1999 Kia Sephia: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 749 complaints
749
Total Complaints
33,500mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
Top Issue
68
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

15,000 25th Percentile
33,500 Median Mileage
70,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
67
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
63
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
51
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
38
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
37
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
34
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
25
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
24
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
19
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
19

Severity Assessment

68
Crashes
77
Fires
50
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER'S DAUGHTER HAD A COLLISION IN WHICH SHE REAR ENDED ANOTHER AUTOMOBILE, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ONE INJURY. *AK"
"DAUGHTER HAD A REAR END COLLISION, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ONLY ONE INJURY WAS SUSTAINED. *AK"
"STARTER WON'T WORK, AND CONSUMER CAN'T START VEHICLE UP UNTIL THE THIRD TIME. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WIPER'S ARE WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28