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2002 Kia Spectra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2002 Kia Spectra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 96.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

52 reports with mileage · 40 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

25 crash reports2 fire reports15 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

6 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 14, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling

WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE SPEED. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE DUPLICAT…

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WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE SPEED. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

NHTSA ODI #10092151

10,800 miles · Aug 20, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling

AT THE END OF JULY 2004 MY KIA SPECTRA BEGAN TO ACT AS IF THE CAR WAS CHOKING AND NOT GOING TO START AFTER I TURNED ON THE IGNITION OF THE CAR. I NOTICED THAT THE CAR ONLY DID THIS AFTER IT HAD SAT FOR A WHILE (LIKE OVER NIGHT). I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT A YEAR EARLIER AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS…

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AT THE END OF JULY 2004 MY KIA SPECTRA BEGAN TO ACT AS IF THE CAR WAS CHOKING AND NOT GOING TO START AFTER I TURNED ON THE IGNITION OF THE CAR. I NOTICED THAT THE CAR ONLY DID THIS AFTER IT HAD SAT FOR A WHILE (LIKE OVER NIGHT). I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT A YEAR EARLIER AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY THING WRONG WITH THE CAR IT WAS ACTING NORMAL. IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN WHY IS IT JUST NOW STARTING TO ACT LIKE THIS AND IT DOES NOT DO IT ALL THE TIME. IF YOU ASK ME I THINK THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM WHILE IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I BET IF I WHERE TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER AFTER MY WARRANTY HAS RAN OUT THEN THEY WOULD FIND WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT FIXED. GUESS WHAT FARRELL KIA OF SPARTANBURG I ONLY HAVE 11,500 MILES ON THIS 2002 KIA SPECTRA. BY THE WAY THE CAR IS STILL ACTING LIKE IT IS ABOUT TO TURN OFF OR CHOKING WHEN I TRY TO START THE CAR SOMETIMES.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10088246

Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE SHUTDOWN FORCING CONSUMER TO PULL OUT OF THE ROAD. DEALER REPLACED TWICE THE BATTERY,BUT PROBLEM STILL RECURRING. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10030100

Mileage unknown · Mar 24, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling

THE VEHICLE RAN ROUGH, IDLED ROUGH AT STOP LIGHTS, AND HAD A HARD START IN THE MORNING. IN A FEW WEEKS OF PURCHASE, TWO SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THE ROUGH RUNNING WAS NORMAL. SCC *JB

NHTSA ODI #10009904

Mileage unknown · Aug 9, 2002
Engine And Engine Cooling

POWER IS DOWN IF RADIO AND AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY RESTART IF STALLED. DEALER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ENGINE MAY POSSIBLY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR VEHICLE. *AKWHEN ON AN INCLINE, THE VEHICLE WILL ROLL FORWARD EVEN THOUGH THE CLUTCH AND THE GAS HAD BEEN ENGA…

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POWER IS DOWN IF RADIO AND AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY RESTART IF STALLED. DEALER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ENGINE MAY POSSIBLY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR VEHICLE. *AKWHEN ON AN INCLINE, THE VEHICLE WILL ROLL FORWARD EVEN THOUGH THE CLUTCH AND THE GAS HAD BEEN ENGAGED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT ILLUMINATE TO GIVE WARNING OF A FAILURE. *JG

NHTSA ODI #8015954

Mileage unknown · Jun 29, 2002
Engine And Engine Cooling

MY DRIVER'S WINDOW AND PASSENGER'S RIGHT FRONT WINDOW HAS A AIR LEAK AND WATER WILL COME IN, AND ENGINE RUNS VERY ROUGH. *AK

NHTSA ODI #763632

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE04065 · Rear Drum Brake Wheel Cylinder Leakage

Opened Sep 21, 2004 · Closed Feb 8, 2005

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:drum:wheel Cylinders

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF REAR DRUM BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE IN 2002 KIA SPECTRA VEHICLES.THIS INVESTIGATION WAS PROMPTED BY KIA?S EARLY WARNING REPORT TO THE AGENCY FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2004, WHICH CONTAINED A SINGLE FIELD REPORT THAT IDENTIFIED 13 INCIDENTS OF WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE AVAILABLE IN BOTH 4-DOOR SEDAN AND 5-DOOR HATCHBACK BODY STYLES.THE SAME PARTS SUPPLIER PROVIDES WHEEL CYLINDERS FOR BOTH VEHICLE TYPES, ALTHOUGH THEIR PART NUMBERS DIFFER.THESE PARTS ARE USED ON ALL MY2002-2004 SPECTRA ?TYPE-I? VEHICLES MANUFACTURED THROUGH 12/30/2003.ADDITIONALLY, MY2001-2005 KIA RIO VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/17/2004 USE THE SAME WHEEL CYLINDERS AS THE SUBJECT SPECTRA ?TYPE-I? 4-DOOR SEDAN.MY2004 SPECTRA ?TYPE-II? VEHICLES, WHICH STARTED PRODUCTION ON 12/8/2003, DO NOT USE THE SUBJECT COMPONENTS AS THEY ARE EQUIPPED WITH REAR DISC BRAKES.THE MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED ODI OF ONE COMPLAINANT WHOM ALLEGED A CRASH CAUSED BY, ?INADEQUATE BRAKE SYSTEM RESPONSE,? RESULTING IN ONE PERSON INJURED.HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT MULTIPLE CAUSAL FACTORS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH INCIDENT AND NO SINGLE FACTOR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIMARY CAUSE.IN TOTAL, ODI IS AWARE OF 5 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, 1 FIELD REPORT, AND 813 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN 2002 KIA SPECTRA VEHICLES.NONE OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED DEGRADED STOPPING PERFORMANCE OR LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY CAUSED BY WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE.TO DATE, THE COMPLAINT RATE IS 7.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES AND THE WARRANTY RATE IS 1.13%.KIA?S ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY RETURN PARTS INDICATES A SLOW RATE OF FLUID LOSS; TESTS SHOWED A MAXIMUM FLUID LOSS RATE OF 1 CC PER 4000 BRAKE APPLICATIONS (THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR HAS A 134CC FLUID CAPACITY BETWEEN THE ?FULL? AND THE LEVEL AT WHICH THE BRAKE WARNING LAMP IS ILLUMINATED).KIA TESTING OF A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A LEAKING WHEEL CYLINDER SHOWED THAT AFTER 100 STOPS FROM 100 KM/H THE PEDAL STROKE INCREASED 5%, PEDAL FORCE INCREASED 13%, AND THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASED 7% (51.7M VS. 48.1M) WHEN COMPARED TO THE SAME VEHICLE WITH A NON-LEAKING WHEEL CYLINDER.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:drum:wheel Cylinders

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF REAR DRUM BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE IN 2002 KIA SPECTRA VEHICLES.THIS INVESTIGATION WAS PROMPTED BY KIA?S EARLY WARNING REPORT TO THE AGENCY FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2004, WHICH CONTAINED A SINGLE FIELD REPORT THAT IDENTIFIED 13 INCIDENTS OF WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE AVAILABLE IN BOTH 4-DOOR SEDAN AND 5-DOOR HATCHBACK BODY STYLES.THE SAME PARTS SUPPLIER PROVIDES WHEEL CYLINDERS FOR BOTH VEHICLE TYPES, ALTHOUGH THEIR PART NUMBERS DIFFER.THESE PARTS ARE USED ON ALL MY2002-2004 SPECTRA ?TYPE-I? VEHICLES MANUFACTURED THROUGH 12/30/2003.ADDITIONALLY, MY2001-2005 KIA RIO VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/17/2004 USE THE SAME WHEEL CYLINDERS AS THE SUBJECT SPECTRA ?TYPE-I? 4-DOOR SEDAN.MY2004 SPECTRA ?TYPE-II? VEHICLES, WHICH STARTED PRODUCTION ON 12/8/2003, DO NOT USE THE SUBJECT COMPONENTS AS THEY ARE EQUIPPED WITH REAR DISC BRAKES.THE MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED ODI OF ONE COMPLAINANT WHOM ALLEGED A CRASH CAUSED BY, ?INADEQUATE BRAKE SYSTEM RESPONSE,? RESULTING IN ONE PERSON INJURED.HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT MULTIPLE CAUSAL FACTORS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH INCIDENT AND NO SINGLE FACTOR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIMARY CAUSE.IN TOTAL, ODI IS AWARE OF 5 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, 1 FIELD REPORT, AND 813 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN 2002 KIA SPECTRA VEHICLES.NONE OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED DEGRADED STOPPING PERFORMANCE OR LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY CAUSED BY WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE.TO DATE, THE COMPLAINT RATE IS 7.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES AND THE WARRANTY RATE IS 1.13%.KIA?S ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY RETURN PARTS INDICATES A SLOW RATE OF FLUID LOSS; TESTS SHOWED A MAXIMUM FLUID LOSS RATE OF 1 CC PER 4000 BRAKE APPLICATIONS (THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR HAS A 134CC FLUID CAPACITY BETWEEN THE ?FULL? AND THE LEVEL AT WHICH THE BRAKE WARNING LAMP IS ILLUMINATED).KIA TESTING OF A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A LEAKING WHEEL CYLINDER SHOWED THAT AFTER 100 STOPS FROM 100 KM/H THE PEDAL STROKE INCREASED 5%, PEDAL FORCE INCREASED 13%, AND THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASED 7% (51.7M VS. 48.1M) WHEN COMPARED TO THE SAME VEHICLE WITH A NON-LEAKING WHEEL CYLINDER.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF REAR DRUM BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE IN 2002 KIA SPECTRA VEHICLES.THIS INVESTIGATION WAS PROMPTED BY KIA?S EARLY WARNING REPORT TO THE AGENCY FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2004, WHICH CONTAINED A SINGLE FIELD REPORT THAT IDENTIFIED 13 INCIDENTS OF WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE AVAILABLE IN BOTH 4-DOOR SEDAN AND 5-DOOR HATCHBACK BODY STYLES.THE SAME PARTS SUPPLIER PROVIDES WHEEL CYLINDERS FOR BOTH VEHICLE TYPES, ALTHOUGH THEIR PART NUMBERS DIFFER.THESE PARTS ARE USED ON ALL MY2002-2004 SPECTRA ?TYPE-I? VEHICLES MANUFACTURED THROUGH 12/30/2003.ADDITIONALLY, MY2001-2005 KIA RIO VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/17/2004 USE THE SAME WHEEL CYLINDERS AS THE SUBJECT SPECTRA ?TYPE-I? 4-DOOR SEDAN.MY2004 SPECTRA ?TYPE-II? VEHICLES, WHICH STARTED PRODUCTION ON 12/8/2003, DO NOT USE THE SUBJECT COMPONENTS AS THEY ARE EQUIPPED WITH REAR DISC BRAKES.THE MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED ODI OF ONE COMPLAINANT WHOM ALLEGED A CRASH CAUSED BY, ?INADEQUATE BRAKE SYSTEM RESPONSE,? RESULTING IN ONE PERSON INJURED.HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT MULTIPLE CAUSAL FACTORS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH INCIDENT AND NO SINGLE FACTOR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIMARY CAUSE.IN TOTAL, ODI IS AWARE OF 5 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, 1 FIELD REPORT, AND 813 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN 2002 KIA SPECTRA VEHICLES.NONE OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED DEGRADED STOPPING PERFORMANCE OR LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY CAUSED BY WHEEL CYLINDER LEAKAGE.TO DATE, THE COMPLAINT RATE IS 7.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES AND THE WARRANTY RATE IS 1.13%.KIA?S ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY RETURN PARTS INDICATES A SLOW RATE OF FLUID LOSS; TESTS SHOWED A MAXIMUM FLUID LOSS RATE OF 1 CC PER 4000 BRAKE APPLICATIONS (THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR HAS A 134CC FLUID CAPACITY BETWEEN THE ?FULL? AND THE LEVEL AT WHICH THE BRAKE WARNING LAMP IS ILLUMINATED).KIA TESTING OF A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A LEAKING WHEEL CYLINDER SHOWED THAT AFTER 100 STOPS FROM 100 KM/H THE PEDAL STROKE INCREASED 5%, PEDAL FORCE INCREASED 13%, AND THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASED 7% (51.7M VS. 48.1M) WHEN COMPARED TO THE SAME VEHICLE WITH A NON-LEAKING WHEEL CYLINDER.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.