2008 Kia SPECTRA5 Fuel system Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 19%of 16 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 83,600miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the fuel system of the 2008 Kia SPECTRA5, 19% of the 16 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 83,600 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 had been an ongoing problem since about 24,000 miles, but dealer just said to add power booster or something...by the time of this first documented dealer check out, it had gotten much worse... It has been in several times to no avail, and other than spending money on various solutions (that did not work) it has progressively gotten much worse. Finally I was told by dealer to not overfill or top off the tank when filling with fuel. Something that I do not do!!! …”
NHTSA complaint #10664927, filed 2014-12, 34,185 miles“About 2yrs after we had purchased the vehicle, the car was parked on an incline drive way, as we pulled out it started to stall and died. Well a couple of days ago, after fueling up the tank, we were at a busy intersection, upon accelerating to go the car stalled and died(almost got rear ended). Well it stalled and died 3 more times before making it home. Took the vehicle in to Kia dealership the very next day, told what was happening, but they want to charge $110 to make sure. …”
NHTSA complaint #10522872, filed 2013-07, 83,600 miles“Sudden unintended acceleration (sua): cruise control (cc) set to ~85 MPH, sudden lurching red-line acceleration occurred, cc would not disengage. Had to fight my vehicle (pull e-brake) to get safely to freeway shoulder then turn ignition off. Car continued to try to red line after ignition killed, shifting thru all gears, battery terminals disconnected or cc module disconnected. Verified brake lights worked fine after pulling over. 1st incident - behind an 18-wheeler, almost rear ended said 18-wheeler! After ~2hrs the car resolved itself & stopped trying to accelerate. …”
NHTSA complaint #11132447, filed 2018-10, 115,000 milesFuel system: other model years
Other parts of the 2008 Kia SPECTRA5
11 complaintsElectrical system
2 complaintsSeats
2 complaintsVehicle speed control
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Kia SPECTRA5
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