IllustrationBRAKES MALFUNCTIONED; WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING EXTENTED STOPPING DISTANCE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/CRASH. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
1997 Kia Sephia
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Kia Sephia do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 107.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sephia years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 15 of 205 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 72 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
30 crash reports5 fire reports20 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
72 reportsBRAKES FAILED CAUSING MAJOR PULSATING AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES. FRONT BRAKE PADS REPLACED TWICE BEFORE. ON OCTOBER '98 REPLACED WITH NEW DESIGN SHOE PAD. FRONT ROTORS ALSO REPLACED ON OCTOBER '98. NOW ONCE AGAIN EXPERIENCING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES - MAJOR PULSATING OF BRAKES HAS RETURNED FOR A THIRD TIME. PREVIOUS RE…
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BRAKES FAILED CAUSING MAJOR PULSATING AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES. FRONT BRAKE PADS REPLACED TWICE BEFORE. ON OCTOBER '98 REPLACED WITH NEW DESIGN SHOE PAD. FRONT ROTORS ALSO REPLACED ON OCTOBER '98. NOW ONCE AGAIN EXPERIENCING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES - MAJOR PULSATING OF BRAKES HAS RETURNED FOR A THIRD TIME. PREVIOUS REPAIRS HAVE SHOWN THERE IS A PROBLEM WHICH CAUSES THE FRONT DISC PADS TO WARP AND WEAR OUT ROTOR.
WHEN TRAVELING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED AND WHEN AAPPLYING BRAKES, FRONT BRAKE ROTORS VIBRATE VERY HARD. THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO COLLAPSE, AND THEY MAKE A GRINDING SOUND. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
NO SUMMARY INCLUDED.
ROTORS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES.
NO SUMMARY PROVIDED FROM CONSUMER
WITHIN 6,000 MILES THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN CUT DOWN ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND CURRENTLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *AKFRONT ROTORS CUT DOWN 2 TIMES WITHIN 6500 MILES, THEN REPLACED THE THIRD TIME AT 6500, ROTORS WERE REPLACED WITH NEW SLIGHLY THICKER ROTORS. *NLM
BRAKES MAKE NOISE. TOOK VEHICLE TO ANOTHER CITY FOR REPAIRS. BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDED REPLACING IN SEP. 98. GRABBING & NOISE FROM BRAKES HAS REAPPEARED. *AK
WARPED FRONT AND REAR ROTORS/ INTERMITTENT STALLING. REPLACED STARTER/BATTERY/THROTTLE BODY/STARTER MOTOR AND ADJUSTED TIMING GEAR AND CHAIN. *AK
WHEN TRAVELING AT 45 MPH PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE STOPPED THE VEHICLE. DEALER CONTACTED, AND HAS NO SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. *AK
Official recalls
102V216000 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
Aug 16, 2002
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MAY "FALSE LATCH" AND EXPOSE THE DRIVER TO UNRESTRAINED MOVEMENT DURING A CRASH.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 20, 2002. 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.
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
1PE02051 · Safety Belt Buckle Malfunction
Opened Jun 17, 2002 · Closed Sep 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
BY LETTER DATED AUGUST 25, 2002, KIA ADVISED NHTSA THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WILL BE RECALLED.SPECIFIC CORRECTIVE ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY KIA HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA AT THIS TIME.THE SAFETY RECALL PROGRAM HAS BEEN ASSIGNED CAMPAIGN NO. 02V-216.