The 2004 Kia Ld Spectra has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 73,641 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS05V4310002005-09-2173,641 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG FEATURE, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT OF THE VEHICLE MAY MISCLASSIFY A CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT (CRS) AS AN ADULT. THIS MAY OCCUR IF THE CRS IS INSTALLED AFTER AN ADULT HAS BEEN SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. IF THERE…
Consequence
THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
1
POWER TRAIN
1
Total complaints8
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I noticed that after putting the car into drive from park the engine would "rev" but no movement until 3-5 seconds later then the car would "lunge" into gear and accelerate. I would notice that I would be driving in 2nd-3rd gear and there would be no acceleration just "revs" from the engine then…”
“In the past 16 months I have replaced both head lights and both brake lights a total of 22 times - I have taken my vehicle to a kia dealership twice this year and both times have been told there is nothing wrong with the lighting system - this is ridiculous. I have been driving with only my bright…”
“In the past 16 months I have replaced both head lights and both brake lights a total of 22 times - I have taken my vehicle to a kia dealership twice this year and both times have been told there is nothing wrong with the lighting system - this is ridiculous. I have been driving with only my bright…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving all the exterior lights and dash board indicator lights went out. The vehicle was pulled off the road without incident and turned off. When restarted both exterior and dash indicator lights returned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection; however…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving all the exterior lights and dash board indicator lights went out. The vehicle was pulled off the road without incident and turned off. When restarted both exterior and dash indicator lights returned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection; however…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving all the exterior lights and dash board indicator lights went out. The vehicle was pulled off the road without incident and turned off. When restarted both exterior and dash indicator lights returned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection; however…”
“Dt:the contact stated the passenger side air bag light came on. There was recall o5v431000, it was repaired under the recall. Since the repairs the light came on intermittently. When the light came on it alerted the passenger that the airbag was not functioning. The dealership stated the…”
“Dt: the contact complained about an ongoing problem with the air bag sensor located in the passenger seat. The light in the dashboard intermittently flashed. The dealer completed recall 05v431000 repairs. However, the problem recurred even after recall work was completed. She made contact with the…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Kia Ld Spectra as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.