Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Kia Motor Spectra - part 1

After starting car, for first 15-20 mins, all normal. After speedometer go erratic (showing slower than actual speed - or - higher than actual speed) and soon after it just stops working. No check engine light. Dangerous to drive without knowing actual speed. Have to use mobile phone app like waze or something which shows apx speed. Upon internet search, I found there are many kia Spectra ex (from 05-09 models) reported similar issues. This situation is dangerous as driver may be following speedometer on highway and ending up driving slower than actual speed. Nhtsa should issue a recall. Kia - as usual - never acknowledged issue to save money. Dealership recommending me buy a new car rather than fixing the issue or at least attempting to fix it. When declined for trade-in (or buy a new car) they demanded upfront diagnostic charges without telling me what is actual issue.

See all problems of the 2008 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

Vehicle speedometer randomly quits. Also dash lights on binacle. Then will come back on after a day or so, have replace with genuine kia oem parts but still happens. Also looked on forums online and seems to be a common occurrence.

See all problems of the 2005 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

Speedometer keeps going out. It will work first thing in the morning, but mid day it drops to zero.

My car is revving, even in park. If it occurs while driving, the brakes are hard to push as well.

When stopped (for example at a stop sign), with the car in drive and the engine running, the engine will sometimes go from "idle" to a higher speed (it accelerates). My foot was not on the brake and gas pedals at the same time and this is not an issue with the floor mat. (I know because I looked. ).

See all problems of the 2007 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

While driving my speedometer stopped working. Then it went to 25 mph jumped to 45 mph. Air conditioning stopped and then started again, I went to turn left and it list power for a second almost causing me to be hit on passenger side but regained power and moved on. I would park in garage and next day working again. I would park in sun at work after work speedometer would not work. Now speedometer does not work at all I'm afraid of getting a ticket. I am working with a local mechanic they scanned it no codes relating.

The car was in motion on a city street. When the brakes were applied, the car did not stop but continued accelerating. At this time you could hear the engine making a revving sound. Had to press extremely hard on the brake pedal and then put the car in park in order to get it to a stop. There was a burning smell. We were almost in the middle of a busy intersection when the car finally stopped. This has occurred in the past also. When we take it to the dealer, they hook it to a computer and each time they tell us that no codes come up and they do not see a problem. We are fearful to put ourselves in this car.

See all problems of the 2009 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

La caja DE velocidades a veces golpea en autopista cuando cambia hacía primera no lo hace siempre pero golpea fuerte.

Intermittingly, after starting the vehicle, engine begins revving. Intermittingly, while slowing & stopping at a traffic light, engine begins revving and attempts to lurch forward. I have to press the break very hard to keep vehicle from moving forward. Fred anderson kia, raleigh, nc investigated this problem on 7/10/15 but was unable to recreate the problem. They re-cleaned the throttle body. The issue has continued on and off since then. On 8/20/15, after approximately 45 minutes of highway driving, I pulled into the parking lot at work. I put the car into reverse to back into a parking spot & the engine started revving dramatically & the car jerked noticeably as it went into gear. I backed into the spot & put the car in park, again jerking. I let the car idle for a few minutes & moved it in & out of gear. The revving worsened, the car attempted to lurch forward even with both the break & emergency break & continued jerking with every gear change. I have an appt. On 8/21/15 with fred anderson kia to investigate. My concern is the safety of the vehicle, as I have seen an indication of the same problem with other kia vehicles on this site & other sites. It seems as if kia is not resolving the issue and I don't want to have an accident because of it.

I was driving my car, March 2013 and the car died while pulling into the driveway. I was at a red light in may 2014 and the car died at the stop light. For those two incidents the kia dealership indicated an issue with the charcoal canister. Now, I have a third incident that occurred April 25, 2015, I was driving approximately 40 miles per hour and the wheels locked up and the car died while driving on a main street. My vehicle has been at the dealership for 3 business days and they are not able to determine why the car is stopping. This is a safety issue for me. These incidents could have happened on the freeway and could have caused a fatality. The kia dealership has been diligently trying to diagnose the issue however; they have been unable to determine the root cause. I am sharing this information just in case other drivers are experiencing this issue.

Drove to work the other morning and notice by lunch time that when I started to drive out of driveway it was not showing miles I was traveling. This had done it to me before in SC and the goodyear service man couldn't find the problem. But it started working again while they had it. He stated that he'd heard that my car was known to do this. But now for 3 days I'm driving blind on the feel. Until I can get some one to look at it.

I was waiting at a red light, when the engine started to speed up and the car started to pull forward even with me stepping harder on the brake. I put the car in neutral and the revving slowed down. This happened a few more times, including while trying to park at a mall. Luckily I was able to avoid and accident by shifting to neutral every time the car surged. This is a rental car, not my car.

See all problems of the 2006 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

I drive a 2008 kia Spectra. I've owned the car for roughly 4 yrs. Within the last month my car continues to stall. This occurs generally when I'm coming to a stop and turning. The dash lights will all come on and my wheel locks up in the direction I was turning. When I turn my car off and turn it back on, the lights will turn off, but my rpm's rev up to a minimum of 3. I have taken the vehicle to two auto mechanics. They have changed a fuel temp. Sensor and switched out all my spark plugs. Both mechanics have plugged the vehicle up to the machine and it reads clear. They cannot find an issue with the vehicle. Since the vehicle acts up randomly, they are unable to identify the problem when it's in their possession.

This has happened on more than one occasion. While traveling on the interstate at 70 mph the vehicle begin increasing in speed. Brakes were tapped, no decrease in speed, brakes were applied, no decrease in speed, pushed to DE-activate cruise, no result; I had to push the gear shift in neutral, motor was racing, turn off key, turn back on momentarily all while driving in traffic. The cruise then quit working for several weeks, began working again; traveling 60 mph and was unable to make a turn because cruise would not disengage. Very dangerous!!! at this point I do not use the cruise nor will use it until I can have it seen.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Spectra. The contact stated that the rpms revved violently. When depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle jerked without warning. In addition, while driving at any speed, the vehicle surged forward continuously. The failures recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.

I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden the check engine light came on and I lost all power in the gas pedal,( you can floor the peddle and it dont go over 2000 rpm ) almost resulting in a collision. It only comes on when it want to, I had the codes checked at auto zone and they said its saying all the cylinoides are bad. I looked up this problem online and there are alot of owners experiencing this same issue in the same year, +1 and-1, and with the same approximate mileage, it says that kia has come out with an update to the transmission computer to remedy the issue, the kia dealer wants an outrageous amount to update the computer, when discussing this with kia corporate they said well if a recall is issued then we can get refund, but I dont have the cash to pay for the repair, an update should be free, they are acknowledging the defect, there for because of the danger it can cause a recall is in order. . .

The contact owns a 2007 kia Spectra. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 80,921.

The contact owns a 2008 kia Spectra. The contact stated that after having the oil changed, the vehicle stalled without any warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted and was taken back to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. Immediately after leaving the dealership for the second time the failure recurred while driving approximately 35 mph. The driver was able to merge to the side of the highway and restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who diagnose that the mass air sensor flow filter and spark plugs needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact has experienced surging in the vehicle when coming to a complete stop. After the surging, the rpm's would race to high numbers. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 4,200. The current mileage was approximately 7,700.

Turned the car on, got on the hwy looked at the speed and it was at 0 mph. Drove for a while it picked up to 20 mph. Not sure if its working right. I've gotten a ticket for speeding how do I know what speed I'm going if its not working. I also have a new born. I believe this is very dangerous.

My speedometer works intermitantly on and off, I have changed the peed sensor and did not take care of the problem, I went to kia bl;ogs and found out a lot of people are having the same issue with kia cars.

While stopped, vehicle lunges forward and accelerates, accompanied by an abnormal increase in engine rpms. While pulling into a parking space, the vehicle rpms raced while I had my foot on the brake. I was able to get the car in park, but the rpms continued to race even higher. I had to take the key out of the ignition to stop the rpms from racing. The failure mileage was 31,000.

While stopped on a small hill in traffic, I was rearended by a Ford truck who was going about 35mph. My airbags did not deploy. I was taken to the hospital for injuries to my knees and my neck. I see there are many many many complaints regarding the deployment of airbags. There definitely is a major problem and a recall should be ordered. This is a serious problem which could result in death. Also many times while driving my speedometer will go to zero while driving or jump to 100+, in addition the rpm gauge will do the same. This too is also mentioned many times clearly there is some manufacturer defect. I am the only owner of the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2008 kia Spectra. The contact stated that the vehicle would lung forward and accelerate, accompanied by an abnormal increase in engine rpms. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contacted via email, but the contact received no response. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 51,000.

The contact owns 2007 kia Spectra. The contact stated that while the engine idled with his foot on the brake pedal the rpms increased excessively. He was applying pressure to the brakes when the vehicle felt as if it was being pushed from the back and then moved forward approximately 5 feet. The manufacturer was contacted and will send a representative to the dealership to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was 7,000.

The contact owns a 2002 kia Spectra. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly lunged forward and accelerated, crashing into the rear of another vehicle. There were no injuries. No police report was filed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 79,637.

See all problems of the 2002 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

I was making a three point turn. I moved to the wall braking to stop to back up, when applying the brakes the car went forward speeding up and into the block wall. Still with my foot on the brakes I turned the car off.

2005 kia Spectra I was braking and the car started speeding up. I had to put the car in neutral to keep the car from going .

On three occasions my 2007 kia Spectra's engine has raced madly when I was stopped with my foot on the brake. It was all I could do to keep the car from moving with the brake fully depressed. The most recent date that it happened was 7/27/2010. I turned the engine off for about one minute and when I restarted it the engine was ok. Around xmas 2009, the same thing happened when I was stopped in traffic. I tried moving the gear shift into neutral and park and turning it off several times to no avail. I finally put it in drive and let it inch forward and suddenly the racing stopped. At that time I removed the car mat and have not used the mat since then. Today I took the car to the dealer to be checked out. They tell me they cannot find anything wrong with it. They checked the error codes in memory and gave me a listing of the codes. They tell me none of the codes relate to what I experienced. The only other problem that I have experienced was the front passenger door not latching. I would slam the door and it would pop back open again. I depressed the lock and unlock buttons on the remote several times before the door would latch.

2006 kia Spectra. . . The vehicle will not disengage the cruise when the brake is depressed and/or the cruise is turned off.

Pulling out of a driveway to center lane and then merging with traffic, the vehicle would not accelerate. Rpms would flare, but car had no power as if engine was not getting fuel. This would happen intermittently. Vehicle was taken to dealer who stated gas had gotten into an emissions part in the fuel take, stating it was caused from over filling the tank. Vehicle owner told dealer that the tank had never been over filled or capped off while fueling the vehicle, so the part must be defective. Vehicle owner still had to pay to replace canister close valve. Dealer claimed that rpm flare up and loss of power was caused from the clutch slipping, although rpm flare up never occurred while dealer had the vehicle. At 100,000 estimated miles, the same fuel valve needs to be replaced again, and to date, the fuel tank has never been over filled.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Spectra. While driving 15 mph, the contact attempted to stop the vehicle and heard a revving noise coming from the gear shifter. Shortly after, the vehicle accelerated across the street. She attempted to steer the vehicle to avoid driving into a ditch. The rear passenger side wheel struck the guardrail, but the vehicle still did not stop. The vehicle continued to drive through bushes and up a hill. The speed finally began to decrease and the vehicle came to a stop. There were no serious injuries, only headaches and bruising. The vehicle was towed to a garage by the police, but was later taken to a repair shop. A police report was filed. The mechanic stated that the computer in the vehicle was too unsophisticated; therefore, a diagnostic test could not be performed. Through research, the contact discovered numerous complaints for the same type of defect. The vehicle is currently being repaired and she believes that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect. The current and failure mileages were 4,500. Updated 6/19/10 the consume stated she placed her foot on the brake to slow down when all of a sudden, the vehicle accelerated on its own. Updated 07/22/jb.

The contact owns a 2004 kia Spectra. While slowing down for a red light or stop sign at any speed, the vehicle makes a loud noise and accelerates. The contact had to turn off the vehicle in order for the failures to stop. The failure began in January of 2008. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. On November 9, 2008, while driving 5 mph in reverse, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a tree. The contact was uninjured. The vehicle is currently at the body shop. The failure mileage was 28,000 and current mileage was 37,000. Updated 12/17/08. Updated 12/18/08.

See all problems of the 2004 Kia Motor Spectra 🔎.

I was at a complete stop when my tachometer for no explainable reason shot up over 7000 rpm's causing my vehicle to accelerate beyond the breaking point and causing me to be involved in three separate traffic accidents all within a two hour time period on the same day. Two weeks earlier, my car had done the exact same thing slowing down coming around a bend causing me to hit a cement barrier which luckily only caused minor damage to my driver side mirror and wheel well. I had the car towed to the kia dealership after the three consecutive accidents where they claimed the cause of this phenomenon was caused ?by my floor mat being in a bad position. As a result, I removed the drivers side floor mat only to have this same unexplainable acceleration happen to me again at a red light across from a very dangerous intersection approximately two weeks later. This time I had to throw the car into park to get it to stop before completely entering the intersection. Even after stopping the vehicle, the tachometer continued to race above 7000 rpm?s for approximately 2 to 3 more seconds before leveling back off. This time no accident occurred. I had my car towed back to the kia dealership who has now had it in their possession for over five days now. In my opinion, the 2004 - 2005 kia Spectra is an unsafe vehicle and is one episode away from becoming a very tragic accident for someone. Let me state that in over 24 years of driving, I have never been sited for a major traffic accident and have had a perfectly clean driving record for over ten years before all of this. I urge anyone else who has had similar experiences with their kia Spectra's to please post their experiences on this website so others may be warned about the potential hazards of this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2004 kia Spectra. When the brakes were applied, the engine revved and the vehicle accelerated automatically. The vehicle can only be stopped by being turned completely off. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The current mileage was 34,000 and failure mileage was 33,600. Updated 03-19-08 the consumer stated the dealer inspected the vehicle and could not duplicate the defect. The consumer also stated problem has not happened again. Updated 03/19/08.

Vehicle: 2005 kia Spectra 5 automatic transmission. When coming to a stop (with foot off of gas pedal but on the brake pedal), engine accelerates on its own. This is the second time that I noticed this happened. I quickly pushed down strongly on the brake and placed the vehicle in park. The engine decelerated on it's own within about 5-10 secs.