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2000 Kia Sephia Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Moderate

461 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.66 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Moderate04V305000

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

THE LATCH CAN THEN PULL OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN TENSION IS APPLIED.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES MAY EMIT A "CLICK" SOUND DURING THE BUCKLING PROCESS THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE SOUND EMITTED WHEN A BUCKLE IS BEING LATCHED, WHEN IT IS NOT.

Complaint volume

461 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

57Crashes
3Fires
45Injuries
0Deaths

Across 461 complaints. Severity Index 0.66.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Power Train · Automatic T…36 · 8%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…21 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…18 · 4%Air Bags · Frontal18 · 4%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…17 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…16 · 3%Electrical System15 · 3%Latches/Locks/Linkages · …13 · 3%
  1. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 36 reports
  2. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 21 reports
  3. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 18 reports
  4. Air Bags:Frontal — 18 reports
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc — 17 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 16 reports
  7. Electrical System — 15 reports
  8. Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch — 13 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 13 reports
  10. Unknown Or Other — 12 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (1) · 1996 (1) · 1997 (1) · 1998 (6) · 1999 (5) · 2000 · 2001 · 2002

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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