There are 2 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2008 Kia Amantiin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT ON 12/14/12. IT IS A 'SHIFTING/GEAR/TRANSMISSION ISSUE. ITS A 4 YR OLD CAR, BOUGHT FROM DEALER-KIA OF BEDFORD, OH. THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP COMES ON AFTER TRYING TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE, AND THE CAR WON'T MOVE(ITS REVS IN PLACE LIKE ITS IN NEUTRAL). 1) 1ST WORK ORDER, DONE ON 1/3/13, WAS TO REPLACE THE 'FRONT WIRING ASSEMBLY'HARNESS AND ELECTRICAL LED LIGHT ASSEMBLY. 2) 2ND WORK ORDER, DONE ON 1/18/13, REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION INHIBITOR SWITCH AND CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH... 3)THE 3RD PROBLEM HAS JUST OCCURRED YESTERDAY, 1/28/13. SAME ISSUE, I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, GOING INTO 'DRIVE' AND LOST THE 'SHIFTING/ACCELERATION' CAPABILITY. PUT CAR BACK INTO PARK FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN TRIED AGAIN AND THE 'GEAR' POPPED INTO 'DRIVE'. BEEN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY SINCE YESTERDAY. THE 'MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP' HAS REMAINED ON SINCE THIS 3RD INCIDENT ON 1/28/13. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE FIXABLE. THERE IS A BASIC WARRANTY THAT IS STILL ACTIVE ~ 7 MONTHS OR @18,000 MILES LEFT! *TR
WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH THE TRANSMISSION MADE A HARD SHIFT...THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE JUMP. DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THEY WOULD ONLY DRIVE IT AROUND THE BLOCK.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026