2001 Kia Sephia 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Great car for the money

Faults:

Have only had cosmetic problems.

1 rear seat belt jammed and had to be replaced, was done within a month of calling.

Seal on inside of back door needed replaced, was done quickly at dealership.

Seal of trunk needed replaced, was done quickly at dealership.

Console between front seats broke rather quickly and was replaced with new at dealership.

Stereo quit and was replaced quickly with new at dealership.

Many of items were done at one visit to the dealership.

At cruising speeds of 65-70 on the interstate has "cut-out" but never died.

Was no loner car offerred with KIA repairs. I had to take a day off work to sit with my car at the dealership. That has been my major complaint, the lack of customer service and lack of KIA meeting customer needs.

General Comments:

The car has never left me stranded, has always started right up.

I am careful of long distance travelling because of the cutting out, but has never died or broken down.

All in all it has been a great car for the money.

There are good and bad cars from ever dealership and manufacturer. I got a good one and love it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th August, 2003

2001 Kia Sephia 1.8 from North America

Summary:

This car could end your marriage or your life.

Faults:

When we bought the car at 16,000 miles:

The radio didn't work.

The courtesy light switches in the doorways were broken.

The front tires were inflated to sixty psi and badly worn.

Every hinge on every door and lid squeaked.

The front passenger window winding assembly was loose and rattling inside the door.

All of the above were fixed quickly and professionally by the service center.

Now our problems include a growing crack in the windscreen due to the extremely thin glass being tapped by accident from the inside.

The front left door speaker doesn't work.

The front brake pads have worn unevenly on the left side and are cracking and grinding.

The ignition has an intermittent fault which occurs approximately 75% of the time. When we insert and turn the key, the dash lights will come on as expected and the engine will turn over, but will not start. After several attempts, ranging from one to fifteen minutes, the engine starts as if nothing were the matter.

General Comments:

All in all, we got what we paid for; a virtually brand new car for less than $8,000, riddled with build quality issues and having laughably puny power in acceleration.

Only a lazy minded individual who didn't do their car-buying homework would purchase such a ridiculous vehicle. My shame is parked on my driveway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th May, 2003

15th Nov 2003, 22:17

It's hard to believe a person could have a bad relationship with a KIA. We purchased one new, in 2001, a 2001 KIA Spectra GS. What made me consider KIA was their outstanding warranty, and the fact that the local dealer offered a lifetime warranty, provided you changed your oil at the dealership. To date I have experienced almost no problems with the car, except the following:

1. Rear door seals were coming off. The door seals were defective, and were promptly replaced under warranty.

2. Check engine light came on twice. Was told this is an error due to the gas cap not being tightened properly, allowing air into the tank.

Otherwise, that is it. Replaced front brake pads at 70,000. Pads wore evenly and there was no damage to the rotors.

Our vehicle now has approx. 76,000 miles on it, and it has been terrific, still delivering 34 mpg on the highway. I would definitely consider another KIA, although the next one will probably be used, to avoid the loss in resale-value. Overall an excellent car.

The next time you hear a horror story from someone about a KIA, be sure to get all the info. If the car was bought used, you never know what happened to it before they purchased it.

21st Nov 2004, 15:18

I know the fix to your no start problem.

I used to have a 2001 Sephia, and this problem baffled the dealership. Luckily, the dealer was cool with me, and let me into their shop after the 4th time bringing it in for repair. After looking through the Factory Service Manual, I discovered that my suspicions of a bad fuel pressure regulator could be accurate. I had the tech run a fuel pressure test, and it came back good.

He was about to disconnect everything and move on, but I saw the part of the test that most mechanics skip... The fuel rail should hold X amount of pressure after 60 seconds of shutdown. The test failed miserably, as it only took about 2 seconds for all of the fuel pressure to leave the rail.

A new fuel pressure regulator, and I was all set.