Used Kia Amanti Buying Guide: 3.5 vs 3.8 V6, Recalls and Trouble Spots

Buy a 2007-2009 Kia Amanti if you want one at all. Those years got a 264-hp 3.8-liter V6 and a firmer suspension, and Consumer Reports says the bigger engine improved on the mediocre 3.5. Any Amanti is a soft, quiet, floaty sedan that Consumer Guide compares to big American cars of old. That's fine if you like that, and a dealbreaker if you hate body lean. Before money changes hands, confirm the stop lamp switch recall, 13V114, was done on any 2007-2009 car.

I checked each Amanti model year, 2004 to 2009, against NHTSA's recall API on Sunday, October 18, 2026. Only 2007, 2008 and 2009 returned anything. The 2004-2006 queries came back empty, which I wouldn't read as proof of a clean car, so run those VINs one at a time. For the rest I relied on Consumer Guide's 2004-09 Amanti review and Consumer Reports' Amanti page.

What the Amanti is, and the two engines

The Amanti was Kia's first large sedan, built in South Korea. Consumer Guide says it shared its V6 with Hyundai's XG350 but had its own styling, a wheelbase about two inches longer and roughly 350 more pounds of curb weight. Early cars used a 3.5-liter V6 rated 195 hp for 2004 and 200 hp from 2005, always with a five-speed automatic. For 2006, leather, heated front seats and a sunroof became standard. The 2007 refresh swapped in the 264-hp 3.8, a new dashboard, revised styling and suspension, and made leather, heated seats and the sunroof optional again. So a loaded 2006 can have more equipment than a base 2008, which is worth knowing when a seller says "all the options."

Consumer Guide timed an early car at 8.2 seconds to 60 mph and praised noise isolation on par with many luxury cars. One of its test cars had overly long brake pedal travel. Consumer Reports went further on the downside and called the Amanti the worst-handling passenger car it had tested during that period, though it says the optional stability control kept the car secure at the limit. Look, nobody buys this car to carve corners, but take it over a few rough on-ramps before you commit.

Recalls to confirm

• 13V114, 2007-2009 Amanti: the stop lamp switch can fail, so brake lights may not come on, cruise control may not cancel when you press the brake, and the shifter may move out of Park without the brake applied. It eventually grew to 980,377 Kia vehicles. Kia sent interim letters in May 2013 and replaced switches once parts arrived. Kia's campaign number is SC098.
• 09V130, 2007 in the API: an earlier stop lamp switch recall covering 139,844 Kia vehicles, with similar symptoms, including ESC warning lights and a shifter stuck in Park.

Both are free dealer fixes, and a car that has sat unregistered for years is the kind most likely to have missed them. Pull the VIN on the NHTSA recalls API and then at a Kia dealer. Our Kia recall check by VIN walks through it, and the Kia VIN decoder guide helps confirm you're looking at a 3.8 car and not a 2006 or older 3.5 car listed as a 2007.

Trouble spots to test for

Consumer Guide's list reads like an older luxury car's. On 2006-2007 cars, timing chain noise that doesn't go away a few seconds after a cold start points to bad chain tensioners, so ask to start it cold, before the seller has warmed it up. A knocking front end on 2004-2006 cars may be upper strut mounting nuts working loose. 2005-2006 cars could stumble when accelerating cold until the engine computer was reprogrammed. A whistle or hiss under the hood on 2004-2006 cars was blamed on some aftermarket oil filters. On 2004-2005 cars, if the alarm won't arm, the fix may be the main power window switch.

One more practical issue. Consumer Guide notes the Amanti sold slowly, so finding parts could be a challenge. Get a rough quote on struts and a timing chain job from a local shop before you decide what this car is worth to you.

Amanti vs Azera and Optima

The Hyundai Azera replaced the XG350 for 2006, so it makes the closest Hyundai cousin to compare, and our used Hyundai Azera guide covers its own recalls, including an ABS fire campaign on later cars. If you want Kia's own midsize sedan instead, with more years and parts on the market, see our used Kia Optima guide.

Before you pay

A big sedan that's worth very little is easy to repair cheaply after a crash and put back on the road, and a seller's report printout proves nothing on its own. Search the VIN on NMVTIS for salvage or flood brands, then pull a full history yourself. We're a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or Kia. In mid October 2026 our reports run about $5.50 for guests and around $4.50 for members, and a two-brand bundle is near $6.75, while retail is about $39.99 to $44.99. Prices can move, so treat checkout as the final word.

Sources

• Consumer Guide: 2004-09 Kia Amanti
• Consumer Reports: Kia Amanti
• NHTSA recallsByVehicle, 2004-2009 queried Oct. 18, 2026 (2004-2006 returned none)
• NMVTIS