2008 Kia Spectra Fuel system Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 4%of 121 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 17,045miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the fuel system of the 2008 Kia Spectra, 4% of the 121 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 17,045 miles.
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.
“This has happened twice. The first time was on 12/29/08. The car would not start when my wife tried to back it out of the garage. The mechanics eventually determined that we must have overfilled the gas tank. Today -- 9/4/12 -- it happened again. I forgot about the problem we had in 08 and mistakenly filled up the gas tank. For the last 30 miles I've driven it, it has stalled out at least six times and frequently shuddered. I'm very concerned that it won't start tomorrow morning.”
NHTSA complaint #10473835, filed 2012-09, 4,180 miles“My vehicle began experiencing intermittent issues with the air bag off illuminating with a passenger sitting in the front seat. This has happened on a half dozen occasions that I have noticed and goes off when the passenger adjusts their sitting position. The vehicle surges intermittently when stopped. Additionally brake pedal has stuck on a few occasions when the engine is cool. The vehicle will also cut out on occasion when driving down the road. I put it in neutral to restart, and continue driving. These all happen intermittently with no apparent rhyme or reason to them.”
NHTSA complaint #10650333, filed 2014-10, 85,000 miles“Kia vehicles,fuel system failure, mfg blames government for this, it is due to tank over fill, when fuel is up into fill neck it puts to much fuel in tank and inturn flooding some fuel canister of the system and this causes the vehicle to die, a severe design flaw, I have had three stall outs, the third almost caused a major accident I was pulling into heavy flow of fast moving traffic when the car up and died, mfg says nothing can be done to correct from a mechanical stand point cause it meets gov-specs, customer must not allow the tank to be over filled.”
NHTSA complaint #10345241, filed 2010-07, 42,000 miles“1. The check light on Kia Spectra 2008 remained on startup. 2. Took the car to don beyer Kia in falls church, va. They ordered a part 31435-1ea00 sensor - fuel and installed it. 3. Now cannot put fuel in gas tank.”
NHTSA complaint #10328293, filed 2010-04, 17,045 miles“The contact owns a 2008 Kia Spectra. Upon starting the vehicle, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the fuel system sensor was replaced. The failure occurred three times. After each failure, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who replaced the same sensor. The contact also stated that the motor shook, the brakes squeaked and the accelerator pedal became very hot. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the crankshaft was replaced. …”
NHTSA complaint #10373285, filed 2010-12, 232 milesFuel system: other model years
Other parts of the 2008 Kia Spectra
61 complaintsVehicle speed control
15 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsEngine
10 complaintsOther or unknown
10 complaintsExterior lighting
8 complaintsSeat belts
8 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
4 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 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