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Comments
Problems w/ over-inflation include smaller contact patch, easier to puncture hard tires (think of a balloon - harder to pop if it's not fully inflated), and the shocks/suspension will wear out faster.
You really need a tire depth gauge to properly measure tread wear - even if you could eyeball 1/16th of an inch of wear. By the time you can see any wear it'd be too late to correct for it.
Your truck tire analogy is flawed because that's a larger tire plus it has thicker rubber.
Finally, a couple more links:
Redwood Tire
AAA
Steve, Host
Needless to say I had him appropriately change the pressure allowing for the heated tires and he took it back down to 44 PSI, which will then go down to approximately 38-39 PSI when cold.
I feel much safer having them inflated this way.
Rust Fix - I take my car in tomorrow for the fixing of the rust spots on the tailgate around the license plate and chrome bar above the plate. I will let you know how it transpires. They have promised complete coverage under warranty.
You guys are accidents waiting to happen. Why on earth do you want to take such chances ??? For a few more miles per gallon of gas ??
But many tires in the truck/pickup truck wolrd seem to have very high pressures , in conjunction with the higher loads those tires are designed to carry. The Goodyear Wranglers are designed to carry 65 PSI and 2500 lbs per tire. That works out to a 10,000 Gross wght.
Accidents can happen if you don't keep your eyes on details liek tire pressure. Ask the surviving relatives of the Ford Explorer deaths. I guess they were running 25 PSI in their tires.
Thanks!
Steve, Host
I installed my class 3 hitch last weekend. Anyone who does it with hand tools needs a cheater bar on the wrench, as all four bolts were tight, and covered with a layer of sound deadening/undercoating. I used an air wrench, and all 4 came right out.
Used a new 1/2 " carbide drill bit, and holes were still tough to drill...man they use good quality steel!
Total time: 50 min, that includes putting it up on the lift and breaking out/putting up tools. Quality set up...doesn't interfer with spare or anything and sits next to bumper cover. (Now really scratched, as I backed into a ditch the night before I installed the hitch!)
Next item will be wiring it. Right now just going to use the hitch for a luggage platform for vacation for the Mrs. Shouldn't have to drive at night.
Regards to all. JC
We find even the recommended tire pressure of 35psi to be a bit too high and hard for our van on the rough roads around here. I find 32psi (cold) to be much more comfortable.
Acedriver - Yes that was 50 PSI - after driving. Again - I had it deflated to the proper amount.
Sorry Steve - I'll get off the subject now.
Also, it seems to me to be harder to remove impacted bugs from the finish and windshield as opposed to other vehicles that I have dealt with.
Or a new marketing slogan : Kia Sedona. Kills bugs dead. Splat!
They even lent me a car to use while it went longer than they expected. I got it back yesterday, Monday, and it looks great and I didn't have to pay one dime for the fix. My only expense was putting gas in the loaner car that I was using over the weekend.
I absolutely love this van I hope I don't have any more problems with it.
Thanks for listening!
Mine has 23,000 miles on it in all kinds of weather.
I have not had any times when it did this.
On most hydraulic assisted systems , log splitters or power steering , if there is a loss of force it can be attributed to hoses kinked , low fluid level, a weak pump or a pump with low output pressure , even sometimes a bad " Spool valve " which is the mechanical device that rides with your steering shaft.
The " spooler " see's that you turn the wheel left and directs fluid pressure against the piston that helps you wheel turn left. The " spooler" also does the same when you turn right.
With your steering wheel centered the "spooler " doe nothing and provides very little power assist.
Sedona's have a rack and pinion mechanical steering system and the power assist lines are plumbed up to that.
- Speed Sensitive Steering- There are some power steerings that have electrical smarts on them to reduce or eliminate the power assist pumping function in straight line driving or high speed cornering. If the Sedona was to have this then your problem would also have an electrical side to it as well. But I do not think Sedona's have this.
Good Luck ! Keep us posted on your progress.
Sean
Havent had much luck with my local Kia dealer. Had the idler pulley go out on me at 11K miles, took almost a month to get the part, still noisy for some reason when it rains.
The Kia was not on the listing I saw.
Kia has actually won some quality awards.
And the stories I am hearing are mostly very good.
However, if you go to the GM message boards you hear some really bad stories and from some very expensive cars and trucks.
By comparison our Sedonas look very appealing.
For the " Rust problem" don't let it start, get some pplastic tape and tape the back of your plates so they do not rub.
you cant prove it to me. i owned a 2000 sephia prior to my 2003 sedona, i was and am very pleased by each. they do have their "quirks", but then ALL cars in every price range do too. they dont say in this article whether they were breakdowns, or someone complaining of a rattle, just "problems".
happy motoring!
Our van is getting about 19.5 MPG overall, with about half city and half highway driving. This seems to be in line with, or slightly better than, other owners' experience.
We used the seat belt for a while, mostly with a car seat. At one point, I moved the car seat to the other side of the van for 1 trip and I noticed that the ratcheting/clicking locking on the middle row right side seat belt was not working. We took this to a dealer TWICE and showed the service advisor both times. They did absolutely nothing. This is why we will never use that dealer again. Both times the invoice said 'checked seat belt. working to specs.' I'm still frustrated about it. Fortunately, we are still able to use the seat since our car seat is using the LATCH harness, which does not use the seat's own seat belt.
Having 23,000 trouble free miles on mine I am sorry to hear of your.
The basic engine controls are completely sound on this van.
Your van has a wiring harness problem of some sort.
This may be why it is intermittent.
The coils can be tested for failure with any electrical meter. I am surprized they needed changing. It does not sound like a coil problem. The dashboard wiring could be the problem.
In any case , when they get enough new parts on it it should run. It sounds like there is at least one or more wires pinched into the metal of the vans body and they are pulling down the voltage to the control computer and related parts. Keep your records. You can still get the lemon fix if need be , but if the solve the problem you are going to really enjoy your van.
My friend at church has 80,000 miles on a 2002 and I have 23,000 on my 2002 LX.
My only smug thing is I bought the cheaper LX and it has not had problems associated with the ABS brakes and other things found on the more costly EX model.
Good Luck.
1) The brake pedal has a groaning sound when I release it. Anyone know what this might be?
2)The rust in small areas around the license plate.
Those are very minor situations. 17,000 miles and no major problems! Still concerned about the way the back bumper scratches so easily. Does the dealer provide touch-up paint or do I need to purchase it? Gas mileage is so-so but we knew that going in. Van cools down quickly in the Houston,TX heat, no problems there. Stereo is not great as far as sound goes while on the highway, but we also knew that going in.
My wife had a flat last week, she called KIA roadside service, they were there in a few minutes and got her on her way quickly. LOVE THAT FULL-SIZE SPARE!
Standing next to the van when it's running, we've noticed some pretty hot air coming from underneath, that we don't feel coming from our other vehicles. Any ideas what that might be?
I'm sorry to read about the major problems that some of you are having. I guess all I can say is hang in there.
Actually , all Sedona's and also my Kia Spectra , run the ELECTRIC COOLING FAN off the radiator , any time the A/C is on , even in the winter months when it is being used for defrosting.
So you are feeling the combination of engine heat and Cabin heat and man it is plenty hot!!
Great to dry your shoes however if you stepped in a puddle.
Are you using the overdrive once you get to 50 MPH and above (O/D OFF light is out)?
the situation where you would not be in the o/d gear at a high speed is when your doing 70 and mash the gas to pass someone.... the tranny will automatically downshift and revs will jump accordingly and you will accelerate quicker than you would in the overdrive gear...
I don't observe that the overdrive is not engaging; I think more likely the transmission is shifting and that the engine computer is adjusting performance.
Selecting OD off at such a time would test the observation. If my hypothesis is correct, the RPMs will jump when the OD off mode is selected. If incorrect, the RPMs should not fluctuate as the result of selecting OD off.
As an aside to the comment about asserting the status of the OD switch, it is also accurate to say that the instrument panel should be clear of annunciations, unless operating in rain/fog, ice or cruise control modes.
Is there some great reason why we should drive the vehicle with the OD off at lower speeds over keeping it on all the time? Also, if there is no advantage to be gained, wonder why Kia didn't just build it that way with Drive being 5-speed?
knowing that...
there really is no point to turning off o/d at lower speeds as all it does is eliminate the 5th gear from use...mostly for towing reasons or traveling up or downhill fully loaded (increasing revs and therefore keeping engine in peak powerband or to provide engine braking ... respectively)
the D in the gear pattern is basically the position where all 5 ratios are used... turning o/d off (pressing o/d button) turns the tranny into a 4 speed... shifting into 3rd turns the tranny into a 3 speed putting it in low is really just cutting all gears out except for 1st ( i believe)...
leaving o/d off really doesnt do anything unless your accelerating to about 55-60 where 5th gear kicks in... turning it off then will limit the tranny to 4th gear... raising revs and increasing engine noise... performance with o/d off anywhere between 0-40 and o/d on in that same range is identical
correct usage of the o/d off button is as follows:
heading up a hill where the engine bogs down because 5th gear is too tall a gear to provide adequate acceleration or maintenance of current speed and the tranny is slow to downshift....(by pressing the o/d off button you are forcing the tranny to shift out of 5th and into 4th).
heading down a hill in 5th gear and the hill is steep and long so that just using the brakes alone is not enuff or will make them overheat...usually denoted with yellow signs along the side of the road telling truck drivers to downshift and apply engine braking...
you then proceed to downshift by pressing the o/d off button and if that is not enuff shift into the 3 position of the shift pattern (in sequence as to not overload the engine and blow it) providing braking forces to assist in slowing the vehicle to a satifactory and safe speed...
mrwallace: the D position in the selector IS where the tranny has 5 forward gears(speeds)... by pressing the o/d off button you dont gain a gear but lose one...hence "o/d off"
the other way some companies... including hyundai do the "o/d off" is to just add an extra gear selection on the automatic tranny shift pattern... say you have a 4 speed auto... instead of having PRND2L and an "O/D off" button you have PRND32L with 3 being the equivalent of "O/D off"
i guess people are used to turning something on by pressing a button (A/C) and not shutting a system off by pressing a button (O/D, TCS)
by pressing the button on the gear selector you are LOSING not gaining something and that is where i think mrwallace is getting confused
Your last sentence summed it up best in that we always thought we were gaining a gear - you think of it as losing one.
Thanks again.
They also worked on a sticking driverside sliding door and fixed it. From the inside it was difficult for my daughters to open it up.
Lastly they checked the seatbelt recall, but our van has the bucket seats and the the third row bench, so it did not apply.
Just an update - thanks.
Thanks!
Dawn.
how hard is it to take the brochure and remember most of what the cars you sell have at which levels...
i've had the opportunity to deal with dozens/hundreds of dealerships and have yet to find one salesman who knew more about the car they were selling than I did... and this was without studying the features of the car in particular on my part...
on the other hand I'm a car nut...
Hmmmmmmm
Anyway, thanks again.
I thought it was just me, glad i'm not the only one that runs into people that don't know their job.
Am about to drop $23K on an EX with all the options but the hitch. Have seen some out there who have bought the same options for as low as $19K. ANy opinions?
Also, in general, I liked the reviews, the test drive and what I saw, but this being my first time visiting this forum...am quite surprised to hear the wide array of complaints that have been posted. Anyone wanting to share their experience, feedback on the EX, please do so.
Thanks
Besides the fact that its been in for service because of the engine light coming on and taking it back today to have the locking mechanism in the seatbelt fixed -- I find it really fun to drive!!! Just hoping nothing else happens! OH and the other thing, is that there is some damage on mine that I did not notice before driving off the lot and now i'm stuck having to pay for it, they tell me i hit a curb, I DON'T THINK SO, I think i'd have known if I did....either way they won't budge....so I must say that if someone hit a curb with it, it's very easy to damage...so be very careful if you're a person that is prone to "tapping" things.....
I tried it today at 40 mph in cruise control on a slightly inclineing road; rpm was 1500 then increased to about 1700 when I hit then OD button. It dropped back to 1500 rpm when I re-engaged the OD. Others were claiming it didn't work until reaching 50 mph. I have a 2002 EX with 25k miles on it.