AUTOMOBILES

Quality Problem: Ouch! Irvine-based Kia Motors America came roaring into the U.S. last year promising a car that would put to rest all the criticism of Korean quality fostered by car buyers’ experiences with the early Hyundais.

But now the South Korean car company is battling a black eye delivered by J.D. Power and Associates, publisher of the industry’s most widely cited new car quality ratings.

It seems that Kia ranked right down there at the bottom of the list, with 295 problems per 100 cars. By comparison, Hyundai scored 195 complaints per 100 cars while luxury marque Infiniti took top quality honors with 55 problems per 100 cars.

Kia officials say the Power Initial Quality Study, which asks new car buyers to tally problems and complaints about their vehicles, is lopsided because it doesn’t differentiate between a squeaky glove-box door and a blown transmission.

Many of the problems tallied by buyers of Kia’s Sephia sedan were traced to two recurring items: a chrome trim strip on the bumper that came lose at the corners, and a rattle in the glove box. A single rattle often got a Kia tagged with two demerits because buyers would tick the survey box for “squeaks and rattles” and then mark it again when asked if there were any problems with the interior.

Kia says that its 1995 1/2 Sephia eliminates the chrome trim strip and changes the glove box design to accommodate dual air bags.