Known Recalls

Model year record

2004 Kia LD Spectra

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 8 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 05V431000

Air bags

Component
Air bags
Manufacturer
KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.
Vehicles affected
73,641
Reported to NHTSA
2005-09-21
Owners notified
2005-10-31

Defect description

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG FEATURE, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT OF THE VEHICLE MAY MISCLASSIFY A CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT (CRS) AS AN ADULT. THIS MAY OCCUR IF THE CRS IS INSTALLED AFTER AN ADULT HAS BEEN SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN A 'KEY ON' ' KEY OFF' CYCLE WITH THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT EMPTY PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE CRS.

Safety risk

THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module2—
Electrical system111,757 mi
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel111,757 mi
Exterior lighting111,757 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights1—
Exterior lighting: headlights1—
Power train1170,000 mi

The 2005 model has 2 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.