Your vehicle report
1998 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
- 491
- Received Jun 1998 to Nov 2019
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Front brake rotors warp and wear early83 complaints · 17% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed35 complaints · 7.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Engine won't start or cranks intermittently30 complaints · 6.1% 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.
- Recall #02V207000On certain passenger vehicles with 36,000 miles or less as of july 15, 2002, an electrical contact problem may have developed in the hazard switch which could result in inoperative hazard lights and/or inoperative turn signals.
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: 34 crashes, 16 fires, 19 people injured, 0 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 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
- Front brake rotors warp and wear early
- Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly
- Brakes make grinding or squealing noise
1 more problem
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
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
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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 25 |
| 1999 | 180 |
| 2000 | 135 |
| 2001 | 67 |
| 2002 | 29 |
| 2003 | 26 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 491 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 83 | 17% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 35 | 7.1% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 30 | 6.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 29 | 5.9% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 29 | 5.9% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 27 | 5.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 21 | 4.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 20 | 4.1% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 20 | 4.1% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 19 | 3.9% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 16 | 3.3% | – | NHTSA recall #99V271000 |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 15 | 3.0% | – | NHTSA recall #99V317000, #99V318000 |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 14 | 2.9% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 14 | 2.9% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 13 | 2.6% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 11 | 2.2% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 10 | 2.0% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 9 | 1.8% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 9 | 1.8% | – | |
| Exhaust manifold cracks and leaks fumes | 9 | 1.8% | – |
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.
NHTSA recall #02V207000July 29, 200225,000 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: hazard flashing warning lights: switch
On certain passenger vehicles with 36,000 miles or less as of july 15, 2002, an electrical contact problem may have developed in the hazard switch which could result in inoperative hazard lights and/or inoperative turn signals.
The loss of turn signals or rear hazard lamps could fail to warn a following driver that the vehicle is turning and/or is stopped and could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the hazard switch. Owner notification began september 6, 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.
NHTSA recall #00V175000July 17, 2000100,137 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #99V317000November 9, 1999102,944 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Electrical current to the fuel pump passes through the C304 and C305 connectors. If exposed to moisture, these connectors could corrode. Over time, the fuel pump will not receive enough current to operate.
This condition could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the existing connectors and reposition those connectors to an area where the placement is designed to prevent contact with moisture.
NHTSA recall #99V318000November 9, 1999102,944 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The electrical circuit for the fuel pump is grounded at junction connector G300. If the pin tension is poor, or the bolt securing the connector to the vehicle floor is not tightened sufficiently, a poor connection is made. As the fuel pump operates, the poor connection Can create heat which in turn increases resistance. Eventually the fuel pump will not receive enough current to operate.
This condition could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
This corrective action is being performed in conjunction with recall no. 99V317.
NHTSA recall #99V271000October 6, 199990,054 vehicles affected
visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The ball socket on the windshield wiper link may be out of tolerance resulting in the link disengaging from the wiper motor drive under load, such as pushing against ice, snow or other resistance. Also the wiper arm retaining nut could be inadequately tightened allowing the wiper arm to slip and/or stop functioning.
This condition could cause impairment of visibility in inclement weather increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the windshield wiper link and also properly tighten the wiper arm retaining nuts.
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 1998 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