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U.S. public vehicle records

2002 Kia SPECTRA: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

92 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

41,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: . 52 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags:Frontal is the most frequently named component, appearing in 12 of 92 complaints (13.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Braking behavior2021.7%
Transmission and shifting1010.9%
Steering behavior77.6%
Engine operation66.5%
Electrical and battery issues33.3%
Fuel system concerns33.3%

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
12
Air Bags
10
Power Train:Automatic Transmission
8
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
7
Vehicle Speed Control
5
Electrical System
4
Electrical System:Ignition
4
Service Brakes
4
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Air Bags:Frontal12
Air Bags10
Power Train:Automatic Transmission8
Service Brakes, Hydraulic7
Vehicle Speed Control5
Electrical System4
Electrical System:Ignition4
Service Brakes4

Air Bags:Frontal: 12; Air Bags: 10; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 8; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 7; Vehicle Speed Control: 5; Electrical System: 4; Electrical System:Ignition: 4; Service Brakes: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

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

Under 25,000
16
25,000 to 49,999
14
50,000 to 74,999
7
75,000 to 99,999
7
100,000 to 149,999
5
150,000 and above
3
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,00016
25,000 to 49,99914
50,000 to 74,9997
75,000 to 99,9997
100,000 to 149,9995
150,000 and above3

Under 25,000: 16; 25,000 to 49,999: 14; 50,000 to 74,999: 7; 75,000 to 99,999: 7; 100,000 to 149,999: 5; 150,000 and above: 3

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (16). 40 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.

2002
22
2003
17
2004
12
2005
6
2006
4
2007
3
2008
7
2009
3
2010
5
2011
1
2012
4
2013
2
2014
3
2015
2
2016
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
200222
200317
200412
20056
20064
20073
20087
20093
20105
20111
20124
20132
20143
20152
20161

2002: 22; 2003: 17; 2004: 12; 2005: 6; 2006: 4; 2007: 3; 2008: 7; 2009: 3; 2010: 5; 2011: 1; 2012: 4; 2013: 2; 2014: 3; 2015: 2; 2016: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags:Frontal leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 20 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 10 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 7 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.

Examples from the source records

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

Owner report 10001079 · 2002-12-17 (December 17, 2002)

WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH ON THE HIGHWAY HIT A CURB. AND LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND THEN HIT A TELEPHONE POLE. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. TS....*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10001079 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10001422 · 2002-12-23 (December 23, 2002)

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, VEHICLE WAS T-BONE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE FENDER, AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. THIS RESULTED IN DRIVER BEING INJURED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10001422 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10002415 · 2003-01-09 (January 9, 2003)

CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE HEAD LIGHTS KEEP BLOWING OUT ON BOTH SIDES OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE HEAD LIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACE FOUR TIMES. DEALER NOTIFIED. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10002415 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10003536 · 2003-01-28 (January 28, 2003)

CAR WILL NOT START WITH FIRST TURN OF THE IGNITION, NEED TO CRANK AND STEP ON GAS ABOUT 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE CAR WILL START. TOOK INTO DEALER SERVICE DEPT AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SERVICE DEPT TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO JUST WAIT UNTIL IT DOESN'T START AT ALL.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10003536 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10006586 · 2003-02-05 (February 5, 2003)

WHEN STOPPING VEHICLE , IT WILL SURGE FORWARD. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. PH

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006586 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10009468 · 2003-02-26 (February 26, 2003)

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION.*JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10009468 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10009904 · 2003-03-24 (March 24, 2003)

THE VEHICLE RAN ROUGH, IDLED ROUGH AT STOP LIGHTS, AND HAD A HARD START IN THE MORNING. IN A FEW WEEKS OF PURCHASE, TWO SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THE ROUGH RUNNING WAS NORMAL. SCC *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10009904 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10013948 · 2003-04-04 (April 4, 2003)

KEY WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION LEAVES BATTERY ON. DEALER FIXED THE TUMBLER TWICE, NOW WILL NOT FIX ANYMORE SAYING THERE IS NO PROBLEM. TOLD ME IF IT SHOULD DO THIS AGAIN TO CALL ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEY WILL TOW IT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FROM DEC 02 ONLY 9 MONTHS AFTER BUYING THE CAR. THE PROBLEM IS STILL NOT FIXED. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 8,712 miles reported. Look up ODI 10013948 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.