U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Kia SEPHIA problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

107 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

26,872 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 30 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags:Frontal is the most frequently named component, appearing in 15 of 107 complaints (14.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	18	16.8%
Transmission and shifting	13	12.1%
Engine operation	9	8.4%
Electrical and battery issues	6	5.6%
Fuel system concerns	5	4.7%
Steering behavior	2	1.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags:Frontal

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Electrical System

Electrical System:Ignition

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Structure:Body:Door

Air Bags

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Air Bags:Frontal	15
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	14
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	8
Electrical System	5
Electrical System:Ignition	5
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	5
Structure:Body:Door	5
Air Bags	4

Air Bags:Frontal: 15; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 14; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 8; Electrical System: 5; Electrical System:Ignition: 5; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 5; Structure:Body:Door: 5; Air Bags: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 15; 25,000 to 49,999: 4; 50,000 to 74,999: 5; 75,000 to 99,999: 3; 100,000 to 149,999: 3; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (15). 77 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2016

2000: 2; 2001: 16; 2002: 32; 2003: 25; 2004: 11; 2005: 6; 2006: 1; 2007: 2; 2008: 2; 2009: 2; 2010: 2; 2011: 4; 2012: 1; 2016: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags:Frontal leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 18 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 13 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 9 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10004258 · 2003-01-21 (January 21, 2003)

THE VEHICLE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES, BUT THEIR FOOT HIT THE GAS PEDAL ALSO, WHICH CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. PH

Owner-reported narrative. 18,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10004258 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10004493 · 2003-01-23 (January 23, 2003)

THE FLEXLINE SUPPLYING THE BRAKE FLUID TO THE LEFT REAR WHEEL HAD BEEN RUBBING AGAINST A RETAINER RING AND CAUSED ALL THE FLUID TO LEAK, RESULTING IN AN INOPERATIVE BRAKE PEDAL. TS SCC

Owner-reported narrative. 11,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10004493 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10018677 · 2003-05-14 (May 14, 2003)

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED ON ME TWICE. THE CAR IS NOT EVEN 2 YEARS OLD. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 32,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10018677 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10020868 · 2003-06-02 (June 2, 2003)

-I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS 2001 KIA SEPHIA LS 4 DOOR. HERE IS MY COMPLAINT.THE INSTRUCTION SIMPLY STATED "TO SHIFT FROM PARK PRESS BRAKE PEDAL". THE BUTTON ,LOCATED IN THE TOP LEFT SIDE OF THE HANDLE,THAT HAS TO BE PRESSED WHILE APPLYING BRAKE PEDAL WILL NOT GO ALL THE WAY IN. SINCE THE DATE OF PURCHASED, EVERYDAY WHEN PUTTING GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE I HAD TO WAIT 30 MINUTES OR MORE BEFORE THE KNOB CAN BE PUSHED ALL THE WAY IN. I THOUGHT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION UNTIL TODAY (1 JUNE 03). THE BUTTON WAS COMPLETELY PA…

Owner-reported narrative. 23,744 miles reported. Look up ODI 10020868 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10004785 · 2003-01-28 (January 28, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING AT 35MPH VEHICLE WILL STALL WITHOUT WARNING MAKING IT HARD TO CONTROL VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10004785 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10011665 · 2003-03-13 (March 13, 2003)

THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 15,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10011665 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10042366 · 2003-10-06 (October 6, 2003)

DEALER REPLACED IN THE LAST PAST THREE MONTHS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: IGNITION COIL/FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM TWICE/WIRING HARNESS, AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. HOWEVER, PROBLEMS STILL RECURRED. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10042366 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10051259 · 2003-12-29 (December 29, 2003)

THE SEPHIA WAS HIT AT AN ANGLE ON THE RIGHT FRONT CORNER AT ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR. THE AIRBAGS DELOYED AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG AND WIRING IMMEDEATLY CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CABIN FILLED WITH DUST FROM THE BAGS AND SMOKE. THE POWER WINDOWS DID NOT WORK AT THAT POINT. THE DRIVER COULD NOT SEE THE DOOR HANDLE. SOMEONE OPENED THE DOOR TO LET HER OUT. A PASSENGER HAD RECENTLY EXITED THE CAR OR THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG DELPOYED AND WENT DOWN SO FAST THAT THE DRIVERS HEAD WAS JERKED BACK AND LET DROP SO T…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10051259 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10081302 · 2004-07-18 (July 18, 2004)

I AM JUST A LITTLE DISGUSTED BY THE FACT THAT I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW VEHICLE SO THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT REPAIRS FOR AWHILE. I BOUGHT A 2001 KIA SEPHIA IN AUGUST OF 2001 AND IT IS NOW JULY 2004 AND MY FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED TWICE NOW. I HAVE HAD VEHICLES IN THE PAST THAT HAVE HAD WELL OVER 100,000 MILES BEFORE EVER HAVING TO REPLACE A FUEL PUMP. I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD LAST MORE THAT A YEAR OR YEAR AND A HALF. I ALSO HAD THE SHIFTER REPLACED DUE TO A DEFECT. THIS IS A PART I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPACE ON A VEHICLE EVEN WITH 300,000 MI…

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10081302 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10088107 · 2004-08-17 (August 17, 2004)

BEFORE 40,000 MILES, HAD FUEL PUMP CHANGED 2 TIMES, STARTER CHANGED 2 TIMES, NEW TRANSMISSION, IGNITION CONTROL MODULE ONCE, DOORS REPLACED DUE TO DEFECT, NEW PAINT JOB DUE TO TRASH UNDER ORIGINAL PAINT JOB, ALL HUB CAPS AND TRIM WERE REPLACED DUE TO FADING AT 10,000 MILES (WHICH FADED AGAIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES LATER), AC BLOWER RESISTOR MOTOR REPLACED, ALL MIRRORS WERE REPLACED, ELECTRICAL SHORT IN DOME LIGHT, & IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED. I BOUGHT MY CAR IN OCT 2001, AND WAS PUT IN SHOP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN JAN. 2002 AND HAS BEEN THERE 55 DAY…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10088107 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10040885 · 2003-09-29 (September 29, 2003)

I WAS STOPPED AT A YIELD SIGN DUE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND WAS STUCK FROM THE REAR FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE. MY SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK AND MY CHEST STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND REBOUNDED INTO THE SEAT. MY SEAT MOVED FORWARD CAUSING DIFFICULTY EXITING THE VEHICLE.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10040885 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 758699 · 2002-02-27 (February 27, 2002)

AFTER THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED INSURANCE FAILED TO NOTICE THE STEERING WHEEL HAD BEEN CRACKED, I HAVE HAD THE CAR AT A BODY SHOP AND THERE IS SOME TYPE OF CONFUSION WITH GETTING A NEW STEERING WHEEL FROM KIA. WE ARE NOT CERTAIN OF THE EXACT ESTIMATE TO THIS DAY, NOR DO WE KNOW WHEN WE WILL BE GETTING OUR CAR REPAIRED. BECAUSE OF THE AIRBAGS FAILURE TO DEPLOY INJURIES DID OCCUR WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD THEY DEPLOYED . THE CRASH WAS AT 35 MPH AND WAS A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND AT THEIR REQUEST HAVE GIVEN POLICE RE…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 758699 at NHTSA ↗