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1998 Kia Sephia: engine stalls while driving

41 of the 491 complaints about the 1998 Kia Sephia describe engine stalls while driving.

owner complaints
41
of this car's complaints
8%
recalls
1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below

Engine stalls while driving by model year

What owners say

Filed Mar 29, 2007 · Electrical · PA

Tl*- the contact stated that when trying to merge into traffic with the 1998 kia sophia it stalled. When this happened instrument panel lights turned on. The vehicle stalled in heavy traffic, and she had to put the vehicle in park and restart it. The contact stated that the vehicle's current mileage was 70,000 miles. The dealership informed her that she needed a new vehicle. The contact stated that the dealership found nothing wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle stalled intermittently. At times when the vehicle stalled, and she tries to restart it, the vehicle would not restart.

Filed May 20, 2006 · Engine · 127,000 miles · TX · fire

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.

Filed Jun 6, 2005 · Electrical · VA

Dt: vehicle engine stalls. Kia 1998 had been recalled. Problem was supposed to be fixed, however, vehicle continues to have problem.

Filed May 11, 2004 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · FL · fire

While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The consumer tried to restart the vehicle but was unable to do so. The consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. It caught on fire. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries to report. However, vehicle was totaled. *ak the consumer stated that there was a hard start that would not hold fuel pressure. *sc

Filed Dec 30, 2003 · Brakes, Electrical · 65,000 miles · TX · fire

I purchased a kia in march 02' I used the car for long trips the first year I had owned the car and I had no faults in jan.- feb 03' the car began to shift in to numerous gears and then stall. I was then deployed to iraq. I left the car with a good friend. When I came back he informed me that the car wouldn't start. Dealer said it was the fuel pump. Friend replaced the fuel pump.friend then replaced fuel pump again when car wouldn't start. Friend left the car alone,when it didn't start, until I had returned from iraq. I came back and took the car to midas, due to the fact that the dealer didn't have an idea of what was going on. Midas then said it was the fuel pump. I had it replaced for a third time. Car ran for a day then died. I took the car back to midas they said it was the wiring harness. I had that replaced. Car still didn't start. So midas said three weeks later they said it was the fuel module. The car then worked for about a month then wouldn't start. Took car to several shops all said it was the pump. I then had a mechanic from my unit check it out. He said it was within the wiring to the fuel pump still hasn't figured it out. Since then I have found that it has a faulty connection with the connecting cables near the fuel pump under the back seat. The connectors have been miss firing and has burnt a hole in my back seat. I've tried to go to the dealer but they insist on doing a dianostic and charge me $60.00 just to tell me the same thing that I already know. They also said they can't order the part until a dianostic was done. I've also had numerous problems with the fuel tank over filling and not reading full on the gauge. I have also had to replace the brakes four times in 18 months.the power steering also goes out quite frequently. I have also had a serious problem with the alignment of the car. I understand that wear and tear occurs on a vehicle but the problems that I have had with this car is not normal wear and tear. Iam dissaponted in kia

Filed Oct 22, 2002 · Electrical · GA

Consumer states vehicle will stall w/o warning while driving. Vehicle checked by dlr who has replaced ignition switch and starter(3x). Problem is still occuring. Mr

Filed Oct 15, 2002 · Engine · OH

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

Filed Jan 4, 2002 · Body, Brakes · OH

While driving approximately 65 MPH, hood released and smashed into windshield which blocked vision of driver, consumer felt problem was due to brake pads and rotors that cause severe vibration and had to be replaced frequently, there was no crash or injury to report when this incident occurred.*ak brakes would vibrate and were noisy, requested rear brakes be cleaned lubed, dealer found rotors warped and pads worn and excessive dust in rear brakes, numerous engine problems such as cooling fan rumble, check engine light on, engine stall, burning smell, belt squeaks, electric cooling fan inoperative, fan blade, plug wires and coil boots, valve cover gasket were replaced, evaporator was replaced and recharged, many electrical problems including ignition switch, starter, alternator, multifunction switch, battery terminal, and bulb failure, dealer has also found corrosion, poor connections and low voltage, consumer states numerous problems with shifter, harsh shifts and clunks, dealer replaced old style flex plate, binding shifter which was cleaned and lubed, fluid leaks, dealer replaced leaking power steering hose, multiple structural problems such as missing wiper arm cap, key will not open trunk, trunk lever does not release, broken trunk release handle, left rear door molding coming off, dealer replaced trunk release, reinstalled door weatherstrip, found oil leaks, and undercarriage showing signs of damage, bubbles in dash pad, sunvisor coming loose, dealer replaced dash pad, dealer found tail pipe damaged, both front aftermarket tires (no tire information) worn, left rear rim bent, rear tires (no tire information) cupped and feathered due to lack of rotation and alignment problems, consumer also requested dealer to check cv boots for grease leak, dealer found no problem.

Filed Sep 28, 2001 · Electrical, Engine · NY

Vehicle will intermittently stall while driving. It happens at any speed. Contacted dealer, and the dealer stated that starter's fuse burned out.

Filed Jun 19, 2001 · Electrical · CA

Interior is falling apart dash coming undone, door panel cracked, control knobs broke, defective electrical connections at fuse box failure with relays causing no start, no defroster, no horn, stalling of vechicle. Concerned of possible electrical fire

Filed Mar 21, 2001 · Brakes, Electrical · IL

Transmission has been worked on over past year. *ak ABS light came on and stayed on due to catalytic converter failure. Wheel bearing failed and was replaced. Automatic transmission had no engagement due to half shaft failure. Engine stalled at a stop due to transmission assembly failure. Brakes were noisy and were replaced, including the rotors. Engine will not start due to battery and starter failure.

Filed Mar 12, 2001 · Transmission · NY

Transmission slipped and vehicle stalled/ malfunctioned. Contacted dealer, and dealer replaced transmission, but problem still occurs.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission controlReported July 17, 2000 · 100,137 vehicles affected
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

Questions about the 1998 Kia Sephia stalling

Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 1998 Kia Sephia?

41 of 491 owner complaints about the 1998 Kia Sephia (8%) mention engine stalls while driving. 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 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 1998 Kia Sephia

Won't start 27Grinding brakes 25Check engine light 23Brake failure 22Fuel 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

All model years of the Kia Sephia

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