5 new in May of 2005 and I now have 80,000 miles on it with no problems. All I've done is oil changes and the timing belt change at 68k. I got almost 52,000 miles out of my first set of tires by rotating them with every other oil change.

So far the car has been a solid performer for me and I put almost 900 miles a week on it.

axel_rose · July 2007

I've got 80,000 miles on it so far. All I have done is get the oil changed at the recommended interval, replaced the original tires at 52,000 miles (I rotated the tires every other oil change) and I had the timing belt changed at 68,000.

I've replaced the stock radio with a new pioneer head unit and installed an 8 inch subwoofer in the back.

Everything works on the car as it should and it appears to be holding up well under heavy daily use. I average about 900 miles a week on the car.

I should mention that paid $9100.00 after trade and that it is fully loaded minus ABS. I opted for the 5 spd. manual tranny.

cav_rider666 · August 2007

Mabye if you did'nt drive so hard and checked your tires for proper inflation and pressure you would not have this problem with your tires. No car "eats tires" if you drive sensibly and maintain your tires. I do agree that some of there practices are shady but by the looks of this post it seems as if you drive this car a litle to hard.

caliberchic · August 2007

There were some posts in another area that were related to tires wearing unevenly and quickly for no apparent reason. It was noted on one vehicle that using the Bear Alignment rack to detect mis alignment solved the problem. Try that to find out about the tires.

We found with one of our vehicles that the oil drain plug as lose after an oil change possibly that is where the lack of oil came from suddenly.

I would say find a new dealer to maintenance your vehicle. :shades:

troynall · August 2007

Bought my brand new 2007 Kia Spectra5 just 4 days ago.
The check engine light came on and I hooked a OBDC-II
to it and the code report it as an EVAP (small) emissions control problem.

I owned a (2006)Kia Spectra for about 4 months until I got it totalled in a car accident(not my fault). Decided to go
with a Spectra5. I loved the old 06 spectra. Had no problems
with it at all. In four months I put on 15k miles!! Followed
KIA manual with out fault.

Now I get the check engine light under 1k on the Spectra5 !!!

Checked Gas cap and check under hood for obvious hose or loose line problems.

I love the car. I choose the Manual Tranny with Electric Orange Color. It is great !!!

Bringing it to dealer first thing on monday.

troy

iluvmysephia1 · August 2007

the check engine light may still turn off on it's own. Just checking that you've clicked the gas cap on enough times is sometimes all it takes to turn the light back off(and it'll stay off).

I have needed a new gas cap on one of my two Kia's before, too. You're under Warranty and if you feel more comfortable taking it in, do that, and let them check out your gas cap(among other things, if they need to). For some reason sometimes they're not made right and don't provide a tight enough seal for you.

I think you'll like your Spec5 too and that is an awesome color choice. Do report back what you find out, OK?

troynall · August 2007

ok, went to dealership.

they pulled the car to service bay.
i asked for all paper work.

tech reported that they "re-tightened" gas, drove car.
and "cleared" on-board computer.

if problem re-occurs then i will re-post. but i did
exactly what the tech did, except i did not "clear"
the computer.

The dealership only had my car in the service bay for 8 minutes. plus 4 minutes for the test drive. I was out in
under 15 minutes !!!

Way to go KIA of Baton Rouge !!!(Allstar KIA)

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED -

GOOD THINGS

#1 - Our sales person Tara wanted to put us in a alternate car right away !!!

#2 - Tech talked straight forward to me.

#3 - Tell someone your "keeping" a folder of incident
and start writing names down AND the wheels of progress
start moving faster.

BAD THINGS

#1 - Service guy(RYAN) does not know SH*T. so IMHO
dont even talk to these guys. All they do is paper work
and thats it.

#2 - KIA does not want a responsible "buyer", such as myself
to have access to "diagnostic" print outs.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGE ?

#1 - I really wanted that ERROR LOG printout from the diagnostic computer to compare to my own readings.

#2 - New Service Guy. Ryan sucks.

iluvmysephia1 · August 2007

I agree. So it was just your gas cap needing to be turned enough times until it clicks 5 or 6 times? If so I am very used to this with both of my Kia's.

To get that error log would be nice. It's possible it won't tell you much of anything, though. But to be able to read it in it's entirety would be helpful. Your dealer should be interested in helping you. After all, you've spent a lot of money on one of their cars. You deserve to have a great running rig with no problems. Keep up the desire to probe for more information.

Good fortune to you and report back how your check engine light situation goes, OK? I remember those lights coming on and I felt better driving my Kia's when that dumb engine light was off. What's weird is it's for information and the car always ran well even with that light on every now and a then.

troynall · August 2007

they took it off and then turned it it three or four times.

i did that as well, but they "reset" or cleared the computer. i did not.

i guess they are ruling out the fact that its the cap.
and if it happens again, then replace cap comes next. i guess.

one cavet of information. i cross checked the ERROR code "(SMALL) EVAP Emissions Control Leakage"
and found out that this problem commonly
occurs when GAS CAP is not on properly OR it could
be a "LEAK" in hose OR the EVAP unit has been contaimenated
with GAS.

basically the last one mean that a person has "topped" off
their gas tank until it is completely full AND the excess gas has found its way into the EVAP unit.

Apparently a RONDO buyer had encountered this problem before. I checked the forums for the EVAP error.

I knew about the excessive topping off but never knew exactly why or what it damages. So its good to know.
And should be on the TIP of every SALES person's tounge when they talk to a customer when they purchase a car.

troy:)

troynall · August 2007

DAY 3 after FIRST TRIP to KIA for service.

sequence of events -
1)Left shop on Monday.
2)Filled up gas, but did not overfill.
3)reset tripA milage meter.
4)car would not start outside of daycare.
5)car had to be jumped started !!!
6)found that battery cable to battery post was loose.
7)checked mileage. Car has only travelled 111 miles
and used 3/4 a tank of gas !!!
8)Check engine light came back on !!!
8)set up appointment with service manager RYAN.
He reported that he will need it for a few days.
He reported that he will hook it up to a SMOKE machine.
9) A pit has formed in the pit of my stomach.

I knew this was not the end of the CEL problem.

troy:(

esfahani2 · August 2007

Im just about to buy a 2005 Spectra EX, 16k miles, and the front tires (stock manufacturer) are completely worn down, while the rear (Goodyear) is new. Dealer says stock tires are junk...they're throwing in 2 free tires. Just get yourself a reputable brand of tires (Walmart sells Goodyears now for $75 for this size wheel).

iluvmysephia1 · August 2007

Do ya know, troynall? Sorry to hear of this problem. Maybe they'll actually find it and fix it properly this time.

A smoke machine?

troynall · August 2007

i owned 2006 Spectra EX(bought it off the lot with only 132 miles on it) for four months until it was totaled in an accident.

i put 12999 miles on it in those four months.

The tires showed 73% thread usage. The insurance people
measured the tire tread depth. So the tire life on your tires is about right.

Must have been one owner ?

but sounds like a sweet deal. really. I trust the regular Spectras, but the Spectra5 is another story. I am having headaches with the EVAP system in my BRAND NEW 2007 Spectra5. Had it in to the dealer twice in One week.
Two more times and I have a lemon law case.

They mentioned a smoke test, but all they are doing is test driving it.

BAsically it is getting bad gas mileage. 130 miles to the tank. And the Check engine light comes on about 100 miles into a fresh tank of gas.

They have got me a rental car, but get this. The first time they fixed it, they disconnected the battery and cleared the computer memory. The tech did not tighten it, so next day later they car would not crank after driving to day care. Car had to be jumped off and thats when the battery terminal was found loose !!!

People, WATCH YOUR CARS !!!

troynall · August 2007

SMOKE MACHINE: a machine that pumps a non harmful smoke into the car hoses and finds the leaks while car is operating.

But they are "test" driving and waiting for the
Light to come on AND then fix it.

But what the difference if the light is already on ?
Are just came on ? BTW, Lemon law in my state says
they(KIA) has two more chances at fixes this problem.
Else they can give me a NEW car(since mine is BRAND NEW)
OR buy mine.

Honestly, I am having second thoughts about this SPECTRA5 !!! :lemon:

himi1 · August 2007

Congratulations on your new Spectras!Those are nice cars...you can have a look at the upcoming Kia coupe here. This might be the base for new 2009 Spectra. What do you think?
http://www.kia-world.net/index.php/2007/08/14/kia-releases-2nd-teaser-for-frankf- urt-coupe-concept/

iluvmysephia1 · August 2007

I can't wait to see the new Kia coupe unveiled at Frankfurt. It is the new design from their new design chief, Peter Scherer. He comes from Audi and Kia has hinted that this new coupe is a look at what may very well be the new design direction from Kia.

Very exciting!

troynall · August 2007

OMG.

The CEL may not come on, but the car only gets 215 miles per tank now.

live and learn.

troy:(

jcj8008 · September 2007

I don't know where a lot of the posters live at but the warrantee issues are dealer inspired. If you read the 116 page warrantee you will get a better idea of what is supposed to happen. Also if your not satisfied with the dealer complain to the better business bureau and to Kia USA. That's the national corporate offices in California. Bad dealers, uneducated mechanics, will give any car manufacturer bad press. Call your local TV and radio stations. Sometimes they can help and the dealers don't want there names on the air with bad press. In most cases where there is dealer issues, that dealership is a multi-brand dealer and won't take the time or money to train their mechanics properly. Check out StreetKiaz web site. You will be able to talk with some of the best Kia mechanics and modders on the planet. The owner of the site can put you in touch with the right people at Kia USA. Don't give up on a car because of a bad dealer. There are many good ones out there.

jcj8008 · September 2007

My 2006 Spec 5 has around 16500 miles on it. It is highly customized, KFX Performance header, KFX Perfomance cold air intake, no cat, Kia OEM Cat back center exhaust, automatic tranny, and I get 31 MPG. I got that mileage before the header install and am still getting that mileage afterwards. I have had no problems with any part of the car. I change the oil every 3000 miles. I use whatever oil is on sale. I use Wix or Purolator oil filters, no Fram products at all. Do not use Penzoil or Quaker State oil in any Kia product. They have too much parafan in their oil and will eventually give you problems. Ditch the factory plugs and put Iridiums in it you will see better mileage. Ditch the factory air cleaner. Use a K&N type filter for stock air systems or go to a cold air intake and K&N. You will definitely see a difference. The MPG I posted is in town driving on expressways and city streets with the AC on. This is my fourth Kia and since 2003 and have had no problems with the cars. I currently own a 2003 Sedona, 2006 Spectra 5, and a 2007 Rondo. For those that don't know, the 2.4L engine that is in the Rondo was co-developed by Hyundai, Kia, and Daimler-Chrysler. It is called the World Engine. The SRT engines that Dodge are using is the same engine that is in the Rondo. There are several other makes that will be using this same engine but that hasn't been released to the public yet. All will eventually have lifetime to the original purchaser warrantees.
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abbyrhodes14 · November 2007

Does anybody know about this particular problem? Is this something I could undertake myself, rehooking up a hose or something? Im not sure what it means but I can't afford to put a lot of money into my car right now... any tips or advice for this question, or about this car in general would be most appreciated! Thanks!

07spectra_ang · November 2007

I've noticed a vibration felt in the steering wheel when idling. Most common when the car is cold, and goes away completely when it's warmed up. I've had it in once so far and was told that it was a) a 4 cylinder and I would feel some vibrations, b) when first start the RPM are near 1200 and go down to 700 when it's sufficiently warmed up. This morning, I let it warm up between 5-10 minutes, the first stop light I came to, it vibrated terribly and made a very faint noise similar to when you used to put a card on your bicycle tire. It didn't last long and didn't happen again.

Any suggestions?

smcdonald · December 2007

Had intermittent problems starting my '05 Spectra5. All power came up fine, no start, no click, no dimming of lights when you turn the key. One day, out of frustration when it did it, I pounded the wheel about 11:00 with my fist whine the key was in the start position and bingo, it fired right up. Works every time! Can you imagine the look on the service advisor's face when I told him that? It was priceless. Of course it never fails to start when it's at the dealership.

red911 · December 2007

Hello all,

I've owned lots of Hondas and was considering a Honda Fit. But I came across a 2005 Spectra5 w/ 20K miles at a good price. Still has factory warranty.

After test driving both, I prefer the Kia.

Kia kind of "scares" me because of a poor reputation in their early production. And it seems maybe their warranties aren't worth the paper they are written on? I've read complaints about Kia not standing behind their cars and honoring their warranty.

What do y'all think? Would it be a mistake for me to buy the used Spectra5 instead of a Honda Fit? I was certainly impressed by the Kia. But if the previous owner used the "wrong oil" or missed a service by a few miles, I fear they will void the warranty.

Then again, if these are good, dependable cars, I won't need it!

So, come on, Kia Spectra5 pilots... talk me into one!! Or I'll end up in yet another Honda

Have you had problems with yours? Major repairs?

Thanks,
Shannon

acm563 · December 2007

First off let me tell you that if you are buying a used KIA and are depending upon the warranty that you need to have all service records for that vehicle or the warranty is useless. Also remember that the 100K warranty is not transferrable only the 60K. My son has the 2002 Spectra LE, which he bought used at 36K and at 38K the transmission went out on it and the dealership wouldnot pay for the replacement. ALSO I do not know if any other Kia owners have had this issue but both with my 2004 Kia and my sons 2002 there will be times for no apparent reason that the car just will not start, it acts like it is getting no fuel...then if you wait a few hours go out and give it gas before starting it will finally start and you have to let it idle for a while before you drive it. Also, repeated times of really rough driving like it is struggling to get either the gas or maybe vaccum locked in some way....We have just had various odd symptoms out of both of the Kias that the shop says they cannot duplicate. I personally will never buy another one. Also, in both Kias there is something with the actual design of these cars that if you want the windows down instead of having the air on you may as well forget it as the noise is deafining and actually hurts your eardrums with the vibration...weird but true.....I have never owned a HOnda so I cant comment on that but IMO KIA should be called POS and not KIA

smudgeandtaz · December 2007

I have a 2002 Kia Spectra and reently heard a rattling noise coming form the engine when accelerating. I had it looked at right away and i was told that the rod bearing was bad and that the whole engine had to be replaced! The cost for this is approx $3000 which is more than or close to what the car is worth. The car only has 88,000 miles. I know its not low mileage, but for a 2002 model in this day and age, a new engine at this mileage seems ridiculous to me. Any one else out there experience similar problems? Is there anything i can do apart form send it to the junk yard? Piece of crap! :sick:

Thanks

Rob

acm563 · December 2007

Good Luck....I hope the 2002 my son has doesnt do the same thing. It only has 37K on it and we had to replace the transmission. I have a 2004 and as I said in my opinion they are POS....but others claim to have good luck with theirs so who knows

red911 · December 2007

Thanks to those who replied to my post asking if I should buy a Spectra5. I bought a 2005 Toyota Matrix instead. They were the same year, same price. Hard to pass on the 'yota, even though in many ways I prefered the Kia.

Last year, I bought a 2002 MINI Cooper and the tranny failed at 34K miles. 4 months out of warranty. "Tough sh**" was the response I got from MINI. Even though I found multiple posts on the internet of the same failure. Even though they dumped the Midland transmission after 2yrs and replaced it with Getrag transmissions. So, why did MINI tell me, "we've not had any problems?" Why did the dealer tell me, "we haven't had any transmission failures here?" If that were true, why go to a new transmission?

By the way, Toyota has done the exact same thing on their 03-04 Matrix transmission that were failing right and left. Acting like they know nothing about it. But, hmmm... for some mysterious reason they put a new tranny design in the 05 Matrix. Wow, imagine that. They just "randomly" decide to fix something that isn't broken.

It's time we stand up to these car companies. There is simply no excuse for a drive train or engine to fail at these low miles. I don't see how they can defend it even at 100K miles. Cars should last at least that long.

I can accept that poor engineering happens. I don't condemn them for that. I don't expect perfection. What I DO expect is for them to face up to their mistakes and make it right. I expect them to stand behind what they sell.

If I did business the way they do, I'd be out of business.

I was a loyal BMW / MINI fan. I will now do my best to spread the word that they wouldn't fix my car for me. I will not own one again. Even though they now have great reliability records.

Maybe we figure out a way to not let them get away with this any more.
?????

Shannon
P.S. BMW if you're reading this, I own a Porsche now. It's 20 years old and it is a better machine than you can ever hope to build. So take that!!!!

abermaus · December 2007

I just bought a 2006 Spectra 5 and was told by Car Max, where i bought it, that the manufacturer warranty was still on the car, to 60,000 miles. They also sold me their own, 75,000 mile warranty but i have to pay a small deductible each time i let them fix the car.

I noticed today after looking through everything that i have absolutely NO previous maintenance records on the car. It has 20,000 miles on it. I dont even know when the oil was changed. So Car Max was telling me i had a warranty from KIA, but really they should have told me i dont because the previous owner provided no records?

acm563 · December 2007

From everything I was told by Kia, no records =no warranty. If the engine fails at 33K and all you have are your maintenance records I would say you will get nothing, zip, nada...unless you happen to have an awesome service rep at your local dealership. Mine seemed like a nice guy when I bought the car and yes that is what sold me on the 2002, having the warranty to 60K but then when I tried to use the warranty we were just SOL. For the warranty to be effective you have to have all the records from the moment the car left the dealership brand new. My son is having more weird issues with the 02 Spectra where it acts like maybe the brakes are sticking or something but it is so intermittent we cant duplicate problem for mechanic. Its not the triny again as the rpms arent going up...who knows ..but as I said I will never buy a KIA again......

nodule · December 2007

Dear Backy....who whoever else would like to comment....

Is there any evidence that the 2008 Spectra EX is NOT at the same build quality
as the 200 Elantra SE? Im considering purchasing the Spectra EX for a long term
car of around 150,000 miles.

I would love your thoughts!

Thank you!

abermaus · December 2007

I am so sorry you had this problem, and thank you for your post. Anyone who reads what you have to say before buying will be informed. I really appreciate it.

Here is what I found out:

I talked to Kia this morning, I was really upset. They told me that they should be able honor the warranty as I am starting at 18, 600 miles, even though there are no records. They also gave me the number of the dealership in Texas where the car was purchased so that i can attempt to get any service records kept there. They also told me that if I start the severe maintenance now and save the records of everything i should be fine, that my car is under 19,000 miles so there was not much to do in that period of time anyway. They also said that if the fluids are clean and whatnot, it will be obvious enough that the car was being maintained to their satisfaction.

She did say that they can still refuse however if something goes wrong and there is some evidence that maintenance was neglected. So I guess they can do whatever they want.

Car Max will be giving me their records, which i demanded today, and hopefully dealership in Texas has something for me too.
But in any event, at the worst I will have to fall back on Car Max's warranty to 94,000 miles. I have to pay a deductible each time i get a repair, $50 at their place or $75 at any state certified mechanic.

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