Steering wheel peeling flakes on new 2013 KIA Sorento
I purchased a 2013 Sorento EX in December and less than a month later we noticed that the steering wheel was starting to peel. The top section of the steering wheel started to peel off black flakes of the outer layer onto our clothes and hands.
We took it to Green KIA in Springfield, Illinois where we purchased it from to look at it. This was 42 days after we purchased it and they said that sometimes this happens and is just a protective film. The service department cleaned it off and convinced me it was minor and would not come back.
A month and half later, exactly 90 days after the purchase, we took our Sorento to Lou Fusz KIA in St. Louis, Missouri to look at the issue. It was getting much worse where we would find black flakes from the steering wheel on our clothes later at work or home. They looked at it and rubbed all the flakes off so it look good again. This did not last long because a week later the steering wheel was flaking again just as it had before.
I called Lou Fusz KIA to let them know it was occurring again and they said they had no record it was in the shop. After further explanation and getting the right person she suggested it was our hand lotion we were using therefore our fault. I can tell you that we do not use hand lotion due to a skin sensitivity that I have. I left the conversation very dissatisfied.
We to purchase a KIA Cadenza and was looking in the show room at Lou Fusz KIA. I told the salesperson that I may get a new Chevy Impala due to the warranty experience I’m having with KIA. He walked me to service to make another appointment to have someone look at it and mail a picture to the KIA warranty office. I spoke with the lady at service and she said she has seen this before and to make an appointment.
I made the appointment and left the car earlier this week while getting an oil change. The service associate called me back and said he would not send a picture to KIA because it was obvious to him and his manager that it was damage caused by a wedding ring. Needless to say I could not believe that Lou Fusz KIA would respond in such a way and I insisted they send a picture to the warranty center just as they had promised to do earlier before I made the appointment.
Adam at Lou Fusz KIA called to tell me that KIA warranty said NO – this is not covered due to customer damage and not a defect. The customer scratched it up was the specific reason for the denial.
This occurred when my KIA Sorento was just over a month old!
I have never had any worn or peeling steering wheel issues with my other cars as follows (wedding ring and all).
Audi A6 – 260k miles
Audi A8 – 140k miles
VW Jetta – 180k miles
Honda Accord – 280k miles
Volvo XC70 – 260k miles
Volvo XC70 #2- 130k miles
Mercedes 220 - 370k miles
This experience has made it clear to me that KIA refuses to stand behind this product and will not honor their warranty in this case and has poor customer service.
Sorry but I just had to vent my frustration.
John M.
I will update this with current status if the status changes.
We took it to Green KIA in Springfield, Illinois where we purchased it from to look at it. This was 42 days after we purchased it and they said that sometimes this happens and is just a protective film. The service department cleaned it off and convinced me it was minor and would not come back.
A month and half later, exactly 90 days after the purchase, we took our Sorento to Lou Fusz KIA in St. Louis, Missouri to look at the issue. It was getting much worse where we would find black flakes from the steering wheel on our clothes later at work or home. They looked at it and rubbed all the flakes off so it look good again. This did not last long because a week later the steering wheel was flaking again just as it had before.
I called Lou Fusz KIA to let them know it was occurring again and they said they had no record it was in the shop. After further explanation and getting the right person she suggested it was our hand lotion we were using therefore our fault. I can tell you that we do not use hand lotion due to a skin sensitivity that I have. I left the conversation very dissatisfied.
We to purchase a KIA Cadenza and was looking in the show room at Lou Fusz KIA. I told the salesperson that I may get a new Chevy Impala due to the warranty experience I’m having with KIA. He walked me to service to make another appointment to have someone look at it and mail a picture to the KIA warranty office. I spoke with the lady at service and she said she has seen this before and to make an appointment.
I made the appointment and left the car earlier this week while getting an oil change. The service associate called me back and said he would not send a picture to KIA because it was obvious to him and his manager that it was damage caused by a wedding ring. Needless to say I could not believe that Lou Fusz KIA would respond in such a way and I insisted they send a picture to the warranty center just as they had promised to do earlier before I made the appointment.
Adam at Lou Fusz KIA called to tell me that KIA warranty said NO – this is not covered due to customer damage and not a defect. The customer scratched it up was the specific reason for the denial.
This occurred when my KIA Sorento was just over a month old!
I have never had any worn or peeling steering wheel issues with my other cars as follows (wedding ring and all).
Audi A6 – 260k miles
Audi A8 – 140k miles
VW Jetta – 180k miles
Honda Accord – 280k miles
Volvo XC70 – 260k miles
Volvo XC70 #2- 130k miles
Mercedes 220 - 370k miles
This experience has made it clear to me that KIA refuses to stand behind this product and will not honor their warranty in this case and has poor customer service.
Sorry but I just had to vent my frustration.
John M.
I will update this with current status if the status changes.
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