2006 Kia Spectra: Reliability Data

129
Total Complaints
67,500mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
34
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

13,728 25th Percentile
67,500 Median Mileage
100,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
38
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
7
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
6
STRUCTURE:BODY
5
POWER TRAIN
5
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
5
ENGINE
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4

Severity Assessment

34
Crashes
3
Fires
37
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPROACHING A STOP DRIVING 15 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, LET OFF AND PRESSED AGAIN, THE VEHICLE THEN SURGED FORWARD, AND THIS CAUSED A REAR END COLLISION. SEATBELTS WERE IN USE AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THERE WAS..."
"ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 25TH DAY OF MAY IN THE YEAR 2006, MY WIFE AND MYSELF WERE DRIVING DOWN I-5 SB TO MAMC FOR HER HOSPITAL APPT. WE WERE THEN INVOLVED IN A MULTI-CAR ACCIDENT OFF NEXT TO THE OFF RAMP OF EXIT 123. WE TRIED TO SLOW DOWN IN TIME BEFORE NOTICING THE JUST WRECKED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ..."
"ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 25TH DAY OF MAY IN THE YEAR 2006, MY WIFE AND MYSELF WERE DRIVING DOWN I-5 SB TO MAMC FOR HER HOSPITAL APPT. WE WERE THEN INVOLVED IN A MULTI-CAR ACCIDENT OFF NEXT TO THE OFF RAMP OF EXIT 123. WE TRIED TO SLOW DOWN IN TIME BEFORE NOTICING THE JUST WRECKED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 38 complaints
25th: 26,500 mi Median: 73,500 mi 75th: 101,250 mi
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 complaints
25th: 38,700 mi Median: 98,000 mi 75th: 137,500 mi
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 6 complaints
25th: 71,000 mi Median: 72,000 mi 75th: 92,880 mi
STRUCTURE:BODY 5 complaints
Median: 68,000 mi
POWER TRAIN 5 complaints
Median: 126,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 11 FL: 11 VA: 10 NC: 9 OH: 9 TX: 9 PA: 7 GA: 6 WA: 6 NY: 5

Who Files Complaints?

22.5%
Original Owners
77.5%
Second+ Owners

Kia Spectra — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2000307
20015619
200212138
200313216
20049220
200513034
200720635
200816227
200915229

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