2000 Kia Sephia: problems, recalls and reliability

“The locks freeze up in cold temps, enough to twist and bend my key. Even trying to force it open from the inside does not work. I almost broke my thumb trying to force it open unless you put a heater in the car for a long time. *tr”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Mar 2015

“Tl* the contact owned a 2000 kia sephia. While driving approximately 40 mph, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle causing significant damage to the front end. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver suffered injuries to the right shoulder, head, and jaw bone. The front passenger sustained injuries to the right shoulder, head, and neck injuries. The rear seat passenger suffered a neck injury. All the occupants were transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2011

“Tl*the contact owns a 2000 kia sephia. The contact stated that when she depressed the accelerator pedal, the engine would race first and then the vehicle would move forward. The over drive light stayed on and the engine light would blink. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the dealer changed the sensors for the lights. However, the over drive and check engine lights were constantly illuminated. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000. The current mileage was 162,384. Updated 11/03/10. *lj”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · May 2010

“My wife owns a 2000 kia sephia,we were in a head on collision at 40mph and the airbags did not deploy. I was asked to mail pictures of this accident to kia and just received a phone call back saying the impact was too high for airbag deployment,are you kidding me,the whole frontend of the car is totaled and that's the best answer you can give me,oh yeah he said he was sorry. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2009

“In normally opening the driver's side door from the inside in cold weather, the plastic door handle broke became inoperative. The only way to open the door was by rolling down the window and operating the door using the outside door handle. Obviously this is a safety problem if the car needs to be exited quickly. *tr”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Jan 2009

“Tl*the contact owns a 2000 kia sephia. While driving less than 60 mph, the windshield wipers stopped working. The failure occurred during heavy rain conditions and the wiper motor continued to activate; however, the wipers went into a vertical position and would no longer operate. The failure and current mileages were 138,000.”Owner report · Visibility · Dec 2008

“Replaced the rear brake shoes ,because of a noise when the brakes were applied. When the brake drum was removed the on the right side the brake lining fell on the floor. It had separated from the brake shoe. The brake drum showed no sign of over heating such as if the emergency brake was left on.(,checking)all the shoes appear to be failing. .the vehicle has front disc and has 64000 miles on it . The brake shoes appear to be factory. The defective parts are available. *tr”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Sep 2008