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Kia Sedona problems
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now if they spelled out that exclusion and made it clearly obvious to potential owners, who would buy their vehicle?
if it were me, i'd get the dealership and district rep to provide this information in writing, then i'd contact corporate.
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
What is Not Covered
The following items are not covered:
Damage due to Factors Beyond the Manufacturer’s
Control.
Examples of these factors include, but are not limited to:
•
Misuse of the Kia Vehicle such as driving over curbs,
or into roadway maintenance or construction areas,
overloading the vehicle, racing or engaging in
activities or uses not described in your owner’s
manual or in Kia’s product literature.
•
Accidents and incidents that damage the Kia vehicle
including but not limited to collision, fire, theft, riot.
•
Alteration, modification, tampering, rewiring.
•
Damage or corrosion from the environment such as
acid rain, airborne fallout (chemicals, tree sap, etc.),
salt, road hazards, hail, wind storm, lightning, floods
and acts of God.
•
Cosmetic conditions or corrosion permitted by
chipping or scratching the paint.
Damage due to Lack of Maintenance or the Use of
Wrong Fuel, Oil or Lubricants.
•
Improper maintenance or the use of other than the
specified fuel, oil or lubricants recommended in your
Owner’s Manual.
Normal Deterioration
•
Normal wear and tear or deterioration including the
wearing out of friction wear parts such as brake pads
and brake drums as well as spark plugs, worn brake
pads/linings, worn clutch linings, filters, worn wiper
blades, bulbs and fuses, other wear and consumable
items.
•
Surface corrosion on any part other than the body
sheet metal panels forming the exterior appearance of
a Kia Vehicle.
Normal Maintenance
•
Normal maintenance services such as: cleaning and
polishing, minor adjustments, lubrication, oil/fluid
changes, filters, anti- freeze coolant replenishment,
wheel alignment and tire rotation unless such services
are performed as part of a covered warrantable repair.
•
Normal maintenance items (see bottom of this
paragraph) are warranted only when the replacement
is the result of a defect in material or workmanship,
and only for 12 month/12,000 miles, whichever
occurs first, or up to the first scheduled maintenance
replacement interval. (Normal maintenance items
include belts, brake pads and linings, clutch linings,
filters, wiper blades, and bulbs).
•
Maintenance services described as “Scheduled
Maintenance Services”, “Owner Maintenance
Services” or “Appearance Care” in your Owner’s
Manual.
Altered Mileage
•
Any repair of a Kia Vehicle on which the odometer
has been altered or on which the actual mileage
cannot be reasonably determined.
(When replacing the speedometer, the “Speedometer
Replacement Record” on the inside front cover
of this manual must be filled in by an Authorized Kia
Dealer).
Extra Expenses and Damages
•
Any economic loss or other incidental, special,
consequential, or exemplary damages. This includes,
without limitation, payment for loss of use of the Kia
Vehicle, lodging, car rentals, travel costs, loss of pay
and any other expenses or damages.
Tires
•
Tires are warranted by the tire manufacturers and not
by Kia. Refer to the tire warranty pamphlets provided
with your Kia Vehicle for details.
Salvage or Total-Loss Vehicles
•
Any Kia Vehicle that has ever been issued a
“salvage” title or similar “branded”title under any
state’s law; or has been declared a “total loss” or
equivalent by a financial institution or insurance
company. This exclusion does not apply to Emission
Warranties, Replacement Parts Limited Warranty or
any recalls or campaigns.
Production Changes
as far as i am concerned it was just inferior parts
http://www.kia.com/2005warranty.pdf
I haven't heard anything back yet on the online case I submitted yesterday. I may call and check status later today.
http://www.kia.com/2005warranty.pdf
I encourage you to "fight on" through the next couple of layers of KIA management, just to make sure that they're not fixing these lines under some kind of "good will" program or secret warranty.
Me thinks I'll be ordering up a tube of that Pennzoil marine grease JUST in case, and be lubin' up my Spectra's brake and fuel lines! :-)
-SM
as far as i am concerned it was just inferior parts"
I tend to agree with you, but the automakers and dealers seem to take the opposite approach. They claim whatever they want to let them weasel out of the warranty work and they force the consumer to prove otherwise. It's not right, but it seems to be the way most brands handle these kinds of issues. Personally I don't think Kia is any worse (or better) at honoring its warranty than any of the other mainstream brands in the U.S.
I'm sorry to hear about your problems getting KIA to budge from their warranty loophole.
I guess you've got one shot, that I think you should take. It would be very educational for us on here to find out how the process works and how successful you are.
Here is the link and "invitation" on KIA's Korean HQ asking folks who can't get satisfaction through their "local" KIA officials to contact Korea directly.
http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_Corp/Info/Customer/contactus.aspx
Here's what they say on their website to solicit your questions/complaints:
"In order to provide optimum service, we are eager to
listen to your concerns. When Kia distributors or the
dealership near you are not able to solve your
vehicle's problem for any reason, please contact us
directly using the email show below. Your comments are
very important to us."
Good luck, and be sure to post any responses you get back on to this board!
-SM
Also, still having the old piping, I have 'autopsied' them. I say they are defective materials. The pipe alone is FINE. The clamp alone is FINE. Where this rust through occurs is UNDER the clamp. This clamp is soldered to the pipe, and it appears to me that this solder is the problem. Where ever there is solder, there is rust and it's chucky, flakey rust. Seems to be extremely rust prone under our 'new england salt'. Wonder if we could 'class action' this issue?
BTW, mine is an 03, and JUST hit 30k miles! But believe me or not, I still love my van. Getting prepped for my annual PA trip in a few weeks.
your car battery works on the same principle.
i think you've identified the problem: most likely, they welded the clamps using a (even slightly) dissimilar metal which is establishing a small voltage potential a that location in the presence of the salt and water - thus leading to rapid oxidation.
do some research on this. for example:
http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/elchem/ec7.html
you may be on to something fundamental here.
By the way - The Kia Sedona shows up on Consumer Reports Bad Bets List:
CR Bad Bets
These models have shown multiple years of much-worse-than-average Used Car Verdicts in the 1998 to 2005 models. Listed alphabetically.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/used-cars-best-and-worst-1205.- htm
BMW 7 Series
BMW X5 (V8)
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Express 1500
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
Chevrolet Venture
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
GMC Envoy
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
GMC Savana 1500
GMC Sonoma (4WD)
Jaguar S-Type
Jaguar X-Type
Kia Sedona
Land Rover Discovery
Lincoln LS
Lincoln Navaigator
Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz E-Class (V8)
Oldsmobile Alero
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Silhouette
Pontiac Aztek
Pontiac Trans Sport/Montana
Saturn Vue (AWD)
Volkswagen Cabrio
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen New Beetle
Volkswagen Passat Wagon (V6)
Volvo XC90
Is this a U.S. car? Most of us seem to be having a lot more problems getting a U.S. dealer to address ANY warranty problems!
Our '05 Sedona's rotors are now warped way beyond the shake being just "annoying". The shudder on braking from even medium speeds is near frightening. This with 5K - that's just FIVE THOUSAND miles! Messages here seem to indicate a serious "under-design" problem with rotor size, material, and pad selection.
We also have that pesky "low fuel-system pressure" light that has come on at 3/4 tank since we bought it. Sometimes it goes off on its own upon refill and a few miles. Dealer has never really "fixed" it but was nice to tell us we weren't tightening the gas cap enough! (With mileage this low it's not like we don't have lots of chances to get it right maybe once.)
It goes in again tomorrow to look at the light/sensor and to check the rotors. I will report.
Some talk here now and then about "class action" suit over dealers' "warranty denial". Might make sense if anyone knows how to go about that. Especially since Kia U.S. seems to agree that nothing is covered under a warranty.
"Is this a U.S. car? Most of us seem to be having a lot more problems getting a U.S. dealer to address ANY warranty problems!"
this is my case as well !
send a letter to,Kia customer service, 9801 Muirlands Blvd.,
Irvine, CA 92619
see what happens
Bought van used in Dec 2004 with 26,000 miles for $12,900.
Here's what's been done so far:
1. at 30,000 miles, tranny replaced under warranty because it had a hole in the housing and was leaking tranny fluid.
2. at 35,000 miles, I needed to change brake rotors and pads because rotors were warped and rusted. This was NOT covered under warranty.
3. at 40,000 miles, needed to have rear-coolant lines replaced (not under warranty - over $560.00)
4. Had van in to Dunn Tire today to have Front End Alignment and tires balanced. They found very bad left front wheel-bearing. Kia said it would be covered under warranty, but couldn't do it until next week. We're leaving on a trip from Central NY to Asheville, NC on Saturday. Couldn't wait for Kia to fix, so I paid to have it fixed. At least I know it was done right. Dunn also adjusted the rear brakes for free. He said they weren't doing enough of the work, so it would make the front brakes heat up too much. He also identified that when they changed the tranny, they didn't bolt down the power-steering line. And also pointed out that a noise I was having was coming from a motor-mount. Took van back up to Kia. Showed them the power-steering line, and the clunking sound. They agreed it's probably a motor-mount, so I have an appointment to have them look at that after I get back. He said it shouldn't cause any problems in the meantime.
Question: There ARE some "performance" brake products available for Sedonas, believe it or not. "BrakeWorld" offers some performance rotors and some "OEM" I assume would not be from Kia's normal supplier or Kia's own.
Performance are "pricey" but since Kia obvioiusly isn't going to cover their obviously faulty parts, maybe it would be worth it - $295 US v. $170 per pair for their OEM.
They have some Rotex pads for $68 a set.
Anyone have any experience with after-market or performance brake parts on a Sedona? I'm not advertising BrakeWorld or anyone else. I've never dealt with them. I'm open to other sources. (NAPA doesn't offer anything for a 2005 Sedona yet.)
There's really no sense paying to have a Kia dealer put crap OEM Kia parts back on a Sedona, I don't think. The very weight of the van is likely the problem Kia engineers couldn't handle, or more likely their marketing people refused to handle. I think they simply under-engineered the brakes on these tanks.
Does anyone know if the braking system was changed at all in terms of part numbers etc. from 2002 - 2005? Wouldn't surprise me if parts are the same for all model years of the first-generation Sedona.
The very weight of the van is likely the problem Kia engineers couldn't handle, or more likely their marketing people refused to handle. I think they simply under-engineered the brakes on these tanks.
Engineering, or perhaps design?
I don't think ours is the only Sedona whose OEM brakes lasted many many miles. I am amazed we still have the original brakes, and still performing fine, at 62,000+ miles on our 2002 Sedona.
I think the braking system was probably OVER-engineered, not under-engineered. I.e., the parts used are fairly heavy duty and good quality. Perhaps it is the DESIGN that is the problem, not the engineering? Something not fitting together quite right or something like that - I'd consider that a design issue. Or maybe it is a parts quality issue?
For our brakes to last so long on such a heavy vehicle, the parts on our van MUST be good quality. Right? The same reasoning could be used to conclude that the parts are of poor quality on a van whose rotors warp after 5,000 miles.
Heck, maybe there's really no difference between 'engineering' and 'design' in the world of automobiles.
Wasted almost two hours of work time for what should have been a 10 minute check WITH AN APPOINTMENT. Some consideration could be made that the service folks decided after reading the "check engine" code that it was indeed the fuel system pressure warning, then decided to change the EGR canister valve since it's the only thing they claim they hadn't changed yet. (Odd they should have such an item in stock unless it's a common problem huh?)
Well, they gave back the van to my wife and I waited in my car until she cleared the parking lot - experience dictates it ain't gonna be right.
Light was not on when she started it. Came on when she drove it less than 200 yards in the parking lot.
They took it back in with much shrugging of shoulders and scratching of heads with some muttering amongst them of having "someone higher" look at it. Nice. Got an '04 Sedona loaner with low miles and high cigarette smoke odor, but hey, it is a loaner and I appreciate that. It's also a van like the one we took in, and that is very considerate. No claim of exactly when we might see our Sedona again, but if it's "never" and there is just compensation, we wouldn't mind, just so they don't offer another Kia.
They did agree, too, since they will have it for a while, to check the brakes and rotors to see if they might just be out of spec. Service boss told us the brakes WOULD be covered inside 12 months. We've had it seven. That is good to get the "check" on record I guess, even if they say there's no problem they can find. I will demand such a statement on the service receipt.
The service boss was very nice and I can't fault him at all.
I also asked about the "severe use" service intervals and the service boss assured me that we and probably every other owner of a Sedona who actually drives it anywhere would be best to service it under the "Severe Use" guidelines or risk having no warranty coverage. That means oil and filter changes at 3000 miles folks. I have a pamphlet I picked up there, "Take Care Of Your Kia #2". It advises for Spectra, Amanti, Sportage, SEDONA, Sorento (I guess all the V-6s?): "Kia recommends that the oil and filter be changed ever 3000 miles or 3 months, which ever occurs first."
I have always done my oil changes in any vehicle on that schedule, so that's no issue. But the OTHER service intervals are also moved up considerably on the "Severe Use" schedule.
Be aware and be warned.
RE: "Engineering v. Design". I'm a retired quality and research engineer in industry/design/assembly. "Design" and "Engineering" are the same. Engineers design. "Styling" is something different. The quality of individual parts should be uniformly inside the same drawing specifications so that parts of the same number should all perform the same. The assembly should be uniform within quality guidelines as well, as should performance. Quality audits and consumer feedback should pinpoint problems pretty early. NO problem should ever go on for four years in a high-volume product! :lemon:
Quality audits and consumer feedback should pinpoint problems pretty early. NO problem should ever go on for four years in a high-volume product!
>>
unless the economic advantage of not fixing a problem or management dictates otherwise.
So far, the "Check Engine" light stays out.
AND - they test-drove the van (yes, there were suitable miles on it) and agreed that the front brake rotors were warped. They may have still been "in spec" but the service folk didn't argue and instead had the rotors turned and replaced the pads. For free! Called it a warranted repair!
Some might be tempted to claim they should have replaced the rotors, but I think turning them is a perfectly acceptable repair and one I would choose if paying for such work out of warranty. In fact, I've done it many times and I'm driving two other vehicles with turned rotors right now - done on my dollar.
I can't fault this latest service and told the dealer manager so.
We'll see how it goes from here.
This Sedona is really a very nice van, especially for the money. I'd sure love to work through the nagging problems with this model.
I did have the shifter sensor replaced and the chip in the seat buckle for the Airbag. Both are working. I even noticed that my airbag signal again blinks and my hazzard triangle in the middle of my dash is working again. They still have not fixed the stereo because they are saying they can't find the issue. I'll have to keep 'resetting' it till they do see it! So far ALL my repairs have been covered under warranty with no arguements. With all that has been done they could have replaced it. They haven't made a dime on my car.
Pls see my message 1167. It's long....I had the same problems. Mine is a lemon but i can't claim it as that since Kia has replaced all parts under warranty...Slow speeds, highway speeds and going down steep hills the car vibrated and shook violently. (We travel through NY and Penn and those highways are steep in some places) After working with Kia Northeast ( I had a case number opened) directly since 3 weeks after my car started with brake problems till almost a yr and a half later there is a service bulliten out for the pin in the master cyclinder being too long and causing the vibration problems you are talking about. I too have had roters and brake pads replaced twice. Both times under warranty and reimbursed by Kia through the dealer for the pads.(The dealer told me my pads were fine when they changed the rotors and then on the second set of rotors told me i'd have to pay for the pads. Thier mistake not mine for not doing thier job.) Kia actually called me after reviewing my brake problems and told me a service bulletin would be released regarding this problem. They called my dealer to discuss the course of action to take with it. You might want to discuss this with your dealer. If they tell you they haven't seen the bulletin, let Kia know directly. Good Luck.
This bulletin went out late Nov early Dec. I was contacted by Kia after my problem on Nov 14th. I have talked with other dealers who have said they have not heard of the problem or the bulletin. That is where a case # and Kia came in to help. Keep me posted...
No, that isn't normal. It might be something as simple as needing to get your computer reprogrammed that controls your tranny, or it could be tranny problems.
I'd get the 60k service done early (which changes the fluid) and observe to see if I had still had problems before the warantee expires.
Congrats on the brake life...you must not ride your brakes!
The dealership told me the had performed an emission test on it back in Oct 05 ( I have a copy of the printout) saying everything passed with flying colors.
Anyways, just wanting to tell other people in the same condition to just get a lemon lawyer. Yes,it takes time, but I for one, was not going to let Kia of America get the best of me.
Thanks for listining :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
1) The power driver side door was not closing properly. The door would occasionally stop 3/4 of the way and re-open the door. Usually after two tries, the door would close. The dealer adjusted the track and now everything is just fine.
2) The driver side heated seat light behind the dashboard blew out. Apparently the light is somehow tied into the switch and the whole thing has to be replaced. Since the vehicle is so new, the dealer has no stock on the item and had to be ordered.
3) I addressed the fact that the doors do not automatically lock and that there may be an option to program this. The dealer does not know enough about the van since it is brand new and said they will look into it. I would assume if there is an option, it would be similar to the Sonata's autolocking feature at about 15mph.
That is all I have to report on the van so far. If anyone has interest in buying one and has any questions, feel free to ask me. :shades:
Kia had wanted to settle with me three months ago when they first found out I had a lemon law lawyer. Somehow, they figured out 8 monthly ( my car payment) payments should shut me up !! It'snot about the money, I want a safe vehicle and I can tell you, this Kia Sedona is not a safe vehicle to be driving. Like I said, I already had the independent master mechanic inspect the van. I have advised my lawyer that Kia shouldn't be able to do any more inspecting of the van, the mechanics they pay tomake the repairs should be enough for them,otherwise, if they have BETTER mechanics hidden somewhere, they should be doing the work rather than the inspecting. I have refused to acccept an exchange vehicle and will only accept a cash buy back. My lawyer feels we have a 99% chance. For anyone considering going the lemon law route, stick with it,it will work. If Kia has to buy back enough units, maybe they will make better cars with better materials.
ALL I KNOW IS I NEED A SAFE VEHICLE!!!!!