2008 Kia Spectra: engine stalls while driving

Filed Sep 25, 2019 · Engine · 235,000 miles · GA

Will randomly stall. Been to the mechanic several times and we can't find the problem. Doesn't matter if your going down the road or just idling in the yard stalls out.

Filed Jun 20, 2016 · Engine, Steering · 122,171 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia spectra. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel locked and the vehicle stalled. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 122,171....updated 07/19/16 *bf updated 06/15/18

Filed Apr 29, 2015 · Acceleration, Steering · 110,000 miles · MI

I was driving my car, march 2013 and the car died while pulling into the driveway. I was at a red light in may 2014 and the car died at the stop light. For those two incidents the kia dealership indicated an issue with the charcoal canister. Now, I have a third incident that occurred april 25, 2015, I was driving approximately 40 miles per hour and the wheels locked up and the car died while driving on a main street. My vehicle has been at the dealership for 3 business days and they are not able to determine why the car is stopping. This is a safety issue for me. These incidents could have happened on the freeway and could have caused a fatality. The kia dealership has been diligently trying to diagnose the issue however; they have been unable to determine the root cause. I am sharing this information just in case other drivers are experiencing this issue.

Filed Nov 4, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 88,000 miles · IL

I drive a 2008 kia spectra. I've owned the car for roughly 4 yrs. Within the last month my car continues to stall. This occurs generally when I'm coming to a stop and turning. The dash lights will all come on and my wheel locks up in the direction I was turning. When I turn my car off and turn it back on, the lights will turn off, but my RPM's rev up to a minimum of 3. I have taken the vehicle to two auto mechanics. They have changed a fuel temp. Sensor and switched out all my spark plugs. Both mechanics have plugged the vehicle up to the machine and it reads clear. They cannot find an issue with the vehicle. Since the vehicle acts up randomly, they are unable to identify the problem when it's in their possession.

Filed Oct 23, 2012 · Acceleration, Engine · 4,200 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia spectra. The contact stated that after having the oil changed, the vehicle stalled without any warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted and was taken back to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. Immediately after leaving the dealership for the second time the failure recurred while driving approximately 35 MPH. The driver was able to merge to the side of the highway and restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who diagnose that the mass air sensor flow filter and spark plugs needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact has experienced surging in the vehicle when coming to a complete stop. After the surging, the RPM's would race to high numbers. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 4,200. The current mileage was approximately 7,700.

Filed Sep 4, 2012 · Fuel system · 4,180 miles · FL

This has happened twice. The first time was on 12/29/08. The car would not start when my wife tried to back it out of the garage. The mechanics eventually determined that we must have overfilled the gas tank. Today -- 9/4/12 -- it happened again. I forgot about the problem we had in 08 and mistakenly filled up the gas tank. For the last 30 miles I've driven it, it has stalled out at least six times and frequently shuddered. I'm very concerned that it won't start tomorrow morning.

Filed Jul 26, 2010 · Fuel system · 42,000 miles · VA

Kia vehicles,fuel system failure, mfg blames government for this, it is due to tank over fill, when fuel is up into fill neck it puts to much fuel in tank and inturn flooding some fuel canister of the system and this causes the vehicle to die, a severe design flaw, I have had three stall outs, the third almost caused a major accident I was pulling into heavy flow of fast moving traffic when the car up and died, mfg says nothing can be done to correct from a mechanical stand point cause it meets gov-specs, customer must not allow the tank to be over filled.

Filed Jun 17, 2010 · Visibility · 60,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia spectra. The contact stated when engaging the interior heat, the defroster would automatically engage and cause the vehicle to stall. The dealer advised the compressor had failed an any repairs would be at the contacts expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current was unknown.

Filed Mar 8, 2010 · Electrical · 3,000 miles · LA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia spectra. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off while driving 40 miles per hour. The vehicle has been repaired several times but the failure continued to occur. The dealer offered the contact a new vehicle instead of repairing the one he owns; however, the newer models experienced the identical failure. The failure mileage was 3000. The current mileage was 40,126.