1999 Kia Sephia Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 63about this part
- Share
- 15%of 428 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 18,100miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 63 complaints about the electrical system of the 1999 Kia Sephia, 15% of the 428 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 18,100 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 16 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Over a period of time, approximately 70,00 miles on my car, the AC/heater fan motor will blow air intermittently, regardless of the fan's speed setting. Eventually, the fan stops blowing all together. This same problem has happened on my 1998 Kia Sephia as well.”
NHTSA complaint #10135238, filed 2005-09, 70,000 miles“Kia Sephia, bought april 1999 new. Replaced battery within first year, turn radio up it goes down and the other way. Intermittently, speedometer unsteady, check engine light comes on and off frequently. Od off light flashes occasionally. Dome light comes on by itself when in door mode. Dashboard indicator also comes on at this time.”
NHTSA complaint #10018880, filed 2003-05, 5,000 miles“The car died while driving down the road repeatedly. Battery leaked. Brakes had to be replaced for the entire car at 60,000 miles. The vents on the dashboard have popped up and broken. Now the defroster does not blow the air on the windshield. This vehicle was stored in a garage. The seams on the seat come undone. The cigarette lighter broke and flops in the dash. The switch to override the transmission lock is broken. The rear brake light broke when replacing the struts which you have to remove the back dash to get to. The board that is under the carpet in the trunk warped. …”
NHTSA complaint #10093527, filed 2004-10, 15,000 miles“This car has so many problems they cant all be listed.the battery melted,the tires wont stay inflated properly, the A/C broke,the cruise control broke, just to name a few. The car shakes if you go over 60 and the dealer charged me to align the front end,told me it needed to be done every 6 months.also said I should have known the battery would melt,its korean.”
NHTSA complaint #762823, filed 2002-06“I am unable to start my car in cold weather. Anytime it gets below 30 degrees, the car will crank and not turn over. I tried replacing the battery. That did not work. The car otherwise starts in warmer weather. This is unreasonable. I can't be stuck in the wintertime with this vehicle. I've heard there are others who have this same problem. Maybe you should look into this and maybe process a recall for this issue.”
NHTSA complaint #10109855, filed 2005-02Related service bulletins
- 10016840Sep 1, 2004Charging system upgrade.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 | 17% |
| 2001 | 15 | 14% |
| 2000 | 45 | 17% |
| 1999 | 63 | 15% |
| 1998 | 104 | 21% |
| 1997 | 31 | 15% |
| 1996 | 19 | 16% |
| 1995 | 4 | 6% |
| 1994 | 1 | 6% |
Other parts of the 1999 Kia Sephia
173 complaintsEngine cooling
88 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
71 complaintsFuel system
49 complaintsAir bags
37 complaintsSteering
23 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
19 complaintsBody and structure
17 complaintsSuspension
17 complaintsOther or unknown
15 complaintsSeat belts
13 complaintsEquipment
11 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1999 Kia Sephia
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology