2014 Kia Cadenza Limited Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2014 Kia Cadenza Limited Long-Term Road Test

Sometimes it's the little things that make a car feel comfortable. In our Kia Cadenza, it's the well-designed storage area and power plugs.

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dg0472

Let's talk about something not well designed: the smart key. Mine has come unlatched and fell out in my pocket several times. Once, it fell and bounced under the car as I took my keys out to unlock the house door. Luckily, the other key was inside so I could move it. Now, one has become unlatched and fell...well, I can't find out where it fell. It's about $209 with tax for the key that I had to pre-pay and will have to pay another $110 to have it coded. This key, introduced for the '13 K7, is a different design than previous H-K smart keys and seems to be even MORE apt to come off than the previous design based on my experience with a rental Sonata Hybrid. I contacted Kia customer assistance and she claimed they've had no complaints, but when I searched on "smart key fell off," one of the first results was a Veracruz forum dating back to 2008 complaining of keys falling off. That key has a slightly different end than more recent ones, but the other end, the latch end, is the same design. I checked eBay for pictures of other mfg.'s keys and BMW is the ONLY other company to use a protruding button to release the smart key part on a key designed to be on a ring. Everyone else uses a slide with a positive detent or spring or a button that is recessed or is covered with rubber that is flush with the body. The parts manager and the service adviser both admitted it took very little effort to release the key, yet I'm out over $300. On eBay, I found a Mobis cover that looks like it will retain the key (that the dealer says he can't get; mine is shipping from Korea), but if H-K/Mobis has known since '08 that this key is easily dislodged, it gives me real pause about the whole car. I strongly encourage anyone who has experienced a smart key fob coming off and being lost to report it to NHTSA at www.safercar.gov as a safety issue as anyone finding the key can use the panic or answer-back feature to find and steal the car.

dg0472

I should mention that the key fell off and became lost after I've owned the car a little over a month and mention too that the two covers were another sixty bucks or so.

greenpony

dg0472, my wife drives a '13 Optima and I've been in a '13 Forte for the past three weeks. Neither of us has had any occurrence of keys falling off. The Optima has a smart key, so you never need to take it out of your pocket (or, in my wife's case, her purse). The Forte has a traditional metal key + separate fob.

dg0472

Well good for you greenpony, but if your wife carries a purse, there's more room than in a man's pocket and it would never be in a tight space, such as occurs putting keys in pants pockets or taking them out. I'm not sure what the Forte key even has to do with this since neither the key or the fob has a release mechanism, but I'll tell you like I told the service adviser: my house has a key and my office has a key (and my church and my company car and my parents' house have keys) and I have to take my keys out of my pocket to use them. The only way I could never take it out of my pocket is to carry it by itself; I'm pretty sure just the fob being by itself is how it fell out of my pocket so easily.

dg0472

Now to follow up about Kia's actions: Customer assistance told me to call before going to the dealer, but didn't really offer to do anything. Once I went to work, I got a message from CA to call them back. I did and she offered to send a check for the cost of the key once I send her a copy of the order and receipt from the dealer. Labor wasn't mentioned and I didn't push it. At least Kia is making an effort. Overall, the is a smooth, comfortable car and is very much worth looking at, but I still maintain that only a deliberate action should release a smart key and that anyone buying one should should budget for a cover. I'll make a follow-up comment on THIS blog post once the covers arrive regarding how secure they seem.

dg0472

The lady from Kia CA replied via email that the key should be at the dealer by the next day, which would be Tues., Jan. 28. No one called on that day and I figured with the weather so bad in Atlanta that it was stuck in transit. Finally, I called on Thur. and they said the key had been there and to bring it in on Friday at 10. I did so only to sit there for 45 minutes, then to be told that Kia's website was down and I probably should come back on Monday. I did so at 11 and after about 45 minutes, they said it was ready. I was charged $110 in labor plus $7.50 for "shop supplies." Hard to imagine what would be required in supplies for that individual job. I imagine it maybe was for the plastic and cardboard used to protect the interior. After tax, I was out about $118. That day, my tracking finally showed my case was in Flushing, Queens. By Thursday it was in Atlanta, so I was hoping for it by Friday, but on Saturday, as I was taking a bath, the postman showed up with it, signature required. I was a little concerned about it because one side is so open, but it's quite a snug fit and it doesn't look like at this point that there will be any incidents of the fob swinging out of the case. Of course, now it's a pain to get to the metal key to lock the glove box, wholly negating any convenience Kia was going for in making the release just a button. Big fail, but overall I consider this a reasonable solution and would implore anyone considering this car also budget for the cases and to tape your fob to the metal key during the time the cases are in transit from Korea.