Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
This car is trying to kill me. I turn on my car, feet aren't on the pedals, my rpms rev and sputter up to 4,000+ without me doing anything. Sometimes it will launch me a bit when I'm trying to back out of a parking spot. Sometimes I'll be at a stop sign or a red light, completely stopped, foot on the brake, hard. Cross-traffic flowing. Suddenly my engine revvs and my car lunges forward. Wtf Kia? I've taken it to Kia once and they told me its a transmission problem that's going to cost more than the car is even worth and more money than I have to spend. So now what? I'm going to pay for a life endangering mechanical problem that likely costs dollars and minutes to fix because the mechanic thinks its a transmission problem? Hopefully something is resolved before this car wrecks itself.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Kia Spectra. While driving 50 MPH, the contact rear-ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt did not lock. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle has stalled at least five times since the time it was purchased. The contact feels that the vehicle is unable to be driven and wants a refund or another vehicle from Kia. The current mileage was 29,000 and failure mileage was 13,000. Updated 06/03/09 the windshield wipers worked intermittently, the rear lights were inoperative. The consumer stated the rear lights were replaced several times, because they were shortening out,. The transmission started shifting really hard and rough. The check engine light illuminated. Updated 06/04/09.
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Kia Spectra. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal noise and suddenly there was smoke inside of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road and the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A fire and a police report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,500. According to the letter from the consumer's lawyer, the vehicle was destroyed by an electrical fire arising under the dashboard, apparently from the blower/ventilation system. Updated 09/14/15. Ma 10/5 status updated 11/19/15. The consumer stated the manufacturer denied any liability. They blamed the fire on a past incident, where the vehicle was filled with too much oil. Updated 04/25/16.
I bought my 2008 Kia Spectra in June of 2015. About a month after the purchase my door locks started acting up occasionally. Now it is an almost everytime occurance. I will unlock my door via key fob, and it will instantly, and automatically, relock itself(all doors). When it does decide to unlock, and stay that way until I enter the vehicle, as soon as I open the drivers door all doors wil lock. I find this quite annoying, and dangerous due to the fact that I have a child, and a wife, and I would rather not have my vehicle prevent them from entering, or exiting the vehicle safetly. I have been in touch with Kia dealers and have been told that it will be a 300-750 dollar fix, and Kia motors themselves stated that some Spectra's have this issue, but mine does not because there is no service campaign for my VIN.
Doors LOCK and UNLOCK on their own. I have been locked out numerous times, some with the engine still running.I brought car to Kia numerous times, and was told there was nothing that could be done, it was a manufacturing defect. I feel this could prevent a very serious problem , both in a collision, or if a child were to be locked in the car. At times the car locks by itself so quickly, I cannot even turn the key fast enough to open the door. I have owned this car since 2009, and it has happened at least 50 or more times.
I was driving on the interstate about 65 MPH. All of sudden, the car lost all forward motion power. When I pressed the gas, the rpms increased, but the car did not get any power. The engine continued to run without problem. After stopping on the shoulder, I put the car in park and turned off the engine. After starting again, I put the car in drive, the forward power was working again and the car shifted fine. Transmission fluid was changed at 110,000 miles. Suspecting transmission, I took to a transmission specialist. I was given the following information: error code p0750 shift solenoid; error code p0755 shift solenoid b; error code p0760 shift solenoid c; error code p0765 shift solenoid d. Was given price quote to fix, but encouraged to contact Kia dealership about problem as they had seen this before on other similar Kia spectras. Called dealership to inform them of problem. …
While driving at freeway speeds vehicle suddenly slams down a gear or two causing moderate whiplash,and scaring the living crap out of myself and any passengers, upon having vehicle inspected by an ase certified repair technician he confirmed my complaint and stated that car seemed to be going into either second or third gear causing the vehicle to jerk and slow rapidly accompanied by loud bang or clunk noise and making me loose control of vehicle problem only occurs once vehicle is warmed up and at operating temperature, had transmission and electrical components inspected by professional transmission repair (atra) certified repair facility the owner of this shop told me specifically that he has seen this same problem with numerous kia spectra models ranging from about 2003 through 2009 yr models , kia denies that the vehicle has a problem that is manufacturer error related and stated …
Problem is the check engine light came on/off and on again. Fault codes were p0700 and p0748 as done at autozone. Some type of fault with the transaxle (p0700) or failed transaxle control module/failed linear solenoid valve/open or short cicuit condition in the linear solenoid control. While driving the car shutters hard car shifts fine when engine is cold. When engine warms up (after driving about 10 miles) while cruising in 4th gear, a lurch is felt from the drive train and the trans down shifts to 3rd gear. Shifting to neutral and back to drive doesn't help. The trans stays in 3rd gear. Shutting the car off and let it cool down and it is back to working normal again. Thinking about replacing the shift control module. Fix link.... …
NHTSA investigations
Non-crash engine compartment fires
Odi gathered fire data from various sources and inspected subject vehicles to assess the scope and frequency of non-crash engine compartment fires caused by starter cable chafing.odi's analysis found that most of the suspect fires occurred after the vehicle had received service repairs in the area of the subject cable.consumer complaint data indicate that the problem experience has declined since a peak in late…
Frequently asked questions
Which Kia Spectra years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2007 (16), 2008 (14), 2005 (11), 2009 (10) and 2002 (9) model years. Electrical complaints make up 11% of all complaints for the 2007.
Is there a recall for Kia Spectra electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Kia Spectra model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Kia Spectra electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles; 42% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (6 mentions), followed by the instrument cluster/panel (5).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.