Kia Reviews

We paid $36,000 when we bought the car brand new the year before. I complained to KIA that the vehicle design was defective if so much damage could be caused by a minor collision. I asked for some kind of reimbursement for the repairs but they refused. If I had submitted a claim to my insurance company they probably would have canceled the insurance after they paid out because of the insane high cost of repairing this vehicle. Had we known how fragile this car is we would never had bought it. For $17000 we could have bought a decent used car! Since Kia refused to protect the consumer in this case. I wanted to warn people not to make the same mistake as we did in buying this car.

Timeline of Issues. 1. March 28–April 27, 2022 – Service Negligence Creating a Safety Hazard. After a routine service appointment (oil change and sunroof motor replacement), the dealership failed to reattach a critical clip securing the front passenger wheel well liner. On April 14, the liner detached while I was driving with my daughter in the car, lodging between the tire and axle and triggering the ABS light. This was a direct safety hazard caused by negligence. Despite numerous messages left with the dealership, no one called me back until I escalated the matter to Kia Corporate on April 18. The vehicle was eventually towed and repaired by April 27, yet I was denied a loaner vehicle and left without transportation to get to work and home.

• Loud exhaust/catalytic converter noise (warranty repair)

These failures — combined with delayed repairs, lack of transparency, and no loaner availability — significantly impacted my daily life and eroded confidence in the vehicle’s long-term reliability or even Kia's care for consumers.

3. January–May 2025 – Engine Failure, Warranty Issues & Misleading Communication. In early 2025, I received a letter from Kia regarding a potential engine warranty extension due to a coolant leak. Soon after, I began experiencing coolant smell and burning oil. Rick Case Kia (Duluth, GA) confirmed a faulty head gasket on February 17, 2025.

While the engine replacement was covered under warranty, I was told I must pay $1,700 out-of-pocket for a radiator and hoses — or lose warranty coverage on the new engine. This is unreasonable given that Kia had already acknowledged the defect and the oil that mixed with the coolant in radiator was due to the head gasket failure.

Important details: I clearly told Service Manager Joshua ** and Service Advisor Wesley ** that I did not have $1,700 for repairs caused by a known defect. I was told Kia “approved everything.” Communication then ceased for weeks. On April 16, Wesley stated again that Kia “approved everything” and that there was nothing else I needed to worry about. Suddenly, on May 1st, I was told I now owed $1,000 — without any written breakdown of parts or labor. I later discovered that my invoice stated repairs would be completed at no charge under goodwill authorization, yet I still paid $595 out of pocket. This was a nearly three-month ordeal (February–May), during which I was without a vehicle and received inconsistent, misleading communication from dealership staff. I did not receive a loaner until March 11, with a return date of March 24 — despite Kia holding my car for weeks with no update.

4. November 2025 – New Transmission Issue & Lack of Proper Diagnosis. In November, I began experiencing a hard “jump” on acceleration. Kia Mall of Georgia diagnosed the car as needing a transmission replacement — after driving one mile and checking for codes in which none were found. No thorough diagnostic procedures were performed, but I was told by advisor Junior that tech came to conclusion that transmission needed to be replaced, when I specifically requested:

• Printout of ALL current, pending, and historic codes.

During this review, I discovered that the vehicle had a prior transmission issue on May 18, 2018 (Issue SA337/8 YG Transmission Gear Shift – Dealer Code GA073). This was not disclosed on the CARFAX I received when purchasing the vehicle in July of 2020 nor is it disclosed on the CARFAX app that I regularly check because I'm obsessed with cars and car information. This omission is deceptive and will also be escalated to the appropriate consumer authorities. As of now I'm left with a harsh decision to make between paying $5,000 for a new transmission or disappointing my kids for Christmas, in which my kids will be here until I die while this kia has already showed me it's not here for the long run without costing me a bunch of money.

Consumer Expectations & Requested Resolution. I purchased this vehicle based on Kia’s reputation for safety and reliability. My experience has been the exact opposite. After years of mechanical failures, safety incidents, warranty confusion, and poor dealer support, my trust in Kia has been severely damaged. I was previously planning to purchase a Kia Telluride, but that decision is now on hold pending Kia’s resolution of this matter.

At this point, I am requesting the following:

1. Full coverage — by Kia — of all repairs related to the head gasket failure, radiator, and hoses, with reimbursement of the $595 I paid out of pocket despite “no charge” being documented.

2. Immediate provision of a loaner vehicle for the full duration of all pending repairs, including transmission evaluation or replacement.

• Steps Kia will take to prevent this from happening to other customers

I have documented all incidents with photos, videos, and written communication. If needed, I am fully prepared to escalate this matter to state and federal consumer protection agencies, pursue arbitration where applicable, and share my experience publicly. I am requesting a prompt response and a resolution that reflects Kia’s stated commitment to safety, transparency, and customer satisfaction. Sincerely, Kevin ** 2017 Kia Cadenza SXL VIN: **

After all of that, my car was recently stolen successfully, and now I’m forced to deal with insurance, rental costs, and gaps in coverage — all because Kia sold me a vehicle that criminals specifically target due to poor manufacturing and lack of basic anti-theft features. Even worse, these issues are happening after the class-action settlement deadline, meaning people like me are left with NO help, no compensation, and no accountability from Kia.

I live alone. I work hard. I should not have to constantly fear that my car will be stolen again or that my insurance company will drop me just because Kia refuses to take responsibility for the vehicles they made. Kia has failed me at every step — in safety, in quality, and in support for victims of these ongoing thefts. I need Kia to take responsibility and provide a real resolution for owners who are still suffering long after the settlement. This is unacceptable and unfair, and I refuse to stay silent about it.

• And most recently, my car was successfully stolen, adding even more trauma, expenses, and instability to my life.

What makes this even worse is Kia’s response. When I reached out for help, hoping they would take accountability, I was basically told to “handle it with my insurance.” That felt like a slap in the face. Why should my insurance company — or my future premiums — be punished because Kia released cars that are so poorly designed they became nationwide targets? I’m only 23. I should not have to jeopardize my relationship with my insurance company or face long-term financial consequences because of a defect Kia created and continues to downplay. I have tried to do everything the right way. I bought my car brand new. I followed their recalls. I maintained it. And yet I am the one left paying the emotional and financial price while Kia avoids real accountability.

At this point, I just want someone at Kia to finally acknowledge the hardship their negligence has caused and provide a meaningful resolution — not dismissive instructions to “call your insurance.” Kia, do better. Your customers deserve better. Buying my Kia BRAND NEW was supposed to give me peace of mind. Instead, it has brought me nothing but fear, financial pressure, and constant stress. I haven’t even touched base about the poor customer service at Kia America…

I live 2 1/2 hours away. The reason I'm told for the delay, as a warranty paid customer of $4181.00, I am not a priority, and that it is tire season, so do not buy a car or a warranty from Kia. I have never dealt with such poor customer service ever in my 50 years of driving and owning vehicles. This is my first Kia and it will be my last. I'm actually planning a trade in after the new year, as I'm fed up with this company. I had also spoke with Corporate and was told they would follow up and get back to me. Well that was a lie. No one followed up.

The service manager is and was very rude not wanting to try to at least do a diagnostic as he had verbal diarrhea as to the priority of tire season has on someone that lives remote, and older woman who has medical appointments in Thunder Bay with no way to get there, and has paid $4181.00 for a warranty that I am having issues getting the service and repairs. Kia fails totally on all aspects of customer service, and the warranty. 3 WEEKS I HAVE WAITED. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I used my life savings buying this kia off the showroom floor. I filed a lemon law claim with the kia, it went into mediation and I have been advised my claim is rejected. A neutral third-party technical expert was sent to my home by kia on 10/24/25. He did an extensive inspection, drove it for 5 miles. And his recommendation was it needed a new transmission. It is under warranty, I even purchased three extended warranties and it sits in the garage.