1999 KIA SEPHIA — Owner-Reported Problems
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 420 complaints · 5 recalls
Verdict & Safety Summary
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (122 complaints · 29.1%)
Safety signals:
- Crashes 50
- Fires 42
- Injuries 37
- Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 122 | 29.1% | 13 crashes · 1 fires |
| ENGINE | 58 | 13.8% | 1 crashes · 18 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 42 | 10.0% | 1 crashes · 13 fires |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 35 | 8.3% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 34 | 8.1% | 0 crashes · 4 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 30 | 7.1% | 28 crashes · 0 fires |
| STEERING | 16 | 3.8% | 3 crashes · 2 fires |
| SEAT BELTS | 9 | 2.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STRUCTURE | 8 | 1.9% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 365 | 86.9% | 43 crashes · 37 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 99V271000 was reported 169 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 99V317000 was reported 150 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 99V318000 was reported 150 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 00V175000 was reported 381 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 04V305000 was reported 1,626 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 1999-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 1999-Q3 | Owner reports | 24 | |
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 33 | |
| 2000-Q1 | Owner reports | 47 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 35 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 34 | |
| 2000-Q4 | Owner reports | 38 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 27 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 21 | |
| 2001-Q4 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 22 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V271000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V317000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V318000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 00V175000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 04V305000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE99042 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | SQ99020 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA99034 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE00004 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA00018 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE00028 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE02028 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA02016 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ03006 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ03007 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA04004 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA04007 |
Safety Recalls (5)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 00V175000
- Report date
- Component:
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
- Consequence:
- 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 04V305000
- Report date
- Component:
- SEAT BELTS
- Consequence:
- THE LATCH CAN THEN PULL OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN TENSION IS APPLIED.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V271000
- Report date
- Component:
- VISIBILITY
- Consequence:
- 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V317000
- Report date
- Component:
- FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
- Consequence:
- 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 99V318000
- Report date
- Component:
- FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
- Consequence:
- 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 Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Showing 0 of 420 complaints · page 1 of 17
No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.