Your vehicle report
1997 Kia Sephia
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 205
- Received Apr 1996 to Sep 2007
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Engine suddenly shuts off while driving25 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Front brake rotors warp and wear early25 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes21 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #02V216000On certain passenger vehicles, the safety belt buckle may "false latch" and expose the driver to unrestrained movement during a crash.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 30 crashes, 5 fires, 29 people injured, 2 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 19 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
- Front brake rotors warp and wear early
- Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly
- Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines
1 more problem
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
- Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares
- Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag
- Water leaks into cabin during rain
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 8 |
| 1998 | 39 |
| 1999 | 50 |
| 2000 | 39 |
| 2001 | 25 |
| 2002 | 11 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 4 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 205 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 25 | 12% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 25 | 12% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 21 | 10% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 15 | 7.3% | – | NHTSA recall #02V216000 |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 10 | 4.9% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 9 | 4.4% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 9 | 4.4% | – | |
| Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag | 8 | 3.9% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 7 | 3.4% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 6 | 2.9% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 6 | 2.9% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 6 | 2.9% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 3 | 1.5% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #02V216000August 16, 2002189,706 vehicles affected
seat belts: front: buckle assembly
On certain passenger vehicles, the safety belt buckle may "false latch" and expose the driver to unrestrained movement during a crash.
In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Owner notification began december 20, 2002. 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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1997 Kia Sephia.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN