Kia Reviews

So from May of 2005 to now (March 2008) here is the list of things that have gone wrong with this vehicle. Replaced two transmissions, new battery (left me stranded 4 times...took it to Kia who said nothing was wrong with it), replaced the head light on the drivers side twice now, the dome light work every once in awhile, the drivers side speaker goes out several time a month, have had to replace the horn, still waiting to have the float in the gas tank replaced because about the time the gas gauge hits a hair under a quarter tank the gauge arm drops and says I'm on empty, the back drivers side door opens so hard like it is rusted shut and now last week I had to have the clutch plate replaced ($280 part).

I called Kia from the place where I ended up when the clutch went out and aksed if the clutch was under waranty and was told that the clutch and all its working parts only had a 12 thousand mile/12 month waranty. I was then told that he could get a tow truck to me for $66 but it wouldn't be able to get me for 45 minutes or so. I asked him if I was going to get a loaner car because all we have is the Kia and a Motor cycle and I have a job and kids I need a running vehicle for. I was told We don't do loaner cars, sorry!

I Looked in my rear view mirror and seen three tow trucks and a repair shop behind me so I walked over there and asked if they could tow me to the Kia dealer. They told me yes for $55 but asked what the problem was. I told them it was the clutch. They asked if it was under waranty and I said no. They said they could save me money on labor and would come across the street and move the Kia for nothing. At this point after so may bad experiences with Kia I said ok. This home town auto repair shop told me what they thought the problem was and called me later that day and told me they had been wrong and would not be charging me for the work because they had misdiagnosed the clutch.

They told me what the problem was and I would have had it back the same day except that I had to go order the clutch assembly from KIA...you can't get parts from anyone BUT Kia. They did get it overnighted to me, for a $16 fee (on top of the $280 for the part). When I got the Kia back from this home town repair shop, the mechanic told me this...I have been doing this (being a mechanic) for a few Decades and I can't prove it but I beleive when Kia put your last transmission in they damaged the clutch plate. The mechanic gave me the old parts and showed me (not that it wasn't obvious) the damage to the clutch plate. He also said that the rest of the clutches working parts looked almost new.

We went with the Kia because of the GREAT WARANTY AND GREAT SERVICE WE WERE PROMISED. NONE of which has been true!!!! We have had nothing but problems with the Kia and their Great Customer Service SUCKS!!!! I am disgusted with this company and everything they Pretend to stand for. It's nothing but LIES!!!! Guess we should have went with our first instinct and gotten the Saturn, GM rarely lets you down!!!! If I could go back and make them take the Kia back I would GLADLY take back my 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix!!!!

While my car was still under warranty, I purchased an extended warranty from Century Warranty (Contract Number 37986759 Phone numbers 866-732-8503 & 954-429-2146) because I could not afford to buy a new car, and I had planned to keep my car for long time. On December 05 2007, I took my car in to KIA of Union City Georgia because it was overheating. The Manager David told me that I needed a new thermostat. When I was told how much it would cost to install the thermostat, I informed the service person that I had a new one installed a few months ago when KIA replaced my radiator and replaced a gasket on the motor. So the thermostat was installed with no cost to me. I returned to the dealership that same day when I saw that the tempter gage was close to the heat side again. I was told by the technician that was normal.

On December 18 2007, I took the car back in because it was overheating. I was told by the technician that the settings on the defrost, air vent, and my crack windshield was causing the car to overheat. The technician adjusted the gage and told me to keep them on that exact setting. On January 09 2008, I had AAA toll my car to KIA of Union City Georgia because it was overheating, and I was afraid to drive it. At this time, the manager David reminded me what the technician had told me. He had a technician examine my car and told me that I might think about getting a new water pump. He said that it was not leaking but making rumbling sounds. I immediately stated that I wanted them to put a new water pump in the car. I gave them the information for Century Warranty so that they could call and get the work pre-approved. I waited along time before David finally told me that he would not waste anymore of my time, and he would call me once he had gotten in touch with Century Warranty.

On January 25th, 2008, I took my car back to KIA of Union City Georgia because it was overheating. After David had the technician examine my car, I was told that I needed a new water pump. I asked David what was taking them so long to approve the water pump. He stated that every time he called, he got a voicemail. So I called Century Warranty myself, on my cell phone, and was able to get a hold of someone right away. At this time, David stated that he had also gotten in touch with them also.

They had approved the repair. He stated that he had to order the part and would contact me as soon as the water pump came in. On January 30th, I had AAA toll my car back to KIA of Union City Georgia because my car started overheating again and stalled on me. On January 31st, I called KIA to see whether or not my water pump had come in. I was told yes, and that Century Warranty would pay for a renter car for one day while the water pump was being installed. When I called back to see whether or not my car was ready, David told me that my car was not yet ready. I told him I was taking to renter car back. He assured me that the car would be ready on Friday February 1st.

I informed David that I was going home to South Bend Indiana in order to attend my uncles funeral. David stated that the car would be waiting for me when I returned. On Monday February 4th, I called to inform one of the service people that I was coming in to put up my car. She hesitated for a second, then she put the technician on the phone. He informed me that the motor was blown. He also stated that I should have parked the car when I found out that the water pump was leaking. I told him that David, the manager, never told me that the water pump was leaking. I also informed him that every time I brought that car in, David never told me that I need to park the car. I also informed him that I never neglected my car. When I called back, David told me that I needed a new motor, and a representative from Century Warranty was coming out to examine the car before they would approve the repairs. David also told me that Century Warranty told him that I could rent a car while waiting for the representative to come out and examine my car, and the company would reimburse me. I do not have the money to rent a car for a day not alone a week or two.

So I have been driving my mothers car while waiting for the repair of my car. On February 06 2008, I called to see whether or not the representative from Century Warranty had come out to look at my car. David informed me that the representative from Century Warranty, name is Mr. Woodcock, had come out to look at the motor. David told me that he requested for the motor to be torn down. David stated that he had to have my approval before he could do this. He stated that if Century Warranty did not approve the repairs to my car, that I would be responsible for the $500.00 cost to do so. I was between a rock and a hard place. If I did not approve to have my motor torn down, Century Warranty would not pay for the repairs.

On Friday February 11, 2008, I called David at KIA and asked him what was going on with my car. He stated that the motor had been torn down, and the problem with the motor was the calendar head, and that he would send it out, to a tool shop on Monday February 11 2008 to determine what was wrong with it. He also told me that he would call Century Warranty and inform them what he was going to do. I informed him that I need to find something out as soon as possible because my mother needed her car back. Monday February 11, 2008, I called KIA a few time to see what the status of my car was. I was told that David was attending a funeral and would not be in today. I was also told by the service person that the motor was not torn down yet. I was also told that it took a lot of man hours, and KIA had other cars to work on, and the technician would work on my car in between other repairs.

I called back today to talk with the technician. He informed me that when representative from Century Warranty Mr. Woodcock examine my motor that he stated that the water pump had been leaking for along time. Mr. Woodcock wanted the motor torn down to find out what was the problem and whether had not I had been responsible for the damage due to neglect. I asked him why the leak had not been caught before, after the many times I had brought the car in when it was overheating.

The technician informed me that water had been elaborated before it hit the ground. So it was impossible for them to know. The technician also told me that I should have parked the car when I first noticed that it was overheating. He stated that anybody with common sense would have known better. When I explain that the manager David never told me to park the car.

The technician stated that I could not hold David accountable because it was not his job to tell me to park the car. He also stated that the reason Mr. Woodcock wanted the motor torn down was to determine what was wrong with the motor and my responsibility for the damages due to neglect. The technician also informed me that it would take him a few more days to tear down the motor and a couple of more day for the tool shop to determine what is wrong with my motor. I firmly believe that KIA is the one who is responsible and caused the damage due to neglect.

I have been taken advantage of and given the runaround. Through this experience, KIA never called me once and only returned my calls once. I believe that I should not be held responsible for the repairs of my car. As a matter of fact, KIA should give me a new car because the car must be a lemon because I had to even have the transmission replaced. I also want KIA to pay for me to get a renter car. My mom needs her car back. Again, I have been very faithful to KIA and have never neglected my car.

This problem needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

My second impact was to my driver side, sending my head thru my driver's door window. And my third and final impact was to my rear end. At no point in this accident did my safety air bags deploy, rather they abondoned me in my most needed moment. The accident involved 3 SUV vehicles, where the offending driver who had caused the accident was protected by both her front and side airbags, yet I stood alone, abandoned by the safety features which would have made a significant difference to the out-come of my well-being. When I had purchased my Kia Sorento there were many factors which determined my purchase. I was expecting my very first grandchild, making safety #1 in the matter of importance.

Well, Kia Motors is out there boasting of their 5 star rating, yet when it came down to reality I might as well have purchased a vehicle with no airbags. It's sadly one of the largest false securities in sales pitches. They tell you, that you have all these safety features, but can't demonstrate nor prove it. For all you truly know, behind that airbag panel is nothing more than empty space. I trusted in the word of the Kia Motor Corporation, and ultimately they failed me. Do they care? Acually they only care to sell me another $27,000.00, of empty promises. Since my accident that's all they've been trying to do.

One might think they would have offered to simply replace the vehicle I loss. I know Kia didn't blow that stop sign, but their vehicle failed to protect me as their sales statement promises. They say, the only way to prove that the airbags will deploy is by running it into a pole. I respond with, so do it, because my well-being, my life, the lives of my passengers...is what I value. This accident has taken from me something which i'll never have again, being the quality of my life.

I own the car sad to say or I would just return it to Kia and let them have the lemon car they sold me in the first place. Unfortunately I will have to pay for the repairs but I am going to trade it off as soon as it is fixed. Sad that hard working Americans have to put up with that kind of thing, I will never purchase another Kia vehicle ever again, nor will I trust any warranty from any car maker, they should tell you the warranty is no good when they are breathing down your neck to purchase the car instead of making it sound so wonderful!! Thank you.

They mention 199 per month, if you have a job, and 0 down. Now I don't know what kind of job you need, but I will tell you my finance option was not even in the ballpark of 199. I don't know if they purposely lure you in with this ad and then do a bait and switch. But not only did I not get the vehicle I was going in for, but they got me making the same payments on a very low end vehicle on their lot, as what I was paying on my vet. Needing something cheaper on gas, was the only consideration for going smaller, the ad was a huge factor in going Kia.

Needless to say, I do have the Kia they pushed on me, but I wont have it for long. I will keep it for a year or two, and when I dump it off, it will be as a trade in for another GM product. I have always had good and fair dealings with my GM dealer, which is why I have been purchasing GM products for the 30 years I have been buying cars.

Customer loyalty used to be a great thing for a dealer, recommendations and all. Whatever scam they seem to be running, seems to work, as I have noticed with others who post here. They make their sale, but I am sure they are losing repeat customers, in their decision to make their profits in the short term, over future profits they could have made in referrals and repeat business.

I was told on Friday, October 5, 2007, that I had to take my car that the Kia Factory people had determined that this was just a problem common to this particular type of vehicle...the Service Manager knew I was not going to accept that garbage and I refused to sign the service form....I have been lied to by this dealership, I have been treated with disrespect and all they are interested in is if I want to trade it in on a higher priced vehicle at a higher payment...I have been taken, so to speak, and to top the whole scenario off when I did drive the rattletrap 2006 Spectra that is in my name and sounds like a Mack truck with less than 11,000 miles on it, my steering was rigid and hard, the windshield washer fluid had been drained and goodness knows what other fluids were not replenished in it...so back in went to the dealer on Monday, October 8, and I was told that the fluids were as they were supposed to be...NOT.....and on top of that, my son noticed that all four of my tires had less air in them then when I took it to the dealer...at least five to six pounds less...

I feel like I have a target painted on me when I drive the car and that the dealership is not at all concerned about my safety or anyone else who might be riding with me....as a result of this mess and the fact that basically I am being told my car is fixed to the best of Kia's ability and I literally HAD to remove the vehicle from their property, I have filed Lemon Law paperwork in the State of Florida, copied same to the Attorney General and forwarded a copy to the owner of the Daytona Auto Mall Complex on I-95 in Daytona Beach...I think the rest of the car-buying public in the Central Florida area needs to know about the unreliable Kia products and the dealership in general...I am also filing a complaint with the BBB in Florida and have spoken to an attorney and have plans to contact the Problem Solvers on the local Central Florida TV stations.

Well I have not seen 40 let alone 30. I took the car back to the dealership and they hooked up a machine to it, filled it, drove it 60 miles, and filled it again. They came back with 45 mpg. Well I was surprised. They told me the route they took so after I was done I went to the same gas station, filled up, drove the same 60 miles, went back to the same gas station filled up and came out with 30 mpg. I wonder where the 15 mpg went.

I drive over 60 miles per day to school. With the way gas prices are I thought this would be a good car. I traded in a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan that got 25 mpg. I should of kept the van, at least it had more room for a family of five. I cannot get rid of the Spectra because I owe to much on it for a trade in. So I am stuck. I thought you would like to know about a very, very, very unhappy customer who will never purchase a Kia again.

I still owe many thousands of dollars and the car is junk

I wanted to bring the car back but Dorschel told me they could not do that. Their radio ad for Kias states we have cars starting at 4995. When i asked them for a comparable car they stated they had none. i paid 6995 for this piece of junk. They are deceptive plus rude. Told me I was asking for too much. They could not finance me again. I simply am requesting the same respect now that I have a problem as the day I unfortunaley walked into that place to buy a car.

So I took it to Shaver Kia, where I had purchased the vehicle, and because the warranty says that I have to take it back to where I had purchased it. So I took it to Shaver, the next morning. Got there at around 10:30 am, yet no one even talked to me until around 11:30am. So I finally talked to someone and I had to leave the car there.

I did not hear from them until about 10:30 the next morning. They said that I had to have the 30,000 mile maintenance performed, and that will solve the problem, my vehicle had around 53,000 miles on it at the time, and I already at those things done. But they said I have to do it or they would not go any further, which of course was not covered under the warrant, costing over 500.00.

I refused, and took the car back, but reluctantly had my mechanic do the same thing that they wanted me to do, at alot less money, but using KIA parts. I had the spark plugs replaced, fuel filter replaced. Check engine light still came on. My mechanic then advised me to change the ignition coil, which I did, still the check engine light still came back on.

My mechanic then did a compression test on the #4 cylinder, and found that it was below standards. So I took it back to Shaver KIA on a wednesday in February. I told them what I had done to the vehicle, and finally agreed that it should be under warranty. I dropped it off on the morning of Feb 21st. I did hear from them around 4 pm, to ask for permission for a 4 hour engine teardown, I told them yes, since it was under warranty and I wasn't paying for it, I just wanted it fixed.

I did not hear from them on Thursday or Friday, and they are closed on weekends, so I called them on Monday, then they said it should be ready by Tuesday morning, and that they would call me. Tuesday morning comes and goes and no one calls me. So again, I call them around 2:30 pm.

They said it shoud be ready in 2 to 3 hours. So 6:00 rolls around and I realised that they have not called me. So again, I call them and of course the service department is closed and they have all gone home for the night. Obviously, I was upset, so I asked for a manager, and the only thing he did was arrange for the shuttle driver to pick me up the next day so I can get my car.

So on Wednesday, Feb 28, I finally arrive at Shaver around noon, and pick up my car. It was running fine for about two hours, then around 2:00 pm the check engine light comes back on and I feel a vibration coming from the engine. So I call Shaver again and told them, they said bring it in the next morning, we will have a spot open for you. So I arrive around 8:30 am, and had to wait until 9:45am for them to tell I will have to leave it. So I left the car there again on March 1. Them saying that they would call me to tell me what is up with the car. Again two hours go by and no one has called. So I called them, and then they said I would have to leave the car for a day or two.

Friday comes around I asked when it was going to be ready, he said that they have to stop working on my car, when other cars come in. This I could not believe. So I asked to talk to the service manager, of course she was not around, and left a message for her to call me, which she never did. So monday rolls around and no one has called me. At this point I am really getting frustrated, so I called the KIA customer care line, which I thought I could at least expedite things. I told them about what was going on and he told me he would call me after he had talked to him, this was about 9:30am on Monday, March 5. he never called me back all day, and so I called him at about 4:00 pm of course he was gone for the day.

So I called back the next morning, come to find out that he never even tried to call the dealer on Monday. So Tuesday at around 4:00 pm they call me and tell me that they finally got Candace to call them back and told me something I could of done on my own if only she had called me back, they said that they needed my permission to do another 4 hour tear down.

I asked them if that was all they are going to do, they said, yes. I said I could have done that. they said well why didn't you? I said because they never return my calls. He said What do you want us to do? I said find out what is taking so long and get them to show some sense of urgency, he said we don't do that. So anyway my care was at the dealer for 4 days without anything being done on it.

So I finally talked to the service advisor, Harry and he asked about the 4 hour tear down, I said go ahead, but make sure you call me to give status on it, he said no problem. This was Tuesday, March 6, it is now Saturday March 10, and not only do I not have my car, but no one had even called me with any heads up on it.

I have to walk or take the bus everywhere I go, I am stuck waiting for them to call.

I have taken this car to Kia for repair 3 times. I was told each time that the problem did not happen for them and they told me to bring it back when it does....The final time I brought it back I told them in advance that I needed this fixed...I stop at a store or gas station and I don't risk turning the car off because of this problem. Sometimes it has taken 15-20 minutes for the car to start when the problem arises.

I told Kia I need a reliable car and they could keep it until it is fixed as long as they give me something else to drive which they refused for which I think is more than fair. They did not offer any suggestions for this problem (until I told them what I thought of their service) nor did they even try to troubleshoot it.

The manager there actually said to me since I did not know what was wrong with it how were they suppose to know...I replied I don't fix cars for a living, that's their job.

This time the dealership made many repirs on the car. Today 03/02/07 all those problem came back and on Monday will take the box of chocolates (Forest Gump) to the dealer.

Monday afternoon my husband and I were told it was a cylinder, head and valve problem and it would be a few days before it would be fixed since parts had the ordered. The keys to the replacement vehicle were taken away from me since it was not from a rental car company and I was told that not having transportation was not their problem.

Here is it Tuesday and I am stuck at home, without a car to get to work and no one at that dealership will do ANYTHING to get me a car. I called another Kia dealership here in Nashville and told them the problem to see what they would. I was told by that owner, that 2006 Rio's had a factory defect with these cylinders, and all customers are to be put into a rental car and that was already approved through Kia headquaters.

Too bad Plant Kia does not follow this procedure whatsoever. And shouldn't have this information been told to me by the service department that has my car now? They said not one word to us about this. Funny how a different dealership, that had absolutly nothing to do with my deal, funding, or ownership of my Rio, would step up the plate.

So far I have missed a day of work, with a strong probability that there will be a couple more days to follow. I financed close to $18,000.00 for a new car that now I can not drive. Sure all this work is covered under warranty, but that doesn't help me out when I can't get back and forth to work. When I asked Planet Kia what they were going to do about me not having a car to drive, I was told Nothing...call the BBB and get out of my office. I will NEVER do business with that dealership again! I have worked in the Accounting office's of car dealerships for a total of 13 years, and I have NEVER seen or heard of this type of treatment.

Trying to say I was stuck in snow and did something to it. This never happened. They did not even put it on the rack to make sure this was the problem they looked at it while it was being pushed in the service area and pumped the clucth a few times and said yep. It took 3 hours for a tow truck to come and pick up my car, and it came from a hour away that was the closes place for the kia place to get.

Guest service was so far out of line it was unbeliveable, the guy was walking around directing people then said it will be a min, and then when the guy said it would be the clutch he continue to enter forms into the computor and said nothing to us.

He finally looked at us and said that if we do not get the part in the computor by 3pm it will not be over nighted. Guess what he did not make the dead line and the part came at monday at 10am and we were there on thur. If he was not busy doing other stuff maybe the part would of been in on time. What happened to guest service!

I work a hour away and we only have one car so I had to rent a car thur to tue. I will be contacting KIA on tue after I get the results of what actully is going on when they really put the car on the rack.

I believe after reading all the other comments I will not get any where with Kia. I will not purchase another one again and I strongly advise no one else to either. I will be going to a differ company soon.

He even took it to a transmission speacialist, and they both agreed that the car does not need a new transmission. Kia refused to refund the $107 diagnostic fee that they charged me, despite the fact that they lied to me about the car in order to try to extort more money from me!

To get the door looking nice again it will cost $500.00

On 9/29/06- Again on the freeway, vehicle stalls at 65 miles an hour, I am almost killed for the third time, dealer keeps vehicle for 10 days, says it is a throttle body issue and released the vehicle,dealer is rude to me and tells me not to worry about it, vehicle continues to stall off and on through December 06, then on 2/13/07-Again on freeway at 55 miles an hour, vehicle stalls on a mountain highway, I am almost killed.

Vehicle is towed to dealer.. awaiting a response from the dealer in regard to the necessary repair. The issue is not being addressed properly by the dealership.

The consequences are severe, I have almost been killed 4 times in this vehicle. To date no physical damage has occured however it is only a matter of time.

More than 24 hours later, I STILL don't know the status of my vehicle. KIA of Old Saybrook (Sales & Service)is poorly run and continually lies. They just look ahead for the next sale and leave the consumer out in the cold.

There was a loud rattle in the roof over the driver's side, several in the dash area, one in the driver's side door, one in the rear of the cabin that we couldn't pin point. Although the dealership would like to write this off as a phsychotic woman overexagerating (which their service tech did say to me) that is not the case. The car makes and extreme amount noise, sometimes in the right temperature so much that you can't carry on a conversation in the car.

On top of this one of the in dash compartments (below the stereo) pops open whenever it pleases and then won't close until it pleases. I took the car in for service, they had it a week and called to tell me it was done. When I went to pick the car up there was grease on my headliner, and they had scratched up the center console.

They told me that all the noises were fixed, the only thing they were waiting on was the compartment in the dash, they had to order parts. We scheduled an appointment for the compartment and they informed me that they would take care of all the other issues when I brought it back in, apologizing for there mistakes. I was not happy but wanted my car back so I drove it away, less than 5 miles down the road it became apparent that the noises in the car were not fixed. I called the service manager and let him no that I was dissatisfied and he again apologized and said they would go through it again when I brought it back.

That weekend my husband and I went in to speak with the owner of the dealership to express my dissatisfaction with the vehicle in hopes that he would be more proactive in the situation. We were wrong. We took the car back in for the appointment we had scheduled and they had it for over a month. Several times I went in as they would call and say it was done, it wasn't done and each time they had added to the damage, scratches in the driver's side door, scratches in the back hatch, scratches on the brushed silver on the steering wheel, scratches in my console.

The list goes on and on.

The bottom line is that none of the issues have been fixed, they told me that they replaced the broken dash compartment and they did not, their mechanic insulted me, now on top of all that was all ready wrong with the car, the windshield wipers do not work properly and the auto. transmission is acting up between first and second gear.

I have had better business bureau and Kia Corp. Motors involved and still have not had any success in getting a resolution. I was told two weeks ago by a woman from Kia Consumer Affairs that they were going to have someone from there fly in to personally look at my car, however, I have not heard back from her. I have had another local Kia dealership offer to try to fix it saying they will do a better job than the original dealership did, however they can not approve a loaner vehicle while mine is in for repairs.

This is my only vehicle and I refuse to pay for a rental under these circumstances. I hate Kia, I will never own another one and I certainly will not reccomend them to anyone else.

Well, my job is at stake and I don't have a extra money for a down payment..looks like the joke is on me!!

I called Haddad Kia at once and they told me there was NOTHING they could do as their computer records had shown that I had not had this done yet I should have brought it in for a belt check!! I asked them why THEY didn't tell me this when they repaired my wheel bearings and they said that it was my responsibility to make sure this was done, but I didn't know I was suppose to for one thing and they had access to the computer records the day they fixed the wheelbearings so it should have shown that I was due to have the belt checked!!!

I will NEVER recommend this Dealership to anyone unless they ever decide to do whats right and fix it!! It doesnt look like this will happen so I will continue to share my story and advise others against buying a car from this Dealership.

Then, in December of 2006 the driver side seat, centercolumn, floor, and roof interior burned up while the suv was sitting in our driveway. We had our insurance company check it out and they said it was an electrical malfunction and a representative from Kia needs to look at it. It has been 5 weeks now, and no one from Kia has come out to see the suv, and they have not been cooperating with us.

We have been paying for rental cars out of our own pockets and getting financially drained.We don't know what to do.

I had it towed to the kia dealer in Joplin were I had got it from. They said it was the brake that locked up must have had a rock or something in it once the tow truck got there they told me we put it in reverse And it backed right off the trailor.The next 2 times it happened only for a few seconds .then a few days before Thanks giving I just down shifted to 2 going into 1 when my sorento slid to a stop. With my 2year old & myself in it.Called Kia right then they said it is Saturday the shop is closed.I demanded a rental carand I got it.

While I was on the phone with Jimmy Adams manager at Kia he said oh I remember your car just keep trying to put it in reverse that should fix the problem for now. Then you can bring the sorento up when the shop is open. Well after 20 to 30 min.on the phone trying to get my sorento to go what ever locks up on it came on done but I still said I do not trust this death trap I want it replaced or repurched . Jimmy (manager) says you will have to take that up with service manger on Monday. So I called the towing service. When my car was looked at I was told there is nothing wrong with this car we can not get it to have the same problems you have so once again death trap sent back to me.

On Thursday Dec. 28th it stopped again and would not go.I called Kia told them what had happened again they said have it towed in I said nothing is getting towed anywhere because every time it gets to your shop there is never a problem. I told Fred the guy I was talking to I wanted a tech sent out to my home. He said I do not think we can do that. Needless to say I got my way it took the till Friday at 5p to get someone there but they did come.As soon as the guy started to drive and the car would not move and was very hard to shift he says I think it your tranmission.

I said I have said that from the very first time it happened and all I got was your car is mechanicly sound we have checked everything no problem. Then why am I standed one more time if there is no problem. It has also been in the shop for clicking noise, grease coming out of driverside wheel and probaly something else to just don't remember right now.

If you Kia breaks down and has done this in the past and they tell you there is no problem when it happens again leave it sit do not have it towed until someone can verify your problem.

I was involved in an accident 3 weeks prior to the engine dying and Kia is trying to tell me that that this caused part of the problem. Two 80 year old nuns ran into me at 10PM and damaged my bumper.(they totally admitted that the accident was their fault). My car is now at Global Automall in North Plainfield, NJ. Case # K12569 My insurance company is willing to pay 3,000. in damages but Global Automall wants to charge me another 4,000. for a new engine. Or I can have a used engine for 1,000 something dollars without a warranty but they need $500. immediately, cash, no credit cards accepted for this transaction???

I really need my car back. I would sincerely appreciate your looking into this matter as I feel the car is defective and that Kia should honor the 10year/100,000 mile engine warranty. Also the air bags didn't open.

It is unexcusable that Kia shows no concern for our safety and that of our family and we are sickened by the poor customer service we have received. We have also documented this problem with NHTSA. We are not an isolated case: this exact defect has been documented with Kia. Even so, Kia has refused to offer a solution to our problem and this is unacceptable. During our last conversation with Kevin Williams on 12/14/06, he told us that as far as he & Kia Inc. are concerned the problem does not exist since Kia has not been able to duplicate it during test drives. We are not surprised that Kia has not been able to duplicate as it is a highly intermittent problem however this is a very real, highly dangerous problem that Kia needs to address immediately to ensure our safety. Buying a new car is a major purchase. At that time Kia promised us a safe vehicle to drive.

Due to its defective manual transmission our Sorento is an unsafe and unreliable vehicle that should not be allowed on the road until Kia corrects the problem. We are not being unreasonable by asking Kia for a replacement manual transmission (which is under full warranty). Since the problem is highly intermittent we would not know if a repair to our present tranmission corrected the problem. Please understand we are not asking for a replacement vehicle, only a replacement transmission. We hesitate trading/selling this vehicle because we know it has a serious safety defect. As this is our only vehicle we continue to drive it. We are retired and cannot afford a 2nd car payment at this time.

Remember, so far this has only happened once every few months although it has happened more often. When our vehicle suddenly will not shift gears we immediately turn on emergency flashers and repeatedly try to get it to shift but it seems as though it's stuck in 5th gear (?) and the vehicle will not move. Sometimes we are able to coast to the shoulder of the road.

Other times we are sitting in the road and finally get the vehicle to shift again after repeatedly trying to shift through all the gears. While we are doing everything we can to shift gears cars are honking around us and slamming their brakes to avoid hitting us. This has happened in city traffic and highway driving. We have been in 1st gear pulling into traffic or away from a light; downshifting from higher gears crossing intersections,there does not seem to be a pattern. Fortunately so far we have been able to move our vehicle to a safe situation before damage or injury happened. But every time we get in our vehicle to drive we wonder when it will happen again. Every time we make a left turn, every time we have to pull into oncoming traffic - this is very unsettling to say the least! We have tried to make Kia understand that we are not trying to deceive them; this problem is real and Kia needs to accept responsibility for their vehicle and our safety in it. Driving is stressful enough without having to endure this added dangerous burden.

Due to this safety defect my wife drives our Sorento as seldom as possible - she is too afraid to drive her own vehicle and I am frightened for her safety as well as my family's. We have spent many long hours on the phone with Kia, sent certified letters, and researched our problem online on various forums. We are emotionally drained from driving a vehicle with a safety defect and mentally exhausted from all of the detailed work involved trying to receive only what we, the consumer, deserve from Kia. Thank you for your time.

My Sedona does not have reverse. The car has been extremely well cared for, no hitch, no mountain driving, basically driven to work 10 miles each way. Nothing severe what so ever. We do not live in the mountains and Littleton CO has mild weather.

About a week after getting it I noticed that the heat didn't work right(either real hot or freezing cold- no in between). I called the salesman and he told me they would look at it when they buffed the scratches (which never happened). The windshield creeks like it's going to come off and the stripping has come off. The door locks work only sometimes. And amazingly, my check engine light came on at 60,500 miles (right after the warranty expired). I was told by the service guy that's too bad and that it will cost me $85 for them to even tell me what's wrong. Now this morning it is 19 degrees outside and my heat is completely gone. I bought a Kia thinking that this was a good choice, but now all I want is to go back to a dependable company like Chevy.

I was simply looking for some possible reasons my car would not have started (ie starter, alternator, etc) when I came across this site. Now I am concerned that this is going to cost me a lot more than I have to spend. Why haven't any of these problems been made public to those of us who own Kias? I was 10 miles away from home when my car broke down yesterday. If I hadn't been able to get in contact with the kids' dad (He was supposed to have been on his way to a football game and by the grace of God had not left yet) I would have been walking along major highways with 4 children 15, 10, 9, and 3 in order to get them home. It was also the grace of God that we had decided at the last minute not to go visit my 91 year old grandfather, who lives 76 miles away, for the day or else our walk would have been much much longer.

I suspect the surging is putting undue stress on the transmission. Being without a car is difficult for a girl who is finishing a 4 year college degree in 3 years while working 30 hours a week. Car dealers. . . bottom dwellers.

I informed KIA that I did not qualify, per the Owner's Manual, for the SEVERE maintenance schedule, but had in fact followed the NORMAL maintenance schedule, which stated that I change the transmission fluid at 105,000 miles. The KIA representatives, on many occasions (this has been going on since Father's Day), had informed me that my area was a SEVERE maintenance state/location. So, I requested this list of SEVERE maintenance required states and/or areas. This is not, the KIA representative informed me, available to consumers. It is a decision made by the District Manager alone, on a case-by-case basis.

I took the car to two separate transmission specialists to get the transmission diagnosed. The transmission, which I have in writing, was diagnosed to have a clutch that had broken off of the clutch plate, and gotten lodged in the metal filter of the transmission. The problem was not related to the fluid, which was completely clean, but was a part failure.

I presented this information to KIA (corporate and dealership), and was still informed that they would not honor the 100,000 mile warranty, due to my lack of maintenance. KIA offered me their goodwill effort of paying for the parts to repair the transmission, and I would be billed for the labor and fluid. In order to re-instate my warranty, KIA had to perform the repair to my transmission.

I took their offer, not wanting to put $2,000 into a brand new car that is barely 2 years old. I spoke with a service technician at the dealership after my repair was completed, and learned that KIA replaces the entire transmissions of the cars, instead of parts or rebuilding the transmission. I wanted to have the transmission taken apart and confirmed as to the clutch breaking off by another mechanic, but KIA would not allow me to take the transmission off of the property.

I took the car back to Gardendale Kia to find out the front end problem. Brad said it was the strut mounts and would be glad to replace those under warranty but would not replace the tires because they were out of warranty. I told Brad Hall that it wasn't a defect in the tires it was the defect in the car that caused the tires to wear improperly and I felt that it was Kias place to replace the tires. I even had Expert tire speak with Gardendale Kia and tell them what they found wrong with my tires and front end. They said take it up with the Kia Customer Assistance.

I called Joshua at the Kia customer service on February 7th and made my complaint. I spoke back with him on February 10th and he said no they would not replace the tires and that it was not the strut mounts that caused the tire problem. I even told him what Expert tire said about my car and he just said they are not Kia certified machanics.

It is inconvenient. Not much to complain about. But the dealerships want your business for all required maintenance to keep the warranty in place. But would they ever really fix something under the warranty?

Cannot drive the vehicle because of inabilty to open the windows.

The car is dangerous to drive. I have nearly been in accidents. it has cost me a lot of money. I still owe money and can barely drive the car.

The car has 56,183 miles on it and according to Kia, the car is still under warranty. I had never had any problems with the car before this time so I was completely baffled as to why it would have caught fire. I had the car towed to the local Kia dealer and I have just been going around in circles with Kia Motors to have them honor the existing warranty on the car.

In the interim, I am stuck trying to find a way to get back and forth to work. I have missed more work in the last 3 weeks than I missed the entire year. The Kia was the only vehicle I had and now I have no way to go get groceries for my family, pick my children up from school, or pay my bills. I asked Kia to give me a rental until they could at least resolve the issue and have the car repaired but they denied me that. I thought I was getting a good vehicle with a good warranty but it looks like Kia is not willing to honor their warranty. It appears that they can not provide consumers with the piece of mind that their advertisers offer.

Well, drive off come off the exit heading to work, engine light is back on, running really rough like the engine is going to blow up. Won't shift automatically and feels like it is stuch, the rpm's race, and the heat level gauge is on HOT. This is ridiculous! They don't even know what the problem is!

I had bruising from all parts of the seat belt across my chest and stomach,as well as abrasions and bruising on my knees and elbows. I have stiffness in my neck and upper back. I also have been having head aches on and off since the accident.

David says that he did not dismount the unit, it was not mounted when he started working on the car. The service manager says that he does not understand why there are no trouble codes listed anywhere in the ECU or TCU, but that doesn't change why the problem occured. I am an electronics technician and I find it difficult to believe that the sole ground source for this unit comes from the physical mounting to the body and not from any offboard wiring. Also even if the TCU were malfunctioning, would the week or two between the time David installed the lights and when he noticed the transmission failure be sufficient for this problem?

I am stuck with the probability of a repair bill in excess of $2900 for the TCU and the transmission, and am out $1,000 for the extended warranty that is no longer valid.

I have never been happy with the car. It has been in the shop on numerous occassions, from everything to the seals blowing off the windshield while driving down the highway, brakes on many occasions, emergency brake cable, transmission, coil wires, water pump, catalytic converter, timing gear ... there is a whole list of things wrong. I have only had this car 2 and a half years, and still have another 2 to pay on it. The warranty is getting ready to run out and I will be stuck with a piece of junk.

There has been numerous occassions when i have had to get a rental car because this car has been in the shop. I just paid $1500.00 for the catalytic convertor and timing gear. I am a single mother, and work very hard and buying this car was the biggest disappointment because it has been nothing but trouble in expense, time and reliability.

It took more than 5 trips to the service shop the year I bought my car and a call to the general manager and the threat of the lemon law before they would replace my warranty-covered fuel pump; and now my car is right back in the shop for the third time this week for a serious stalling and jerking problem. I have gotten the general manager involved again, but they have already charged me over $700.00 for the first two times my car was in the shop this week and the work they've done has not even addressed the stalling problem. They keep charging me for "repairs" without repairing the car! I feel very unsafe in this vehicle and wish they would buy it back from me or HONOR THEIR WARRANTY and repair the engine once and for all.

I had always heard people talk about new car smells but this was ridiculous. I have since had it in numerous times for the smell, which has been blamed on everything from them telling me the smell was in my head to the smell is bad gas. The overdrive light will come on at will and I won't be able to turn it off, airbag light has had to be fixed two times so far, windshield wipers have broken twice, driver lock is broken and waiting on a part.

Now my car sounds like a jet getting ready for take off, I am taking it in tomorrow. One time I took my car in for the smell problem and sat with a sick child in the waiting room for five hours for something they said would take 30 minutes, problem still was not fixed. Everytime I write a check to pay my car payment it makes me sick. I also am sick and tired of taking this car in for the same problems over and over.

We changed the oil and filter and the oil light went off. A few weeks later, the same thing happened. Finally, we decided that there must be some sludge build up in the oil pan and decided to change the oil every thirty days. Since we started doing this, we had no problems until March 2002. In March, I was driving my car to work when the oil light came on and the check engine light came on and the motor was running extremely rough. After having the car towed the 50 miles to get it home, my husband took it to a repair shop and was told we needed a valve job.

The car had about 97,000 miles on it. We went ahead and had the work done. Keep in mind, the warranty had already expired. At the time the valve job was done, the mechanic discovered that one of the pistons had been worn down a lot. He said the piston looked like it belonged in an engine that was at least 250,000 miles old. When we picked up the car, I needed to go out of town. On the trip, the engine started running rough and the oil light came on. The motor had plenty of oil in it, but the oil light still came on.

When I got the car home, my husband changed the oil and filter again, even though this was done when the valve job was done. The oil light went off. Just yesterday, while I was driving home, the motor began running rough, but no oil light or check engine light came on. I tried to make it home but when I was about 15 miles from home the motor started making the worst sound I hasd ever heard. It sounded like the car had thrown a rod or something.

Even the dealer comments on the low miles to which I respond, we can't take it anywhere because of its reliability, we have only used it around town. The one trip it took, 50 miles to St Augustine, my wife drove home in 30 degree weather with a window wide open and froze. It hasn't left town since. Well, today the radiator started leaking. No more warranty and the dealer wanted over $500 to fix it. More than 10% of what it's worth if we could find a sucker. It is the most disappointing pile of garbage I have had the pleasure to own. Kia was willing to give us $1000 off a new Kia as settlement.

I wouldn't give one dime to this company for another one of their junk cars. I will go to my grave without ever owning another Korean made vehicle in my life. I promise to do whatever I can to discourage anyone from buying anything from that country again. Call me bigoted if you like but now that I am educated on this issue, nothing good has ever come out of there. Since Hyundai owns Kia now, they're all mixed together and you can't tell one from another. They'll probably end up owning Daewoo before long. I was resolved to just use it to run around town but it can't even do that very well. The real icing is that No One from Kia will ever talk to you.

They make the dealer tell you the bad news. Please get the word out and if anyone has any suggestions as to how to cause this company problems, let me know. I have emailed the main company in Korea and got absolutely no response. They have set themselves up to rip off Americans and make it impossible to do anything about it. From now on I BUY AMERICAN and spread the word. Jim ****

On the way to the airport, while cruising at 70 miles per hour, the check engine light and the shift hold light came on causing it to run a little weird (rough) but I made it to the airport anyway. When I came back home a few days later, the lights didn't come on when I started it up, so I headed for home in Daytona. About halfway home the lights came on again and it ran weird the rest of the way home. The next day it was off again.

I called the dealer and was told to come in when they were on again. They would go on and off all the time but couldn't get it to the dealer while they were still lit. This began when the car was a couple of weeks old. It took forever for the lights to stay on and the dealer to see them.

We did take it in when it had about 3,000 miles on it and the dealer couldn't find anything and couldn't make the lights come on for them. Finally one time they stayed on for the dealer to see but they never have been able to find out what causes it.

The car has had other problems including paint falling off, wheel suddenly going out of alignment and eating a tire, power windows blowing fuses from bad wiring shorting out in the winter having to drive 40 miles with the window open to get home and even the tail pipe has rotted off and we live in Florida.

My wife won't leave town with the car because it's too unreliable, so we have a car we have owned for 3 years that wasn't that cheap, almost $18,000 and we can't take it on a trip away from home because we are afraid of it. We have allowed years for them to fix it and still it isn't fixed.

The worst problem is that Kia has led us on through the service managers who say that they will work something out which, looking at other complaints, is the last thing on their mind they won't even call back. Their Web site touts reliability and quality which appears to be a complete joke.

I made a huge mistake getting a Kia, allowing my wife to get a Kia. So far the only satisfaction I have been able to get is that since there aren't that many out there, hundreds of people stop my wife just to ask how she likes it and I will let you guess the answer. It would be nice if I could say they take care of their mistakes and their customers, but that's not the case with us and apparently with the other complaints that are on this site.

I have to say the dealer has appeared to do everything under their power to fix the car, but has been unable to get Kia to step up to the plate and rectify this situation.

I usually only ride with my wife when I can't drive myself. Such as happened the other day after I had an emergency appendectomy. She brought me home from the hospital and I noticed that at 35 miles per hour the Kia was turning 4000 rpms. It's going to blow up. I'm 55 years old and I have seen some poor excuses for cars in my life, this is by far the worse one I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

I was told early on by the dealer that Kia couldn't meet emission standards for the EPA when the vehicles first came into the country, so they tagged some Rue Goldberg designed emission control system onto the vehicle and that is why they can't fix it, it's not fixable.

The extension pipe to the muffler broke off.

Is this what I am supposed to expect from a new car. I have been given the runaround. I requested that I be given a different car and was told that my problems were not drastic enough for that. Meanwhile I've taken time off from work for these repairs and have not been able to depend on my new vehicle. I have been diagnosed with a heart condition and really don't need this drama. Gas and tolls everytime I have to make a trip for service. All I want is a dependable car. I've had it less than three months and I don't look foward to future problems.

The service manager at Kia, said he could not help at all. Just keep bringing them in every month. Or sue Kia.

I've
had my 96' Sportage Kia in the shop six (6) different times for the same problem -
"Check Engine"' light. The first three (3) times my car was under warranty; the
remaining three, my warranty had expired. On the fifth (5th) and sixth (6th) time I took
my car in for service, the vehicle was to be repaired by two (2) Korean servicemen, whom
KIA sent down from the manufacturer for purposes of fixing KIA's which could not be fixed

by the local Kia servicemen.

Note: I'm a single mother of three, very dependent of
my vehicle. I've lost time and money due to having my car in for service. I've gone for
three (3) days struggling to get my children to school and the sitter, and arriving to
work late, due to having to carpool. The least KIA could've done was to provide me with a

loaner.

When told that I would rent a car and expect KIA to pay
for it, they flat out said they were fixing my car without charging me out of goodwill. My
car has been in for service six (6) times, and three (3) of those six (6) while under
warranty. I believe it's very unprofessional to place such hardship on people who truly
believed in their reliability. The least KIA could do is have a loaner program for
individuals who have been as patient such as myself. Three (3) times and you're out! I've

been through six (6).

She tried to brake, but the car would not stop (statement can be corroborated by the passenger). She was hit, on the driver's door. The car had been in the shop at least half a dozen times (in one year). The last time we took it in (about 3 weeks before the accident), we had a list for them to fix.

Is this what I am supposed to expect from a new car? I have been given the run around. I requested that I be given a different car and was told that my problems were not drastic enough for that.

Meanwhile I've taken time off from work for these repairs and have not been able to depend on my new vehicle. I need help. I have been diagnosed with a heart condition and really don't need this drama.

All I want is a dependable car. I've had it less than three months and I don't look foward to future problems.

R.A. should continue pressing the dealer for repairs and, if things don't improve, we recommend he contact the New York Attorney General's consumer office.