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Kia Sedona problems
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Comments
Congrats on the new Minivan! Be sure to share your purchase experience with us. What color did you go with?
Craig
'04 Sedona EX
Purchased '04 Sedona LX, Base (no options), in Sage Green. From some angles it looks like it belongs in an Army motor pool ... but I truly love this vehicle. 7900 miles so far. Vehicle drives/rides like a dream. Read that some versions of '05 Odyssey are going for $38000. For that money, I'd have TWO copies of my van, gas and insurance for a year, and cash left over for a vacation in the Bahamas. Are we Sedona owners smart shoppers or what??!!
Robt.
'04 Sedona LX
We have the Sage green as well...NICE CHOICE!!!!
Time will truly tell with the Sedona but by early indications of Sedona owners with 50 to 75,000 miles it appears positive.
I've been buying Hyundai's since '88(bought an excel when I was in College) and we got 150,000 miles from that car and it still worked before we sold it. Considering the powertrain in our Sedona is all Hyundai(Mitsubishi design), I have no doubt this thing will last.
Craig
'04 Sedona EX
blower motor is now making a humming noise when turned on have not taken to dealer for this problem yet. can anyone tell me what this may be to help dealer with fix.
also, bought vehicle with abs now getting a strong vibration when having to apply brakes from highway deceleration and peddle feedback seems excessive. anyone else having this problem got any suggestions as to cause before i return to dealer.
other minor problems such as turn signal switch had to be replaced and recliner handle on 2nd row captain chair had to be replaced with no problem.
ezyone4u
I think you have bad front brake rotors. When they are not true(perfectly flat) they have a tendency to cause the brake pedal to pulsate in addition to making the steering wheel occilate.
Craig
'04 Sedona EX
I dont think its neccessary to bring your van to another shop simply for a validation. Dealers dont like to be "told" what to replace.....Your best approach is to describe all symptoms exactly. I have had tremendous success offering to buy the service manager lunch. They have never took me up on the offer but the gesger goes a long way. If he or she turns you down simply ask what kind of soda they like....Buy 'em one from the vending machine....They will remember you I promise. After they claim the repair is done, ask for the service manager to go with you on a short test ride to confirm the repairs are done to your satisfaction.
Let us know OK?
Craig
'04 Sedona EX
Just bought a 2005 Sedona EX (500 km on it as I write this). Not knowing the car and never having owned a Kia I have questions I am hoping you as experienced owners can help with:
1) Anyone have a ticking sound from the engine on start? It seems to go away after awhile.
2)At idle and in gear I have two odd sounds that are very noticeable inside the van. One is the alternator (I know it's the alternator because the whine from it changes as I increase and decrease the load on it)and the noise comes from the right side of the engine. The second is a LOUD tranny pump coming from the left side of the engine (again the noise is noticeable when in gear but not in park or neutral). It's a chugging sort of noise.
3) The front suspension makes a "tock tock" sound when going over undulations in the road. Not when I do over real bumps, but something like a wave in the pavement. The car is fine over large bumps, handles well and feels tight otherwise.
4) Did your gas mileage get better after the engine was broken in (I hope)?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Rob
I have had this happening to my Sedona (2002)twice so far. My suspected it was not engaging;in drive because of the extreme cold here(around -15F with the wind chill). When I pushed on the gas a bit more and held it down;for a while, it does shift eventually
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RMKIAS - Wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects such as your Sedona. Wind chill only acts on skin by removing heat faster than if there were no wind. Your transmission doesn't care how fast the wind is blowing. If it did there would be a problem every time you got on the highway in cold weather since in effect you would be creating your own wind chill effect.
We have had a couple of very cold days here in Minnesota so far this year where the high does not get above zero degrees F, (actual temp, not wind chill), and our Sedona has not had any transmission issues. We are expecting the coldest weather of the year here in a few days with highs potentially not hitting -10F and lows somewhere south of -20F. I'll let everyone know how our Sedona does, but so far we are very impressed with how well it starts and runs in the cold, and most importantly, how well the heater works!
If you are having transmission problems in the cold then I'd get it checked out by the dealer. Perhaps you need a transmission fluid change. When it is time for an ATF change on my van I'll probably put in synthetic fluid since it flows better in very cold weather.
- Chad
I have a 03 ex.
The front passenger side tire keeps loosing traction. It mostly happens when I make a turn or merge into a highway. And don’t even need accelerate that much. If it’s raining forget it!!! I’ve taken it to the dealer and they cannot determine what the problem is. They’re telling me that that’s the way the car is and there’s nothing they or I can do about it. But it’s really bad! I probably look like a teenager after peeling out on every corner. I know my tires will never last this way.
Keep in mind I just put new tires on the car (GY triple tread), but it was happening with the hancook’s as well.
My Sedona came from the dealership with 2 leaks, power steering and transmission. It took 3 trips to the dealership to get them fixed. The final trip, I put "3rd time - LEMON LAW" across the repair ticket. Technically, it came with 3 leaks. The right front tire leaked until my wife ran it flat one day and ruined it. The tires are very slick on wet pavement. They are worn out now and getting replaced with better quality tires.
I've had my Sedona in to the shop twice to replace seat belts. The mid row belts stopped ratcheting, which makes it impossible to use child safty seats. Also, I had to bring it in for a recall to replace the back row seat belts.
I'd guess my average milage to be around 17 to 18 mpg.
Overall, I've had more trouble with this vehicle than any of the others I've owned. Regardless, it is still a good value...You get what you pay for!
You are the first person I've heard, besides me, who has had seat belt ratcheting problems. We had the same problem with the middle row passenger side belt and it was replaced.
The engine is running kinda rough, with a lower idle.
I checked the fluids, air filter, gas cap.
Any help is appreciated.
'02 LX with 66K, timing belt replaced 1.5K ago.
how much did you pay for your timing belt replacement? thanks.
Has anyone had their rotors replaced? If so...is this covered under the warranty? My sisters '03 Sedona has pulsating brakes and I suspect that the rotors are warped.
I have been reading this forum for some time now but this is my first posting. I also have had several challenges with our 2002 Kia Sedona EX (not the two tone paint). Overall the van seems great, wife loves it and it was in our budget. All major work done has been covered by the 10/100 warranty, so I can't complain about that.
Replaced so far:
*replaced seat belt anchor (recall)
*replaced warped rotors w/alignment,
*replaced battery (code 02T30 S8G75C)
*replaced headliner
*replaced spare tire support
*adjusted E brake cable
*replaced faulty coil pack on #6 cylinder (Code P0306).
Also had paint flaking off driver side mirror which dealer repainted. I have read forums which customers are experiencing alot more problems than I have so far. My newest problem is the stock Kumho tires are ready for replacement at only 35,000 miles. I would like to get recommadation on what others may have replaced with. Local tire dealers advised to replace with either Goodyear Integrity or BF Goodwrench Radial TA with S rating.
Thanks for the help,
Michael
Rob
However, I may just go a little higher dollar and run Nokian WR's ($125 55k tire, same specs as OEM tires for heat/wt/speed) year around. I have them on there now (steel rims)and the van handles well in all weather. It is an all weather tread design with special winter rubber compounds to make it more sticky. Works well in rain and slush which sold me. Haven't had it on solid ice yet, but may test that out, too.
A few previoius posts mentioned some Goodyears. Maybe they will repost.
After much consideration I went with Goodyear Allegra which has the same specs as the OE Kumho tire. (ie: 1620 lbs max, temp B, Traction A, load index 97). The Goodyears have a speed rating of T (118mph) oppose to Kumho H rating, which I don't really care about. The Goodyear wear is 560.
While researching I found that Goodyear Allegra is only produced for Sams Club. It seems like a good tire for the price with a 75,000 mile warranty and since I purchased at Sams they included Road Hazard. I got all 4 for $291.00 oppose to most other tire dealers wanting $380-450 per set.
I sure hope I get better service from these than the Kumhos.
Rob
What is the speed rating on the Nokians?
Should have said Nokian price included extended warantee (flat repair and road hazard), mounting, lifetime balancing and rotation.
I needed replacement tires for my commuter car at the same time I started looking for snow tires/wheels for the Kia.
After research, decided I would run a set year around on my commuter car. (It is a Chrysler, and I'm not sure it will survive past this set of tires, even though it only has 50K on it)
These WR's are also considered specialty tires because of the rubber, even though they are really all weather design...rated for 55k miles, but optimized for ice/snow/wet roads. Have a lot of those around here. Only drawback I can see is small...the directional tread will keep you from "x-ing" when rotating tires.
I can say that they are quite a bit quieter than the Michelin Energy tires they replaced. They handled our 10" of snow just fine on unplowed roads last Friday, and the wet roads since then. I am running them on both my commuter car and the van right now.
Hankook was basic Internet price only. Probably add 15-20$ per tire around here for mtg/balancing only. Still makes it a $75-85 tire versus a 125$ tire. Concur, that is a lot, esp if you don't need snow tires. I saw a lot of folks off the side of the road on Friday night who didn't have them.
The warantee is insurance for the wife when she travels, and at $10/tire it was cheap to make sure she could get flats fixed or quick swaps if needed. Dealer sold me the two sets, including everything for $1k.
You might be able to find Nokians for less around the country, but here in the Twin Cities, it was about the best deal I could find...found the tires a bit lower, but when you included mounting and balancing, and disposal of one set of tires (commuter car)and warantees it always came out to be 1000-1200$. I went with the dealer that sounded the most enthusiastic and actually said he wanted the business.
I'd like to save some $$$ but the sales person I've used quite often(always treated me fair and well) says I don't want a Kia... They sell Pontiac, Buick, GMC & Kia. The Sedona isn't quite as "nice" as the Pontiac/Buick vans; but seating seemed as comfortable and driving position okay.
So, from experienced Sedona owners - Would you buy the Sedona again? and why?
Drive one and see for yourself.
Oh yeah....Ask him how long the GM minivan warranty lasts.
Craig
'04 Sedona EX
It wasn't very sturdy, could only pull 2,000 lbs, leaked inside when it rained, had transmission pump issues (cativation on start up, absolutely the worst windshield wiper design ever, expensive parts, very difficult to work on and therefore labor was at least 1.5 X that of any other minivan, the heating sucked. This isn't just me complaining, as these are documented in technical service bullitens from GM.
I only have about 3,000 KM on my sedona but I like it more than any GM or Chrysler minivan I have had. If you're nervous about buying it lease it for the length of the warranty. That is what I did.
Rob
oh and one other thing. Sounded like a diesel at start-up. Many of the GM engines display piston slap and serious noise when starting. Mine certainly did. Again doucmented in TSB from GM.
Sedona pluses:
Safety
Price
Warranty
Smooth 5 speed transmission
Looks (subjective I know)
Sedona minuses:
Gas mileage
lack of some features (navigation, no folding third row seat, power doors etc)
Is a new Honda or Sienna a better overall vehicle? Maybe, but just think what you can do with the extra 3000 bucks.
The interior quality is much better than the GM minivans, in my opinion. Plus I prefer the 3.5L DOHC 24V V6 with 5-speed auto to the old-style pushrod motors with 4-speed auto in the GM minivans.
You don't get the latest gee-whiz minivan features in a Sedona, and resale value will not be good. If you plan to keep it for a while, and as a Volvo owner I bet you do keep your vehicles for a good long while, it should serve you well.
This year, deals on 2005 Sedonas are likely to really heat up as the rollout of the all-new 2006 approaches. It's up to you whether to jump on the outgoing '05 or wait for the new '06.
Speaking recalls - Everyone - please be sure to periodically check http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov for current or pending recalls. This issue with the evap valve made me go check and I discovered that there is a recall on my van for a throttle cable that can get twisted and stuck in accelerated position and cause a crash. The info there states that Kia will likely issue the full recall at end of Feb (how they can wait that long when they now there's a problem and people are out driving around in them is beyond me....)
Anyway - please look up your make and model, you never know what you'll find!
Make : KIA Model : SEDONA Year : 2003
Manufacturer : KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 03V158000 Recall Date : APR 23, 2003
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 3375
Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THERE WAS A PROGRAMMING ERROR IN THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE LOGIC. THE PROGRAMMING ERROR COULD CAUSE REDUCED BRAKING FORCE AT SPEEDS BELOW 25 MPH, WHICH COULD RESULT IN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES.
Consequence:
SUCH INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE CONTROL MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 19, 2003. 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 1-800-333-4542.
Notes:
KIA RECALL NO. SC032. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check to Request Research. Submit below.
Make : KIA Model : SEDONA Year : 2003
Manufacturer : KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 05V013000 Recall Date : JAN 17, 2005
Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 89238
Summary:
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, DURING ASSEMBLY, THE THROTTLE CABLE WOULD TWIST ITSELF OUT OF POSITION.
Consequence:
THIS CAN PERMIT THE CABLE TO BE HUNG UP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE THROTTLE CABLE . VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM MARCH 20, 2001 THROUGH NOVEMBER 7, 2001 WILL HAVE A GUIDE CLIP INSTALLED ON THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE TENSION FORCE CABLE DOES NOT MOVE OUT OF POSITION. VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BEGINNING ON NOVEMBER 8, 2001, ALREADY HAVE THE EXTENDED GUIDE, WHICH ACCOMPLISHES THE SAME OBJECTIVE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
Notes:
RECALL NO. SC-042. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT1-888-327-4236.
I have the same issue in my 04. only 19000kms on it. The only way that I can describe the sound is by making the "V" victory sign (peace sign) with my fingers, put the steering wheel in the V and rapidly drum. Sounds weird, but it replicates the sound almost exactly.
Anyway, I had the dealership look at it. They replaced the linkages in the front, but this did nothing. It only happens between 0-60 kph, after that, it smooths out.
I am going back to the dealership this week to get another look at it. Otherwise, loving the van.
In any event Kia has authorized him to replace the upper hardware in the struts. Apparently they do know it's a srut problem. He isn't hopeful that it will fix the noise though. It's not really the noise that concerns me but more the safety issue. Something is definitely loose and at times I can feel it in the steering wheel, very slightly.
I also emailed LemonAid about the problem and they acknowledged that is it a known issue. I am getting the work done this Friday and I will keep you posted on then ourcome.
Otherwise love the van. Great highway vehicle where I spend most of my time.
Is your SEL light on? Have you replaced the spark plug and wires? I would still have dealer scan codes to see if any were set. If no codes were set and still orginal plugs then I would suggest doing a tune up.
If you purchased your van new then it should be under the 10yr/100,000mi warranty, but if you purchased used then they reduce the warranty to 6/60,000.
Post what you find out.
Nice comfortable vehicle with all the extras, but I guess you get what you pay for!
We have been fighting with our Kia dealer (Donnelly Kia in Ottawa, ON). Back in 2003 our windshield cracked (without being hit by anything), like many other 2002 Sedonas with the automatic wipers. We brought it in, in Oct 2003, they ordered the windshield but we needed the car so they said they would call when it was in. My husband had found many others with the same problem on this site (apparently thinner glass was originally installed on that model & they were replacing it with thicker glass once they cracked) and they were going to replace it under warranty. Well, we didn't get around to getting right back when they called to say the windshield was in - we didn't have another reliable vehicle, my husband needed the van to go to work & I was busy with the farm, etc, then the dealership moved to a further location. We finally got in last month & now they won't replace it, calling it a "stone chip". Well, there is a small chip but from the other accounts it sounds like this is what happens when the glass buckles. They offered to replace it "at cost" ($565 + tax). Yeah right!
They also charged us for flushing the transmission as we had not done so according to the "instructions." The van had been sluggish going to 2nd gear, revving too high. Mileage under 70,000 km. They wouldn't cover it.
We've had the rust repaired & repainted near the licence plate twice.
My mom also bought one (2003 or 2004) & has not been happy with the service.
Jennifer
Sorry to hear about your troubles with your Kia dealer. We use Street Kia in Smiths Falls for any of the warranty work we had done, and we were happy with their service. Have you tried a different Kia dealer?
Brian