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Kia Sedona problems
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The owners manual should define what "severe usage" is. I would think the burden of proof would be on dealer for something like this. Sue the dealer in small claims court if your driving conditions are not "severe"
i started asking the service adviser questions, i went for the biggie first
do we live in an area considered as "severe usage" i got no answer ! he knew !
7500 mile oil change or 3000 miles, he said something like around 3500, hum i thougth.
i do my own oil and filter changes using KIA oil filters and keep all my reciepts does that satisfy warrenty requirments, he yes, no problem
there were brochures on the counter one said on my wehicle that my timing belt was to be changed at 40k not 60k as stated in my owners manuel. so i ask him which is correct he said 60k was the proper milage, then i said my crankshaft pull fell off and the belt had to be replaced at appx 5300 miles. he said i would not be due till 65300 miles. would it be waranty if it broke befor then, i did not ask, but i do not think so
3.5 engines i have been told they are non-interfearence engines so they will not bent valves or damage pistons if the belt does break
then i ask him how much it costs to replace the timing belt (includes tensioner, only makes sence) he said 550.00 plus tax and extras, much more than Edmonds costs under 60k service indicates
i beleive at the time of sale the dealer should be obligated to disclose that you are in a "severe service usage condition" since in reading the conditions written in the owners manuel i can not see anybody not being in "serere usage maintance"
i have to go back i a few days, i got more questions (they do not like my questions)
i also have to have a meeting with the area rep over two un resolved problems and the dealer was supposed to have schudeled the meeting (bet they have not)
I live in Louisville, Ky and would have never thought in a million years I would need to go by schedule two maintenance for severe driving conditions. Most of the above conditions are extremely vague and open to the interpretation of who it will most benefit(the dealer)
i.e repeated short distance driving...who doesnt do this from time to time. driving in areas where salt is used??This is over half the United States!! Driving long periods with cold temps ...same thing..over half the country.
Anyhow, it looks to be just a big loophole a dealership can use to get out of having to pay for warranty work.
Before I purchased my Sedona, I was waiting for the new Nissan Quest to become available. Even after $14,000 in accident repairs when it was a year old, the Quest had been a wonderful vehicle. When it died at 200,000+ miles people were surprised – they thought it was a new vehicle.
I was actually scouting the Nissan lot when I decided to take a look at the Sedona. The KIA and Nissan dealerships are owned by the same entity and are located on adjoining lots. I paid the same for my KIA as I did for the Quest 10 years earlier. The vehicles were comparably equipped – considering the decade of difference. Mainly, the KIA had many more cup holders. I use to tell people that I had either made the best or worst purchase of my life – which time would tell.
Until I started to read about the electrical problems with the Sedona, I tried not to think much of these problems. However, now I’m beginning to think that my van should be squeezed to make lemonade and I’m hoping it doesn’t catch fire while the family is inside. Anyone else have similar problems?
HEADLIGHT BULBS: First headlight bulb replaced Aug 2004. Since that first bulb, I have replaced both the drivers and passenger bulbs 5 times. And, NO, I'm not contaminating (touching) the bulb during installation. I first purchased a leading manufacturer's bulb. When the first bulb failed within 3 months, I contacted the manufacturer. They told me their bulbs might not work in certain vehicles. Hearing this, I switched to a different vendor. Same results. I was thinking the bulbs were inferior. When I purchased my last bulb, I mentioned the problem, specifically that I was spending a small fortune on bulbs. The guy replied that he had the same make and type of bulb in his vehicle, and the bulbs are 3 years old!
FOG LAMP: Discovered that a fog lamp was not working when I replaced the first headlight bulb. I only use fog lamps when it’s foggy – where I learned to drive it was illegal to use fog lights when visibility was clear. (A side note – seems like everyone drives with their fog lights on – I think the glare is as bad, if not worse, than oncoming high beams. I realize that KIA is not responsible for this epidemic – but if just one driver reads this and stops using the fogs lights on a clear night, it’s a good thing. I think Martha would agree.)
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR & FUEL SENSOR: Was told that both parts were defective. Bill was over $800 – Mass Air was $400 and Fuel was $180. KIA must utilize a 50-year plan for recouping R&D. I kept the replaced parts. Anyone know of an independent testing source that could determine if the parts were actually bad? Both parts are electrical components.
RADIO: Sound system will stop working. Fuse in block under the hood doesn’t blow, but must be removed and re-inserted before the system will operate again.
MISC BULBS: These bulbs no longer illuminate:
‘Drive’ shift Indicator in instrument cluster.
‘Cruise’ indicator in instrument cluster.
A/C blower fan speed settings.
I find it irritating that none of these bulbs are easily accessible. KIA service tech told me he thought the entire instrument panel would need to be replaced! The only interior bulb I can remember replacing in any of the other vehicles I have owned was a dome light.
WINDSHIELD: The front windshield developed a crack across the bottom in the very area that the defroster grid is located. Spread out and upward before I had it replaced. The shop that replaced the windshield could not find any sign of origin such as a rock chip. I now wonder if the defroster malfunctioned/overheated and hence the crack. I’m sure KIA would dismiss my thought as inane, but I’m beginning to believe anything is possible.
Beginning to think the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme and is unable to return. YOU THINK?
If anyone has had a similar experience with their KIA Sedona, please post a reply. Thank-you!
Thanks
if i had to hazard a guess, i'd say your vehicle is suffering from a case of poor voltage regulation. an alternator is supposed to charge your battery and it's also the alternator's voltage regulation (zener diodes that lamp the voltage they pass to some upper limit) which should prevent your vehicle from getting voltage outside of their specified range (probably upper limit of 13.5 to 14.5 VDC).
Why not drive over to an autoparts store that sells batteries and ask them for a battery and alternator test. perhaps they can detect the alternator putting out too high of a voltage. bulbs would be sensitive to this. your radio might be going into a safe mode (or "crashed mode" - remember it has microprocessor ckts) when the voltage deviates above some set value. your dealer should be able to do this too. did you report the bulbs going to the dealer? if yes, and they haven't helped you - find another dealer if possible.
if you had a multi-meter, you could check the voltage across the battery as the engine is reved. you could see the "D.C." component with the multi-meter set on DC, and perhaps the ripple (or "A.C." component) with the multi-meter set on AC.
voltage at high rev in excess of 14.5VDC would be notable. excessive ripple (AC component) would also be bothersome.
good luck.
How many miles do you have on this particular Sedona? Since it is only 3 years old, I'm surprised that the 5-year, 60k miles warranty didn't at least take care of the fuel-related issues.
The windshield crack sounds like the same inherent defect reported on this forum. Do a search and see how many occurrances you can find. I suspect that either a poorly designed and executed windshield is at fault, or that the body structure flexes in such a way that causes the crack.
The bulbs (unfortunately) are on the customer past 1 year.
I'm with the one writer that suggests that your voltage system is whacked. Since Sedonas have been also noted for alternator problems, it wouldn't be unthinkable!
-SM
On 13 Jul 05 our Sedona would not start after getting gas (At this time the Sedona only had 25,000 miles). Next day Dealership stated that the problem was that the drive belt felt off, they put it on but could not get it to adjust to specs right (off 3 points). Three weeks later they stated possible water or contaminates may have been in the fuel because they noticed rust in the engine, so under the warrenty they did not have to cover the repairs. Our Auto insurance provided an Engineers Report that stated water or contaminates were not found in the fuel, the report stated it was an internal machanical problem, and this is not cover by the auto insurance. The gas station legal firm also provided a statement, after their investigation no water was detected in the fuel, so the gas company stated they are not responsible for the problem. On 12 Jan 06, I received a fuel sample report from the car dealer which also show no water or 0.10%. But still the dealership stated that they will not cover the repairs. We have been consulting an attorney and are interested in any information that anyone have that can be useful to us.
So far, in 15,000 miles, I've only had one problem I took the car in for, and it was taken care of. Very courteous, professional service so far here.
I've had 9 assorted makes new cars and have never had a problem denied under a warranty yet.
Just how common is it for Kia to deny service under the warranty?
When we buy a vehicle it's for the purpose of having it for years. Our previous vehicle was an Arrowstar which we had for 8 years and a Grand Vitara for 4.5 years and ever had a problem with service during their coverage under the warranty. So when we decided to add an extended warranty to the Sedona we felt securited.
As a customer we in trusted in the Motor Corps for their best product and services. I uphold them to their highest standards and expect nothing less. The defect is clearly under warranty and needs to be corrected by the dealership.
We found out from the start that the 'burden of truth' falls on the customer(us)and for the last six months it has been a back and forth issue with this matter. Everything our Attorney asked for I provided. Do I feel we will end up in court, yes. Am I looking forward to this, very much so, yes.
Wow!!..Am I glad I found your post. I just got back from the dealership with the news that those lines rusted through and that is about $1000.00 to fix. The manager said that the rust "may" have contaminated the rear heater core and that it wasnt advisable to just replace the lines. I like your idea alot better. Whats your thoughts and was it difficult to replace the lines?...Thanks for any info....Jim
Anyway, back then it didn't clear up as they said it would, so they "fixed" it somehow over three days. Said they replaced the sensor module.
Been doing it again at 4000 through 5000 miles, as the gauge shows about 1/2 tank on the way down. When the gauge nearly bottoms out and we refill all the way, it goes out after a few restarts. But at 1/2 tank it comes back on. This last time it isn't quite down to the bottom yet for a refill, so no telling what it will do.
Anyone else been through it?
yes, i have heard of Kia doing this to other people as well
There's no way it will shift 5000 rpm higher at the shift points.
And yes, KIA should be ashamed for even allowing a dealer to say it would not be covered, regardless of the final outcome. (I'm guessing you will get it taken care of under warranty. Let us know, ok?)
Crap like this is a perfect reason for dismally low resale value of KIAs.
"If the diagnosis determines that a part must be replaced then the diagnostic charge will be covered...if, however, the diagnosis shows that an adjustment is required then a shop diagnostic charge of 1 hour will apply."
I did, however take the van to the dealer for an oil change. While there, I could not resist looking at the '06 Sedonas...WOW!!! I want to trade in the '02 after seeing the new version!!! (although my wife now wants a Sportage instead of a van)
The Sedona has one overdrive, 5th gear. If you turn off overdrive, the only thing you are doing is not allowing the transmission to shift (up) into that highest gear. You have made it into a 4-speed automatic instead of a 5-speed automatic.
The shift points are the RPM readings at which the transmission will shift up to the next gear. Opting to turn off the overdrive does not change the shift points between 1st and 2nd, 2nd and 3rd, or 3rd and 4th. But since there is no longer any 5th gear to shift up to, there is of course NO shift point for a 4th to 5th gear change.
My Sedona, with overdrive on, will upshift from 4th to overdrive 5th gear at a little under 40 mph. Shortly thereafter, the lock-up kicks in and lowers the RPM a little bit more. At that speed, 5th gear locked-up forces the motor to turn at about 1400 or so. Once in lock-up, there is no internal slippage between the motor and the output shaft of the transmission.
Your vibration might not be caused by the 4th to 5th gear change. It may be caused by the lock-up function of the torque converter switching off and on. Very possible.
T2:
Can you tell us anything more about *why* the dealer is denying you the repair? You car is obviously under 5 years old and has less than 60k miles. What is their rationale?
-Is it due to a missed inspection?
-Is it due to some loophole in the vehicle corrosion clause?
-Are you a second or third owner of the vehicle?
Please post the complete dealer statement on here if you would. There had better be a really sound loop-hole that KIA's crawling through to keep them from ponying up this repair. Esp. since it's appearing that their design and/or execution is at fault here. These lines are obviously looking like a(nother) weak spot in the old Sedona line, and that they should have been made out of a rust resistant or proof material such as stainless or a similar alloy.
I recommend to any other first-gen Sedona owners with this rear heat setup to consider getting under their vehicle and coating the heater lines (and heck... maybe the brake lines too!) with marine grease. I read about this technique on another board, and it supposedly does a good job of preventing rust of under body lines in salt prone areas.
In any case, clue us in on the specifics of this denial!
-SM
http://www.pennzoil.com/products/marine/synth_white_grease.html
I read about this trick on USENET (Google Groups). It sounds reasonable to me!
-SM
As a Sedona owner in Michigan, I probably should do that grease trick just mentioned...