2008 Kia SPECTRA5 problems

Filed Dec 20, 2018 · Acceleration · NC · crash · 1 injury

There is absolutely no anti slip resistance on the pedals at all. There has been numerous of times, where my mother or my foot would slip off the brake onto the gas causing us to move forward towards the object in front of us. It finally got me and I hit the side of my highschool which damaged my hood and bumper. I would really have hated if one of my friends or anyone at all were in front of my car or if the air bags would have deployed. I got lucky this time but what about next time?

Filed Oct 1, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 115,000 miles · TX

Sudden unintended acceleration (sua): cruise control (cc) set to ~85 MPH, sudden lurching red-line acceleration occurred, cc would not disengage. Had to fight my vehicle (pull e-brake) to get safely to freeway shoulder then turn ignition off. Car continued to try to red line after ignition killed, shifting thru all gears, battery terminals disconnected or cc module disconnected. Verified brake lights worked fine after pulling over. 1st incident - behind an 18-wheeler, almost rear ended said 18-wheeler! After ~2hrs the car "resolved" itself & stopped trying to accelerate. 2nd incident - had to navigate multiple cars around & pulled over in a curve! Did not resolve itself this time - root cause per pitre kia: cc cable "broken" (would not engage/disengage acceleration coil as needed). Extremely dangerous situations even with an experienced driver!! 1. Out-of-control acceleration run-away man-slaughter death-trap car = not safe for anyone to drive incl 16 y.o. Son who I intended to give this vehicle to nor can my disabled sister (who is learning to drive) drive it safely!! 2. Excessive wear & tear to engine, transmission, brakes etc for red lined acceleration! 3. After research, found out the safety mechanism that would more safely shut down the cars in these type of instances was chosen by mfg to not install (kia buys car if runaway vehicle makes headline news or if deaths there are major lawsuits). Absolutely horrifying to think it would have killed my 16 y.o. Son like this article: https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2017/kia-sued-for-95-million-in-deaths-of-twin-boys.shtml

Filed Dec 12, 2017 · Airbags, Electrical · 65,000 miles · WA

Purchased a 2008 kia spectra 5 in 2009. For 3 years it was a good commuter car. Then weird things started happening out of the blue. First, the car wouldn't allow us access by use of the key fob. It would unlock then lock. The vehicle flip the door unlock lever back and forth like a ghost was moving. Second, the car would blow a front head lamp almost every 6 months like clock work when the vehicle was shifted into drive from park. Third, the front console controlling the fan, heat etc. Would just stop working only to start working a few hours or days later. Especially problematic in winter. Fourth, the ocs sensor mat for the front passenger air bag has malfunctioned. This happens when the car is moving or stationary. In addition the car has a dangerous lag in gaining speed when trying to merge into traffic at high speeds on interstates. I guess I'm just waiting for the next gremlin to appear. Will never own a kia again.

Filed Jun 28, 2017 · 99,000 miles · GA · 1 injury

Interior door handles have sharp edges. The thin metal coating on the interior door handles is peeling off. The sharp edges caused a cut on my hand.

Filed Jun 25, 2017 · Airbags · 175,000 miles · AZ · crash · 3 injuries

I was in a car accident on june 19, 2017. A vehicle hit my kia at a speed of 30 - 40 MPH in the front driver's wheel base. None of the airbags deployed. I was making a left turn out of a shopping center, moving less than 10 MPH.

Filed Aug 24, 2016 · Airbags · 160,989 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia spectra 5. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the driver side air bag indicator illuminated on and off. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,989.

Filed Feb 25, 2016 · Airbags, Seats · 77,430 miles · FL

Passenger seat air bag sensor has gone bad on my 2008 kia spectra 5. Car has 77,522 miles. Was told by kia dealer that seat bottom needs to be replaced at a cost of $1700. Safety is the car manufacture's big selling feature. A recall should be issued by kia in my opinion.

Filed Oct 31, 2015 · Airbags · 80,000 miles · WA

Light for passenger airbag goes off without an occupant in the seat, then the airbag light on the dash comes on..suspect the sensor in the seat is bad. This happens every time I drive the vehicle..before it was an occasional thing. Now its everytime I start the vehicle to drive

Filed Sep 20, 2015 · Airbags, Electrical · 70,000 miles · VA

The airbag light is staying on and flickers back and forth when someone light sits in the front seat. The airbag is not going to deploy in the event of an accident and im afraid my loved ones will be seriously injured due to this malfunctioning safety feature. Kia is responsible for refunding me the $2100 in expenses for this airbag sensor and labor to replace it. I will never buy a kia vehicle again. It is corporate-social responsibility that kia lacks. They chose not to recall this defective part that is so important in protecting their customers. They obviously have no care for their customers' well-being.

Filed Sep 17, 2015 · Airbags · 90,000 miles · TX

Passenger air bag light would turn on and off when there was a passenger in the seat. After a couple of months, the light began turning on and off even if the passenger seat was empty. Now the air bag sensor light does not come on, but the air bag warning light is on and has been for about 1 week. This is a 1 owner vehicle and has never been in any type of collision.