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Kia Sedona problems

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Comments

  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    exactly my point. it would be negligent to design, fabricate and sell a vehicle where lines were compromised due to environmental factors such as the application of salt or sand to road surfaces.

    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.
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    OK - I pulled up the 2005 Warranty from the Kia website and converted the PDF to text so I could copy and paste it here. Notice the Bolded paragraph below. They don't cover damage caused by salt.

    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
  • beyond_helpbeyond_help Member Posts: 110
    so let them prove it was salt, they are just assuming it was

    as far as i am concerned it was just inferior parts
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    ok is that an exclusion for the underbody and all components, or for panel rust through?
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    It looked like a general exclusion for all components. You can check page 8 of the warranty located at:
    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.
  • spectramanspectraman Member Posts: 255
    It looked like a general exclusion for all components. You can check page 8 of the warranty located at:
    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
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    "so let them prove it was salt, they are just assuming it was

    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.
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    Kia USA called me back today in response to my case I logged on their website. The rep (Steve) said that the lines weren't covered because they were rusted and because I live in New York State where they use salt. So I told him that apparently Kia's warranty wasn't any good if I drove my Kia in the snow. To which he replied that the warranty spells out the "natural" conditions that would cause the item not to be covered under warranty, specifically salt. So unless you live where it doesn't snow or rain acid rain, you shouldn't drive your Kia and expect it to be covered under warranty! :(
  • spectramanspectraman Member Posts: 255
    T2:

    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
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    Thanks for the info. I've submitted using that link. We'll see what happens.
  • ne03sedonane03sedona Member Posts: 15
    hi again. Oh boy, seems like I started a mess thread here. I had no idea that I was not alone with this problem. I have a few more cents to add. First to the poster who had this fixed, then blew cold air. I too had cold air when I initially did the repair. I was very worried that I created an air bubble in the rear core. However, after driving a test drive, maybe 20 min. I got up to full heat temp and all was fine, hot air once again. I assume the heat pressure worked it's way through the lines. ??? Everythings been fine since, although in the spring I plan on doing a FULL under carriage corrosion inspection on my own, so I don't get caught in winter again!
    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.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    *thats* an interesting observation. not an expert but, what happens when you have two dissimilar metals and a salt solution? a battery! as a kid, i used to build stacks of them using multiple layers of pennies, paper toweling, tin foil (repeat), attaching wires at the extremes of the stack, and placing it in a salt solution.

    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.
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    Well - my Sedona 2002 EX is back at the dealer today. I've put over 150 miles on it since they changed the lines, and it's still blowing cold air in the back. They said they probably need to "burp" it some more. We'll see. Actually, this past weekend, my Father said the exact same thing about the dissimilar metals. Seems like that is the problem. The new lines definitely look like a different design to me. I think they know they have a problem. By the way, I did submit an entry on the Korean Headquarters Link. I'm not sure how their website routing works, but I ended up getting a call back from the same guy that called my from Kia USA the first time. So it looks like I can't get any further response from Kia (at least at this point). One of our local news stations does a "Your Stories" segment where they look into things brought up by the viewers. I may try that route and draw some attention to the fact that Kias that are driven on salted roads aren't covered under warranty!

    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
  • natta1natta1 Member Posts: 11
    I have grown to believe that Consumer Reports is great at rating vaccum cleaners but I don't buy into their automobile ratings any longer. I bought our 1998 Passat based largely on what the magazine had to say about it. It was fun to drive but turned out to be a maintenance nightmare. Borderline lemon in every major category. In many cases Kia has progressed much more than their editors have been willing to concede. For example, they call the gas mileage on the Sedona/Sorento abysmal but continue to highly praise similar vehicles that barely exceed the Kia vehicles' mileage. They refuse to recommend the new Spectra because of it's offset crash rating. This test was conducted with a 2004.5 airbag design that has since been modified by Kia. If they have changed their Spectra stance based upon this new design I haven't read about it. I don't believe they have an agenda, they're just closed minded.
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    After having a Plymouth Voyager for 10 yrs with 300 thousand miles on it wiht no problems really, i traded it in for a 2004 Sedona EX. It now has 35 thousand miles. 3 weeks after I bought it the CD player completely died. It was replaced and has been replaced twice more since. It's in the shop again because the CD player keeps quiting and I get a plastic fan noise behind the player when i shut it off. I still say there is an electrical problem somewhere. My airbag light came on a few weeks ago. It's in the shop getting a chip replaced in the seat belt latch. We'll see if that works. My tires were low on air also. Its the brand. I have 4 new goodyears on it and have no problems now. My car has been trouble since 3 weeks into having it. 3 months into having it i had trouble with the speedometer reving or just not working. After 4 months of changing the computer boards, front panel with the spedometer and other things turned out it was the speed sensor on the engine. I tried to tell the dealer but they wouldn't listen after I researched the internet for the problem. Kia paid for a rental for the 4 months of trouble and they also paid one of my car payments. They also paid for my 15 thousand mile check up. I have had the right front passenger seat replaced after the electronics stopped working. Its in the shop now to get the selonoid changed in the shifter. When i step on the break in park and let go you can hear the pulley inside. Since 3 weeks after buying the car my brakes were wrong. The car would shake when i stepped on them at high speeds on the highway or going down a hill. They replaced warped roters twice and my brake pads the second time. I am being reimbursed by Kia for the brake pads because in the year of having the problem and the dealer not being able to fix it, it was found that on some sedonas the master cylinder pin is too long and needs to be replaced. Mine was checked and changed and is all set now. Problems continue however Kia warranty has paid everything up to now. Even the body work. When the car was in for the spedometer problem it was winter. The dealer took it out to test drive and back the right rear quarter panel into a pole. Took them 3 months to get the body work completed to my satisfaction but I didn't pay a thing. Only problem now is i have to travel 40 miles to the dealer because no other KIA dealer will touch it. I guess i am paying for 10 years of owning a Voyager with no problems at all.
  • vannervanner Member Posts: 47
    "like":

    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.
  • beyond_helpbeyond_help Member Posts: 110
    quote from, vanner

    "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 !
  • beyond_helpbeyond_help Member Posts: 110
    if you can not get past the dealer and the area rep try this

    send a letter to,Kia customer service, 9801 Muirlands Blvd.,
    Irvine, CA 92619

    see what happens
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    2002 Sedona EX - about 40,900 miles
    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.
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    Yes this is a US car.....your braking problem sounds like the orgional problem i had after 3 weeks. Let me know what they find...Good Luck.
  • vannervanner Member Posts: 47
    Van goes into service this afternoon. I hope they will at least look at the warped brake rotors so they can tell me they aren't under warranty without stifling a laugh. they will have to "order" a fuel pressure sensor like the "did" before (Ha Ha!).

    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.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    "NAPA doesn't offer anything for a 2005 Sedona yet."

    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.
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    I got pads and rotors at NAPA for my 2002 Sedona EX. I think the rotors were 57.99 each and the pads were about 47.00. Ironically, the Rotors were made in the USA. My friend bought rotors for his chevy truck the same day, and they were made in China!
  • vannervanner Member Posts: 47
    Well, here's what went down at the Kia Store service appointment.

    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:
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    >>
    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.
  • killerkkillerk Member Posts: 55
    Jim93, could you provide more details on how you did the repair? What parts did you purchase? Thx.
  • vannervanner Member Posts: 47
    Got the Sedona back today. The service guys replaced the fuel system pressure sensor module, for the second time on this car. (Maybe?)

    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.
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    Finally after 3 months got my reimbursement check from the dealer for replacing my front brake pads after they told me they were perfectly fine when they replaced the warped rotors the first time and I had questioned them on replacing the pads. Only problem is this...the check the dealer was suppose to cut should have been for 198 and it is made out for 109. Fortunately Kia Headquarters in the Northeast called me and called the dealer and the dealer now agrees to reimburse me the rest of the money owed.(Which they should have done in the first place since the 198 is what they were reimbursed from Kia directly) Leave it to the dealer to try and short change me.
    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.
  • robbnvarobbnva Member Posts: 1
    This hapens almost everytime I make a sharp right turn. The car drives fine and has been ever since this started more than a month ago. I really don't have the time to go to the dealership because I haven't noticed any other problems, but I am just trying to figure out what may be causing this problem. Any ideas?
  • 97xpresso97xpresso Member Posts: 249
    Your pads/shoes are wearing, causing wheel brake cylinders to expand more, thus dropping the brake fluid in the master cylinder resevoir. When you make a sharp turn, the float detects low fluid. Don't just top off the fluid without checking the condition of the pads/shoes first. When new pads/shoes are installed, the fluid comes back up anyway.
  • looielooie Member Posts: 5
    I have been going over several postings about the KIA Sedona. Mine is a 2005 and just turned 1 YEAR OLD! In this one year period the front rotors and pads have been replaced TWICE! Only 19,000 miles and three sets of rotors and brake pads. Three complete brake jobs makes me think I should not have purchased this vehicle! Is anyone else having the same problem? The shuddering and vibration would mostly occur slowing down after traveling at a higher speed (speed limit) and if not taken care of right away would also occur at lower speeds them slowing down. I wonder if this is going to turn into a "lemon"? Something is obviously causing this to keep happening and whatever it is makes it very inconvenient as a customer. Another problem we had happen was while we were on vacation in North Carolina in August - THE AIR CONDITIONING WENT! Luckily we found a dealership down there who was very cordial to us and made the repair for us. We reported it to our own dealership when we returned home. I must admit our own dealership has been very kind as far as our brake repairs so far. Will be interested how many others may be having the same problem!
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    FWIW: not owning a Kia myself, sounds like the OEM rotors and pads need to be replaced by something of better quality if you can find something aftermarket. perhaps with what Kia is putting on their vehicles from their supplier, even slight over-torquing of the lug-nuts may be causing the rotors to deform or something. a set per 10K is incredible.
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    Hi Looie,

    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.
  • looielooie Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the information. I will definately pursue some type of action. When was (or will) this service bulletin sent out? I know what you mean about doing the "lemon law" thing because the dealership keeps replacing the parts under warranty supposedly "fixing the problem" (as we both know isn't getting fixed). I will get in contact with my dealer as soon as possible. I will also get a case number. Once again, THANKS for replying. Looie
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    Hi Looie,
    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...
  • danandlindanandlin Member Posts: 2
    At 27000 miles I had the transmission serviced on my 2003 Sedona due to the transmission shifting hard at 45 to 60 mph. I now have 52000 miles on it and on a recent trip to New Orleans I had over a dozen hard shifts between 45 and 70 mph. Most of our mileage is highway miles between here and Florida. (I still have the original brake pads.)I'm sure the dealer will again recommend that the transmission be serviced at a cost of $140+ dollars. I'm almost 60, and have never had this type of problem on any other car I've ever had. Is this normal for this transmission? When the tranny shifts hard like it does, it's hard to believe that there isn't some damage being done.
  • navyairnavyair Member Posts: 202
    Danandlin,

    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!
  • bpgungirlbpgungirl Member Posts: 15
    I haven't postedhere for a couple of months,but have some good news,I think !! I have a 2005 Sedona and have been having problems since day one. After 6 trips to the service department for breaks,rear hub noises (after being replaced under recall)musty smelling and extremely loud A/C and bad gas milage (avg 12 MPG)the service advisor told me NOT to bring it back there for the same problems anymore, according to Kia Tech, everything was normal. Well folks, this got my dander up. I contacted a Lemon Law Lawyer immediately, forget the arbitration bull. Yesterday, my vehicle was inspected (required in a lemon law suit)by a Master Mechanic. I was shocked !! He found more problems with the van than I knew about. One being some sort of emission problem (causing bad mileage perhaps) and saying that this unit WOULD NOT pass a smog test today here in Ca. This unit has just under 5,100. Along with what I showed him as problems, and what he found in his testing, I have about 9 or 10 problems.
    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:
  • wolfman1192wolfman1192 Member Posts: 11
    I have had the van since Jan 7th and my wife and I absolutely love this van!! I just brought it in for service for a few minor problems:

    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:
  • flutterbygalflutterbygal Member Posts: 2
    I am new here, but let me tell you, you can do the lemon law. I lived in NC when I had my brakes repaired 12 times. Kia admitted it was a lemon. It was 2005 Sedona. It doesn't matter how many times they fixed it under warranty. They did mine 12 times, and I hired a NC Lemon Law atty. Kia bought back my Sedona. They will yours too. THey just try to scare you into not doing it. Email me at mooseann@earthlink.net for more info and I will be glad to tell you how I did it. I want to help anyone because I almost had a wreck because of the brakes. Don't let them screw you. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
  • flutterbygalflutterbygal Member Posts: 2
    Its me the newbie again. Befoer Kia bought back mine, they inspected it and it passed. THen the independent agency that handled the buyback did an inspection and they could not believe that Kia issued me an inspection sticker renewal. I hope you get yours taken care of. Let me know please what happens. :lemon:
  • bpgungirlbpgungirl Member Posts: 15
    Flutterbygal,
    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.
  • looielooie Member Posts: 5
    Glad I checked the postings tonight. Please let me know how you went about proceeding with the lemon law. There are really more problems than just the brakes! SCARY! Thanks for letting me know. Looie
  • looielooie Member Posts: 5
    :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
    ALL I KNOW IS I NEED A SAFE VEHICLE!!!!!
  • leefarmleefarm Member Posts: 14
    wow i must have been lucky or all of you have been unlucky with the brakes. on our 04 we had 62202 miles on our first set of brake pads and still had 1/4 left. and i have to tell you we are NOT easy on the brakes.. .. :P but since we lost our 04 due to ICE ... we are getting a new 2006 sedona and we hope it's brakes will last as long as our o4 has. :)
  • looielooie Member Posts: 5
    Two nights ago I sent an email all about my KIA sedona. I wasn't even sure where it was going! When I finished typing everything up and clicked on send, the message disappeared - I thought I lost it so I shut my computor off. Very early this afternoon I get a phone call from someone in Arizona! It was a KIA representative saying I emailed him! I now have a case number and when I get my van into the dealership, he directed me to have them call him at a certain number and just mention the case number. From there they would discuss the Sedona and its problems. I know it will take some time to get things resolved. I will keep you posted. Looie
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    Glad to hear it Looie. My van was back in the shop again on Tues and Wed. For the second time I had to have the rear bearing and hub assemblies replaced. (These are under recall) I started hearing humming from the right rear and knew exactly what it was. Those were replaced under warranty AGAIN! They also for the 2nd time replaced the front disc brakes. Again under warranty. Thursday i got a follow up call from my rep at Kia Northeast to see what was going on. A second half of a reimbursement check i am to recieve from the dealership for making me pay for brake pads that were replaced because of warped roters still has not arrived. My Kia rep told me they had talked to the Service Manager and the Proprietor of the dealership to see what was holding up the completed reimbursement. Long story short, the service manager lied that he spoke to me 2 days ago and told me the check was " in the mail". Kia is not happy with the run around and has involved higher up to deal with the issues I am having with this dealership. They now have had to deal with I have been dealing with for the past 18mths. Not sure where it will end up but i'll keep you posted. :)
  • razzle67razzle67 Member Posts: 2
    OH MY GOSH, my husband and I are having the same problem! Our Sedona is about a year old and we are taking it in for the second time for brake/rotor problems tommorow. The dealership told us KIA doesn't cover brakes rotors and made us pay for the last repair. My dad is a brake and rotor/suspension specialist for a NASCAR Nextel Cup team and told me yesterday that they are full of it that the brakes and rotors shouldn't go bad. I am so glad I found this site and your message! Our dealership wired our hitch wrong and shorted out the whole electrical unit and it had to be replaced too. :mad: :lemon:
  • kensthoughtskensthoughts Member Posts: 1
    I just replaced the front brakes and rotors on my 2002 Kia Sedona EX. With 45,000 miles, this is the first brake work that has been done. My question is after replacing the front brakes and rotors are ther any adjustments that need to be made to the brake system?
  • likellehlikelleh Member Posts: 35
    Razzle, you need to call Kia and get a case # for your problems. I have had the roters replaced twice, the disc brakes twice and i was even reimbursed for brake pads that weren't changed with the rotors the first time! Read my entries going back a few about all the brake problems i have had since 3 weeks into having the car. There is even a service notice regarding the pin in the Master Cylinder being too long in some Sedonas causing problems that most dealers don't have a clue about. I have been lucky that all my repairs have been covered under warranty and my Kia rep has worked well in resolving my problems. Keep us posted. :)
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