We sued Kia!

kialemon

I posted on here sometime ago about a problem we had with our KIA.
The van would buck as we drove and the check engine light would come on. After several trips to the service dept. And 8 attempts to fix the van- with it NOT being fixed... we hired a lawyer.
When it was all said and done he said Kia was the worse company ever to deal with! They are cheap and not easy to work with. Most companies will offer a reasonable offer- but NOT kia. He finally told us after a year of fighting with them to take the $3,000 settlement. He got 1/2. So after dealing with a lemon- trip after trip into the service dept... fighting with them to LISTEN to us - telling us "we've never heard of that problem" - there is no fix for your problem - it doesn't happen when we drive it. UGH!! So annoying!!
Not only that but when I took it back in to get fixed for the final time, after we hired the lawyer- the owner harrassed me!! He took me back into HIS office and totally belittled me- caught me off guard that a man would behave like that. I called my lawyer - he says he put in a complaint but I doubt anything was done. The owner told me decent people don't sue, that we were not decent, but lazy money hungry people. That our van problem was NOT his and we were making it a problem. On and on he went, meanwhile I dialed my cell phone for my husband to listen... My husband did go off on him but all the MAN would say was we were liars.
Needless to say, only getting $1,500 after all the problems was a slap.

NOW the van is acting up again, the engine sounds like it's going to explode- it runs in high when you start it - or when stopped while it's running. It's embarrassing how loud it is. I realize we have to take it in- and we were told the entire staff was fired and rehired since our dealings? Funny, I saw the same man there one time after. So they wanna talk liars!

Oh well, I am disappointed in our Kia. Won't ever buy another.

*we've also had other issues that they did correct. The lights never worked on the dashboard unless we opened the glovebox? Figure that one. Other issues but I've said enough ... to sum it up... stupid Kia :P

lavrishevo

Sounds like you have a bad apple. To bad your letting ruin the bunch in your mind. KIA in general is making a pretty good vehicle now, almost 3 years in my 06 Sedona with zero problems. You have a bad vehicle. Just look at consumer reports and see what they are saying about Kia now.

irritatrix

My 2008 was purchased new on May 3 and has been in the shop 15 days of the 5 weeks I've owned it. (See "Kia Electrical problems" for the blow-by-blow.) In my state, if it's in the shop for 30 days or 4 times for the same problem, and the dealer can't repair it, then the consumer is entitled to a prorated refund of their purchase price, and the manufacturer must pay the attorney's fees. I'm keeping copious notes of all my conversations with the dealer just in case it comes down to that. The van has under 500 miles on it so I would basically get almost my entire purchase price refunded.

The lemon law attorney I spoke to today said that in California his company has had relatively few cases involving Kia, and that Kia has actually been fairly easy to work with. So I suspect it depends which state you live in how responsive they are. If the state's lemon law has sharp enough teeth I guess they buckle more easily.

all168

You guys has no problem with your kia are lucky. I own 2002 kia sedona, first day I drove off the lot I found a spot of rought paint at the back, few months later I go back and do some service and ask service dept to check,then she didn't check, she didn't type, and I forgot to ask. Maybe a year later, I found 3 other spots, I go back to another dealer which is close to my home & another 3 dealer, they all said they have to ask kia inspector to check it, then the result, I painted it, they are not responsible. Dont even mention about the overloaded brake, I buy rotor & brake pad from my money 'cos they want to charge me $400 to replace brake pad, rotor, alignment, etc, just after 10000mi, but I suspect the result will be the same, I may need to replace the $400 job again after 10000mi. So I got wagner rotor & raybesto brake, it works better than original. AC was blowing air (not cold, not cool, just air) especially during hot summer day in LA, it is a pain. Usually after one job fix (or not), another problem up. For the price, I don't mind to take several problem with my Kia, but like OP said, if they make you run around, not admitted their manufacture defective. and they are not fixing their problem, even 100yr/1million miles warranty is useless. For me, I will not buy another Kia, at least for a while because not of the dealer in my area satisfy me, no Sat, no shuttle, 8am to 5pm (every time I bought my car in, I have to ask a friend to give me a ride to there). :mad: :mad: :mad:

krissilee

Need to do a little venting!

This is our second Sedona, it's a 2006. We have 71,000. miles on it. At 54,000 we had the sliding door moduals replaced. Turns out that Kia was having problems with the moduals and it was not allowing the doors to close. So they updated them. Well, at 71,000, I am having the same problem. It would be ok if I could close the door manually but it won't latch at all. I have to bungee the door closed, real safe right? Also, my air bag light is on, turns out that the sensor under the seat is bad and the impact sensor on the front of the car is bad. The warranty for all of these things is up at 60,000. I guess we should have studied the fine print when buying. The bottom seat replacement is over $800 + install (about 3 hours). The other sensor is over $200. The latches are over $200. The service manager is very nice and trying to do what he can but really he is authorized to only do so much. He has advised that they will replace the moduals at no cost to us due to the moduals being updated again by Kia because the 1st update did not last. They are willing to give us the bottom seat (I appreciate that) but we will still be responsible for the $337. install cost. They will not cover the impact sensor or the door latches. (the latches should have been replace the 1st time they replaced the moduals at 54,000). So I am having the routine tune up done at just under $400. and the cost of the other repairs will be just over $800. to make my bill when I pick up the van just over $1200. I was not prepaired at all for this result. I have to say, HELLO ~ I bought this van for the safety coverage. I would have never paid over $33,000. for a car that I knew I would have to replace componants that would allow the airbags to deploy. If I knew that I would have to pay to have new latches installed just so I could close my sliding doors. This is crazy. Normal wear and tear things I totally understand but these things are safety issues (I CAN'T CLOSE THE STINKIN' DOOR!). Oh well, we'll see what happens. I am so upside down with this car because the resale or trade in is so low and I still owe toooo much!

Hey, thanks for reading, I feel better already. Just one more lesson in my ever learning life!

lavrishevo

You paid $33,000 for a Sedona!? What were you thinking?

barbaran515

yes. i know that sounds a bit vindictive. but hear me out. at my tender age i (we) have owned/leased/operated 9 new cars. most i have traded in within a few years. a few we have kept past their shelf life; but with great results. top of the list? my 1991 mazda miata….awesome! we kept that sweet little convertible until we needed a car seat, almost 10 years.

bottom of the list? you got it….my 2002 kia sedona mini van. purchased brand new in may 2002. fast forward 7 short years; YES only 7 short years…to a complete and utter piece of crap. evidently there is a ‘line’ that runs the length of the van that holds and circulates (?) your engine coolant. well its a very bad thing when the line RUSTS completely through and you LEAK said engine coolant. you would think that there would be light for this type of COMPLETE MALFUNCTION…but the only ligt is the one telling you that your MOTOR JUST BURNED UP.

this is just the ending saga of the 2002 kia sedona mini van. six months after the five year bumper to bumper warranty was over the entire air conditioning unit went out. i’m not saying i’m a princess or something; but driving a new-er car with air in the hot midwestern summers is just too de-clase for me. so $1011.32 later…the air was running cool.

so after receiving the dreaded call from mark (my non-dealership mechanic) and hearing the exact reason for the engine failure; i called KIA of america. after 12 minutes on hold, 8 minutes of explaining the issue and another 10 minutes speaking to a supervisor; i’m proud to report……

hahahahaha! got you, its not that kind of happy ending story. basically i’m screwed. no matter that a multitude of on-line forums discuss the rusty line (’we can’t speak to on-line forums or information’) no matter that the local dealership has the replacement line on perpetual back order for just this reason (’we know of no such shortages’) the problem isn’t under warranty…(’we are sorry for your frustration, but there’s nothing we can do’).

i ended my call with KIA of america by vowing that i would make it my one-woman campaign to dis-credit their vehicles to any and all that will listen!

lavrishevo

"i ended my call with KIA of america by vowing that i would make it my one-woman campaign to dis-credit their vehicles to any and all that will listen!"

Have you ever thought about how ridiculous your reasoning is? Just because you purchased a model that apparently has had problems your making it your personal mission in life to talk about models and manufacturing quality you know absolutely nothing about? Why fight a lost cause? You have had a poor experience with Kia. So, never buy their product again. But please, don't show total ignorance in attempting to state that their vehicles are poor and people should not buy them. Go buy a consumer reports and look at how highly ranked many of their products are now.

barbaran515

"Why fight a lost cause?" thank you. i am basing my cause on one vehicle from their car line; you are right. however; i have seen plenty of other reviews/information on the sephia and other models.

my perspective is that i have purchased/owned/leased 9 NEW cars in my life and this one was the absolute WORST of the bunch. (and for the record the 9 cars were a mix of domestic and forgein, inexpensive & expensive).

for a vehicle 7 years old with 80K miles on it to burn up the engine BECAUSE of a RUSTY/FAULTY coolant line is ridiculous to me.

please don't call me ingnorant. just because their products are highly ranked NOW does not mean that they are still not big pieces of crap and that once the warranty period is over, good luck.

by the way, do you work KIA or another car company?

arbaughav

I have a 2008 Kia Sedona that I will have brought to the dealership 3 times on Monday with my TPMS light on. The 1st time I brought it in the service guy told me it was because the Sirius radio that I have in my van was messing with the signal, he cleared the codes, the 2nd time they replaced the sensor and now we are going for trip # 3, anyone had this problem?

rachealb

I bought a new 2005 kia sportage. I checked prices for small suvs and features and thought it was a good buy. The check engine light came on at 9,000 miles. They said it was a sensor problem and fixed it. It needed break pads at 12,000 miles and I had to pay. They said that was normal. The car needed an alternator at 16,000. Along the way I had to change both headlights and breaklights within a two year period. We are a 1 car family and on the road a lot. I decided to trade due to gas prices and mileage. The book value was so low I couldn't find a dealership to get near paying it off. I went back to kia and I told myself those things that went wrong were probably just a fluke thing. They paid it off without even driving it and still gave me a 2007 optima for sticker price. Again, I needed break pads, headlights and breaklights after 1 1/2 yrs. I have 76,000 miles now. Three weeks ago the engine light came on and it was making a loud ticking noise. Took the car in and they said it needs a new engine. wanted to see my maintenance records because wrong spark plugs were in there. I said I only have oil chg records and haven't changed the plugs. Well that voids the warranty. Should have changed them at 30,000 miles. I said that is crazy, the car drives fine and normally you get a tune up when the car gets slugish or missing. I called the owner and without knowing anything about my car he said it is probably not the spark plugs, it is more than likely because you didn't change the timing belt at 60,000 miles. The car hasn't skipped time, ran hot, or stopped running. After three weeks of arguing back and forth ,giving them my oil change records, I found out from the regional kia office that I didnt need a spark plug change until 60,000 miles. The dealership thought I should have known all that and they didn't know. I was finally told my car has over a quart of oil too much which caused some kind of oil valve to stay advanced and that caused the valves to pound on the pistons. We went to the dealership and checked the oil. It was a little over the full mark on the dip stick. We cranked it and checked again and it showed normal. They never denied the wrong spark plugs being in until we called them out on this. Now they say, oh we were wrong, it was the correct spark plugs and some of the oil must have been removed when the technician was checking out the car. We were demanding answers and told to take our car and leave. The price for replacing the engine with a rebuilt one is over 4,400. The trade in value is only around 7,500. I owe 13,000 for three more years. Kia apparently makes a zero tolerance engine. We only have one income and cant afford another vehicle besides paying insurance on two. People should spend a little more and get a real car instead of buying a kia. Please let me know if anyone has had the same probelms.

lmuniz

Hi. I am having the exact same problem with my 2006 EX model, both doors. It's been four years now and the Kia Rep in PR can't identify the cause of the problem. It seems that as time passes by the defect keeps aggravating. They have changed the door modules and the push buttons several times, they have "calibrated" the sensors, modules, etc. and nothing has solved the problem. The car has been in the dealer since April 15, the latest "update", received a few days ago, was that they were going to replace the door actuator. I am not sure this will solve the whole problem, but what else can I do. Have you fixed the problem? What do Kia reps tell you about the condition? Did by any chance the car was replaced or your money reimbursed? Please advise.

mandm0407

I must say that Kia customer service stinks and I will NEVER purchase another Kia in my life nor will I ever purchase any other make or model vehicle from a Kia Dealership. They act as if they are simply on the clock and your problem is your problem. They seem to "patch" the problem only for it to reoccur. I have had to be my sole advocate to get things done to my vehicle and it still doesn't work correctly. I would love to get rid of it but Kia's lose their value sooooo quickly and if anyone checked the history and saw the problems I've had with it, I would have to pay them to take it from me. I fully believe the previous poster has the right to make it his/her mission to spread the word about Kia's poor customer service. I may join them!!!!

cgirl5

Do NOT buy from Southpoint Kia in Austin, TX! This dealership is ,BY FAR, THE most dishonest, scam artist dealership my husband and I have EVER come in contact with! They tried to bait and switch us twice! Promised us a deal that we were happy with and then tried to give us a Dealer Owned vehicle with 5000 miles on it without telling us. Then, when we didn't want it, they increased the price on the same type of vehicle and came back to us like we were getting the deal of the century. They promised us their showroom DVD package (witnessed by 3 of us) and installed a $300 DVD that was such low quality that they would not begin to suit our needs! They took my husband into their finance office that had "no working cameras" at the time, said what ever sounded good, had my husband sign and upon finding out several lies and overcharges, none of what the finance person said could be proven! They charged us in total $7,000.00 OVER sticker and, upon asking for an itemization of the charges, the finance person, Jose admitted that it was pure profit after trying to convince us it was for the "after-market tint" which ALL Sorento's and most SUV's come with darkened windows straight from the factory! We witnessed two of the Sales Persons Travis and Jarrod tell us that we would be getting the showroom DVD players and now Travis does not recall saying that and Jarrod told my husband he remembered saying it but has to "confer" with the rest of the team which basically means that they will come back and say they never said that!

BUYER BEWARE!!! I'm a wife and a mother of a four year old. We live paycheck to paycheck like a lot of other people! This dealership took advantage in the biggest way!

aclark4

We have a 2002 Kia Sedona. Great car till now. 130,000 miles on it and it starts shaking between 35 and 45 mph. It stops shaking when we let off the gas pedal. After a new transmission flush, tires rotated and balanced, new brakes, it still shakes. The dealer said it is probably the transmission. Anyone else have problems like this? Is the transmission shot? Thanks

marinedd606

Anyone that is wanting to get screwed, pay out money they dont have, pay out money for over priced parts at the Kia dealership cause they dont sale these parts at auto zone nor any auto place..If you like to breakdown and get pissed off in the middle of the highway while people Honk there horn for you to move..If you like to have your dealership to lie to you, if you like that you cant have a car to last 100,000 miles and is 8 years old and is a wrapped up in tin tin foil...KIA IS JUST FOR YOU...THANKS KIA FOR THE CRAP YOU SALE TO AMERICANS..I AM GOING BACK TO FOREIGN CARS WHERE THEY MIGHT LAST LONGER....Might get my moneys worth or at least 500,000 miles out of...Wow an 03 sedona with less then 80,000 miles and 8 years old, no [non-permissible content removed] its got less then 80,000 on it, you have probs every 10,000 miles...Sorry about the complaining..

cbarbot

Ours has started doing the same thing!! Seems like right at 35mph and sometimes at 45mph, it feels like you're riding on a rough road. We let off the accelerator and it goes away.
We've replaced right front axel / CV joint and some tie-rod ends and supports but problem still persists.
Had two different mechanics ride in it and neither could come to any conclusions. Both seem to have ruled out transmission issues though. (thank goodness)
I've also recently (6 months ago) had new plugs and wires replaced at 140,000 miles. Air filter and oil changes as well.
Van (2003 Sedona) is in for service now ... waiting to hear what they find.

Have you ever gotten to the bottom of your problem?

Regards,
Chris

kialemon

Our problem ended up being a VERY easy fix. My husband figured it out. Not the mechanics who had our van 20 times ...and we ended up suing kia... but my huband who really knows nothing about engines. There was a crack in the air hose? It's the hose that is right on top that contols the air take? It was split. Fixed it and never had the issue since. Yay!

cbarbot

Thank you for writing back so soon!
We just picked our Sedona up tonight. We had all the plugs and wires replaced about 6 months ago and the problem started occurring some time after that but not sure exactly when. btw ... $650 for plugs and wires! uugh!
Anyways ... our mechanic pulled one of the plugs and found that it was cracked. He replaced it thinking that this "had" to be the problem.
I was hopeful.
Driving it home tonight, the problem still persists! uugh again!

Can't wait to check my hoses in the daylight to see if I can find any of them cracked! I'm extremely hopeful after reading your post!

In thinking about this further, have come to reevaluate my problem and find that it seems to really occur at about 1500rpm ... not the speed ranges that I quoted. And as someone had stated, it feels like I'm riding on rumble strips when it occurs. Have to be real gentle on the accelerator for it to happen.
Anyways ... thanks once again for your reply!
I'll be checking my hoses tomorrow!!

Cheers!
Chris

scamdbykia

I purchased a "pre-owned" 2008 sedona mini-van less then a year ago, right from the begining I should have known there was going to be problems. First of all the price they quoted me at the dealer was about $4000 higher the the on line listed price and when I called them on that they were stumbling over their tounges to give me an answer, their response "We do that to attracked customers"...well it worked Bozo. So they said they guessed they would have to sell it to me for the on line price. OK...so far, go through the BS process and get a loan from the bank, make the down payment and take van home. 2 days later KIA is telling me the bank requires an addtional $500 on the downpayment, so I call the bank and of course they have NO idea what KIA is talking about. I confront them now it goes from the bank "required" this $ to "Oh that's a hidden fee the bank wouldn't know about"...say what! That's just the begining, the "Premium" extended warranty they scammed me into does not cover anything that is going wrong, although the nice lady in financing told both my g/f and I yes we were both sitting there that the warranty was good for ANY repairs at any KIA dealer in the U.S. I hadn't had this van more then 4months and all 4 tires went bald, the fan that circulates the air/heating stopped working, it needs a serious tune up, the battery needs replacing...you guys get the picture. Well having come to my wits end with KIA I am considering getting a lawyer if for nothing else but to get the $ I spent on the "Premium" warranty back. JUST DISGUSTED :mad: with KIA

4ur2bserved

I have a 2008 Sedona bought new from a dealer and can say that I like the van and have little trouble with it. First I am older and broke the engine and drive train in carefully from new. I would drive mixed highway and short trips. Since I live in the country, there is little stop and go traffic. I use the brake pedal graciously as I am retired and don't have to go fast anymore in traffic. That being said, I believe that I received a van that was put together properly.
The kia company does a lot of double talk about their warrantee from the trouble hotline. What they say and what they will not warrant doesn't always coincide. After reading the warrantee handbook for my vehicle, they should replace some of the wiring in my vehicle, but since it is a dealer add on, even before taking possession of the vehicle, they claim that they are not liable.
Last week I got into a tough name calling argument with the service manager who was trying to falsify dates and repair equipment used to get by with which I installed on my van. The owner came out and honestly tried to solve our dispute while his employee was wholly discorteous, rude, belittling, and insulting to me. I went away with the idea, that it was my obligation to prove to them, that they added the equipment before they sold the van to me.
To add insult to injury, I had tried to walk away from this rude person several times only to hear the jerk call me names, challenge me, and threaten me that he would call the police and have me removed. Yes there were witnesses.
I left after paying my bill for an oil change. However I only got about 300 yards away when the engine began sounding like a loud diesel farm tractor. Lots of engine noise, I thought for a couple of seconds that this has never made a sound like that ever, and pulled over to the side. My first move was to check the oil dipstick. I only saw red when the dipstick showed there was no oil in the engine.
However, the engine lite and oil lite never came on.
Now that is the question - -WHY can some one please shed some light on this?

tadlem

I'm sorry but if you paid $650 for plugs and wires, you were had! I replaced those for less than $100 with AutoZone parts and haven't had a problem since (knock on wood lol).
I'd advise you to find a new mechanic!
Hope you got you problem fixed by checking the hoses. This is all good information. Thanks to all!

bwaa

Kia is a foreign car! From South Korea!

tadlem

Kia has been made in the USA since the early '90's. They are headquartered out of Korea, but most of the US cars are made here.

bwaa

but technically it is still a foreign car, just like Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki etc

sedonamikey

My 2007 sedona ex luxury has cost me $4000 this summer. It has 140,000 km on it and the engine and exhaust manifold have been big headaches. I had zero problems until the warranty ran out. There is a reason why they are cheaper than hondas and toyotas and I am learning my lesson now.

cts4u2

How can this company get away with this? Sounds like somebody greasing somebody's palm. There should really be no way this company stalling (like their cars), to fix these problems.