2002 Kia Spectra: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2002 Kia Spectra
On the 2002 Kia Spectra, the failure owners report most often is airbag failed to deploy in a crash, with 14 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 40,000 miles. Overall it scores 71 out of 100, high risk for a 2002.
High risk for a 2002 — 111th riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. 121 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
What breaks on the 2002 Kia Spectra
Owners have reported 33 named failure modes on the 2002 Kia Spectra, and the three most-reported carry 26% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash leads with 14 reports and about 1.0 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other powertrain problem follows with 9 reports, median 35,000 miles.
Other brake problem follows with 8 reports, median 60,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (22), brakes (13) and transmission (12).
When these failures get reported
72 of the reports on the 2002 Kia Spectra came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 40,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 58% by 50,000 miles, 83% by 100,000 miles and 93% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 21% of the dated reports.
43% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 33. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 29 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 17 an injury and 1 a fatality. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 7.11, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: airbag failed to deploy in a crash at $1,000–$5,000, other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, other brake problem at $300–$1,800 and seat belt or retractor failure at $200–$900. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
17% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 14 | 4 | — | 30k | — | 1.0 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 9 | 7 | — | 33k | — | 0.6 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 8 | 6 | — | 59k | — | 0.5 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 7 | 6 | — | 49k | — | 0.5 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 6 | 1 | — | 11k | — | 0.4 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 6 | 4 | — | 42k | — | 0.4 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 6 | 4 | — | 59k | — | 0.4 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 5 | 5 | — | 195k | — | 0.3 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 5 | 3 | — | 50k | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 5 | 2 | — | 28k | — | 0.3 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 5 | 4 | — | 53k | — | 0.3 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 4 | 1 | — | 1k | — | 0.3 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 3 | 3 | — | 38k | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 3 | 3 | — | 73k | — | 0.2 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 3 | 3 | — | 10 | — | 0.2 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 2 | 2 | — | 142k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Transmission will not engage a gear | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $1,500–$6,000 | Critical |
| CV axle or driveshaft failure | drivetrain | 1 | 1 | — | 100 | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 165k | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 31k | — | 0.1 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 54k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 33k | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 63k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 100 | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 17k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Door latch or handle failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,200 | High |
| Window regulator or power window failure | body | 1 | 1 | — | 3k | — | 0.1 | $250–$900 | Moderate |
| Windshield cracking | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 100k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other seat belt problem | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$900 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 11 | 4 | — | 37k | — | 0.8 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2002 Kia Spectra draws about 8.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 85th percentile of complaint rates among 2002 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 14,580 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2002 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash
I rear ended another vehicle at 30-40 MPH, front end damage resulting in over $6400, including unibody alignment. Upon impact driver and passenger air bags did not deploy, brakes locked up and did not release. I am concerned about the safety of this vehicle and would like an investigation into this matter.*ak
I rear ended another vehicle at 30-40 MPH, front end damage resulting in over $6400, including unibody alignment. Upon impact driver and passenger air bags did not deploy, brakes locked up and did not release. I am concerned about the safety of this vehicle and would like an investigation into this matter.*ak
Other powertrain problem
(1)brakes feel insufficient until pressed very hard (2) 2 accidents where I as the driver rear ended drivers (3) complaint was made to sholz kia when I went to have orvr recall taken care of and they stated the brakes were normal for the model. Also: (1)occasionally when vehicle transmission is put in reverse (2) the car drives forward (3) I called sholz kia and chrysler-plymouth-kia or paramus and was not taken seriously. *jb
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle made a loud grinding noise while driving 20 MPH. The check engine light illuminated constantly and on several occasions the transmission would not release from the park position. The vehicle was taken to service dealers 4 times; where they determined the transmission was defective. On the first visit, part of the transmission was repaired. The vehicle was taken to a different service dealer for the second visit where the entire transmission was replaced. On the third and fourth visits, the service dealer was unable to duplicate the problem.
Other brake problem
I was moving my car from the side door of my house to the front of the garage door when I could not stop. I was doing aproxx. 3 MPH and slid in the garage where it was about a half foot fropm hitting my sons truck which ironically he just had done a brake job on the day before (working great). The car was made on 6/20/2001 so if anyone as a problem it need to be reported.
Car in front stopped short so also immediately applied brakes forcefully in vehicle. Wheels locked causing car to vereen across highway adn bounce off jersey barrier out of control and back across three lanes of traffic before hitting left side barrier and stopping. Car is a total wreck. Kia body person says accident caused wheel to lock not the other way around. Didn't think they would accept liability for causing accident and they didn't let me down on that score. Insurance company settled claim with deductible applied and ma automatically places blame to driver on one car accidents. The car malfunctioned and that's what caused the accident but I can't prove it.
How it ranks in the 2002 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2002 — 111th riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 10 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2009 comes out best at 68 and 2004 worst at 73, with 2002 itself at 71.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2002, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2000–2003 generation specifically, 2003 is the strongest year at 68 and 2002 the weakest at 71.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2000-2003 generation, 2003 Kia Spectra scores best at 68 and 2002 Kia Spectra worst at 71.
The limits of complaint data
121 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 121 reports, 72 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 60% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Kia Spectra?
The most-reported failures are airbag failed to deploy in a crash (14 reports, median 30,000 miles), other powertrain problem (9 reports, median 35,000 miles) and other brake problem (8 reports, median 60,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2002 Kia Spectra reliable?
It scores 71 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 111th riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2002 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Kia Spectra is best?
Within the 2000–2003 generation, 2003 scores best at 68 out of 100 and 2002 worst at 71. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed