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2003 Kia Spectra Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 90 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Kia Spectra, most often about the brakes (20% of complaints, typically around 88,000 miles). It is 7th of 10 Spectra model years by number of complaints.

Complaints90
Recalls0
Crashes reported15
Fires reported1
Injuries reported11

Most common 2003 Kia Spectra problems

  1. Brakes

    18 complaints · 20%

    Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.

    2003 Kia Spectra; brake proportioning valve started leaking around 90k miles. Contacted three local dealers, all three stated that this is common for this model.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2011, at 90,000 miles
    My brake light went on ( thought it was parking brake stuck or brake maintenance time ) , after spending over $400 to get everything replaced .... It was discovered that my proportioning valve went bad ! Leaking brake fluid ( had to replace every other day ) . Why is there no recall ?
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2012, at 86,000 miles

  2. Transmission

    16 complaints · 18%

    Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.

    Dt: the contact stated when stopping at a stop sign or while braking or pulling into a parking lot vehicle revved and lurched forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealership numerous times. They were unable to duplicate the problem. Updated 1/11/2006 - the transmission line had come off and cause coolant to leak. The…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 48,000 miles
    Took the car to walmart for fluid checks. About a week after leaving there, I hit an icy puddle and lost the ability to put the car in gear. After a few minutes the car recovered, but after that when the car was cold it would not go into gear. I returned to walmart who advised me they could not get the problem to…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 54,000 miles

  3. Engine

    14 complaints · 16%

    Half of these problems showed up before 41,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.

    While driving at 60 MPH and without any warning, the check engine indicator light illuminated. Suddenly, the engine slowed down and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who could neither duplicate nor correct the problem. Nm
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 35,000 miles
    Dt: the contact stated when stopping at a stop sign or while braking or pulling into a parking lot vehicle revved and lurched forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealership numerous times. They were unable to duplicate the problem. Updated 1/11/2006 - the transmission line had come off and cause coolant to leak. The…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 48,000 miles

  4. Air bags

    11 complaints · 12%

    Half of these problems showed up before 25,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.

    While driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. The dual airbags did not deploy. The driver sustained injuries,and the vehicle was totaled.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 24,000 miles
    Dt: 2003 Kia Spectra. The consumer stated when turning the vehicle was hit on the front driver's side by the wheel. The vehicle was hit so hard that the bumper came off and pushed the engine and hood up. The fireman said the air bags should have deployed. The vehicle spun around twice. This broke the rear axle on the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 23,000 miles

  5. Body and structure

    11 complaints · 12%

    Half of these problems showed up before 104,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.

    Driver's door window regulator fails causing window to slide down track into the door. The power regulator raises and lowers the window with a metal wire running through plastic guides on a metal track. The ends of the wire are capped inside a plastic bracket to which the window is attached. These plastic parts wear…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 104,000 miles
    The dash, where it meets the windshield, has curled up and detached from the defroster vent on the driver side. The plastic defroster vent is also crumbling from being exposed to the sun. I can't believe how cheap of materials was used for this.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2014, at 150,000 miles

  6. Visibility and wipers

    10 complaints · 11%

    Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer, power window devices and controls, glass, side/rear.

    Tl contact owns a 2003 Kia Spectra. The contact reported windshield wipers failed while driving. The windshield wipers were activated to remove snow and ice from the windshield, but then became inoperable. As the temperature continued to drop the windshield wipers remained motionless. The contact discovered that the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 6,500 miles
    Driver's door window regulator fails causing window to slide down track into the door. The power regulator raises and lowers the window with a metal wire running through plastic guides on a metal track. The ends of the wire are capped inside a plastic bracket to which the window is attached. These plastic parts wear…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 104,000 miles

  7. Seat belts

    9 complaints · 10%

    Parts named most often: front, rear/other.

    The front panel in the consumer's 2003 Kia Spectra made noise. The consumer had several problems concerning the vehicle. The drivers seat belt was broken, driver and passenger doors were inoperative, faulty speaker, the vehicle would not move forward or in reverse, there would be a clicking sound if it was forced, the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 5,130 miles

  8. Electrical

    9 complaints · 10%

    Half of these problems showed up before 53,500 miles. Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery, wiring.

    I brought this car on the 29th of october. Two days later the car wouldn't start. The car was serviced and I was told that the battery was no good. The battery was changed but the the car wouldn't start again...two days after being serviced. The battery cord had to be jiggled in order for it to start up. The car was…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 38,800 miles
    Tl contact owns a 2003 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that the vehicle's heat and air conditioner failed to activate. The dealer stated that the control wires were burned. The vehicle needs a wire harness and a control head part. The current and failure mileages were 68,206.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 68,206 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2003 Kia Spectra recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

Questions about the 2003 Kia Spectra

What are the most common problems with the 2003 Kia Spectra?
By NHTSA owner complaints: brakes (18 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); transmission (16 complaints, typically around 51,000 miles); engine (14 complaints, typically around 41,500 miles).
How many recalls does the 2003 Kia Spectra have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2003 Kia Spectra. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
Is the 2003 a bad year for the Kia Spectra?
It is 7th of 10 Spectra model years by number of complaints, with 90 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Kia Spectra years

Kia Spectra problems by year