Kia Sedona problems

mcase2 · October 2005

A very informative post. I wish Toyota had such a pipeline to the real bosses. You stand a far better chance of getting a good Toyota, but if you have one with unique problem, forget it Toyoa don't know you from ADAM! I was completely stonewalled by Toyota's North American regional management when I had problems with an 04 Corrolla and always wonder if the Japanese management was not beginning to really lose touch with their customers. Its what the Japanese themselves refer to as the victory disease. I do not mean to kia bash too much, but many of the stories of present sedona owners are really depressing. I do believe that Hyundai and affiliates are committed to improvement and I hope that can find resolution by contacting the upper management.

richardson · October 2005

We have almost 20000 miles on our 04 EX. We have not experienced any of the problems discussed here. It's been back to the dealer twice. Once the day after we got it for a electrical problem which I think my wife may have caused washing it with a wand. At 2000 miles it went back for a free oil change and that's all. I will say the mpg are not that good, but we knew that before purchase. The trans does shift from reverse to drive and drive to reverse a little slow and sometimes there are some strange things that happen with the electricals, but we can live with that. Overall we are very satisfied. Jim

bpgungirl · October 2005

I am trying to get it under the safty part of the lemnon law also because the breaks are still not fixed, the Homelink still doesn't work and the A/C not fixed. I was told by the service advisor NOT to bring it back in for any of these items !!! He said everything was "NORMAL" although he himself ordered parts to do repairs but Kia Tech denied the repairs.
This van is not only unsafe,but unsafe because my wife and I are both disabled and neither one of us dare to venture very far from home. We have put on 3100 since buying it 4/25/05. I was thinking of trading it in on another make but would lose about $10,000.00. (was also lied to by the salesperson saying that Kia holds it value as wellas Honda and Toyota) what a lie !!!

timp · October 2005

We have a 2002 EX, loaded and have had many problems in regards to it starting - especially in the cold weather (we live in Mass.) - we jump it and it is fine for a few days (happened many times last winter) and brought it to service, they check everything and no problem it seems when they put it on diagnostics - we had the battery replaced a FEW times (even had bigger batteries put in!) and it keeps doing it, like I said, when it gets cold. Any guidence from anyone out there would be great....I am getting sick of 1) jump starting it 2) bringing it to the dealer to have them say there is no problem.....HELP!!! :sick:

spectraman · October 2005

Timp:

Read these Edmunds Sedona posts by cutting and pasting the numbers (one at a time) into the "Go To Msg#" box above and pressing 'Go'. You'll find some interesting reading. It sounds like your alternator needs replacing, and that KIA should know something about this problem. There's a little debate about whether there's an official TSB or not, but regardless, this is a known issue.... at least on here!

869 823 682 679 673 347

Next time you go to the dealer, give them print outs of these posts. Don't let them pull the old "Awwwww.... you can't believe what you read on the Internet!" routine on you either!

:-)

-SM

spectraman · October 2005

Some shortened and reposted information from a couple of previous posts:

From what I'm reading on some other forums, Hyundai/KIA's Korean management will most likely be VERY interested in hearing what people have to say about their chronic problems, as long as you're being reasonable and informative. Take your problems over the North American management's heads if you have to! Here's the contact page on the
Corporate (Korea) website, and what they have to say:

"In order to provide optimum service, we are eager to listen to your
concerns. When Kia distributors in your country or the dealership near
you are not able to solve your vehicle's problem for any reason, please
contact us directly using the e-mail shown below. Your comments are very
important to us."

http://kiamotors.com/UContactusWeb/Contactus.aspx

==========================================

A interesting article for anyone who has had chronic problems with
their KIA. An inside look at how KIA is supposedly tracking and responding
to customer issues.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zdbln/is_200506/ai_n13639635

=============================================================

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=nifea&&sid=aP3fm7NUHAOw

EXCERPT: (great history of Hyundai's in the link above!)

Hyundai's Toyota Obsession Fuels Drive to Top Five - July 2005

"Since taking over Hyundai Motor five years ago, Chung has been
obsessed with erasing Toyota's price premium. Every Monday morning in Seoul,
he personally inspects new models and scolds his subordinates when he
spots a defect."

-SM

vanner · October 2005

Once in a while in a forums message it is mentioned that the computer or e-prom chip in a Sedona can maybe be "reflashed" to see if gas mileage can improve. Is this so? Does it work? What do you have to do to get a dealer to do that? Can just any dealer's service center do that or does it take some special equipment and training? (I don't think our service center people are even paper trained!)

Are there any accessory chips on the market that can change the fuel economy?

timp · October 2005

Spectraman - thanks for the update - guess what happened this am.....dean again....not only will I bring in your referral's from this site, I also video taped the escapade to also bring in.....time for a new alternator it seems......thanks again for the info! :mad:

mcase2 · October 2005

Your dealer told you the resale on a Sedona was the same as Sienna and Odyssey? Whoa! thats lying like the New York Times! Sienna and Odyssey hold half their value a full five years out. Sedonas lose about half their value in little over a year. I agree the trade-in loss would be totally unacceptable. You might want to take a look at post #1004 by Spectraman. But short of some immediate resolution the lemon law is the only reasonable option. Let us know how it turns out.

mcase2 · October 2005

It may just be a bad alternator. Have they checked this? If the alternator is charging the battery then you may be losing your batteries because of a small bleeding charge somewhere. SOMEWHERE is the problem. I am not really up to date on auto diagnostics, but finding such a leak used to be a B----cth that required hours and hours of isolating and tracing circuits. My guess would be your dealer has no intention of undertaking this Herculean task unless Kia gave the ok. Since the solution would require an unknown amount of time I doubt Kia would voluntarily ok it. There is something wrong with electrical system and you may have to use legal compulsion to force Kia to honor its warranty.

mcase2 · October 2005

I suggested reflashing in a recent post because it worked on a 04' Toyota Corrolla we have that was getting horrible city miles. Modern engines are computer controlled as you know. Sometimes the various codes which are "flashed" onto the electronic control unit are not complete or have been upgraded by the manufacturer for various reasons - improved fuel consumption for instance. Its not a labor intensive job (usually an hour), but if its not performed correctly it can damage the ECU or make the performance worse. It is a dealer 's job because they have all the newest software. You clearly have no confidence in your particular dealer. Perhaps you might consider getting this done at a more competent dealership. Heavens knows if it will work in any given instance unless the problem is clearly identifiable. On the other hand, its a no-parts job that only requires one hour of billable time and is really no sweat for any competent dealer.

sol4 · October 2005

Has anyone heard of a fuse blowing that kills the motor? After this happened we were told that the aftermarket DVD player we had installed was not wired correctly and was shorting out and causing a 10 amp fuse to blow and kill the motor. This has now happened numerous times and we have been told by KIA that we will need to have the player removed and the van rewired to get back to KIA standards.

vanner · October 2005

Thanks for the info "mcase". I'll keep it in mind. Low miles on an '05 and so far the mileage is horrible. Maybe it'll improve with break-in time, but at this point a big V-8 Suburban AWD I know well has about twice the mpg as this thing.

What's the story on the keys for the Sedona. Yes, I have the remote. But I wanted a couple of "hideout" keys for the "oh crap" moments when you shut that locked tailgate with the automatically locked doors (it's a "feature" remember!) and see your keys inside.

I found that some stores have key assortments from "Axess" (?) and a #31 key cut on my original will get me in the doors. That's good. But it would be nice if one also turned the ignition which it won't. No other blank we've found will even unlock the doors. The original key doesn't seem to have a security chip - we've checked with the chip detector in the "Axess" machines. Doesn't identify one. Identifies the Suburban chip just fine.

Anyone know the real info about this? Is there a chip that prevents the replacement key from even rotating the ignition cylinder? It fits in - just won't rotate it. Or is there some other key blank that should be used. (I checked with a locksmith and he told me he didn't even have any key blank that would even fit the doors.) Dealer is no help and only offers to order some for me and he says he doesn't even know what they'd cost but he claims they're pretty expensive. (I can understand that if they have a security chip, but if there's no chip that "Axess" company has plastic headed #31 keys for $1.59!)

richardson · October 2005

We have a 04 Sedona. My wife had a regular key made at home depot or ace hardware. The salesman told us that there was not a chip in it and that we could do that. No problems with it. Jim

vanner · October 2005

Home Depot is where I got this key that works the doors. $1.35. Does your key work the ignition too? What is the number on the back of the key? (At ACE, it may be on the front of the key. I think they use a different brand.)

richardson · October 2005

Yes, our key works both the doors and the ignition. The name on the key says HILLMAN KK4.

spectraman · October 2005

Vanner:

When testing out your new key, make sure that the steering wheel isn't locked, and thus putting pressure on the tumblers.

I thought I was having a problem with my new Spectra yesterday because the factory key wouldn't turn. I've owned the car for over a year, but this was the first time I experienced this. By process of elimination I found that the wheel was in a locked state, and by slightly turning it to the right the key was able to turn just fine.

The owner's manual did have a warning about this situation in the section entitled "Ignition Lock".

You might also want to invest in another key cut by a different service. Maybe the first one wasn't done correctly.

Good luck!

-SM

navyair · October 2005

Vanner, I think we all understand you aren't happy with your van. This really falls under a Nit to pick though, not a "problem" and the key issue is one with the people who made the key, not the van.

The relock feature only activates if you haven't opened a side door within 30 sec. The feature deactivates once any door has been opened other than the lift gate. After having this feature for 3 yrs, the only minor irritation is if you are alone and unlock the rear to load groceries or stuff in the back and nobody is along to open the side door. Repressing the remote takes about 1 sec. All covered in the owners manual.

Like you, I do have a spare key hidden in case someone would inadvertently lock the keys in the car. (Kids do run to/from the van while we are out) at sporting events. Unlike you, I negotiated the spare keys to be made by the dealer when I bought the car...one for every key ring we carry, plus the hide out. Recommend you get somebody else to try making a key for your set up.

I guess the OC moment would happen if you opened the rear and tossed your keys inside from the tailgate, or pressed the lock button from the front while the lift gate was up, then closed all the doors. I can't figure out how an OC moment would occur as you describe if the van were locked, you opened the lift gate and closed it, unless you have a habit of lying your keys down in the van. If you repocket the keys like most folks, you just pull them out when you get around to the side door.

If you have AAA, they an offer unlocking service assistance as a back up while you are searching out a place to get a key made that works.

Sorry your gas mileage is so crummy. None of my friends with AWD Suburbans have much luck with their gas mileage, but yours must really be bad if a Suburban gets 2x yours. Wish you good luck in resolving your issues.

al_v · October 2005

I have a 2002 sedonna and it averages around 15-16 around town and about 20 on the highway. I re-checked the original window sticker and guess what!! It is rated for 15 city and 20 highway. I dont think you are going to get any better mpg from it.

times2 · October 2005

I also have a 2002 Sedona EX. I have about 36,000 miles on it. I just checked on the last tank (about 50/50 City/Highway) and got 19 MPG. It seems a little better than when I first got it. I bought it last December with 26,000 miles on it for $12,900. I thought that it was a pretty good deal given what a new van costs. I did have the tranny replaced under warranty at 30,000 because it had a hole through the transmission and was leaking fluid. Other than the typical rotor warp and liftback rust, no real major problems. I agree the mileage is not great, but I kind of knew that going in.

bpgungirl · October 2005

You.re not alone on the low gas mileage. I have a '05 bought in April of "05 and getting an average of 12 MPG. I do know of lots of vehicles out there with V8's that get way better mileage and dealer refuses to do anything about it. Told me to save gas reciepts then toldme "yup.looks like you're getting about 12 mph" !!! :lemon: :lemon:

seadonasean · October 2005

I own a 2002 Kia Sedona with 85000 KM.

For the last few weeks it has begun to stall at stop lights. I had it in for a service (coils, filters, etc) but the problem did not go away. Without an engine trouble light on, the tech did not know what the problem was. It also seems to run rough at 1500 RPM, no lower or higher.

Anyone else heard of this?

vanner · October 2005

With enough distractions, the "OC" moment can happen any time. I've often set my keys on the floor or seat of many cars. Even my company vehicle. Especially when I have my hands full. The Sedona is my wife's car really, I may have a total of 40 of the 1200 miles on it so far. I do find the feature of locking the doors when you've only been been inside the liftgate to be quirky. I have never found another vehicle in all my days that does that and the logic still escapes me. I can live with it since I know about it. I'll just unlock the whole mess or be careful. It certainly would not be a feature that would sway me to buy a Sedona over anything else if all was equal!

The mileage may work out with more time and miles. I'm also just not very used to "breakin" periods with cars anymore, at least not profoundly increasing the mpg. At about 12 average right now, it's disappointing. BUT - we haven't had it out on any long highway runs and that may be a help, and may reflect better mpg highway. We knew going into it that the Sedona had low mpg figures and that was not a strong deterent considering the price. Gotta buy a lot of gas to make up for $10G or more off a DC, Honda or Toyota.

Resale value is of little interest to us. We drive them till they drop - "organ donors".
We don't trade off every three or five years. There's another vehicle over twelve years old in the family fleet right now and I'm not ready to part with that, either.

I'm not, we're not, disappointed with the Sedona. The decision invloved some trade-offs of which we were aware. The low purchase price for the apparent value won out. Heck a brand new van for under $18G? No argument! And it's still got the look and feel of a very good vehicle. Nit picking? I could - easily. But none of it matters since all vehicles have some things some of us don't like, wouldn't seek out, and would rather have be different. All in all, it's fine.

abilljo · October 2005

Hi, Musty air coming out of the a/c vents has been a problem for a long time with a lot of vehicles. I use to do a lot of automotive air conditioning work. If you run your a/c on MAX almost all of the time, this is probably causing the musty smell. When the system is on the MAX setting it keeps recirculating the same air that is already inside your vehicle and you are never drawing any fresh air into the a/c system from outside the vehicle. It is similar to keeping your home all shut up and never getting any fresh air into it. You get a musty smell inside your house. The a/c will feel colder on MAX because after running it for awhile the air that you are recirculating is cooler than the temperature of the air that is outside your vehicle. But the problem is that you are always recirculating the same air and it starts getting a stale musty smell. You can buy a mint type spray (probably other fragrances also) that you spray on your carpeting under the dash but that only masks the smell for a short time. The better thing to do is to change how you use your a/c. Try to use it on NORMAL a/c most of the time because this setting uses fresh air from outside the vehicle. If you get into your car and it is really hot inside, start the vehicle, turn the a/c to MAX, set the temperature control to cold, and open a window or two half way or all the way depending how hot it is. This allows the outside air in and it is not as hot as the air that is already inside your vehicle. This air will exchange faster if you go ahead and start driving. When you feel that the air inside your vehicle is starting to get cooler than the outside air, close the windows. When the temperature inside your vehicle starts feeling pretty cool, then turn the a/c to NORMAL and leave it on that setting. You can then adjust the temperature control and the fan speed up or down to suit your needs. If it's not extremely hot but you still need the a/c, you can just start out with the a/c on NORMAL and you don't need to open the windows at all. Don't worry about that old musty smell, it will go away after using your a/c the way I described. Hope this helps your problem. Thanks, Bill

sherri2 · October 2005

I have been having a vinegar smell coming from the vents when I turn the heat on, I also noticed it when I turned on the a.c. I don't know if this problem has anything to do with the motorcycle high pitch noise that comes from the back of the van when I have my a.c. on. Of course when I bring my van in for service, the van conveniently doesn't make the motorcycle high pitch noise so the techs can hear it.
Does anyone have any advise on the vinegar smell or the motorcycle high pitch noise???

3dogrunner · October 2005

Just something to check. (My wife has done a time or two) Check the rear light switch. if it is on and the lights are in the off mode it will cause a small current draw. Nothing like going to the garage and loading the dogs up and then the thing doesnt start. Not a good day in doggie land.

On a different note has any one put in a aftermarket remote starter? I would have the dealer do it, but it took them three days to get a timing belt on it during the 60,000 mile service. I just can't be with out the van for a month why they try to learn wiring.

averigejoe · October 2005

Rust on the tailgate?
Do a search in this forum. Type in "license plate" or "tailgate rust". This is a common disease with Sedonas.
Here's the problem. The thin and narrow rubber gasket that cushions the mating of the painted tailgate metal and the chromed (on the EX) horizontal piece is not glued or otherwise affixed to either metal piece. When you or a friend, relative, stranger, or even a Kia lot boy or service technician closes the tailgate by pushing against that horizontal piece above the license plate, the flat painted sheet metal behind the horizontal piece flexes which allows the gasket to become misaligned between the parts. Eventually, the gasket shifts so much that metal to metal contact takes place which rubs the paint off. Inevitably, rust develops sometime later.
In fact, in some cases, the slamming of the tailgate in this way will actually slightly dent the flat sheet metal behind each end of that horizontal piece. In those cases, the gasket will often fall out and dangle from the space between the two metal parts. Again, rust eventually will result.
This is such an obvious design defect that I must believe all dealers have been, or should be, instructed to make repairs at no cost to the owners. It should not be excluded from warranty service due to a claim of negligent physical abuse to the tailgate because it happens to so many Sedonas.
Just take a close look at the Sedonas in your town as you are driving behind them. Probably 25% or more of them are dented in this fashion (or have already been repaired). Its too bad there seems to be no easy remedy nor prophylactic; the metal is just not stiff enough there to stand up to the stress of closing the hatch that way.
Oh well... keep your hands on the bottom edge of the tailgate as you close it or be prepared to take and leave your van at the dealer's for repair if you forget.

nazgul50 · October 2005

The sound you're hearing is a bad expansion valve on the rear ac. They have an updated one that fixed ours. Your kia serviceman must know about about it, they probably are trying to deny it.

bluecar3 · October 2005

I have installed a aftermarket remote starter on my 03 sedona.If your not knowledgeable about auto electric wiring ,you should have a pro install one. If you do it your self, You will save about 2/3 of dealetr cost.

bluecar3 · October 2005

Anyone having a problem with the p/s pump.When cold the p/s pump whines like a stuck pig. Anyone have this problem? :confuse:

puttybotty · October 2005

Hello there,

I recently bought a year 2000 2.9 Turbo Diesel GSX. All was fine at first. I know that all diesels do smoke a bit, but recently, and mostly when I start it for the fist five minutes in the morning, it has no power in second gear, and pours out quite alot of gray and black smoke. I have tried taking to the dealer I bought it from, and they say that the smoking depends on the way you drive it, and they put in some injector cleaner. They did leave it to mid-day to see if they could replicate the morning thing, but say it was ok. I have now noticed today, that as well as the loss of power, and smoking from the exhaust, the smoke has started to enter the cabin through the air-con vents! Surely something is wrong here, and I am going to go to a Kia Garage to let them have a look. Any ideas or comments would be appreciated!

seadonasean · October 2005

I am having a similar problem with my 2002 Kia Sedona Van. Did you find out what it was?

marriedman · October 2005

Sedona EX 44,500mi
I remember awhile back seeing posts about the Sedona making a dinging sound while make sharp turns. Well, that is what my Sedona is doing now. When you make a sharp right turn or after placing the van in park and setting the emergency brake the van will make a dinging sound. The best way I can describe the sound is like leaving your lights on after turning off the ignition.

Does anyone remember these sort of post and what the outcome was?

times2 · November 2005

I was having the same problem with my 2002 EX, and then eventually figured it out. When it was darker out, I was able to see that the brake light indicator on the dashboard was also lighting up when the chiming sound came on. I think you will find your brake fluid is a little low, and when you turn, it goes below the sensor line, and then the chime goes off. Just fill it up to the filled line, and you should be all set.

marriedman · November 2005

Times2: Thanks for the help! I know someone else has had this trouble. I will check brake fluid level tonight.

alamid69 · November 2005

My '02 Sedona's check engine light is going on and off. It will be on for maybe a week then it will go away. After another week it will be on again. Any idea what's causing this? :confuse:

The van has 65K miles. Replaced the battery a couple of days ago for the first time. Also replaced fan belt. I haven't done the timming belt though.

majecstik · November 2005

Well I actually have some answers to some of the posts and then questions of my own.
1. air conditioner noise- I too went through the service nightmare of trying to find the issue of the noise and then hot air blowing. What they found is an insulated vaccuum tube that was leaking under insulation and was not detected by 3 leak tests.
2. Has anyone had issues with the plastic handles breaking?

3. the worst of my issues is recently after doing my 100,000 mileage service- i heard a tapping in my engine and checked the oil and was a little low but nothing major. I put oil in it and didnt seem to have any issues.( This was in 100 degree temps) About a month later I was driving and it started to tap and the oil pressure light came on. I checked the oil and it was full. It was a little bit past time to change oil so I did that and at the same time ran an engine flush through it. The next time it was time to change oil it started tapping again and also oil light. I had the oil changed and it lasted about a week. I tried it again and the same thing. Now I can only go about 5-10 minutes driving before tapping and light comes on. I am thinking it is the pickup screen or the oil pump. Has anyone had this issue? I have a 2002 kia sedona.

spectraman · November 2005

I had a similar experience with an '83 Ford Escort at about 109k miles.

The verdict? WIPED OUT CRANK BEARINGS

At around 80k miles the lousy aluminum head cracked and pushed a large amount of antifreeze into the combustion chambers. Antifreeze and bearings don't play nice together.

I had the head fixed and the car ran okay, but as mentioned above, around 100+k miles I started experiencing the symptoms you describe.

I sold the car before the engine completely let go. I warned the guy that it probably needed a look at the crank bearings, so I didn't feel too guilty.

-SM

thislilpiggy · November 2005

We have a 2002 Kia Sedona with 60K miles. We recently noticed an oil leak with a knocking noise on acceleration. When we took in into the dealer, they said they found sludge and metal pieces in the oil pan. The have asked for maintenance receipts(which we have all for outside dealership oil changes and dates/mileage for ones done at home all approx 6,000 miles apart). They are saying we were negligent and are refusing to cover repairs under warranty. They have argued every point we have without the least bit of consideration. I feel there has to be a manufacturing defecting behind such problems at 60K miles. It is amazing to me that so many complaints I see on this site are the same as ours. Does anyone have suggestions on the path to battle in-warranty repairs to be performed?

97xpresso · November 2005

What does your Kia owner's manual say about oil change intervals and schedules?

thislilpiggy · November 2005

It says 7,500 miles unless in severe conditions then in the owners manual it says 3,000 miles and in the warranty manual it says 5,000. Either way, we are not it what I would consider severe conditions.

averigejoe · November 2005

What matters more than your opinion of severe conditions is the manufacturer's.

vanner · November 2005

See my post #1021

Finally got in a long road-trip with this Sedona. Highway mpg was just at or slightly over 20 mpg on mixed terrain, mostly divided highway. Four occupants, some luggage. Mostly 75 mph on cruise. Very little "small-town" driving for a day only dropped the total maybe to 19.5 mpg for that leg of the trip. (Mixed brands of regular gas with no heroics trying to fill it the same every time.) That's not bad at all for just under 3000 miles so far.

Not much shifting going on with that big V-6. In fact, in hills up around western NY state and northwest PA, it doesn't even breathe hard. Fantastic engine. About 2500 rpm most of the time for 75 mph and never had to use the whole throttle even passing trucks uphill on some rural two-lanes.

Sure holds a ton of crap without having to make room in any heroic ways. Just shoved the back seats forward after folding them and there was all kinds of room. Handy package.

This was my first chance to spend any "stick time" with the bus. I am VERY favorably impressed with the road manners. Feels very solid, very predicatble. No shake - doesn't "cower" to semis or wind gusts - in fact Ohio on Sunday had some evil winds and the Sedona tracked true and solid. Of course at 5000+ pounds and front-wheel drive it SHOULD buck the wind well!

The weight made the first couple of highway exits, um, "interesting" as I forgot just how long it takes to haul down two and a half tones from 75 mph. Gotta remember this is a beefy vehicle. Long "roll-out"!

But again, I really LIKE the way this bus handles and performs. I've driven a bunch of big expensive cars in my life that handled a whole bunch worse than this.

Not ready to say I "love" this van, it's not the type of vehicle I could "love" I don't think, but I sure do like it a lot. I can put up with some aggravations for the good things it does at a great price.

One question I'll toss out - the interior "courtesy" lights get danged awfully hot in a very short time - definitely not for reading on the trip! Short glance at a tour guide trying to find a motel made for some big-time heat. Anyone find or try lower wattage bulbs in these to see if the heat can be reduced? It would seem to maybe even be a fire hazard to me. Anything to that? Is there any service bulletin or recall on these?

masterbaiter · November 2005

my 2004 Sedona just passed 116Kkm (72000Miles) and is sitting in Salisbury MD USA - a total of 1 yesar and 4 days from delivery. this is the 2nd sedona I have owned.... 2002 and this one. from day one I mentioned on maybe 5 ROs that the tranny didn't respond as the 2002 I owned..... I wss always told it was checked and and was "within specs" not to worry. I had the tranny serviced @ the dealership at the time specified to do. I have no idea of what the dealership in Salisbury is gonna do or estimate the repair at..... Kia roadside assistance did tow it free the 62 miles to there. I have had to rent a car to get home..... and my Canadian dealer does say they will "back me up" on this as "warranty repair" given the circumstances...... issue is Kia USA and Kia Canada are not the closest family members apparently..... so it is likely I will have to pay there and request "adjustment" in Ottawa..... personally if the first experience I had with the 2002 Sedona had not been good, certainly I would not have traded - I traded JUST BECAUSE I had 93Kkms on the van and did NOT wanna be driving as many miles as I do (all for pleasure) WITHOUT warranty. this 2004 actually drove outta warranty ON THIS TRIP. I will keep you posted of what happens and would like to hear from anyone with similar expeiences.

msherrod · November 2005

You're not alone with your transmission problem, tho 800 miles is scary. I just experienced a nightmare with my 04 Sedona. No problems until about 44K miles. On the interstate, I would accelerate, but got nothing. Could never go over 55-60 mph, although it was floored. Managed to make it home. Took it to the dealer, who kept it 10 days to replace the transmission; I picked it up, drove not a tenth of a mile and the same problem occurred. Turned around, took it back, and then it was magically fixed in 1.5 hrs. (Something about a solenoid and a bad connection.) Four days later, lost power on the interstate again. Thinking it was the same problem, I had it towed back to the shop. They service manager said the car was out of gas, BUT b/c the fuel pump gauge was bad, this wasn't indicated (tank showed about 1/4 tank). They replaced the fuel pump. I picked it up that day, hours later, the same thing happened--no gas altho reading was 1/4 tank. I had it towed for the second time that day. They kept it 3 days. I picked it up yesterday--it was on empty, of course; I drove it up the hill to get gas. As soon as I pulled out onto the road, I noticed that although I had filled the tank, the reading was empty and the fuel light was on. I took it back again and am at this moment waiting to have it delivered. Something vague about a bad electric connection??? I hate to think of how much worse this would be w/o my warranty. I've lost trust in the dealership and the car now. Altho i had planned to pay it off and keep it for a few payment-free years, that doesn't seem like the smart thing to do any longer.

fatboy4 · November 2005

hi guys my names mike and i live in the uk.
i have recently purchased a 2000 2.9 tds.
started it in morning and it had no power and
black smoke and comeing into cab area.
my friend at local garage took car in
and he found to much oil in engine, it was
over filled, he drained to correct level .
it now runs fine he told me to run car for
10 minutes turn off then check level and
make sure your on level ground since then i
have had no trouble but im keeping check onit
and recording my millage fingers crossed .
i hope this helps,or if someone has cure for
this let me know mike

fatboy4 · November 2005

did you get my e/mail about to much oil in engine, or did you get it sortted at your garage let me know please mike tucker

mrsrodgers · November 2005

I have been dealing with a vinegar smell for over a year now. The dealership has tried several attempts at repairing this. They have used a deodorizer; deodorizer and disinfectant; taken the entire air conditioner apart - washed it by hand and then used the disinfectant and deodorizer again. This has been three visits to the service department and no luck! I am going back again this week for one last try. I have tried leaving the vent running istead of using the a/c and the smell is still there. I am pretty frustrated by this and ready to get a new vehicle. I have enjoyed the minivan except for this problem. I wish that they could fix it, but I seriously doubt that it will happen at this point. Please reply if you find a way to get your a/c fixed.

grumpyguycdn · November 2005

I too have this problem. I can live with it and it is far less annoying than clunking in my front end.

averigejoe · November 2005

The problem is still there for 2004 models.
The chrome strip above the license plate is ill-designed to function as a door closing handle. If you close your hatch by pressing on it you can dent your tailgate and end up with rust when the rubber gasket moves or falls off.

Kia Sedona problems

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