2004 Kia Spectra

WARNING LIGHT FOR AIRBAG ON THE SPEEDOMETER PANEL STAYS ON. DEALER AND KIA TECH FIRST REPLACED PASSENGER SEAT COVER AND DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BUCKLE BECAUSE THEY WERE SHORTED OUT. THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY THEN SAID THE PROBLEM WAS BECAUSE OF SOME FLUID SPILLED ON COMPUTER UNDER CUP HOLDERS IN THE CENTER COUNCIL. (WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT A LIQUID SENSITIVE PRODUCT UNDER A CUP HOLDER?) THEY STATED THAT PIN 3 ON THE COMPUTER CONNECTOR WAS SHORTED OUT. I THEN POINTED OUT THAT PIN 3 WAS A GROUND PIN. KIA HAS HAD MASSIVE FAILURES WITH THEIR EARLY AIRBAG SYSTEMS AND HAVE REFUSED TO FIX AN ITEM THAT WAS THE BASES FOR CHOOSING THEIR PRODUCT. KIA HAS SINCE INTRODUCED A NEW AIRBAG PRODUCT THAT SEEMS TO WORK FLAWLESSLY. THIS NEW PRODUCT SHOULD BE OFFERED AT NO EXPENSE TO THOSE OF US THAT WERE PROVIDED A INFERIOR AND UNSAFE PRODUCT. *TR

PROBLEMS BEGAN OCTOBER 15, 2005 DETAILS OF PROBLEMS: 03/25/05 - A/C VENTS BROKEN - DEALER REPLACED "NOZZLE ASSY - CTR AI" 10/15/05 - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON - DEALER STATES 'HEATER CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION' REPLACED "02 SENSOR ASSY" AND RESET CODES 10/28/05 - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND BATTERY WENT DEAD (I HAD IT JUMPED BY AAA)- DEALER CANNOT FIND PROBLEM 10/28/05 - EMBLEM CRACKED ON STEERING WHEEL - DEALER STATES 'FLAW IN MATERIAL' REPLACED DRIVER SIDE SRS BAG 11/29/05 - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON - DEALER STATES P0442 GAS CAP NOT SEALING & P0455 CANISTER NOT SEALING - DEALER REPLACES GAS CAP AND CANISTER, ALSO ORDERS NEW ECM 11/29/05 - DEALER RECALLED: SC053 REPROGRAM OCS SEAT CONTROL AND SC055 SPECTRA AIR BAG -DEALER REPLACES ITEMS FOR RECALL 01/03/06 - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON - DEALER STATES 'LOGIC ERROR IN ECM - DEALER REPLACED ECM 01/11/06 -CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON - DEALER STATES 'POOR GROUND AT ECM' WAS INSTRUCTED BY TECH LINE TO REPLACE SPARK PLUGS; DEALER REPAIRED GROUND AND REPLACED SPARK PLUGS 01/23/06 - ENGINE LIGHT IS ON - DEALER STATES PROBLEM AT ECM - KEPT CAR FOR REPAIRS 02/13/06 - DEALER STATES THAT SPECTRA CANNOT BE REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. THEY ALSO STATE THAT ANOTHER CAR WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM HAS BEEN SENT BACK TO KOREA SO THAT THEY CAN FIND THE PROBLEM. DEALER'S ESTIMATED TIME TO REPAIR MY CAR 2 MONTHS FROM NOW (HAS BEEN AT DEALER SINCE 01/23/06 - 20 DAYS) AS STATED BY KEITH EMMERMAN, KIA PALMDALE SERVICE MANAGER. MR. EMMERMAN ALSO STATED THAT I AM REQUIRED, AS THE SPECTRA OWNER, TO COME PICK UP MY CAR UN-REPAIRED AND DRIVE IT ANYWAY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN PALMDALE, THAT THE PROBLEM THE KIA IS HAVING IS IN THE COMPUTER. THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT AND WANT ME TO DRIVE IT ANY WAY. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP SEVERAL TIMES FOR DIFFERENT PROBLEMS AND NOW 3 TIMES FOR THE ECM. NOW THEY WANT ME TO PICK UP THE CAR AND DRIVE IT EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. *NM

I HAD NO INDICATION THAT MY SEAT BELT OR AIRBAG WERE FAULTY. WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH I STRUCK A CAR THAT TURNED LEFT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. MY SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK AND I WAS LIFTED OUT OF THE SEAT AND HIT MY HEAD, SHOULDER, AND HIP ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR. THE AIRBAG DID NOT INFLATE. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THE AIRBAG DIDN'T INFLATE CONSIDERING THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT. *JB

DT: 2004 KIA SPECTRA. THE CONSUMER STATES THE PASSENGER SEAT HAS A FEATURE THAT HAS A LIGHT THAT COMES ON IF THE PERSON IN THE SEAT IS LESS THAN 90 POUNDS, STATING THE AIRBAG IS OFF. THIS LIGHT COMES ON WHEN THERE IS AN ADULT IN THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE SEAT WAS SENT TO HOUSTON, AND IT WAS RECALIBRATED. THE SEAT WAS DOING THE SAME THING, AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL THE DEALERSHIP TALKED TO A KIA REPRESENTATIVE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE.*AK *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER'S ATTORNEY STATED THAT DURING A FRONTAL CRASH THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WAS A FRONT END COLLISION INTO THREE CEMENT CULVERTS. THERE WAS A POLICE REPORT FILED. THE CONSUMER'S SON WAS DRIVING AND HE PASSED AWAY. A LAWSUIT WAS FILED AGAINST THE MANUFACTURER, BUT THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHY THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

MY COMPLAINT IS NOT A TRADITIONAL "FAILURE" AS YOU ARE ACCUSTOMED TO RECEIVING ON YOUR WEBSITE. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT KIA HAS REDESIGNED THE AIRBAG MODULE IN THEIR NEWLY DESIGNED SPECTRA MODEL, AND DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY PLANS FOR RETRO-FITTING THE NEW DESIGN TO SAME MODEL SPECTRAS MANUFACTURED BEFORE JAN 2005. THE NEW DESIGN WAS AN IMPROVEMENT TO ALLOW THE SPECTRA TO RAISE ITS "POOR" OFFSET IIHS FRONTAL CRASH RATING TO SOMETHING BETTER. THE NEW TESTS OF THE REDESIGNED MODULE UPGRADED OFFSET FRONTAL CRASH RESULTS TO "ACCEPTABLE". SMALLER VENTING HOLES IN THE AIRBAG ARE DESCRIBED AS THE PRIMARY CHANGE. IT IS STATED THAT THE TEST CAR WAS INDEED A 2004.5 MODEL RETROFITTED WITH THE NEW AIRBAG MODULE. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT IF KIA COULD RETROFIT AN 2004.5 MODEL AT TO OBTAIN A NEW TEST FROM IIHS, THEY SHOULD BE WILLING TO OFFER THAT MODULE UPGRADE FREE-OF-CHARGE TO PURCHASERS OF THE 2004.5 AND 2005 MODELS BUILT BEFORE JAN 2005. SEE THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE OF THE SPECIFIC IIHS DETAILS. === IIHS TEST WITH OLD AIRBAG DESIGN RESULTING IN A "POOR" RATING HTTP://WWW.HWYSAFETY.ORG/VEHICLE%5FRATINGS/CE/HTML/0417.HTM === IIHS TEST WITH NEW AIRBAG DESIGN RESULTING IN A "ACCEPTABLE" RATING: HTTP://WWW.HWYSAFETY.ORG/VEHICLE%5FRATINGS/CE/HTML/0502.HTM . *AK ===