My wife was driving our 1998 kia sephia and the engine began to stall. She pulled into a parking lot and the engine caught on fire. My wife ran away form the vehicle. The whole front of the car was burned up.
1998 Kia Sephia engine problems
108 complaints (22% of all complaints for this car). 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 108
- of this car's complaints
- 22%
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Engine: gasoline65
- Exhaust system13
- Engine10
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe8
- Cooling system8
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor5
- Exhaust system: emission control4
- Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Kia Sephia engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Kia Sephia engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Stalling 41Won't start 27Check engine light 23Engine failure 10Overheating 7Loss of power 5
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Manufacturing changes were made to the orvr spring force and float wire length reducing the valve angle. Certain valves caused fuel shut off before the tank reached 95% of nominal capacity.
- Risk
- This would cause customers to add more fuel to the tank causing fuel spillback or spitback from the fuel filler neck.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the orvr valve. Owner notification began november 13, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1‑800‑333‑4542.
Recall number 00V175000 · Recall details
What 1998 Kia Sephia owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Over a period of time, approximately 70,00 miles on my car, the AC/heater fan motor will blow air intermittently, regardless of the fan's speed setting. Eventually, the fan stops blowing all together. This same thing has happened with my 1999 kia sephia.
Since may of 2002, this car has been in the shop 9 times and of this date it is still there. First they said it was fuses. Actually it has never run or started right. It had to be towed at least 4 times. The last time that it went in was 8/5/03, they fixed the water pump, belts, crank pulley. This was all under warranty. When I picked up my car it made a terrible sound. They said it was the new belts. So I drove it home and 2 days later it?s back in there. The next day sabrina called and said that it was the air conditioner compressor. It was going to cost me over 600.00 to fix it. I have a limited income of 535.00 a month, am disabled and if the car broke down I don't know what I would do.. The car is still at kia dealer ship, that's as of today.
Dear sir: kia sephia 1998 has several other problems which never been reported. My car (VIN# [xxx]; 52,000 miles) has (1) an oil leak from the engine head (valve cover) gasket, which can potentially create a fire, and it has (2) very pure air flow on the windshield which reduce my driving visability due to fog accumulation inside of the wiendshield. Both conditions are very dangerous and may lead to a car crash. Please inform kia manufacturing corporation that these deficiencies should be fixed for free. Thanks! Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] *ak updated 07/26/2012
Purchased the car in 1999. Have had numerous problems starting it. Replaced the starter 3 times. Still have prblems starting it. 2002 didn't pass inspection because of exaust, kia dealership was suppose to fix problem still having problems starting and exaust inspection failed again.
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
The engine/throttle fails causing the consumer to press down on the accelerator with extreme force to get the vehicle running.
Consumer states having a problem w/ith "cable" that goes from gas tank to engine. Consumer advises that cable is attached to a wiring harness that gets very hot and is showing signs of melting. As a result, vehicle stalls w/o warning and wirings have to be adjusted before vehicle is able to restart. Mr
Consumer received a recall notice, 00v175000, after four attempts the recall was fixed, the problem is better but at certain times the vehicle still blows out gas *yd referenced in rq03-006
Recall 00v175000 repairs on orvr valve was done the second time in nov. 2001. When fueling vehicle fuel is still spilling on ground, dealer now determined the canister and canister valve need to be replaced. Referenced in rq03-006
Questions about the 1998 Kia Sephia engine
Does the 1998 Kia Sephia have engine problems?
Owners have filed 108 complaints about the engine of the 1998 Kia Sephia, 22% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Kia Sephia engine problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Is there a recall for the 1998 Kia Sephia engine?
Yes, 1 recall: 00V175000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
Other 1998 Kia Sephia problems
Brakes 256Electrical 105Transmission 68Fuel system 62Visibility 44Airbags 31Lights 28Body 26Steering 24Suspension 23Acceleration 6Seat belts 6Locks 5Tires 5Seats 3Wheels 3
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