KIA SEPHIA · model year

1986 KIA SEPHIA

3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1986KIASEPHIA carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 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 1986 SEPHIA is unknown or other with 1 filings, followed by seat belts:front:buckle assembly (1) and power train:automatic transmission (1). 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 2 investigation files overlapping the 1986 SEPHIA. 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.

3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1

Recent Complaints

19990922POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHEN PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THERE WAS A LOUD BANGING NOISE, AND VEHICLE STALLED DUE TO TRANSMISSION GOING OUT. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. *AK

19960709UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO BLINK ON AND SEAT BELT DOES NOT LOCK . *AK

19960709SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO BLINK ON AND SEAT BELT DOES NOT LOCK . *AK

Compare 1986KIASEPHIA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1986 KIA SEPHIA have?
The 1986 KIA SEPHIA has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 KIA SEPHIA?
The most-complained component for the 1986 KIA SEPHIA is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 1986 KIA SEPHIA 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.