KIA AMANTI · model year

2006 KIA AMANTI

61 NHTSA complaints, 8 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2006KIAAMANTI carries 61 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 8 crashes, 0 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 AMANTI is vehicle speed control with 9 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (9) and electrical system (5). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2006 AMANTI, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

61
Complaints
8
Crashes
0
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

61 filings

Crashes Reported

8 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL9
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5
POWER TRAIN4
AIR BAGS4
SUSPENSION3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2
ENGINE2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
STEERING1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20190820AIR BAGS

THIS KIA AMANTE IS A 2006. I HAVE 132633 MILES ON IT. LAST MONTH, I GOT AN "AIR BAG" LIGHT ON THE DASH. I TOOK IT IN TO THE LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP, THEY CHARGED ME $100 TO TELL ME THE THE AIR BAG IS NO LONGER OPERABLE. THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. IF I GET IN AN ACCIDENT, THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT WORK. AS THE CAR STILL LOOKS AND RUNS LIKE NEW, I DO NOT WANT TO GET RID OF IT. SHOULDN'T A VEHICLE MANUFACTURER HAVE PARTS AT LEAST FOR 13 YEARS?

Mileage: 132,631

20180330FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

PULLED OUT OF A PARTING LOT ONTO A STREET. TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO INCREASE SPEED BUT NOTHING HAPPENED...THEN JERKS INTO MOTION. DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH ONCOMING CARS

20180222AIR BAGS

AIR BAGS NOT FUNCTIONAL STATIONARY AND/OR IN MOTION ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC CONTROLS WOULD NOT LOCK/UNLOCK AUTO DOORS WHILE STATIONARY OR MOVING RADIO PUSH BUTTONS NOT FUNCTIONAL LEAVING IT UNUSABLE AT ALL TIMES

Mileage: 49,900

20180222ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS NOT FUNCTIONAL STATIONARY AND/OR IN MOTION ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC CONTROLS WOULD NOT LOCK/UNLOCK AUTO DOORS WHILE STATIONARY OR MOVING RADIO PUSH BUTTONS NOT FUNCTIONAL LEAVING IT UNUSABLE AT ALL TIMES

Mileage: 49,900

20180222UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AIR BAGS NOT FUNCTIONAL STATIONARY AND/OR IN MOTION ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC CONTROLS WOULD NOT LOCK/UNLOCK AUTO DOORS WHILE STATIONARY OR MOVING RADIO PUSH BUTTONS NOT FUNCTIONAL LEAVING IT UNUSABLE AT ALL TIMES

Mileage: 49,900

20160912UNKNOWN OR OTHER

3 DIFFERENT TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WITH THE ENGINE ON AND THE A/C WAS ON. THEN I WOULD PUT IT IN DRIVE AND AFTER ABOUT 1-15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, THE CAR LOST POWER, AND WHEN YOU PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT REV, THE CAR KEPT ON SLOWING TO A FULL STOP. PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK, LET ENGINE RUN FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN THE CAR WOULD DRIVE FORWARD. THE FIRST TIME IT DID THIS, JUNE 10 2016, WE HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK AND TAKE IT TO NALLEY KIA IN LITHONIA, GA. THEY FIXED IT, OR SO WE THOUGHT. THE 2ND TIME IT HAPPENED, JULY 5, 2016, MY HUSBAND WAS WAITING FOR MY SON, WHILE HE WAS PARKED, HE HAD THE A/C RUNNING. WHEN HE PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, IT DROVE/MOVED FOR 5-6 MINUTES AND LOST POWER WHILE THEY WERE DRIVING, PULLED IT OVER, WAITED ABOUT 10 MINUTES, THEN IT DROVE AGAIN. THIRD TIME, 9/9/16, WE WERE AT THE GROCERY STORE, I WAITED IN CAR, WITH THE A/C RUNNING, WHEN HUBBY GOT INTO THE CAR, WE DROVE FOR ABOUT 500 FEET, THE CAR LOST POWER, WAITED A FEW MINUTES, THEN DR

Mileage: 53,500

20160813VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHEN PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL AFTER STOPPING FOR A LIGHT, ENGINE IS SLUGGISH AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. HAD IT IN THE REPAIR SHOP SEVERAL TIMES, CLEANING THE ACCELERATOR POSITION SWITCH CONTACTS, AND VARIOUS OTHER WIRING CHECKS. THE LAST REPAIR REPLACED THE COMPUTER CONTROL MODULE AT A COST OF MORE THEN $2,000. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY TIMES BY OTHER OWNERS ON THE REPAIRPAL WEB SITE. SO FAR, NO RECALL NOTICE HAS BEEN ISSUED. KIA IS REAPING THE BENEFITS OF ALL THE PROBLEMS WE ALL HAVE BEEN HAVING.

Mileage: 82,000

20160429ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DIAGNOSED AS THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. CAR RAN SLUGGISHLY FOR A SHORT WHILE, THEN THAT STOPPED, LIGHT WENT OFF. TODAY, LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. BACKING OUT OF A PARKING STALL IN A MALL, THE ENGINE ACCELERATED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL, CAUSING THE CAR TO LURCH UNCONTROLLABLY BACKWARDS, ABOUT TEN FEET. FORTUNATELY, NO PEDESTRIAN WAS BEHIND THE CAR, BUT IF THEY HAD BEEN, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR WORSE. CALLED KIA, THEY SAY THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS SENSOR, AND IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. FROM SEARCHING THE INTERNET, IT APPEARS THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD.

Mileage: 85,250

20150902POWER TRAIN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA AMANTI. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STATIONARY POSITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 10 MPH. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR ONCE THE VEHICLE WARMED UP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED A COMPUTER BOARD AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SIX MONTHS LATER. NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

Mileage: 75,000

20150831ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA AMANTI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER AND THE ENGINE STALLED. THE VEHICLE BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000. UPDATED 03/18/16*LJ *CN

Mileage: 7,000

20150312VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SLUGGISH ACCELERATION, LOST POWER, UNABLE TO MOVE CAR OFF ROAD WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY PEOPLE UNDER THE REPAIR PAL WEB SITE (SEE BELOW) "ANOTHER PERSON REPORTED THE "ACCELERATOR POSITION SWITCH MAY FAIL AND CAUSE SLUGGISH ACCELERATION" PROBLEM ON THEIR KIA AMANTI" TO VIEW THEIR REPORT, CLICK HERE: HTTP://REPAIRPAL.COM/ACCELERATOR-POSITION-SWITCH-MAY-FAIL-AND-CAUSE-SLUGGISH-ACCELERATION-023 THANKS FOR VISITING REPAIRPAL! THIS PROBLEM HAS COST ME OVER $2000 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CARS COMPUTER BOARD AND REPROGRAMMING OF SAID BOARD. *TR

Mileage: 63,000

20150312FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

SLUGGISH ACCELERATION, LOST POWER, UNABLE TO MOVE CAR OFF ROAD WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY PEOPLE UNDER THE REPAIR PAL WEB SITE (SEE BELOW) "ANOTHER PERSON REPORTED THE "ACCELERATOR POSITION SWITCH MAY FAIL AND CAUSE SLUGGISH ACCELERATION" PROBLEM ON THEIR KIA AMANTI" TO VIEW THEIR REPORT, CLICK HERE: HTTP://REPAIRPAL.COM/ACCELERATOR-POSITION-SWITCH-MAY-FAIL-AND-CAUSE-SLUGGISH-ACCELERATION-023 THANKS FOR VISITING REPAIRPAL! THIS PROBLEM HAS COST ME OVER $2000 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CARS COMPUTER BOARD AND REPROGRAMMING OF SAID BOARD. *TR

Mileage: 63,000

20150119EXTERIOR LIGHTING

PASSENGER RIGHT FRONT MARKER LIGHT GOES OUT -REAR RUNNING LIGHTS GO OUT- DASH BOARD LIGHT GOES OUT, ALL INVOLVE AN EVER- BLOWING 10 AMP FUSE THAT KIA, AFTER 4 YEARS AND THREE "EXPERTS" CAN'T SEEM TO SOLVE AND REPAIR. *TR

Mileage: 25,000

20141226SUSPENSION

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA AMANTI. THE CONTACT STATED THE STEERING WHEEL VIOLENTLY MOVED LEFT TO RIGHT AFTER A COMPLETE STOP WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AND EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS REQUIRED ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH CONTROL ARMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13550000 (SUSPENSION). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Mileage: 88,000

20141209VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AFTER DRIVING THE CAR SLOWLY LOST POWER, MY FOOT WAS ON THE GAS, BUT IT WOULD NOT GO ANY FASTER. I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO HAPPEN AFTER THE CAR HAS IDLED FOR LONG PERIODS. THEN IT GETS POWER BACK AFTER CAR HAS LEFT TO SET 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 OR 4 TIMES THIS YEAR. ON THE INTERSTATE AND CITY. LEAVING ME AND MY FAMILY STRANDED EACH TIME. SO FAR THIS HAS JUST HAPPENED IN THE HOTTER MONTHS. ONCE IT SITS IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. MAKING IT HARD TO TAKE ANY WHERE TO GET IT CHECKED OUT. THE CAR STEREO ALSO IS COLD NATURED FOR SOME REASON. IN THE WINTER IT LIKES TO CHANGE STATIONS OR CDS UNTIL THE CAR HAS WARMED UP. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS. *TR

Mileage: 90,000

20141029AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA AMANTI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG CONTROL SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000. UPDATED 12/01/14*LJ UPDATED 8/31/2017*CN

Mileage: 77,000

20140220CrashAIR BAGS

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KIA AMANTI. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLIDE ON A PATCH OF ICE AND THEN CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED LACERATION OF BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER LIPS, INCLUDING A BUMP ON THE HEAD. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY WITH THE IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND TOWED TO COLLISION CENTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. JS

Mileage: 140,000

20131115POWER TRAIN

CAR WOULD NOT PICK UP SPEED AS WE WERE LEAVING FROM A COMPLETE STOP TOOK CAR IN 2008 AND FOUND THE IGNITION SENSOR WAS BAD, IT WAS REPLACE CAR RAN GOOD, 2012 CAR STARTING WITH SLOW SPEED AT ACCELERATION, CHANGED SPARK PLUGS, THROTTLE SENSOR, 2 IGNITION SENSOR. NOTHING HELPED. TOOK CAR TO DEALER, KIA KEPT CAR FOR 3 DAYS AND COULD NOT FIND THE TROUBLE. KIA DEALER CALLED AND NOTIFIED ME IT WAS BEST TO TRADE IN CAR BECAUSE IT WAS NOT WORTH FIXING. AS I READ REPORTS FROM OTHER KIA CAR OWNERS IT SEEMS EVERYONE HAS THIS PROBLEM WITH THE AMANTI BUT AS I WAS TOLD AND MANY OTHER CAR OWNER ARE INFORMED KIA DEALERS CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. KIA NEEDS TO FIND A FIX TO THIS PROBLEM AS A KIA OWNER WHEN I NEED TO PICK UP SPEED AND CAN'T MAKES YOU WONDER IT SOMEONE GOING TO HIT ME. *TR

Mileage: 10,000

20130422EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT

ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE FLAT FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE. IN GARAGE ON FLAT SERVICE. USED JACK PROVIDED WITH VEHICLE. SCREW TYPE JACK. AFTER REMOVING FLAT TIRES, I HAD TO RAISE JACK TO PUT ON INFLATED TIRE. JACK COLLAPSED. DAMAGE TO UNDERCARRIAGE. JACK HEIGHT INSUFFICIENT TO ALLOW INFLATED TIRE TO BE INSTALLED. CAR WAS ON LEVEL SURFACE, TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND PARKING BRAKE APPLIED. THREADS ON SCREW JACK STRIPPED. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRODUCT. NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THANKFULLY I HAD THE INFLATED TIRE AGAINST THE HUB WHICH PREVENTED THE CAR FROM FALLING ALL THE WAY TO GARAGE FLOOR. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

Mileage: 145,950

20130321ENGINE

IM DRIVING MY CAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT JUST SLOWING DOWN ON ITS OWN I HAVE MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON IT WAS LIKE THE CAR WAS LOOSING POWER AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPEN, IT SLOW DOWN BEFORE BUT NO ENGINE LIGHT. IAM LUCKY BECAUSE I DO NOT DRIVE MY CAR OFTEN ALSO I DO NOT DRIVE ON EXPRESSWAYS OR HIGHWAYS BECAUSE IF I HAD WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF MY CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN OWN ITS OWN. NO ACCIDENTS YET. *TR

Mileage: 7,782

Compare 2006KIAAMANTI to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2006 KIA AMANTI have?
The 2006 KIA AMANTI has 61 NHTSA complaints, 8 crashes, 0 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 KIA AMANTI?
The most-complained component for the 2006 KIA AMANTI is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 9 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2006 KIA AMANTI safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.