"How reliable is the 2002 Kia Spectra?"

"Based on 121 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Kia Spectra has a median complaint mileage of 41000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Kia Spectra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Kia Spectra is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, accounting for a significant portion of the 121 total complaints filed."

2002 Kia Spectra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 121 complaints

121

Total Complaints

41,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

13,734 25th Percentile

41,000 Median Mileage

76,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

AIR BAGS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BRAKES

TIRES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SEATBELTS NOT LONG ENOUGH ! STANDARD SIZE PERSON JUST DOES FIT. PERSON 6FT A LITTLE HEAVY CAN'T BUCKLE THE BELT. ASKED DEALER TO SEE IF WE COULD GET EXTENSIONS FOR THE BELTS OR NEW LONGER BELTS PUT IN. WE KEEP GETTING TOLD NO. WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE NEW BELTS MADE WITH HARDWARE FOR THIS MODEL CAR ON..."

"PASSENGER FRONT DOOR LATCH DEFECTIVE. *AK"

"WINDSHIELD CRACKED EASILY. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND SERVICE MANAGER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM. NOTICED OTHER COMMENTS OF WINDSHEILD CRACKING ON EDMUNDS.COM WEB SITE. APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR FLAW IN THE WINDSHIELD, AND MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FUTURE CAR ACCIDENTS. MANU..."

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