Tl*the contact owns a 1999 kia sephia ls. While driving 35 MPH, the contact's vehicle caught fire after it was struck by another vehicle. The steering wheel flew off and the rearview mirror struck him in the head. The contact sustained a concussion, a fractured sternum and ribs, and a broken left elbow in two places. The vehicle was destroyed and police and fire reports were filed. The contact has pictures. The federal safety agency campaign id numbers 00v175000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control), 99v317000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump), and 99v318000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump) were referenced. The failure mileage was unknown.
Kia Sephia fire or smoke problems
56 of the 1,696 owner complaints about the Kia Sephia describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1999 model year.
- owner complaints
- 56
- worst model year
- 1999
- typical mileage
- 60,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 5Check engine light 4Grinding brakes 3Brake failure 3Won't start 2Overheating 2Wipers 1Premature wear 1
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 1995 kia sephia. After receiving an oil and filter change, the vehicle suddenly caught fire under the hood while driving 10 MPH. The contact exited the vehicle and called 911. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The fire department stated that the fire originated in the engine compartment, but the heat source was not determined. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer had been notified. The current and failure mileages were 125,479. Updated 05/19/08 *bf updated 05/19/08
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.
This car has been a constant repair and financial problem for the last 4 years starting two weeks after I purchased the car. It is an unsafe vehicle and can not be kept maintained for safety or reliability it was purchased with 21000 miles on the vehicle and a majority of repairs has had to be fixed. 4 starters, ignition switch, ignition switch wiring harness (ignition still doesn't work), air bag sensor, air bag wiring (air bags still does not work), alternator, front passenger side drive axel broke while I was driving the car, right passenger ball joint fell off the car while I was driving the car, master cylinder and rear brake cylinder went out at the same time while I was driving the car, heater/air conditioning motor. The car has been towed 3 times, and has left me and my children stranded too many times to count. The car is still in need of major repair. The driver rear stabilizer bushings need replaced, the driver's side drive axel needs replaced, the air bags still do not work, the ignition switch still gets stuck and won't turn over, and two weeks ago a piston was thrown through the engine and caught the car on fire. The car is now parked in my drive way leaving me stuck with a car payment and a car that is not worth fixing.
Dt: 1997 kia sephia, the dashboard is lifting. When the consumer entered the vehicle she smelled something burning. Upon inspecting the dash she noticed the driver's side dash was burned. When the consumer cleaned the dash the cleaning cloth smelled burned and there was a brown residue on the cloth. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer because it is out of warranty and the consumer cannot afford to have it fixed. *ak *jb
Dt: consumer owns 1997 kia sephia. She had a problem with the dashboard. The vents for the defroster fell off, and the dashboard was brown, which began as a small spot and grew to cover the whole dashboard. She was concerned that the dashboard falling apart might somehow affect the airbags. She says that there is a burning smell coming from dash, smell has been there since she purchased vehicle. She did purchase vehicle new.
While in the street vehicle was in park and the key was taken out of the ignition switch. Then, vehicle caught on fire under the steering wheel. Dealership was notified. Floor manager indicated to the consumer there was nothing we could do.
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
The sephia was hit at an angle on the right front corner at about 30 miles per hour. The airbags deloyed and the passenger side airbag and wiring immedeatly caught on fire. The cabin filled with dust from the bags and smoke. The power windows did not work at that point. The driver could not see the door handle. Someone opened the door to let her out. A passenger had recently exited the car or the accident could have been much worse. The driver side airbag delpoyed and went down so fast that the drivers head was jerked back and let drop so that it did not reduce the whiplash signifacantly.
Electrical system under the dash has shorted out. The airconditioner, defrost, dash lights, are all unable to perform their duties. The fan blower is running constantly and no warning lights have issued a warning sign. The wires are bare and I have been told without replacing the entire assembly the car could catch on fire and blow-up the dash.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Kia Sephia fire or smoke
Which Kia Sephia years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1999 (29 complaints), 1998 (10 complaints) and 2000 (5 complaints).
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