The consumer applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove to the dealer. The mechanic informed the consumer that the problem could not be duplicated. The consumer informed the mechanic this problem has occurred more than once and the problem has not been resolved. Please provide additional information.
1998 Kia Sephia: brake failure
22 of the 491 complaints about the 1998 Kia Sephia describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 22
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
The consumer rear ended another motorist and the air bags failed to deploy*ak the consumer also stated the brakes failed.
Vehicle engine caught on fire. *mr when the consumer attempted to come to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal went to the floor and the brakes failed. Consumer had to drive on the lawn in order to get the vehicle to stop. And then the engine caught on fire. *tt
While driving vehicle, went to stop & had no brakes. Pulled up on the emergency brake, looked in rearview mirror and noticed smoke all over. Pulled over & got out quickly. Opened paseinger door to get belongings & noticed flames coming from underneath. Called 911. Car was burning tremendously. A total loss. My daughter was driving, and got out safely. This happened for no apparent reason. What a traumatic experience, especially for a 17 yr. Old.
I bought my kia new. Since then, I have had 4 complete brake jobs done. Dealer says it's "normal" wear and tear, said they replaced my rotors on several occasions, yet the last time (6/01), they said my warranty ran out, and I have to pay to have inspected from them. When told of previous prob's with these brakes, they claim that kia brake pads were bad, thus changing to the new version. Those failed also. They would not do job without me paying, so I had another private mechanic do the job. I had to have, the rear brake shoes, and left rear drum. This is after having my brakes done 3 x by the dealer. These cars give no warning at all, then wham, I have no brakes. I want a replacement car equivilant to mine but one that doesn't make me crazy wondering if my life as well as others are in danger due to crappy brakes kia made! This is crazy..the dealer are all nice and stuff until my warrantee runs out, then I'm stuck. I'll have to work overtime in oder to keep having rotors replaced if this keeps up! The dealer said that "normal wear" for rotors is below 10k???? My last car had one brake job done, and traded it for the kia at 155k, with brakes!!! Why isn't anyone doing anything about these brakes on these cars? Tons of people have had problems (see consumer complaint listings), yet kia says their cars are great? Also, I have had multiple prob's with trunk not opening with key, door handles falling off, water retention in headlamp (replaced), dorm light not working (fixed), car doesn't always start (dealer can't find problem), constantly unalligned causing wear on tires, side view mirrors don't always work (manual/no problem found), car doesn't always start (no problem found), front seats don't always stay in the upward position (no prob upon arrival at dealer). I think these are all of the problems...I have figured out that buying a new car isn't worth it. I would never recommend a kia to anyone! I can't even sell my car...nobody wants it!
My vehicle stalled on the highway due to the transmission failing in third gear. In addition, the brakes failed as well. I have experienced these issues four times to date. I had to have a total brake replacement in the past two years and the transmission was rebuilt at 6800 miles. Since the transmission was rebuilted, I have returned it four times for additional failure. The problem has not been resolved. This vehicle is defective and unsafe to operate..
While driving at 35 MPH consumer tried to put on brakes and steering wheel was almost ripped out of driver's hand. Rotors were bad,causing vibration. Brake pedal went to the floor, no brakes. Dealer fixed rotors and brakes. However, on oct 3, 2000 brakes failed again.
Rotors keeps going out, causing loss of brakes. Has had one accident because of it. Dealer states that manufacturer is aware of the problem.
Brake line hose busted while driving on expressway at about 50 MPH, and there was total brake failure. Consumer had to use the emergency brake to stop vehicle.
Front brakes failed. Yh
Brakes failed causing accident, they have been replaced 4 times also rotors fuel pump, transmission, glovebox,wiring harness, many other things too... Could have lost my 2 of my grandsons in the accident... Are we going to put up with this??? I can be reached at [email protected]
Vehicles brakes failed to properly perform. Even after replacement of rotors and pads with original factor y parts on three seperate occassions.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Kia Sephia brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 1998 Kia Sephia?
22 of 491 owner complaints about the 1998 Kia Sephia (4%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 1998.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Kia Sephia?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Kia Sephia
Stalling 41Won't start 27Grinding brakes 25Check engine light 23Fuel pump 16No deployment 15Headlights 14Wipers 14Premature wear 13Jerking 12Transmission failure 11Engine failure 10Fire or smoke 10Overheating 7Airbag light 6Fuel gauge 6ABS 5Hesitation 5Loss of power 5Pulling 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1998 Kia Sephia?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history