- Vehicles
- 90,054
- Built between
- Sep 1997 – Jan 1999
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 19 November 1999
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1997 and January 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998-1999 Kia SephiaBuilt September 1997 to January 1999
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The ball socket on the windshield wiper link may be out of tolerance resulting in the link disengaging from the wiper motor drive under load, such as pushing against ice, snow or other resistance. Also the wiper arm retaining nut could be inadequately tightened allowing the wiper arm to slip and/or stop functioning.
What could happen
This condition could cause impairment of visibility in inclement weather increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINK AND ALSO PROPERLY TIGHTEN THE WIPER ARM RETAINING NUTS.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1997 to January 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA6 October 1999
- Owners notified19 November 1999
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 6 October 1999.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- SCO12
- Recalling manufacturer
- KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Kia recall no. SC012.OWNER notification began november 19, 1999. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kia at 1-949-470-7000.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.