Research · complaint index
Kia Spectra years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 8 model years of the Kia Spectra by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.
Complaints per year on the road
1.0 = typical year for this model
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 114 | 6 | 1.1 | 0 | 16 | Typical |
| 2008 | 137 | 7 | 1.3 | 0 | 23 | Typical |
| 2007 | 162 | 8 | 1.4 | 1 | 23 | Typical |
| 2006 | 118 | 6 | 1.0 | 1 | 30 | Typical |
| 2005 | 103 | 5 | 0.8 | 2 | 23 | Typical |
| 2004 | 71 | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 16 | Typical |
| 2003 | 93 | 4 | 0.7 | 0 | 15 | Typical |
| 2002 | 95 | 4 | 0.7 | 0 | 26 | Typical |
- 2009114 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
- 2008137 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
- 2007162 complaints · 1 recallTypical
- 2006118 complaints · 1 recallTypical
- 2005103 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
- 200471 complaints · 1 recallTypical
- 200393 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
- 200295 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Oct 29, 2026
About this comparison
What Kia Spectra years have the most complaints?
No Kia Spectra model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 8 model years compared. The highest was 2007.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.