2007 Kia Spectra Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 8about this part
- Share
- 5%of 152 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 58,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2007 Kia Spectra, 5% of the 152 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 58,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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 don't 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 solenoids are bad. …”
NHTSA complaint #10593224, filed 2014-05, 65,000 miles“I was driving on the interstate about 65 MPH. All of sudden, the car lost all forward motion power. When I pressed the gas, the rpms increased, but the car did not get any power. The engine continued to run without problem. After stopping on the shoulder, I put the car in park and turned off the engine. After starting again, I put the car in drive, the forward power was working again and the car shifted fine. Transmission fluid was changed at 110,000 miles. Suspecting transmission, I took to a transmission specialist. …”
NHTSA complaint #10716941, filed 2015-05, 124,678 miles“While driving my 2007 Kia Spectra- automatic transmission on 1/1/2008, down the road at 45mph, the car suddenly went from high gear to low gear and it stayed on low gear. I took it to the dealership to have it fix. They told me it was some type of relay that needed to be reset. They reset the relay that day. Since then it has happened two more times at higher speed, which the dealership fixed the problem each time. So that's a total of three times it has happened. Now, for a fourth time, it has happened again on 11/01/2014.”
NHTSA complaint #10653501, filed 2014-11, 1,000 miles“I purchased my 2007 Kia Spectra brand new...it only had 55 miles on the vehicle at time of purchase. While driving the vehicle for a few weeks it started to grind in 2nd gear, I took the Kia to the dealership, they informed me that some screws had come loose and that is where the grinding was coming from, I was driving with screws in the clutch! They gave me a rental and put the screws back in the clutching system. I got the car back and it did good for a while and the same problem occurred, again they said screws were loose again! …”
NHTSA complaint #10269876, filed 2009-05, 288 miles“I purchased my 2007 Spectra5 used with 155,000 miles on it. The engine had no codes or any stored codes. It ran fine until I filled it up with gas. I DO NOT overfill the tank because I understand EVAP issues. After filling up the vehicle would stall at idle and occasionally lose power (momentarily) at highway speeds (55 mph and up). Obviously this is an extremely dangerous situation! Once the gas level got below 1/2 tank the issues went away…but now I ONLY fill the tank to halfway and the problems arise again every so often. …”
NHTSA complaint #11521552, filed 2023-05Related service bulletins
- 10091489Dec 6, 2013Tsb: automatic transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin provides information relating to the correct automatic transmission fluids that are required for each kia…
- 10023004Oct 10, 2007Can resistor replacement for 06-07my spectra vehicles.
- 10021561Jan 1, 2007Automatic transmission adaptive value reset/relearn.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 | 2% |
| 2008 | 4 | 3% |
| 2007 | 8 | 5% |
| 2006 | 7 | 7% |
| 2005 | 7 | 7% |
| 2004 | 16 | 23% |
| 2003 | 16 | 18% |
| 2002 | 12 | 13% |
| 2001 | 8 | 20% |
| 2000 | 2 | 9% |
Other parts of the 2007 Kia Spectra
56 complaintsFuel system
34 complaintsElectrical system
16 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
12 complaintsVehicle speed control
12 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsEngine
7 complaintsEngine cooling
7 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsEquipment
5 complaintsSeat belts
5 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2007 Kia Spectra
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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