hello, my name is
nathan pitman.

Note to self: Don’t buy a Kia – they are shitty cars. I will join the Facebook Group at once!

One question though Nathan, why did you buy Kia in the first place? Just wondering.

I’m really sorry to read how much trouble you’ve had with it and Kia themselves. Better luck with the next motor.  If you want good Customer Service – then maybe a look through the JD Power Survey might help support any future choices, well, maybe.

Hj Nathan

Further to mine of the 18th

Today I had a phone call from Kia customer service dept at 4.55, saying that they had got my letter to Mr Philpot and it would be put on file. However, it wouldn’t make any difference to the answer. so it is a waste of time writing to said MD

I would therefore go along with the idea of saying ” Don’t buy a Kia Sedona”

All the best

Hi Nathan

I too had the same problem with the rear doors to start with, but fortunately, it seems to have cleared itself up.

However, My problem is with the key fob being able to open the rear doors, even when they are locked.

I accidentely did this from inside our house, only to find 2 hours later that the rear door had been standing open all that time

My insurance company tell me that in these circumstances, I wouldn’t be covered.

My dealings with Kia Motors UK customer services, leave a lot to be desired. They don’t see this as a problem, saying that this is the way it has been designed, and if at all worried, don’t use the key fob.

I explained that I could have saved about £2000 and bought the manual door version, so that is not an option.

On telling the agent that I would be writing to Mr Philpot, he said I was wasting my time,. as he wouldn’t see the letter.

I did anyway, last Monday, so will wait to see the outcome

What the hell did you buy a Kia for? 

European cars are much more thrustworthy.  Opel, Ford, VW, Seat, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Renault even Fiat and Skoda.  You can just pick any European car and they will work just fine. (I didn’t mention Citroën because I’m not fond of it myself, but it could complete the list).

If you are still planning to buy an Asian car you might consider Toyota or Mazda.  But avoid the Asian/American/Britisch cars unless you can afford to pay a huge amount.  Those cheap cars (Kia, Hyundai, Daewoo, ...) are just trash.

Choosing a car because it’s cheap in the beginning is not a good decision.  Have you ever seen a 15 year old Kia?  A 15 year old Golf will still run and can even generate some money in a sale (well not much but still).  So it’ll all cost you in the end.  The value of a 4-year old Asian car drops well below the value of a 4-year old European car.

So if you have any proud, just buy a European car.

PS: Still looking for good value for a lower price?  Consider Skoda or Seat, those cars are build on the same line as some VW-models, a lot of parts are the same.

Hi Nigel, sorry to hear that you too are having problems with your doors. Rear passenger side was the same one we we had the greatest problems with.

The last time they had the car in (for a week) they spent time adjusting the alignment of the door by tiny amounts and that seems to have fixed it for the most part.

The doors do still occasionally play up but as it’s an intermitent fault I’ve lost the will to keep taking it back over and over again. :/

Interested in your door problem because I am experiencing the same problems with my 08 Sedona TS. Its worrying that you can walk back into a car park only to find your door open (many occasions) or walk onto your house drive to find your back seat with a pool of water on it (many occasions).

I have spoken to my dealers and they believe it is an alignment problem that can be cured with the fitting of a rubber washer (due to be carried out on next service0. I will update when work is carried out. It only happens with one door,rear passenger side.

I have also experienced the frozen door problem where they will not move but to be fair my wife has a Honda and they would not open and my MD has a top of range Subaru and he had same problem. Apart from these faults the car so far is OK and I am just coming up to 20,000 miles. Some of the other problems would seem to be “Dealer caused” and so far I am lucky that I have not had these problems.

I would never puchase anothe Kia or any car from West London MC High Wycombe.

I first had trouble over the purchase (5/12/2008) in that because the VAT changed before I paid for my New Ceed SW they agreed to reduce the price by 2.5% but on collecting the car they tried to convince me that the VAT had reduced by 2.5% of 2.5% but when I refused to pay and told them to keep the car they agrred with me.

Then after 6 weeks I could not lock the doors and to my surprise they have no emergency system to do so. I took the car back and they said they could do nothing they were to busy but I told them I could not lock the car thus this made my insurance invalid. They told me that it was my responsiblity not theres. I told them that I was not taking the car home put the keys on the counter and told them to ring me when it would be ready for collection. They quickly did something to the car that enabled the doors to be locked and asked me to bring it in the next day. I did they repair it and I was able to lock the doors.

One week latter 19/1/2009 the doors would not lock agian so I have returned the car and since Monday they have been unable (today Thursday) fix it. WLMC have refuse a loan car so I rang customer services at Kia and am having trouble getting them to provide a car despite the fact they say they will. They are not interested in the fact my car locking system has broken down and taking so long to fix.

A very frustrated Kia owner but not for long.

Hmm, yes looks like they have nuked my review. That’s a little poor… I think I’ll submit it again!

Have Parker’s removed your review? Can’t see it on their site anywhere…

Thanks for your support Matt! In answer to your question ‘Why did we buy a Kia in the first place’?

I was slightly nervous about buying from a brand I had no experience of but having heard of no horror stories and taking the warranty into account I felt assured. We purchased the car primarily because it was perfect for our needs at the time and when compared to comparative models from other manufacturers it was seen to hold value better over 3 to 4 years.

Unfortunately none of the above is of any relevance at all when the car simply does not work as it should! :/

Amusingly, you’re now ranked #3 in google uk for “dont buy a kia”, this thread should help too…

Dont buy a kia

dear nathan,

My firend glen richardson has told me of your plight and I must agree something must be seen to be done, especially to address the safety factor lacking in the dodgy Kia you unfortunately own.

It is obvious that in the terms and conditions of service you signed to accept the vehicle in the condition it is in at present, but they must have a duty of responsibility to correct this, after all it is in their own interests to address all quality assurance complaints.

As a businessman myself I would find out the name and address of the Head of Kia Motors and put your complaint on his desk, ignoring the dealerships who have ignored you so far.  After all it is in his interests to deal with such a serious complaint, especially the health and safety aspect of the problems.

Secondly, it is very important you copy this letter to the current Transort Secretary and your local Member of Parliament with copies of correspondence so far, that would show the Head of Kia Motors you mean business.  This letter must include the support you have recieved so far from your friends on Facebook etc, this is proof that you are taking your complaint very seriously and will not take no for an answer.

If you receive any support from the Transport Secretary and your MP and you will, Kia will have solicitors who will try to block any complaint if the Head of Kia motors refuses to help you with this problem.  If this happens you must analyse the Terms and Conditions of the Sale and fight your case.  It is also very important you create a written history with the Head of Kia Motors to prove their lack of duty to you.

I could go on and on because I rarely lose any legal wrangle if I am in the right.

Yours sincerely,

Fred Delahunty (Del to my friends) .

hi again,

Your personal letter of complaint must be addressed to Mr Paul Philpott Managing Director of Kia Motors UK.

Yours,

Del

Hi Del, thanks ever so much for you advice! I’ll be sure to send all future correspondence to the MD and copy it to customer services! I’m planning to send another letter during the next few days. :)

these sliding doors seem to be a big problem on the sedona , mine wont open from the leaver or the the buttons , i have to get out and open them , its been in the dealer twice now and they cant find the problem , maybe third time lucky.
will let you know.

i have to say that i’ve had problems with opening my doors too. i have to get out to open them, but my main issue is the struts on the front end. today will be the seventh time i’ve had to deal with the issue because they refuse to replace the strut. its an 05 sedona. the warranty on the struts is still good. i highly expect them to feed me more crap talk when i pick it up this afternoon. kia of high point is on my list for who not to buy from. stay away, the warranty is a lie.

I fully sympathize with people who have experienced problems, particularly when the problem seems to be the same one repeated over & over. However I am delighted with my Sedona TS which I purchased from the Milton Keynes dealership in December 08 following unsatisfactory dealings with my local dealership over discount and part exchange. I have not encountered any problems with the vehicle and the doors have always operated as intended.

I have had an old Kia Sedona for just over a year now. So far so good, with only minor problems. It drives well and the interior is comfortable.  It’s been good for family and work.  The parts do take a while to arrive though, so I have taken to ordering service kits, parts etc. myself and once they have arrived, booking the car into the garage for servicing.  Its a bit of a strange car in some ways.  There are some things which I think are genious and very well done, whist other aspects, like some of the buttons being on a grey, unlit background, just daft.  I think it was designed by a really clever bloke with the help of his dim-wit brother.  I can imagine the conversation with his parents, “Look after your simple brother dear; he won’t get a good job without your help.” I wouldn’t buy one new but if you were considering a cheap old, second-hand voyager, they are still worth a look, as they tend to have better interiors.

My god were do i start? I have owned my Sedona since Oct 06.

I have so far had the following done..

three headlinings replaced
heating controld replaced
A/C pipes replaced
Air purification sensor replaced
Tail gate locks replaced twice
sliding door faults total 20 + lost count now
in 20,000 miles in went through 6 tyres on the front
runs rough everytime in rains
cuts out every now and then, then re starts
IMV Valve replaced
MAF sensor replaced
Camshaft sensor replaced
Crank shaft sensor replaced
Fuel filter hoses replaced
New radio
rear wheel bearings now need replacing
Waiting for a complete new lock set (key does not fit locks)

I’m sure there is more! over 60 visits the EMG Cambridge Maaike from KIA sent a Technical guy to have a look, his report said i was driving it with my foot on the brake while accelorating! he was in the car with me at the same time!!!!

Moral is DO NOT BUY ANY OF KIA’S PRODUCTS ESPECIALLY SEDONA’S

KIA UK / EMG Cambridge now no longer respond to emails or return calls.

My Kia required new front tyres at 14000 2 new batterys new power steering unit,new starter relay
and now the bonnet opened whilse driving smashing the windscreen very lucky we were only driving at 45 mph, The cars under two years old Never again

I feel the same way about the Sedona.  I would never had look at a Kia except that I needed to hire a 7 seater whilst on holiday in Scotland and I got a Kia Sedona and I was impressed (turns out it was US spec as it had a dimmer mirror and additional footwell lights)

Anyway, I bought the car and it has been back to the garage on numerous occasions with problems with the doors.  The there was a problem with the electrics which meant the car would open a back door when locked (and woke up one morning to find the contents of the car were taken).

This has now been repaired by the dealer who confirmed the cause to be faulty electronics.

Now there is a leak in the power steering which makes the steering really heavy.... when will this end?

Would I have another KIA?  No even if you gave it to me.

I’ve had my 2007 Kia Sedona for almost 3 years now with no major issues.  The service at my dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona is second to none.  Kia and Hyundai, quite possibly, are the best value in minivans and SUV’s....at least in the United States.

bought the car from available car as i do conditioning on cars found there was leake on seal shown them this told me cant find it shown them again as i had put leake detection in system they eventualy did it. had a wobble on steering been told its the drive shaft replaced it costing £156 went to cornwal 2 weeks ago this popped out with damage now theres a legal battle front 2 tyres wearing. been told need steering rack ,hand brake does not fully engage, recalled for back wheel bearings from kia.would i buy another kia probably yes seeing it as a 7yr warranty but have a twin wheel caravan to pull

hi.were do i start i bought a 2007 auto sedona in oct had to have the first one replaced as we were nealy in a bad accedent with it due to lack of throttle responce it just would not pull away, the car was in and out the garage more than i had it .the tyers needed replaced to and brakes also sliding doors not closing properly. after being nealy in a bad accident kia finaly agreed to give us another like for like ,whitch we thought was good but guess wot we got it and on the same day the wippers stoped and it had to go back in ,then we had it a week and the doors wasnt shutting and was operning wen driving, with four kids in this is very dangerus.so it went back in again. we had it on the road a month and guess wot it needed brakes doing and antiroll bushes we got it back and realised we needed two front tyers at 14000 miles .just as we thought it was all sorted geting it back two weeks later the car lost power going up a hill coming of my holidays ,with four kids in and 3 adults i was not amused one bit pulling away on rounderbouts and junctions was very dangers and i was frghternd to drive it, after being nealy in an accedent with the first one .it went straight into the nearest kia dealer which was bordercars ,they had a machanic test drive it and also agreed the car was not pulling away right ,they had it three days just to tell me that the car was supossed to run like that yes a big joke i was by now livid i phoned kia custemer services to be told that sum one would investigate it and get back to me ,and they never did i had to phone again and again even to be given a name of a superviser that wen i asked for again did not exsist. i finaly got a lady who asked me wat did i wont and that was normal for the car as the other complaints i have had with the car. the car was taken to walkingshaws in cumbria were i bought it from they had it again i was propper fed up,i wasent even given a car to take my kids to school ,they agreed after a week to hire one for me and sent one what was to small for all my kids to fit in i had to get on to kia again finaly i got one two days later my car was suposed to be right yea suposed to be it had ,had more updates once again and was seemingly accoring to them fixed. hummm i drove it two week and came to a junction and yes it did it again i have give up. i have had to sell the car for a big loss i hope people are listerning and dont get a kia they are more trouble/ there in the garage more than you will have them and for those of you have no trouble count your sells lucky very lucky coz kia services aint intrested wen people have trouble with there cars and i have had two identicle cars with the same fault i say no more just dont get a kia

i have had my fair share of the kia sedona nightmares please stay away from this car however desperate you may be,i and my partner bought a brand new kia and thought we had the car of our dreams in 2008 but just within 3 months of having the car the steering started to pull to one side i took it to christchurch tyers to balance the steering they were very good and helpfull and i ahve since been back there countless times as they are the only ones who seem to know and sort out the problem but kia dealers have been of no help because they kept telling us that the computer could not identify the problem,well taik of the sliding doors i only experienced this problem during the winter and when the car was warm enough the doors were working,but recently my battry ran out AA had to start the car for me on two occassions and when i took the car to kia it took them 2 weeks to get a new battry, they didnt even give me a coutersy car to use at the moment when i drive the management light keeps flashing i took the car for service to kia dealers in ferndown on monday but they told me the computer couldnt show any fault am frustrated i dont know what to expect next with my children in the car.please dont buy this car rather buy a ford galaxy instaed

Have just stumbled upon this thread having been told by our local Kia garage that despite all the evidence to the contrary there appears to be nothing wrong with our relatively new Sedona.
I am going to be very fair with Hidsons in Rainham because I believe they are genuinely trying to help but they are not being supported by Kia.
We too had an old Sedona diesel automatic - it was a bit of a tank and I hated driving it, but it did the job and was reliable and (relatively) economic.
Earlier this year we traded it for an ex-Kia (I now know this means ex-rental) Sedona LS Diesel Auto and was pleasantly surprised at how much better it felt to drive - just a shame we couldn’t get one of the electric doors to close when we got home!
This has been in and been attended to but it still reopens the door on our driveway unless we park at a certain angle, but we have learnt to live with it (though I am still dubious about why it closes and we still get three chimes?!).
More worrying is the HUGE drop in economy, and the two whole seconds delay that has to be factored in between pressing the accelerator and actual power delivery - not a circumstance I am at all happy about when trying to commit to a busy junction or roundabout.
Oh, and we just changed both front tyres at 10,000 miles and the vehicle pulls badly to the left at low speed despite three seperate attempts by the tyre people to set up the alignment; fortunately it feels OK above 30mph.
We are picking the car up again tomorrow and if there is the slightest hint of the engine pick-up problem still existing I shall be writing to Kia’s General Manager and their finance division who technically own the vehicle as we are on their 0% finance arrangement.
My interest in posting this information is primarily that there is a common thread of discontent and that is neither good for us as owners, nor for a manufacturer that is trying to establish themselves as a credible and quality oriented UK supplier; is there any scope in collectively pooling all of these experiences and making appropriate representations through a trade body or conceivably the courts?
So long as things are kept objective and businesslike I will be happy to receive any further comments or advice either through this forum or at my email address of - Thanks

Well today was another excellent adventure in owning a Kia. Our poor compensation for all the troubles we’ve had with our car was a free service from Kia. We’d only just had our car serviced so naturally were not able to make use of the free service immediately.

I recently booked the car in after receiving the yearly service reminder from the local dealership and quoted the reference number on the letter from Kia. Today upon taking the car in I was informed by the lady on the service desk that the letter had an expiry date for the offer and this had passed just 10 days earlier.

First off it seems a little odd that a good will gesture from a multi million pound business would have an expiry date, secondly you’d think given the history of faults that we’ve had to endure with our car that Kia might show a little flexibility and ‘do the right thing’ by their customer… yes, you guessed right… they couldn’t give a flying badgers arse.

Despite my protestations that it would be seriously worthwhile investment in brand image for them to extend their offer by 10 days they were absolutely resolute in refusing to do so.

I’m a little bemused as to the purpose of their ‘customer services’ department, they seem hell bent on demolishing what little positive brand image Kia has.

As I explained to the customer services representative on the phone this morning all they achieve with this attitude is give people like me even more fuel with which to discredit their brand and deny them customers.

hi
across the road from my mums house,, the people who lived there purchased a sedona brand new. When i went to my mum and dads the following saturday there was a tow truck there taking away the kia, when i asked what was wrong, they said the gearbox had broke ater just 5 days
rubbish from kia

Hi Nathan. After searching for information about Kia Sedona’s I stumbled across your site. I’d been toying with the idea of purchasing one for my growing family but safe to say you’ve “put me right off” :)

Thanks for posting details of your experience - you’ve probably saved me a lot of stress!

well i baught a older second hand kia sedona 2.9 crdi and it is a dream just pulls and pulls loads of tourq tops off at 100 mph and thats with all 7 seats full good respnsive stearing quiet a bit basic on the trim good paint cummfy ride,so buy pre 2006 old style

The KIA slogan makes me chuckle (it is the only way to relieve the irritation): “The Power to Surprise”. Man they sure live that up to the max...I am surprised how many times my car has been in the shop for the same issue!

i bought a kia sedona 06 with 20000 on the clock had it 4 months the clutch needs replacing phoned kia (main offices) about the problem thay did not want to know i told them how long would thay reccomend the clutch lasts on the car and the cow put the phone down on me!!had to buy 4 new tyers as passenger side tyers (front and back)both worn on outside wall now steering has become a problem i struggle to keep it in a stright line i have had tracking done all spot on but still dont feel right. and now the electric drivers seat motor needs replacing and i thought that i had a bargin!!! i think i just bought someone else’s problems!!

Thanks for posting these issues.  I have recently aquired a 2007 Sedona with an odo reading of 41000.  I wasn’t expecting to experience any of your forementioned issues, but just this am on my way out the drive the vehicle just ‘shut OFF’.  It restarted right away but we were in the lanes of traffic .... very frightening.  Strangely enough, I am familiar with these types of problems as I have owned several baboons arse quality cars over the years.  I am fortunate to live in a place that has law to protect me from these types of issues being a financial burden on me .... if I am alive to have them fixed. 

My life is so boring; I need a good FIGHT.  *calls KIA customer service ................*

T.B.C.

Nearly bought a Kia c’eed last year! Narrow miss I’d say, I am very happy with my Toyota Avensis now!

Customer services to provide us with a like for like replacement vehicle for a period of a week while they had our vehicle in to resolve the issues with the doors.Car Accident Compensation

Ha Ha haaaaaahhh.  Well, after reading hundreds of posts and blogs regarding the issues with the Sedsucka, the van finally did it.  It completely died, no lights, no dings, no whistles! DEAD!  I felt young and foolish for thinking it couldn’t happen to ME, then, I laughed while remembering all the things I read about this vehicle. 

Scary thing is that it died during my lunch break .... and I love my lunch break!  Seriously though, it died while driving on a winding two lane road at a very busy time of day and .... of course .... on a blind curve with no run off area. 

Anyway, the van started to do the same thing as several times prior.  It would cut out and regain its power, cut out and regain power, all while rolling down the road ... however, during all these times a ‘code’ was never set.  I think you all know, without that ‘code’ the mechanic can do nothing.  They apparently don’t know where the engine is without a ‘code’ to tell them it is under the hood (bonnet) They apparently do not know how to find the faulty part without the ‘code’.  I guess it’s simple logic really, plug the scanner in and it tells you where, when, and, what to fix.  It’s a no brainer, IF you have the ‘code’.  What the frig! If it dies, and, there is no code; what then?  Will they say they, “can’t fix it until there is a code.”

I remember being 10 years old in my back yard, learning how to diagnose a vehicle’s issues, my brother and our father by our side.  we changed the ignition timing and adjusted the carbuerators.  Vroom VROOOmm!

Ha, today’s mechanics were prolly still at mum’s breast at 10 years old.  Then playing video games till their eyes bled.  Put a 1970 Chevy Malibu SS with the 454 cu in big block engine in front of them and they would be lost, “where’s the tps”, “where’s the ecu”, “where do I plug in my scan tool”? 

All in all, it is good to know, I was still covered under that warrantee.  Kia roadside assistance worked well and had me to a dealership within an hour.  I spoke to the dealer’s service manager.  He was reluctant to work some magic regarding a rental, but after hearing what I had been thru, he waved his wand.  The rental is .... ha ha ha of all things a Hundai, yeah I know, but it runs and it is free.  I should be getting a call from the service manager today.  Any takers for a bet that it is the alternator?

Well .... Thanks So far as I have had the van back for 75 miles and no signs of trouble.  The dealship mechanic did however point out that the trans fluid was either low or needed changing. 

They discovered a Kia bulletin about a faulty fuse box.  Did some diagnostic testing and determined that they should replace the fuse box.  well at least it wasn’t the Coolant temperature sensor that caused the issue as pointed out by the first dealership I visited.

Cheers

till we meet again ...........

I am so glad i found this blog. I have just decided to change my extremely reliable mx5 sport for a Kia… Why? Well an mx5 doesn’t fit well with 1 child, 2 labs and mum and dad....even as a second car…

I was endevouring to buy the serento however after viewing today and realising the boot area wasn’t as big as what i had expected, i resigned myself to the sedona…

But now,.after reading this blog.. Kia will not be getting 1pence of my money.... no chance...This blog is scarey… Safety and security has to be a top priority as does reliability. All of which this car doesn’t provide. I will be calling Gravells to cancel my test drive tomorrow.

Perhpaps i will stick with Mazda. We own 2 and had only minor probelms which HG Bryers in Carmarthen have been happy to resolve quickly each time....with no hassel

Thanks Again

Liz

Thank goodness for this blog…

Hi Liz, glad I’ve saved someone the pain of owning a Kia. I need to write a follow up post really as we recently managed to sell our Kia Sedona and bought a Ford Galaxy from our local Ford dealership.

I’ve had Fords in the past and they’ve been good but not great… however we’re over the moon with the Galaxy. It’s an excellent car, well built, well considered and much more efficient. Ok so it doesn’t have the sliding doors but the space in the back is immense and it just works!

I think Mazda do a MPV with sliding doors, Honda also have a large family MPV. Unfortunately Toyota no longer do a large family MPV… they’re without doubt the most reliable of the bunch from experience.

Well.  After another 1500 miles of New England winter driving, I have not had a hiccup whimper whine from the old bag of bolts.  My sense of doom is fading as I log mile after mile of trouble free driving. 

As with all things mechanical, I expect glitches followed by solutions.  Thank you Kia for having a solution for my issue.  Here’s to them having continued success .....for you and you and you!

I am writing this with some foreboding as I do not wish to tempt fate - BUT… since Hidsons at Rainham attended to our Sedona we have had a reasonably trouble free experience and in the recent snow and ice it really has given a good account of itself despite having none of the wizzy gizmos my Volvo saloon has got with its anti-skid winter settings. Contrast this with two of our neigbours with their ‘ultimate driving machine’ BMW’s that managed to get nowhere!
Anyhow we have learnt to live with the obviously not-quite-correctly-matched turbo that still catches us out occassionally but is otherwise not too bad now that the auto-box was reprogrammed to provide a much better driving dynamic, and we now know that on short journeys it is really thirsty but actually not too bad on a longer run.
The doors are now behaving (though I still hate not being able to operate them unless ‘park’ is engaged but I can understand why this has been done for safety), and the pull to the left is only slight and disappears at around 30mph anyway.
The only issue we have since encountered, which is very minor to resolve but I still have not done it, is that the positive battery terminal connector is very slightly too large so that even when fully tightened it sometimes needs the bonnet up and a wiggle before we can get the engine to turn-over and start; all it needs is a shim of copper so I have made a note to get one sorted tomorrow.
Full marks go to the folks at Hidsons who have been genuinely helpful and candid about their experiences (not all good) with the Sedonas, and though I am currently sceptical that I would buy another Kia, I would certainly give them a chance to sell me another manufacturer from their franchises.
What I do keep reminding myself though is that the Sedona does serve it’s purpose of shifting the family, and often friends or Grandpaerents too, in some comfort - and it was cheap (relatively).
So credit when credits due, but I want to give it another couple of years before I’m singing it’s praises.
Andrew

I have had three Kia’s, two Sedona’s and a Sorento each car done at least 45000 miles. I drove them all round Europe in temps ranging from -30c to +40. I never had any problem with any of these cars and would recommend them to anyone. It seems that you have been unlucky and that’s about it. I had a similar problem with Ford many years ago that most people here have had with Kia, it does not make all Fords bad. I would say that I would rather own a Kia than a Ford.

was thinking of buying a sedona know having second thoughts
have got 2005 galaxy at the moment drives well but having air conditioning problems
also looking for larger mpv and sedona fits the bill only other that size i think is the voyager which is more expensive to buy and run and from what i hear is not problem free either

Well...What can i say?

I have had the gearbox replaced by KIA UK, door module has been replaced as well. All seems fine. Although i have had issues in the past, i still think KIA Sedona’s are the best in the league.

I would buy another i think to be honest. Only this time i shall research the new version / engine / gearbox before i do.

From experiance, i would suggest anyone that has issues with the Sedona to not give up with KIA UK if under warranty still.

Hi All,

I have to say that I have owned a Kia Sedona since 2002. It now has 110,000 miles on it. We have had only minor issues (as can be expected with any car). It drives great, and handles winter condition much better that most cars. Also can’t beat the 5 star safety rating...Not sure you are all having so many problems...Maybe all of your cars were build on a Monday??

have decided to take the plunge and have ordered new sedona option 2, option 1 air conditioning only seems to have vent in front none to middle and rear seats.
the 7 year warranty did it for me in the end.
will keep you all informed.

Ha .... As I trudge thru week after week of awful winter conditions here in central Massachusettes, my 2007 Sedona has transformed my once skeptical mind. 

I now have 46,700 miles and not so much as a sniffle!

Good for you!  Ordering with option 2, the 3 Zone system is worth every penny.

@brad - yes I think there’s a chance our car was built on a Friday afternoon actually. The fit and finish on collection was appalling. We had interior panels that were not flush in various places. In retrospect we should have refused to accept it there and then.

@tom - best of luck with the car, our problem was that the warranty becomes pretty much irrelevant when you’re trudging back and forward to the garage every month and are left stranded without a suitable replacement vehicle. :/

All problems aside, my 2006 / 07 (130,000 miles now)is the business in the snow. Handling it very well. All seems well with it now. As i said in the last post, i will buy another one in the future.

hi we purchased a 2 year old Kia 5 years ago and is has been excellent.we had an espace before and it was the worse nightmare you could imagine! In fsct th only prob is just now the engine sometimes turns over from a cold start but the engine doesn’t start.This is the first problem though in 5 years so have booked it in to chester kia - the most friendly garage ever ! ( unsual to find in my expereience)
thanks Paul

thanks paul i am buying with chester kia and have heard good reports about them
still awaiting delivery of the car

Got a Kia Sorento new 3 years ago .. no problems whatsoever and a fantastically economical buy. About to sell it second hand and very small depreciation.
I think you just have to accept you had a vehicle from a bad batch and had really poor after sales service from the dealer.

I had to smile—what will all the positive reports being recently added, I wonder if Kia PR bunnies have been at work trying to turn around the real stories of woe?

(Nathan, have they been posted from the same IP address by any chance? :-)

Having said that, our Kia is now behaving itself after numerous trips to the garage to have the doors repaired and the alarm logic replaced (it started unlocking and opening the back doors at night—who is going to replace my ipod which got nicked?)

Would I recommend a Kia --not a chance.

@James I did check IP’s but they are all fairly different so maybe the PR bunnies are a bit more savvy these days. ;)

Our Sedona used to unlock itself and open the rear doors all of it’s own accord also. Mostly when we had gone shopping during the day which is handy. Luckily no one ever took anything. I would not have been amused to come back to the car and find all 3 child seats gone. :!

Hi Tom
You will find Kia Chester straight and very reasonable with costs.Danny in charge of servicing will give you genuine advice and not try get you to spend when not needed etc. Hey James and Nathan, i am not a Kia bunny sent to give pr stuff. Look if you had half the problems i had with my Espace then moan in triplicate!! seriously, there will be Espace owners out there who will have had a1 expereince with the car.The way it goes i guess.But i do feel for you guys as it really is a pain when cars give probs..
I was actually going to go for another espace ( i know some of us are slow learners!)around 2-3 years old.I actually spoke to the espaces owner but one who was in the forces. He just said why on earth do yuo want an espace...get a kia sedona-plenty of room never let me down not expensive. It was one of the best bits of advice i ever had...May the LOrd shine his Face upon him...I am a happy bunny with my kia ( and so are my family mummy bunny and the little bunnies). And finally when we visited Paris a couple of years ago which was the most common taxi being driven...surely the FRench Espace....was it a bird was it a plane ..with those sliding doors for the parachuters… no it was ..around evry corner to cries of BRAVO...the KIA SEDONA

@ Nathan,

Sorry you went thru the troubles with your Sedona and now we are praising it all over your trash the sedona blog. 

Suffice to say I also found a dealer with a competant crew and not to far from home.  : -)

I will however tell you that I had the door not close thing hapen just yesterday.  I happen to not get to up tight and remembered that I had my mitts on the doodad that projects off the pillar where the door closes.  *Nathan’s blog will be fired up again* but I did two things: turned off the power to the auto doors and tried to manipulate the sensor on the pillar ... hahaha they are snug so I don’t realy think it moved all that much, but I felt strongly enough to give it a go.  So, I closed the door with the power off and as it should ... it stayed closed! got in and turned the power back on ... whaLaa.  slid open and closed with no problems.

I have another thousand miles on the beast of burden with that being the only hiccup. 

@Paul,

Ha I went with an Escape’ to a dealer with a “sale” going on ... Hahaha thinking a new Escape’ might be in order as there are certain Ford traits that hold true across all models.  “Do NOT own them after 60k miles or be fore warned F = fix, O = or, R = repair, D = daily”

Boy, when I saw they had a trade-in of a Sedona sitting in the lot, I knew I had found my replacement for the Escape’ .... for all the negatives this blog had and the ability of a competant dealership to ‘deal’ with the problem.  I am excited to drive her around and listen to the 250 ponies pound the pavement while in my heated leather saddle.

Here’s to yours, and may you all have better days ahead. 

Peace,
Matt S

I guess the issue we experienced was that we got lumbered with a dud car and then this was only worsened by poor customer service following that.

I think car manufacturers as a whole need to start learning that in situations like this they either need to work much harder to resolve the problems that a customer is having or just put their hands up, admit fault and replace or refund the vehicle.

Lack of positive action just winds the owner up and gives them more and more ammunition with which to discredit the brand.

Maybe if we’d been blessed with a dealership that put the customer first things would have been different. As it is I’m still paying off the loan on the Sedona despite it being long gone.

As you say… may we all have better days ahead. Hopefully blog posts like this will just give manufacturers more reason to strive for excellent customer service.

:)

I’ve just got off of the phone with the so called “Kia customer services”. I’ve had problems with this car from the first day I bought it. And I had the same problem obtaining a courtesy car. I have 4 children so needed a car with 6 seats. Kia wanted to give me a Vauxhall Astra.

My problem is with the IMV valve. Apparently it’s a common fault and has been fixed by Kia on a previous occasion, but because the dealer I bought the car from went bust and the car is now 9 months out of warranty Kia won’t touch it. In the beginning the car had spates where it wouldn’t start at all. It took the dealer 3 months of calling me to the garage to collect it saying it was fixed and then when I arrived, telling me it won’t start. The problem with the IMV valve is in 5th gear at 3000 revs the engine management light comes on and the car loses power.

The laughable bit is I still get letters from them asking why I haven’t brought the car back to them for servicing. This is without doubt the worst car I have ever owned. I’ve also managed to put people off of buying one when I’ve been at the dealership. I’m not surprised they’ve gone bankrupt.

HI NATHAN I JUST THINK YOU ARE THE FUSSY SORT OF CUSTOMER ANY BUSINESS WOULD NOT WANT YOU SEEM TO BITCH ABOUT EVERYTHING! BASICLY YOU ARE A BUSNIESS WORST NIGHTMARE HOPE YOU GET SACKED FROM YOUR JOB AND YOU CANT PAY THE MORTGAGE. PS GET A BUSS PASS YOU MORON

Dear PAUL, thanks for the comment! Yes I bitch and moan about Kia. If you’re happy to put up with sub standard goods which you’ve paid good money for then that’s your call but I’m not.

With regards to getting sacked from my job and not being able to pay the mortgage...I appreciate the concern but it might prove tricky. I run my own business and we’re doing quite well thanks… mostly because we pride ourselves on providing our clients with a fantastic end product and when things do go wrong we go out of our way to resolve the problem. A trait which Kia clearly don’t have.

Finally… regarding the bus pass. I guess that’s an option… I assume you’re a regular user yourself… or do you use the company car Kia provided you with when you started working for them? ;)

Kindest regards

Nathan

@ nathan pitman. you tell him m8. thanks for this blog. i was going to get a sedona but after reading your blog witch i am greatful for i have changed my mind. i thing a galaxy is my next stop for a car now.

ihave a 2005 sedona and to date have over £2200 garage bills for the fuel system and now it has to go in again with an estimated bill of £1200 which on a 2005 sedona with only 52,000 is a bit strong but as usual kia dont want to know because it was out of warrenty.

have had my new sedona for 1 month now, 7 year warranty and good reports about chester kia dealership did it in the end, and so far so good. very comfy and drives well.new 2.2 diesel engine is great hope none of the fuel system faults have been carried over to this engine.
got the option 2 model as the option 1 does not have air conditioning to rear areas.
option 2s ceiling vents above all rear seats are brilliant.
no rear air conditioning in rear of my galaxy was a big problem with the kids. no body ever wanted to sit in rear seats.no problem now.
part exed my 2006 galaxy for the sedona.
had just reached 30,000 miles and the air conditioning and parking sensors had packed in.looked like a couple of large bills so got rid.
looked at the new shape galaxy but new fold flat seats although handy not as comfy as upholstery a lot thinner than the old model.
will keep you informed on how the sedona goes early days yet.

I have a wheelchair converted sedona, I wish I didn’t .
although some problems are the fault of the conversion company other faults are not . new types required after 9,000 miles after being missed around by useless dealerships. when u feel steering wheel shaking ,the sedona has scrubbed away the balance of the types and you’llneed new fronts. the stupid 4th pedal - parking brake ( KIA dealerships question it has 4 pedals !) never disengages fully so the light stays on and bleeper goes off until u get foot under pedal and lift whilst pulling release knob . rear door very hard to pull open . now have knocking noise around front suspension- ah well its done 17 k and its a KIA . I think that stands for Keep It Away .

opps!!!i just bought an 04 sedona Ls so we could nip around with the kids and their friends in a bit of comfort, are there any problems with the older diesel models,oh our other car is a 4x4 mitsubishi pajero import,had it for 4 years,(new exhaust,tyres,filters yes and a couple of bushes) a fantastic workhorse and comfortable as well,4 people only, hence sedona?????????????
should i worry???

i have had my 54 plate sedona se for 2.5 years not a minutes trouble lovely car ,great for towing our caravan ,great if you need 7 full not fold out seats and excellent boot space

Ive had my 2006 Sedona 2.9 diesel since new, and gave had no problems at all. Mileage is about to turn 30,000 still the same tyres. Just fitted an fly by wire cruise control, great supplier easy to fit. Has towed a twin axle caravan since new, the third day towed the van to the South of France, no probs. Well, as is a common fault with the earlier model sedona my Air Con has had a fit.
Will trace the fault later,( a Leaking pipe).
Had a choice of purchasing a new model or this one, the seating arrangements in the new model has three seats in the middle like the Ford and other makes, that’s one reason that I bought this model (my second one), you dont have to lift a seat for a person to go to the rear of the vehicle.
On another note, I have been reading these messages and a lot of people are thinking of buying a Chrysler Voyager of all things. DONT I have owned one they are junk! Talking about the dash on the kia you aint seen nothing yet!

Has anyone considered a class action against KIA?
We have had nothing but problems since we drove it off the lot ( 2008 SEDONA )

My family is currently going throught the same door problem as described above by Nathan.

When is KIA going to step up to the plate, take responsiblilty for “their” defects and do a global recall. They are the masters of cover ups and are irrisponsible when it comes to the saftey of their vans!!!

We’ve owned an 05 2.9 Auto Sedona since new, just ticked over 100k miles. First major repair. Have just had to replace a an aircon pipe & condenser
Drives like a tank, is agricultural, gets through tyres for a pastime, dealers are useless and spares are hard to get hold of and expensive; but has been a comfortable reliable family car and tows like a dream.
You get what you pay for! If you want a Mercedes with Mercedes quality and service, buy one, if you want the most car for the money and you can put up with the rest - buy a Kia. I would recommend one.
(p.s. I have no comercial, emotional or other conection with Kia)

hello glad i found this site was considering buying a kia sedona but will now stick with my honda shuttle which is very reliable.
thanks

Hi there, I too have the problem of that the petrol is too much and its petrol, the person who sold it is saying no im not having it back do you know anyone who wants one for £4,000?

Hello, my husband and I bought a Kia Sedona (from a garage) on an 05 plate for 10,000 on HP in July 2008. I shall tell you the short version of our tale! ;) In October 2009 I lost power on the motorway had Green Flag recovery look at it, they advised us (and a garage) to replace the MAF Sensor which we did. The car then refused to start in December 2009 (after 3 months of still losing power during acceleration) and has been sat outside our house for the last 7 months. We took it to a Kia Garage and they told us the fuel pump and injector rails needed replacing at a cost in excess of £5000…
We don’t have that kind of money so we felt the HP company or Kia should take some sort of responsibility for this huge fault, alas numerous phone calls/e-mails and letters to kia/trading standards and the financial ombudsman we are still without a car that we have another 3 years left to pay on it.
We have to prove that the car was faulty at the time of sale… (Now thats not going to be easy!!) I was wondering if I could use some of this information you have on here to show the Financial ombudsman that the faults are not attributed to wear and tear, and that other people seem to have problems with their Kia’s…
(P.s I’m a member of your Facebook Group)!!

Hope your having better luck with yours?

Golly, sounds like a night mare.  We have an 03 Sedona, not as high speck as yours sounds but we have never had any problems.
Love it to bits.  Offers much more room and flexibility than other 7 seaters and is a real work horse.  I use it for work and travel all round the county in it. Its never let me down yet so I guess I have been lucky. I do have a couple of friends who also own a kia Sedona, much newer than ours, and they too are thrilled with it.
I avoided buying one for some time because I thought it was cheap and tacky, wish I’d not been such a snob and got one sooner.

That was one hell of a nightmare for you! Thanks for this post! I hope that somehow, auto parts shops and stores like Car Parts Los Angeles could have good things or stuffs to change the reliability issues of the car in the future. I hope other car manufacturers would not do this in the future.

My current Kia Sedona is a 2006.  My 2002 had over 100,000 miles and the 2006 seemed to correct any deficiencis that the 2002 had.  Now the 2006 has 111,000 on it and it is still one of the best vehicles I have owned!  I do not have the power doors but it is the EX model so it is very well equiped.  It is fast, comfortable, very versatile and if I were in the market for another car it would be another Sedona!

its fantastic;) After another 1500 miles of New England winter driving, I have not had a hiccup whimper whine from the old bag of bolts.  My sense of doom is fading as I log mile after mile of trouble free driving.

Hi Guys

I feel for all of you in your anguish as I have had some of my own, but I can’t help but feel the need to defend the Kia Sedona as I have one and love it to bits, it’s a fantastic MPV and runs rings around the ‘let’s share the parts factory and just put a different front grill on it’ Galaxy, Sharan, Alhambra, and to suggest that the Zafira is a seven seater is a complete joke, unless the occupants of the back seats are always under 6 years old.

The reason I have had problems with the car is not the car itself, but the incompetence and total lack of knowledge of the dealers. I agree that this is something that Kia should take more seriously and address, but I have to defend the car itself as the innocent party here.

KIA SORT YOUR SHIT OUT!

Have to concur with some of the recent observations that since our’s was last looked at by Hidsons in Rainham (Kent) the car has been good as gold; OK - the doors still a pain on an incline and we still get occassions with the ‘pedal to the metal’ as it thinks about it for several seconds before actually accelerating - but you know what? ... for what it cost its a pretty sorted motor.
Since the weather has been better and the kids have been walking to school it has been getting longer runs when it is used, so we have noticed better fuel economy too. It is also good for 95mph on the motorway without any drama and that’s more than enough for anyone.
I never thought I’d say it, but actually we quite like it now!!!

Have an older style Kia Sedona purchased new in 06 now 4 years old. Purchased for 13k. Best value car I’ve owned. Not the best car, that was an older style Toyota Previa.
100% Reliable, spacious, pulls a very very large caravan with consumate ease.
Not the most up to date vehicle, but surprisingly I am approaoched by people about twice per year enquiring about the car as they like it!
No intention of selling it.
Lots of Taxi firms use them. My local Taxi firm confirmed they had no problems with thier 3 until the’d done 60k.
Owned a Skoda from new, wouldn’t touch another, son ownes a ford from new- never again.

4 weeks ago I purchased a brand new Kia Sedona2. When I picked up the car from the dealer (Kia Phoenix - Paisley) I pointed out a few things that needed a bit of a ttention, scratch of front wing, chip on back door, number plates cracked and chips on bonnet. I was told that they would phone me in a few days to arrange for it to come back in for these things to be repaired.

They phoned me after a week and I asked when they could do the repairs, I was told that they would not be doing the repairs as I had not paid the full price for the brand new car and they would lose money if they did any repairs to it. I argued with them about this over the following week but got nowhere.

I have since contacted Kia directly and basically they will not do the repairs as Kia have told me that I should not have taken the car off the forecourt without repairs being done.

Kia Phonix - Paisley have now sent me a touch up pen to do repairs to paintwork myself.

The after sales service I have received from Kia is terrible. A few members of my family and friends have looked at my car and were going to have a look at them but I have advised them against this, so hopefully I have lost Kia a few sales.

We too are having trouble and I will never own another Kia willingly. We have had ours about 2 years now and to date the doors still are a huge problem. Not to mention our AC cap, gears in all 4 electric windows, modules, and so forth have had to been replaced. We have had everything under the sun worked on with our doors and still no luck. We have had 3 occassions that the sliding doors have tried to open while driving (thank God for safety locks) Everytime we take ours into the dealership, they never want to give us a replacement either, and we have 3 kids as well. We went about 8 months without taking it to we got to a point with the doors just getting more worse and a few weeks ago, 1 has stopped working completly. They have ordered parts that are suppose to fix it, but again they dont want to give me a replacement. My husband and I both work and have 3 kids, how can I get around if you have my vechile all day is what I keep asking and everytime......no fix. After my last visit a few weeks ago, where again, no fix to the doors, they had to reset the computer in the van because my check engine light would come on and the van would start to shake. Resetting the computer stopped the engine light but messed up the horn to where it sounds like it has a nasal problem. Kia is now involved and like others are stating, the customer service rep is a bit on the rude side. we are going to persue the lemon laws, which they are wanting to say “we can’t do” which is a joke......and I know we can persue, they just want to give me a hard time.

I was in a Kia dealer today looking at a Sedona.

Having read your problems, and others, I don’t think I will be following up with a purchase.

The car looked good and drove well but aftersales is a very important factor.  Any car can have a problem (minor) or two, there should’nt be any of course but if there are you need to feel confident that they will be attended to promptly and with courtesy.

Hi

I have owned my sedona for nearly six years now and have had 85,000 miles of trouble free motoring.  Starts first time all the time fits my four kids and mother in law and luggage in.  Have toured france in it three times.  Doesnt eat tyres or brake pads and is economical for a vehicle of this size.  I would definately buy one again but am planning to run it for another 85,000 miles.

Thanks Mark,
Must admit my wife said it is the people with complains who make most noise, perhaps rightly so, but there could be many satisfied owners who do not know this webpage exists.
I think I will seek out a few owners and ask their experiences before making a definite decision.  I want to tow with it and you do see a lot of them on caravans sites so there are plenty of owners who will be willing to talk.
I appreciate your comment Mark.

Same problem with 2007 Kia Sedona in the states. This happened within the first weeks of buying but they could never “reproduce” the problem.

First the electronic door would open and then slide back down. Very dangerous! I’m a big guy and I have to put a lot of pressure to push the door back on several occasions to avoid my kids being crushed.

Last week the door came open while turning a corner and scared my son half to death.

This vehicle needs to be recalled immediately before someone is maimed or killed!!

I’m sure someone has been hurt by this. I think I’m going to start a blog to see if anyone has been hurt. This is probably a class action.

I’ll never buy a Kia again in my life.

Regards,

Dummy how purchased a Kia

2008 Kia Sedona - No issues, recommended to several people who have purchased, again no issues. Considering every crash safety test confirms that this is the safest minivan ever made, why would you buy anything other then this?

I have a 2004 Kia Optima and I love the car, has almost 150,000 miles on it. The issue I have with the car is a window regulator, the driver window won’t roll all the way up! Considering the age of the car and how many miles I put on it, not too bad in my opinion. Hope all of you with issues can get them resolved...I would probably buy a Sedona if I didn’t already own a Mazda MPV. Waiting to see if Kia gets a new design in, the 1st gen Sedonas were dowdy, the 2nd gen. looked decent and hopefully Kia will reinvent the Sedona soon!

Wow, wife just called and said the door is still opening while driving. Back to the dealership it goes.

Check out the picture of how we ghetto rigged our door on the Sedona so our son doesn’t fall out. Glad he wears a belt and doesn’t walk around with his “pants on the ground”.

http://bit.ly/b2MvLw

This is a shame to KIA! Surely, they got there sales decreased dramatically. But to put things on a lighter note, this is never a general predicament to all KIA buyers. Definitely there are some who enjoyed their ride. Unluckily for KIA, they got a high profile Mr Nathan on this matter which makes everything about them unwanted and discarded. KIA should act on this before somebody shot a bullet right through their guts.

I sympathize your experience，supporting you，not to buy Kia Sedona…

I am having electrical issues with my 2008 sedona, that after 18 months of total BS, multiple dealers have not been able to resolve.
At this point I am looking for others to join a class actions suit against KIA for failure to address inherit electrical problems with these vehicles.
Please contact me if you are tired of being jerked around by this company and wish to join together and sue them for hardships endured, failure to address electrical problems and any other item my lawyer can come up with.

I have finally surrendered. This Sedona has been a hard and expensive lesson for me. I have sold it and bought a Galaxy 1.9 TDi, although really it is a VW with a Ford badge on. It is not quite the same as the Sedona but IT WORKS, EVERYTHING JUST SIMPLY WORKS!!!!!

Warning to all prospective Kia owners - it may come with a seven year warranty, but in my opinion you will need it! Along with plenty of money for packed lunched and flasks of tea for your trips to and from the dealer because they haven’t got a courtesy car available.

In my experience the dealers simply haven’t got a clue, they just don’t seem to be able to understand these cars. BUYER BEWARE!!!

Thank you to all who have contributed.  I almost bought a Sedona but have now decided to buy a VW Touran 2.0 SE.  Not quite as big and a little more expensive but the Sedona seems to be a much bigger gamble. 
My wife has had two Polos and the dealers have been quite reasonable and effective, although a bit expensive, but the car has always worked.

09/29/10

I have a 2004 Kia Sedonna and up until the past 18 months I loved it! That is when the acceleration problem started and the car losing power or shutting off in the middle of traffic. During the first year I had to have the passenger window power box replaced, the complete radio system and brakes with tires. I just chalked this up to normal problems of new cars. I am use to buying a brand new car and not having to change brakes or tires until at least 60,000 miles as I am not a hard driver.

Now today I went to get my emission test and was rejected they told me it is either an electrical problem or the catalytic converter. I have never had a car with these types of problems. I am going to start looking for recalls on this vehicle also. Those that are thinking of a class action law suit can count me in. Please contact me at

Actually sales of Kia as a whole has increased globally- not sure of individual countries, but here in the U.S. it has been enjoying a pretty good year. My Optima (Magentis) is almost at 150,000 miles and it is still solid. One thing that I must fix is the driver side window regulator. I’m not surprised it is broken with the amount of time I’ve spent in the car and all the up and down! I honestly use my window several times on small trips and countless times over the years. So not bad for a 2004 model. As for the Sedona- I am somewhat surprised at all the issues I hear, but I guess they all can’t be problem free. I know other major brands have had their share of issues and will continue to do so. I think some people here have extreme cases and should have been dealt with by Kia or the dealership giving you a new Sedona and junking the “lemon” or sending to Korea for research- so these things don’t happen as much or ever, if possible!

I totally understand that it’s impossible to churn out hundreds of thousands of cars without encountering any kind of problem somewhere along the line. As you rightly point out what’s important is how those problems are dealt with and I think in most of the cases mentioned here Kia have failed to do right by the customer.

We finally finished paying off our Sedona last month despite not having owned it for over a year. If I could have afforded to I would have had it crushed to save inflicting it upon anyone else but we had to recoup something from the experience. In the end I sold it via webuyanycar.com to save myself the dilemma of trying to convince someone what an excellent purchase it would be.

Well thanks for info, I was thinking of a Kia Sorento.  Currently have a Citroen C8 Diesel Auto with electric rear doors.  Had it 5 years.  Nice car, very little problems.  Purrs along and handles well.  Economical.

2003 Kia Rio Cinco great little car, 2006 Kia Sedona NIGHTMARE......

my kia sedonna is 2 yrs old done 70k mls
the back doors are opened 10 times a day,no problem
gives 30mpg whatever
I LOVE IT!

How anyone would choose a c8 or peugeot over a kia surprises me, The French pair are a crock of shit.
I have tried them, tthats why I bought the Kia,

People carrier with sliding doors.....which one?

Well, my C8 may be rubbish according to you but it has worked well for 5 years and my local Citroen garage gives good service.  As far ss the Sedona is concerned most of the comments would not agree with you, and they think it is a pile of c**p.  What I am interested in is the Sorento which seems a nice size 4x4, but I am put off by the Customer Service and guarantee comments.

Well I’m on my fourth Kia, my father’s had 2 and we’re about to by a second car and guess what - it’ll be a Kia! I love them and they have all been reliable!

I can’t help but wonder why someone who is really pleased with their Kia would be on this website?

How did you happen to come to this site? I found it because I did a google search for a problem related to my Sedona and found this site. I assume that everyone else happened across this site in the same way, because they have experienced problems?

I was on this site because I’m thinking of buying a Sedona! Do you not research before you buy a car??? I’m still happy with my Kias and very happy with my Kia garage who have always given me the best of service

What is wrong with people on this forum, can they not read. I said Sorento, not Sedona. And I certainly have researched before buying a car, that is why I am not buying a Kia, you can see from the mentality of people on this forum why they buy crap.

Is it me or does the URL at the top of the page not say “http://nathanpitman.com/563/KIA-SEDONA-reliability/?

For those who think they are clever like the last poster who may be very disappointed it says KIA SEDONA in the web address, you doughnut!

I will say it again. Please read the emails.  What I am interested in also is the Customer Service and guarantees which do not seem to be favourable.  Obviously some people cannot see past the word Sedona !!

I have owned a kia for a few years now and had no problems great service and fantastic reliability,
you encounter one minor problem then say your car does not feel safe for your family.
I think you are an idiot to make comments like you have.
you could have purchased a renault espace a chrysler voyager a vw sharan or a ford galaxy for a lot more money but you went for the cheaper version, this is a case of champagne taste with beer money.
I owned a Mercedes cls on a 08 plate and had no end of trouble with it, I sold it and moved on
Please get a life and move on

“I think you are an idiot to make comments like you have.
you could have purchased a renault espace a chrysler voyager a vw sharan or a ford galaxy for a lot more money but you went for the cheaper version, this is a case of champagne taste with beer money. “

Ummmm, yeah

When I bought my Sedona, It was between the Kia and a Town and Country for price/ safety ratings and reliability.  I chose the Kia.
So far, in 18 months, my Sedona has been in the shop for well over 45 days in this time, this weekend when I drop it off, from just getting fixed, for the 2 time in the last 3 weeks (5 more days off the road, for a total of 15 times in the shop.  It has died while driving highway speed 2x, once in the parking lot, all sorts of emissions related electrical problems, and in the last 2 weeks, it has died 6 times until I got it to the dealer.  When I said “dies”, I mean you stick the key in the ignition, and the whole car goes dead.  Playing with the shifter, slamming the door, opening and closing the hood and turning the key again would get this Sedona (my only car) going again.  I have since bought another car and now the Kia just sits there while the dealer is fixing one problem after another until it is fixed an I can sell it.  Maybe the commenter above would like to buy it, since he has such good luck with the Kia’s.  Put YOUR family in it and go for a ride, or a driving vacation and see how far you actually get.
You could say lemon, and lemon law, and I could then give you a five hour explanation of how the original dealer/mechanics and 2 experts from HQ screwed me with the paperwork.
Maybe you are lucky and got a good one and the dealer and mechanics were competent, but it obvious from this board and many others, Kia is seriously lacking in customer assurance and the ability to fix a broken car.
When you reach the mental age where you can post without name calling, come back, and people might actually listen to you.

Nathan, if you get a chance contact me, you should have the email from my posting.  I will be joining your fight shortly, and I have an idea or two to talk about.

Well the problem is girls, and if I may say the word Sorento again, unless you buy an expensive 4x4 like a Merc or a Land Rover what is there of an adequete size, I do not like the small Hondas etc.  Nothing wrong with Hondas I presume its just the model.

So despite the adverse comments on Kia Customer Service I may have to actually go for a Kia !!

Perhaps rather than having a go at each other a list of good Kia dealers would be more informative ?

A one man mission to topple KIA the 4th biggest car manufacturer in the world LOL.
Get a life Nathan & Dan,
we all have the odd problem get over it, and buy something else, you have a choice what you buy I had a problem with virgin media told them to stick it now with sky, my friend had problem with sky now with Virgin.
Sometimes things dont go to plan, sometimes they do
you had a bad experience buy something else
I am sure KIA can do without your business, good luck to the next manufacturer you buy from.
You are one of lifes moaners .
enough said.

Nathan, if you get a chance contact me, you should have the email from my posting.  I will be joining your fight shortly, and I have an idea or two to talk about.

LOL IDEA TO TALK ABOUT JOINING THE FIGHT WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE BOYS
DONT BUY A SEDONA NATHEN AND DAN SAY SO .  LOL
We bought a stinker salesman must by rubbing his hands.
You bought a lemon so has many merc,bmw,jag,vw,honda,lexos,toyota,bentley,ford,nissan,skoda,porsche,etc etc etc owners have.
Loser

Hi Richard!

At the end of the day everyone has a right to voice their feelings and if I’m not allowed to do that on my own blog then where else hey?

As for Kia - a one man mission against them might seem fruitless by I’d say holding position #3 on Google for the search term ‘Kia Sedona’ suggests otherwise.

I wasn’t happy with how they handled my complaints, I’m not a walkover so I wasn’t about to sit back and take it. I did something constructive, told other people how they treated me, got rid of the car and found a better manufacturer.

If all human beings lived a life where they didn’t expect more we’d be living in a pretty backward world - the ‘moaners’ are more often than not the ones that drive innovation. :)

Thanks for your comments - glad you enjoyed reading about our experience. :)

Number 3 on google, what is your job web designer
very easy to influence when it is your job
why not encourage websites with charity work or supporting our armed forces.
you are a loser, if you are as succesfull as you think you are, when I search your name,you would not be buying a KIA
kEEP YOUR BOSS HAPPY AND GOOD LUCK

Hi Richard, well I was kind of hoping I might be able to engage in an adult discussion with you - apparently not. Good luck to you too.

Yes, Richard, one man (or two or more) against number 4 car dealer in the world.  Its a lost cause, unless you keep it up.  Ever hear of Ralph Nadar?  I am guessing not because of your simplistic replies laden with insults which would lead anyone to believe you spend most of your time being abrasive and trying to be, rather than actually learning how to put sentences together and sound like an intelligent, coherent adult.  As Nathan has stated, it would be impossible to engage you in an adult situation, as can been seen already by your poor use of the English language and immediate reliance upon insults and childish behavior when someone does not agree with your own views.
Are you sure you are not a typical American sheeple, and not and English-man?
I see that Nathan has the testicular fortitude to leave your posts up for the world to see what an eloquent person you are.  Bravo sir!

Girls, these posts are great.  I am going to buy a Kia just so I can be part of the club.  Not a Sedona though, I like my Citroen C8 too much ! xx

No doubt your story is not a happy one.  However, after you ditch the Kia and say get a Honda, Toyota, Dodge, anything and you experience similar problems are you going to create a site for them too?  Don’t get me wrong, you have very legitimate issues that have gone ignored and unresolved.  Not good.  Especially since your families safety is involved.  However, the other manufacturers have similar issues.  I have a Dodge Grand Caravan.  It should be called the $1,000 Caravan.  Every repair comes out to 1 grand.  Constant front sway bar bushings, brakes and poor build quality.  The last van was a Toyota Sienna, nothing but problems.  Honda’s are supposed to be good, but are ridiculously expensive.  What are the options?
I have a Hyundai Santa Fe SE with about 15,000 miles on it.  So far, I have been very happy with it.  It does have it’s annoyances, but what reasonably priced vehicle doesn’t.  KIA is a sister company to Hyundai, so I can’t say that I won’t ever buy one. 
Regardless of what you, I, or anyone else feel, the problems with your van need to get resolved.  Keep up your persistence and pressure on KIA.  Just make sure that you present yourself as professional (as much as possible).  Otherwise you’ll be written off as an annoyance and they won’t take you seriously.  Good luck.

OMG.... Where do i start, ill try to keep this as short as possible, ive owned a Sedona since Sept 2002 (from New) and always had troubles of some sort since my Warranty ran out, truth be told i had troubles before the warranty ran out ,but i wasnt concerned as they had been repaired, But knowing the troubles I have had and reading the posts above i now realise i was still one of the lucky ones. I knew when i was buying my Sedona that i wasnt buying a Quality product and that the price diference would be offset by repairs i would probably have to make.
I have had to spend at least £500 ($750) (this does NOT include Tax ,Ins, Mot, Tyres, Exhaust or Brakes) every year to repair it and keep it on the road, So that means since i bought the car, and the warranty has ran out, i have spent £3500 to keep it on the road, I also own a 12yr old Vecta that hasnt cost me more than £500 in all its years of running to keep roadworthy and in working order. I now do most of the repairs myself to keep the costs down and although i have been looking for a new car I WILL NOT OWN ANOTHER KIA EVER AGAIN. Even if i Won it as a prize, id still put it over the harbour wall into the sea before the paint had a chance to dry.

Good Luck on your quest to rid the world of this plague.

I am in the process of choosing a people carrier.

The Kia was on the list of a choice of possible options.

THANKYOU for your report on the Kia Sedona. I’ll scratch this off the list of options. I’m down to the Galaxy and/or the C8. I’ll not consider the Sedona option.

If Kia read this then there’s another sale gone up in smoke. If after sales service is that bad I’ll not go with Kia.

I feel your pain! I bought a 2006 KIA Sedona 6 months into the 2006 model year, and have had trouble with the front end making a clunking sound since 36,000 miles. Then I have replaced all 4 tires 4 times in 3 1/2 years. Front struts are shot at 70,000 miles. Now the transmission is beginning to slip. I will never buy a KIA again. I would have been better off investing my money on a horse and wagon!

I bought a used 2005 Sedona- it seemed ok- I have had ti about 1 year it was very low mileage. The check engine light was been on and after a lot of cost, I was now told it is the catalytic converter,
That is covered by law- However they found $6,000
of other needed repairs- leaking head gasket and so on , we paid a lot for this van - we thought it was a good deal, the warranty follow the 1s owner not the car? This seems almost like false advertisement

I contacted KAI they are not going to help me out-
They do not stand behind their product.
A van I paid 8K and now needs 6K 0r repairs and it has less than 50,000 miles? This is unreal!
Anyone want to try a class action law suit?
Is there any help for this!
Thanks

Lots of UK and deisel talk here (No deisels available in Canada). I am from canada but I am also having problems with my 08 Sedona (Maybe doors)with gas V6 motor. Periodically when I go to start the van, it’s battery is dead. No interior light appears to be on doors appear to be closed. Dealer is working with me so far but have there hands tied because there is no code! They have been through a few bulletins with no help to the poor battery:( Has anyone else run into this problem as I do not want to lose my shirt on a trade-in. VAN ONLY HAS 20000 KM and has only been driven 2 years. One thing I have herd of in the past is it can matter which manufacturing plant your vehical was built in. Other than this issue the van has been ok. Doors do freeze once and a while, but I expect that in BC with any vehicle.

Was on the list as I am in the market for a people carrier.  Kia are no longer on this list.  The crusade seems to be working

I have had a Sedona SE Diesel Automatic since 2004 at 12 months old with 15000 on the clock. Now topping over 75,000 I have not had a thing go wrong with it. Its been one of the most reliable cars
I have owned. All that has been done is cam belt replacement and fuel filter. Its also been very economical on fuel especially on motorways giving about 36 mpg.

On my first kia and after 80k miles had to replace my trans so I agree stay clear of kia

i have unfortunatly had nothing but problems with my kia sedona 2005

YOU FOLKS WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS!

I wanted to write the following message to Kia regarding help I needed relative to a highly negative website concerning their minivan. However, their web site would not accept my email message, so I called customer service for help on the matter. The message I wanted to send is below.

I am preparing to buy a new minivan and the Sedona is one of my two final choices. However, I recently stumbled on the web site indicated by the link below.

http://nathanpitman.com/563/kia-sedona-reliability

To my horror, it seems like a number of Sedona owners are really complaining about your vehicle and company. This is a significant obstacle for me to overcome in my selection of the Sedona. Maybe you can enlighten me on why I should ignore these cries of desperation relative to new Sedona’s and buy you van anyway.

If I do not hear from you, of course I will summarily cross Sedona off my list and the decision will be made my you lack of positive response.

To my surprise the customer service rep, Richard Sabin, said he would take the website info, but no one at Kia would communicate with me concerning my request for help. His idea of customer service did not seem related to the “service” part of the title. I made clear to him that I could not buy his car without some comment from Kia on this damming web site. Yet the guy was unmoved and felt no responsibility to helping a customer on this type of matter. I repeated that I would not buy a Kia unless he helped me. Again the guy would not budge and make any effort to take this elementary sales objection off the table. He simply did not care that Kia would lose a customer because of his inactivity. I asked to be transferred to a supervisor and he would not do that. He claimed that no one at Kia would handle this type of request.

At that point,I realized that I was experiencing the exact same behavior described by a multitude of individuals on the website I was calling about. I don’t even have a problem with a Kia vehicle and I was handled with a don’t care about your problem attitude. In my opinion, this fellows attitude seem to be representative of a serious problem endemic to the Kia customer service department. I will attempt to find someone at Kia that cares, but I must question my intentions. Why do business with a company that is so, so difficult even regarding such a simple request.

MY EXPERIENCE WAS A NIGHTMARE!!

I have a kia 2007 sedona 78,000mi I have had very minor issues with until recently I have had the door problem in the cold weather yet hav found in the cold mo that if you put a little wd40 on seals it helps them from freezing yet still is an issue. I took it to the shop due to a whining sound I was told it was a idling pully and that they would fix it, upon doing this they did a diagnostic on the van and stated that it was pulling timing chain codes that I should get it sereviced. I made a apt and at the time I expected the van to be in for 3-4 days putting me at getting the vehical on fri. I received a call on thurs stating that the chain was done and upon diagnostics they found a cam crank code advised replacing the cam sensor at 200.00 auth. the service, I was then told that after replacing the Cam senor I needed a new ecm module upon that being replaced I am still told that I hav a wiring problem that they cant fix nor they willing to put anymore hours into and kis not covers I took it in for one code and I leave with 3 others!???? I owe 14k on this piece and kia only willing to giv 6k fir trade in what a rip off!!! We need to file class action suit against Kia for building Vehicals that are faulty dont last and do nothing but depreciate the time the roll out the factory door. I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER KIA MAY HAV TO FILE BANKRUPTCY JUS TO RID MYSELF OF THE ONE I HAVE.

I still think that the majority of Kia owners and that includes Sedona owners have found their vehicles to be reliable, especially when compared to Ford, Chrysler, or GM! I stand by my opinion and can not blame some of you for having issues with your predicament. I wouldn’t base any buying decision based solely on this website, I would go to see recall information and reputable websites that take in real owner data and compile real statistics. Look at the Toyota debacle last year! Toyota was thought of as bulletproof! Every maker makes a car that will have an issue at one time or another. I still would rather buy a Kia versus any domestic car, unless there is a huge discount of course! I hope all of you can get your vehicles fixed or go through the proper channels with Kia, as far as giving you guys a free car, I think that’s out of the question. Have you guys wrote any letters to the company?

Analyzerlx..
I almost agree with you.
Going through the proper channels with Kia is not possible.  Problem is the incorrect records Kia records on the repairs of the vehicles.  I have physical copies of these so I know what I am talking about.  Kia will not just “give you a car”, even after reporting problems, going through the channels, writing nice letters, and losing use of you vehicle for 30 days.  Your hand if forced to use whatever local lemon law you have and play a game of roulette.  Will the court believe my story with my little lawyer, or will they believe Kia with lots of money and big lawyers?  Most of the time court is avoided because of this.  Arbitration is binding.  You say your records are correct, Kia says, even though theirs are wrong, what they are telling you is right… After being advised by multiple lawyers, I got screwed, but they still got their money, which is all that really matters to them in the end.
I still have a Sedona, that, thankfully, has worked for over a month and a half without a single problem.  I am going for a record with my van.  This is after 3 or 4 different dealer mechanics worked on the van, 2 others flown in from CA, then another dealership for an incident, then to a new one because the original dealer closed.  That last one broke my car much worse than it was going in there, once again documented fully.  But finally, the van spent 2 weeks at another dealer, and it appears we have a competent mechanic and things might be fixed finally?
All through this customer service at the regional level is saying, we will fix this, nothing more.  I say, you have been saying this for almost 2 years now, and its still not fixed.  I am nice, they are nice, and I record and document everything.  Car breaks one more time, court will overturn original agreement, and force Kia to uphold their responsibility, nice, eh?
Never would have happened if I went with the Subaru.  Or from personal experience from a single car, chevy back in the day.  Got rid of a fully working subaru to give the family more room and got a car I cannot put the family in.  Its 5 start crash rating fails when the engine and electrical fail while driving down the highway and attempt to get off the road while having no power at all with the babies and toddlers in the car, like I have.
I rambled a bit, but really I see it as this.  You get a Kia.  Its a good one and you never have to see the dealer.  Its a good buy.  If you need to get a lightbulb changed (ie take apart the front of the van...) a good dealer can most likely accomplish that without causing any other damages to the car, but you are skirting dangerous territory here.  If you have a “real” problem, and one that repeats itself more than 1 or 2 times, you are in for the ride of your life.
All this is just my experience with Kia.  Other may or may not have had the same experiences, and may or may not upon buying a Kia.  My 25+ years of driving and knowing other drivers tells me, for the same price, I can buy a much more reliable car with a group of people behind it that actually provide “customer service”, not just giving you what they have to, under law.

I agree with Analyzerlx.
taking your car to any repairer will probably leave you with more problems that you had to begin with.
Cammie Olberding, never heard of of a timing chain throwing codes out? repair company telling you that you need to change a sensor because it throws a a fault code out, then finding out they have another fault code relating to the problem? then after charging you an extortionate amount of cash to make your car worse than when it first went in, you blame Kia? The repairers you chose are to blame! kia cars need a special code reader not generally available to everybody. Yes, of course if all of you read these threads, you will obviously Blame Kia and label them CRAP. try reading threads from other vehicle forums and, you will be quite surprised to read how CRAP the vehicles are. If you cant repair your Sedona yourself it is quite sensible to source a competent repairer/mechanic. All vehicle manufacturers are making it more difficult to repair our own cars or to take them to a non franchise repairer, there is always a way around problems.

KIA AND THEIR DEALER NETWORK, WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

I have worked in sales and marketing all my life in the high tech industry. I have never heard anyone say the the manufacture was not responsible for their product quality and reliability and their service network. Miniman above seems to support the proposition that Kia has no responsibility for the service network that it contracts. By the way, customer service is a Kia corporate function.

In fact a study of business policies and their ramification will support the fact that successful companies commit to high standards of product quality, reliability and customer service on all levels. My own interface with Kia customer service was a nightmare in incompetence and extreme poor attitude. The customer service rep felt he was meeting the criteria of his job by being polite. He made no connection with driving a positive outcome for the customer and his company. I don’t even own a Kia yet and pointed out to him I am a customer. The guy just did not care. What kind of training does Kia give their staff. These folks are a genuine liability.

At the moment, I live in Asia and in these cultures it is not unusual for the business model to be based on a win/lose model rather than a win/win model. The Koreans are significantly guilty of this modality of doing business. Below is a link to a Youtube video showing Kia’s Thai national importers mechanic and other members of the staff trying to deny installing a used pump in the owners, a foreigner, vehicle even though caught red handed on video. They eventually confess to cheating this customer. Click below

http://www.zyntag.com/tags/video/SsYQhjtJpjg/

It seems like Kia supports this type of business model worldwide and has similar problems with customer trust in Asia, the USA & Europe. Remember, dealers are legally contracted by Kia, and Kia company policy sets the bar on customer service for the dealer network. Anyone that questions that connection is really ignorant of how businesses are structured and their legal obligations.

I have made a diligent effort to buy a Kia vehicle in both Asia and now America and have found the same issues as defined by unhappy customers.

I consider Kia because of the high value proposition the vehicles deliver based on paper defined specification and price. However, cost of ownership extends well beyond sticker price.

In my lifetime, which is considerable, I have owned many, many cars and never had anything that comes even close to the problems with Kia I found in Asia and the USA. Simple logic tells one to stay away from this highly risky supplier. As a final comment, notice, I am not saying all Kia’s are bad as some bloggers seem to translate this web site. My point and the point of the actual victims on this site is that Kia is a high risk company to do business with. That being the case, any diligent buyer should investigate and consider other auto suppliers.

For those that are enjoying good luck with their Kia, keep those prayers going, it seems you will eventually need cosmic help.

I was checking for complaints on complaint.com regarding vehicles other than Kia and decided out of curiosity to check Kia. The link at the bottom contains two comments relating to life/death experiences of Kia’s that auto accelerate and the engine won’t turn of and brakes can’t stop the vehicle. Of course, Kia dealers and corporation claim there is no problem even with multiple witnesses including police. The Kia folks must get clown training before starting to work at the company.

Finally, those folks that keep saying some folks have good experiences with their Kia are completely missing the point. The probability of having a problem of any type with Kia is very, very high and problems at GM, or Chrysler etc does not change that fact. Only a fool would buy from any company with a provable and observable bad reputation. Click below for another deadly Kia adventure!

http://www.complaints.com/2007/july/7/2006_Kia_Sedona_almost_killed_us_146944.htm

Oh, how I wish I had stumbled across this site before purchasing my Kia Sedona! My van stalls pretty regularly, in the most inconvenient situations. There is no warning, just a loss of power. This has been an ongoing problem for me and while the TPS censor is cited as the standard “fix”, it has not resolved the issue for me. My car initially stalled about a week after I purchased it, with only 32,000 miles on the engine. My husband took the car into the Kia dealership and the censor was replaced. It has been in to the dealership several times since then. Twice, it even had to be towed. The oxygen sensors have also been replaced and the software has been updated. The check engine light does not always come on when the problem presents itself, which means that Kia is unable to pinpoint the cause. I bought an extended warranty for peace of mind, but I have no peace of mind when my car stalls in the middle of the interstate with my children in the backseat. This is absolutely unacceptable. I pay a car note every month for a vehicle that I can’r rely on to take me from point A to point B, let alone the roadtrip I had to cancel due to my lack of faith in the van. I plan to file a complaint with every entity that I can think of, as well as spreading the word in every way that I can about Kia and their substandard vehicles.

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My mother has a Picanto, less than 3 years old, and last week it decided to completely die on her.. as she was approaching a junction that led onto a main road!! The brake pedal locked, meaning she couldn’t stop the car, and she crossed 4 traffic lanes, which thankfully had been broken by lights a few yards away.. She had to stop the car by running it along the kerb until it stalled, leaving her completely shaken.. When it came to being towed, it started fine, and drove onto tow-truck, no problem, mechanic must have thought my mother was losing it, until same thing happened as he reversed off the truck! He’s had it since, stripped to the core, and still can’t find the fault, nor can the 5 different electricians he’s had come look at it.. Kia have been absolutely no help, refusing to get involved as the car is out of warranty, even tho the fault is so dangerous.. My mother has sworn to get rid of it as soon as it’s fixed, and my aunt that was going to buy a Kia also, has been well and truly put off!

Why is your mums car out of warranty if it is less than three years old?

I do not own a Kia, but asked Kia to comment on this blog. The experience was so bad that I realized I had the same experience that people that actually had problem describe. I will never buy a Kia and continue to find supporting evidence for their utter incompetence.
Latest evidence: yahoo home page has a write up on the best and worst cars to buy. You guessed. Kia sparkles again in the worst category.
For those folks under the illusion that they have a running Sedona and therefore, Kia’s must be good. WAKE UP or confess that you are working for Kia in PR. You just can’t be that dumb.
G

Gabriel

I do not work for Kia and I’m not dumb.  I have a Kia Sedona that has done 90,000 miles with minimal servicing and minimal problems.  It is used daily and never lets me down.  However in the past I have had a new Ford that shredded the belts in the engine and Ford could not fix it.  I also had a new Renault Espace with serious steering problems that again could not be sorted.  All manufacturers build cars with problems.  Are you so naive to think that all Kias have problems?  If they did they would be out of business.  Just face the facts; some Kias are good and their owners are happy with them.

If you dont own a kia why the hell are you following this up. Try other Vehicle forums, you will find very similar comments, open your eyes

high 5 gabriel

Gabriel

Perhaps next you could do some restaurant reviews without actually eating there or perhaps review a film you havent seen.

Just received this email from a fellow spouting the usual contra story regarding having a good Kia and implying that this makes everything alright with Kia. See his comments below mine.
He make a point of telling me he is not dumb and does not work for Kia. Well we really can’t verify either assertion. However, I do want to believe he is a fellow simply stating his belief with integrity. That is okay with me any time and I respect that.
However, he is missing the point that most of these folks are missing. And that point is about the probability factor of getting a dangerous vehicle for your family.
Will this same guy send you condolences when a family member is dead and tell you his vehicle still runs okay and you shouldn’t take the loss so seriously. Maybe, that is the point of his augment is it not. He’s okay so why worry about other folks problems.
Anyway you look at his augment it’s is completely illogical and nonsense. It is my opinion that these folks would be better off saying nothing than trying to nullify the very real suffering and problems of Kia owners seriously impacted by these problem. Hell, even Yahoo’s worst vehicle list includes the Sedona. The more I think about it the more I wonder about the guys critical thinking capability or if he really does work for Kia PR. A PR guy would answer exactly like he does. Well I am done with this one. I do apologize to the fellow if I have offended him, that is not my intention. My intention is simply to speak the truth using facts, logic and critical thinking capacities.

Gabriel

I do not work for Kia and I’m not dumb. I have a Kia Sedona that has done
90,000 miles with minimal servicing and minimal problems. It is used daily
and never lets me down. However in the past I have had a new Ford that
shredded the belts in the engine and Ford could not fix it. I also had a new
Renault Espace with serious steering problems that again could not be
sorted. All manufacturers build cars with problems. Are you so naive to
think that all Kias have problems? If they did they would be out of
business. Just face the facts; some Kias are good and their owners are happy

its 12 months since i wrote here last
I did buy a new sedona 12 months ago even after reading this site 7 year warranty did it for me in the end also good reports about chester kia dealership
and i still love car plenty of room, runs well and prefer it to the galaxy i had.
only problem so far, had a new motor for one of the sliding doors, done under warranty no problem

Just came across this by chance, as it has answered a couple of questions about the Sedona which my mother used to own. Tyres would wear on the outside edges for no reason and she kept being told by KIA that the tracking was out or she should not drive on bumpy roads (err 99% of the UK roads are knackered!!!). Cost her a fortune in alignment & new tyres (especially at MOT time), as well as loads of other issues with it (that are too numerous to mention as they have already been said). In the end she had that many issues that she simply informed the finance company that KIA didn’t want to honour any warranty repairs so she dropped it off with all the paperwork at the local KIA dealership and wiped her hands of it, losing money rather than sell it on to some other poor unsuspecting soul (she wasn’t going to feel responsible for creating someone elses misery).
I will never personally or recommend anyone buy ANYTHING Korean including TV’s, mobile phones, etc, as any consumer products that come out of Korea always are of lower quality than any other country around the world. All the Koreans seem to be interested in is eating dogs, building nukes & listening to propoganda podcasts. They can’t do anything else unless Kim Jong Il or the southern counterpart tells them too (I still reckon that the North control the South still).

Most the time I always buy American, other than my Porsche, which is a pretty solid car.  Most cars these days are mixed with foreign parts, so even though you buy an American car, you’re buying a foreign parts.

Anyways, what you should always do from now on is read the reviews about a car before you buy it.  I know a lot of people that also had problems with Kia.  The company really has had a bad performance in there past few years as a car company.

Hi Nathan
Thank you for spending time to set this site up and keep it going.  We were going to buy a Kia last week and researced the reviews and found your site. We were completely put off by all the terrible things that have happened to people who have the Kia.
Keep up the good work!
Best wishes
Jill

Maybe I got lucky..but, bought a 2011 Kia Sedona a couple of months ago and couldn’t be happier with my purchase. The price was literally thousands below the Sienna or Odyssey for a comparably equipped vehicle and, to date, no problems noted.  The new six speed transmission coupled with the 271hp V-6 gives exceptional performance. I’ve been averaging about 21mpg in town and the advertised 25mpg on the highway. The ‘hair trigger’ accelerator takes some getting used to but is really not that much of a problem. Maybe they’ve managed to work the bugs out....I hope so.

listen.. i find it very immature that your going to try and let kia lose “a million dollars in sales” you have to understand something.. when you had the spot delivery it is up to the consultant (sales person) to make sure everything is fine with the car. you cant blame kia. it’s like toyota.. can you blame all toyota dealerships for a simple carpet problem? no.. it’s the dealership along with the consultant. if you really want to try and help kia lose millions, good luck. each car has some type of flaw, but in auto to get fixed, or make sure their isnt a problem from the gecko. here at hudson kia, it’s a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. so come on now.. if you have a problem expecially with a door, it can get fixed or be avoided.. take care.

My Kia Optima is awesome, 159,000 miles and going strong! I recommend Kia to all people. Family, friends, strangers… everyone that needs a quality vehicle for a cheaper price should consider Kia or Hyundai. I own a Mazda MPV, but it has almost 100,000 miles less, but still is pretty nice! I’ve owned Fords, Toyotas, GM vehicles, etc… Take care of your car and it will more than likely take care of you!

I’ve owned a 2005 Kia Sedona 2.9D auto from new and, apart from a minor fault with an indicator switch, which was changed under warranty, have had no problems. The car is very economical and reliable and excellent for family trips or carrying bulky loads.

I can only assume from the above that the owners have been unlucky or there are design/production quality issues with the new model Sedona.

What is more worrying is the apparent failure of Kia dealers and Kia management to resolve problems to customer’s satisfaction.

“What is more worrying is the apparent failure of Kia dealers and Kia management to resolve problems to customer’s satisfaction”

Being an owner of a Kia with a series of problems one right after the other that the dealers have been unable to resolve.

Kia’s official position on the matter is “We will fix it”.  Unfortunately this position required you the loss of your vehicle over and over again for days at a time, while Kia is smart enough to make sure in their notes to label each its as specifically different to avoid anyone being able to use the lemon law with any sort of efficiency.  I know because myself and my lawyer have already been though this.

Reading this thread you pretty much see 2 schools of thought, the people who have the problems and the ones who think Kia is just going to fix them, so shut up.
The thing the latter group of people do not understand is this, Kia CANNOT fix the problems, if they could, in my case alone, I would not have had legal action against them, and also still have problems, which they cannot fix and I keep losing use of the vehicle for them to spend the time to try and fix it again.
I was even a main factor in getting a service manager and some of his people removed from their jobs because they accused me of “sabotaging” the car, when after a 20 minute argument with these people telling me my van was fixed, I just got in the van, and killed it within 3 seconds by putting the car in reverse and backing up 10 feet, and then putting it in drive, van 100% completely dead, no computer codes or anything, right in front of them.  Then they refused to service my van and I had to get it towed to another dealer.  Note this dealer also removed completely unrelated parts from the van, broke it and blamed me, which was proven to be a lie, hence they were removed.
This is what you deal with when buying a Kia.
You get lucky and you never have to see a dealer, and you think Kias and their service are great, but if you happen to have to get something fixed, welcome to our world.
Now my $28,000 van sits in my driveway until I have the difference between what I can get rid of the car for and the loan amount.  Note this amount have also greatly lessened due to the fact the car fax now shows like 20 some odd incidents and 45 or 50 days of repair for a 2 year old van with 40,000 miles on it.

Your right about customer services.My paint was flaking of the bumper while under warranty all i got of them was the bumper was damage which was a load of crap, Had my Sedona now for 3 years not had your problem Car runs quite well.But wont be going back to Kia due to the spin their personnel spin out.Either a ford or Vauxhall for me next.

That’s really pathetic service from Kia Sedona. Good luck with your blogging.

Just traded in my old Sedona 55 plate with 209,000 on the clock and no real problems at all,just usual wear and tear costs.Well with that reliablity you would think I would be safe with a new 2011 model,wrong!! After three weeks its back in the garage having the electrics sorted. Unfortunatly Kia dealers dont seem to stock to many parts,why? Awaiting another fuse now so they can check the wiring from the alternator to the battery cause it keeps blowing so the battery wont charge! Are the electrics a problem on the new Sedona? Dont the stock-takers realise they just might need more than one item at a time and dont get started on the arrogant service department staff. I just hope when I get my car back its not going to see the inside of a garage more than a open road!! Its a Taxi so it needs to be working so I might need to find out how I stand legally if this problem is going to persist!!

dude i just bought a kea and in about a month my engine light went on. I was hella pissed cuz i payed over 15gs for it. I took it to the delear and they could not fix the problem so they gave me a new car lol DONT BUY KIA

I must repeat my post. I promised myself to win an internet war against korean cars!
KOREAN autos are one of the worst in the world. I had KIA and this was like real trashcan. Less than 1 year I sold it.

THis has been interesting reading !  Been looking to buy a 7 seater and had my eye on a Sedona. Having read the above you can add me to the list of non-buyer to the value of say £5k.  Might be some way to the million !  With 2 kids and a car share for 5 children in total for the school run I’ll look elsewhere. Cheers for the heads-up.

I own a 2007 kia sedona ts manual bought in nov 2010 with 20000 miles, the car has given me absolutely no problems apart from poor economy for which the dealership updated the ecu and gained nearly 100 miles to a tank, that said it averages 30 mpg which is’nt too bad for a 2.2 ton box on wheels. I had the odd electric door failing to open but managed to track it to being parked on a slope and the additional weight of the door being at an angle confused the system into thinking it was jammed, had new tyres fitted on front when bought from the dealer and 8 thousand miles in reckon they’re goot for another 8-10.
a lot of bad reports on here, and i can sympothise with owners who are having trouble.
one of the posts maintained that european cars are better built than asian ones..............
renaults failure rate for new vehicles (faults within the first three months) is 40%!
(and keep an eye out for broken down cars at the side of the road, more often than not they’re renaults!)
citroen/peugot are’nt far off that amount either!
ford/vw/audi etc are all around the same at 30 odd%
vauxhall’s record is terrible at around 45%!
why? cars are now very complex machines with many electronic subsystems (which are built and supplied by the LOWEST bidder)
the main reason i bought a sedona was because i got a job with a kia dealership as a technician ( i previously worked for honda,ford,vauxhall and vw
and was amazed at the build quality and reliablilty of the new generation kia’s and no i did’nt get a discount for car or parts
i feel i have some qualification to make the above remarks due to experience.
and the majority of constant return trips to dealer is caused by substandard technicians being unable to diagnose cause.
the only bad thing about kia’s is the cronic depreciation, but i bought the car to last at least ten years so should’nt be a problem for me.

Kia Warranty
I’ve had all sorts of problems with my Mark 1 Sedona and am sorry to say that I have had a very negative experience regarding the Kia bodywork warranty applicable to my car

I will never buy Kia again!

This will come across as sour grapes and that is understandable
This will also come across as very long-winded, but I am trying to cover my back by being precise and not leaving myself open to a libel action by posting these comments in the public domain!
So, please indulge me and let me relate the circumstances as follows:

1) I bought a 06 Kia Sedona from a well-known and probably the biggest franchise chain in Scotland

2) When I purchased the car in March 2010, it only had 2 services from independent dealers recorded in its service book and the annual bodywork inspection had zero stamps. But the car was clean when I purchased it and only had around 37k on the clock.

3) I took it to a Kia dealer for a full major service in July 2010. The Kia dealer also did a full bodywork inspection at that time and stamped the bodywork warranty page as clean with zero defects

4) In May this year, I noticed a couple of patches of rust on the car. One on the front bonnet underneath the grill which could be argued is attributable to standard road wear. However, there were also patches of rust under the passenger side sliding door, both INSIDE and outside the car

6) I therefore submitted a warranty claim and pictures were taken and sent to Kia UK. Unfortunately Kia UK refused to honour the applicable warranty. Their main reason for doing so was because the only bodywork inspection stamp in the book was from July last year. They advised that the terms of their warranty had not been met, which I guess, is technically true. They also expressed a view that the rust was not due to a manufacturing issue on their part.

7) So, it doesn’t matter that the car was passed as clean 10 months earlier, by a Kia dealer, or the fact that it has well below average mileage, (currently around 45k) or the fact that there is rust INSIDE the car. I have to ask, if a Kia dealer said it was clean in July 2010, why should it matter that there are no stamps for 2009, 2008, etc?? What difference should that make to the car having a clean status in July 2010??

8) I contacted Kia UK asking them to reconsider but they refused. The customer service person I spoke to was helpful as they could be but the warranty department were refusing to move on their decision. It is therefore my opinion that this is an excuse on their part, enabling them to absolve themselves of any obligation to me under the applicable warranty for my car. Again, it doesn’t matter that the car was passed as clean at its last warranty inspection, by a Kia dealer, or the fact that it has well below average mileage, or the fact that there is rust INSIDE the car. (I keep on putting this in BLOCK letters because I just can’t get my head around this. I have owned cars for 20 years and have never had cars display rust inside, not even the door sills. In 20 years, this Kia is the only car I have ever owned that has rusted INSIDE!) But you can draw your own conclusions from the facts I have described above

9) I have had to do a warranty claim on previous cars twice before from reputable manufacturers, (VW & Nissan) and they were both approved without any hassle whatsoever. Kia is the first manufacturer I have come across that has given me so much grief

I should also note here that I have had other problems with this car within the first year of ownership:
1) £170 to replace coolant plumbing which was severely corroded after just 4 years
2) £145 to replace coil in the ignition barrel as immobiliser failed
3) £155 to replace ABS rings

Current issues to be fixed:
1) Glow plugs light coming on intermittently during driving (anyone got any ideas what’s causing that?)
2) New switch required for driver’s electric seat
3) Lights no longer flashing when activating locking system

So, looking back over the last 20 years, it is my view that without any doubt, this is the worst car I have ever owned and the worst after sales service I have ever experienced

Ultimately, the car is not of sufficient value to merit a legal remedy, so I am now stuck with a turkey and will aim to dump it next year, after just 2 troubled years of ownership

And then I will never ever buy from Kia again
I have also warned all my family and friends to do the same

Finally, whatever car you buy in future folks, if it doesn’t have a complete service and warranty record, just make sure you understand the risks should a problem arise in future. By their actions with regard to my claim, Kia have demonstrated to me that they will not honour a warranty claim, if all their terms and conditions have not been completely met. Sadly, there has been no evidence of their willingness to show any goodwill to me under circumstances that I believe are entirely reasonable

With an attitude like that, one wonders how they hope to get repeat business and increase market share in what is a highly competitive market

Anyway, there endeth the rant. I hope it wasn’t too boring for you

And thank you for reading; it has been therapeutic for me to type this!

My sadona is perfect. In america. Thats why we are the best. All warranty work preformed.

Bought a used 2009 KIA Sedona.  No problems that I know of.  Runs great, 25mpg highway, 18.5 in town.  Happy all the way round so far.

Hi, I live in the USA and frankly, I do believe in all of this. I mean, I never owned a Kia and I guess Kia’s could be what you call the Sirens because now the new ones attract you with beauty and style but reliability is something I can’t trust. My family and still do this day are supporters for Japanese brands. Toyota has created a long history of dependability and reliability. For instance, we own a nearly 11 year old Camry right now and it hasn’t put up a fight. The only fight was the battery but hey, 11 years like us, you need one. But yes, not all are good. I remember that stupid Sentra we bought on Friday the 13th. Yes, that day. So cheap, it was built that way. The dealer who I won’t identify (Puente Hills Nissan) didn’t fill up the transmission oil level to full so that in less than a year, trouble happened. The transmission would go crazy. Revs up, speed down. Even more luck we had was our 5 year warranty expired before we even got to get free service off of it. From how I see it, I will hate Nissan for building anything in Mexico. The poor craftsmanship is so cheap that the cars are literally built from metal cans!

BTW, yahoo says that you lose 65% of it’s value in 5 years. Hope I’m not too late. My advice, get something NOT Korean. More say a Touran or a Verso.

BTW again, check my channel out on YouTube and send a message soon! <Channel Name is my Name on this.>

It appears the American product and service standards are better. However, I have had a bad experience in the Uk and am unable to endorse Kia UK service standards and its UK cars so that remains unchanged

I purchased a 2007 Kia Sedona also. Not only have I had problems with the doors and Kia can not find the problem, but I have 120,000 miles on my van and had to have a new transmission already> I also have had to replace the headlights 4 times already. How ridiculous is that???? The headlights dim and get bright, dim and get bright all on their own. The only good thing about Kia is that when we were rear ended by a Mack truck the only damaage was to the bumper and doors. The van held up awesome. I will say other than that it is just a hunk of junk.

Hi - I own a 58K 2007 Sorento EX 4WD and my wife owns a 85K 2005 Sedona EX and both have behaved much better than most makes, certainly better than past American cars, VWs, and Honda and Toyota experiences. It seems you had some pretty bad luck and I feel bad for you. I have run into better Kia dealers and much worse dealers of other makes, here in the US. No one loans cars here - you are lucky if they offer you a ride to a destination… Kia’s reliability is improving - apparently per the news they have surpassed Toyota and Honda, and have accelerated to become the 4th largest maufacturer in the World due to a revamp somewhere areound 2007. Maybe your concerns helped to turn Kia around. Whatever the case, Mine has been a super Sorento, and even for the more-plagued model, my wife’s sedona has been pretty decent. Best of luck to you!

Thanks Paul

As I noted earlier, the US experience appears to be better

Having googled the UK experience just now, there appears to be a lot of negative feedback about Kia and their products here and I think it is fair to say that this website is more about the UK experience than the US experience

As for production volumes, I would suggest that is no reflection on quality of product or quality of service. All it means is that they are selling a lot of a product that for a lot of customers will be a long-term purchase

So they appear to be peaking now but the question is can they sustain it? Maybe they can if their product is better now but what about service and honouring their supposed market leading warranty?

That’s another matter entirely!

Will they get repeat custom and maintain their share?

Time will tell

hi sad to hear some of you have had so many problems. i must be a lucky sod, i bought a 7month old kia sedona 2000 miles on clock. i use it as a taxi and i’m delighted. bought nov 08 now has 175000 on clock, few problems. just regular servicing,and normal replacments (cam belt discs etc) what a work horse. a little thirsty, but i got a heavy foot.

Glad you’ve been lucky Phil. I reckon you’re in the minority though......

My goodness! This site comes up second on google for a search on Kia Sedona. My comment/message is this: WAKE UP! Kia - MD, marketing department/shareholders. It appears there is a lot of evidence here that points to Kia customer service and fair play sadly lacking. It matters less the technical faults than the awful customer service. Kia should have replaced the lemon and refunded for lost time and inconvenience, end of story. A PR disaster. I started off looking for a Kia model and now I am looking for anything but Kia. You can chalk up another one Nathan. Power to you.

I would not buy any other car than a KIA I have had three Sedona`s from 02 plate to now.
sorry you had a problem, more with incompetent staff it seems, I had the same with my First Brand new motor in 2002. My latest 57 plate I have had for two and a half years also won`t shut now and then, I discovered it was because it was on un level ground, no excuse but thats how it is.

I have had a Kia Mentor from new in 2002 and it has NEVER given a moments trouble or missed a beat since then. I accept that you were unlucky in your dealings, but you should not condemn all Kia’s. For the money they are fantastic value and well worth buying.

Well said John Baker

I had thought about purchasing a Sorrento but have thanks to this have decided to try Hyundai instead so thanks Nathan and everyone else who have shared their experience...this is a valubale public service and long may it continue!

It is nice to see some positive experiences out there as well but one thing I have noticed is that whenever their is a negative comment, a positive comment, usually from someone in the US, is quick to follow

Quite entertaining!

I think someone already made a didtinction about this thread being about Kia UK and that Kia USA are fine

By all means, keep on posting but in terms of the bad UK experience, your USA comments aren’t really relevant...sorry if that sounds harsh
:o(

Hi,
I used to test Toyota Avensis and Corolla and one thing you quickly learn is that no two cars off a production line are the same. My I’ve owned one for 5years and had minor problems which I myself fix, issues that I could have had with any vehicle, but it is reliable and is without doubt the best towcar I’ve had. You had a bad one but are behaving like a child who’s had it’s sweets taken off it. Put it into perspective or let it eat your life away like it’s doing. I don’t think that Kia are losing sleep over your moaning, but you obviously are looking at the times of the night you are responding to comments.

J Rushton - good comment

Russ Bradley - I disagree with your post. You just said you had minor issues with your car yet accuse anyone else who has major issues of behaving like a spoilt child!

If anyone requires to mature and grow up it’s you for being so ignorant

As for Kia, I find it interesting that they are looking to withdraw the Sedona from the UK market

Good riddance to bad rubbish!

hi a while since i have been on this site
but said i would keep you informed, would also like some feedback about tyre wear on newer sedonas - 2.2 diesel models.
have had my sedona know for 17 months and done 33300 miles.
had a problem with one sliding door which i did mention last time on this site. as i said it required a new motor and fitted under warranty no problem.
since then have had a faulty seatbelt (no tension on it) also renewed under warranty. also air conditioning lost charge due to faulty pipe also done under warranty.
stiil happy with the car, reliable and runs well.
and chester kia seem very friendly and helpful so far
only real problem looks to be front tyre wear looks like i will have to replace soon.
still making enquiries but am being told this is not unusual on larger mpvs.
or is this just a sedona fault or just me.
tyre wear is even across the tread so not a tracking problem.

Tom, I have had 3 sedona`s since 1st new 02, they are prone to ware on front tyres due to heavy front weight could help to be a little less heavy on the right foot when going around corners,I have found its cheaper, have a nice day, Pete

Nathan spot on. I have 07 plate Sedona, Door on left side (only left side) occasionally does not shut. Remedied by holding handle when it has fully closed, gives off three beep and stays closed.

This is a safety issue, an automatic door that does not shut and stays shut when it should do without manual intervention is a safety issue.(And also does not do what it says it should do - Not fit for purpose)

How about the Gearing issues (Selector forks and so on). Wow, would cost approx £7k to fix through Kia. Managed to sort through local garage for £2k. All of which appear to be ‘re-occuring’ and ‘premature’ issues. (Whichever jargon is used) Now have a problem with knocking when steering wheel is turned… oh, is this another ‘premature’ common problem, wheel bearings… most likely.

Could go on, but to summarise in the 4 years, we have also had problems with the Battery and Air Con.

Buy cheap and you pay for it twice over.

Hello, I can sympathize with all of these comments because our tale of woe began shortly after the purchase of our brand new Sedona in 2002. After numerous visits to our dealership for wonky electrics, I finally ended up removing the bulbs to the dash warning lights. After 24000, the alternator went out. There was a TSB regarding them but the dealership denied it. A new upgraded alternator fixed some of the electrical problems, but the headlights still blow out every 6 months. After that the rear heater and a/c pipes corroded and rotted away. There was a TSB about the pipes; and I discovered it was a common occurrence in the UK, but our dealership feigned ignorance and denied it as well. Around 30000 miles the paint issues and rust began. Then the front wheel bearings went out (repeatedly).

Our dealership serves absolutely no purpose save to deny every warranty claim and attempt to place the blame on us for “hard driving”. Rubbish! Then around 70000, the engine randomly shut itself off. That was a cam/crank sensor, a very expensive repair and the parts were not in stock because the parts man said they “went through so many of them”. Again, the dealership denied everything and said that they never heard of such a problem. The latest issue is the motor mounts. We’ve had to replace one already and now the other has gone out causing an exhaust leak. I dread taking it to our garage again.

This lemon doesn’t even have 100000 miles on it and it is worthless for a trade-in. The 10 year 100000 mile warranty is nothing but a blatant lie because the dealership’s job is to deny everything and cover nothing. Every one of my issues were known problems with the first-year Sedonas, but Kia America will not stand by their product and honor the warranties. Apparently I ended up with a Kia destined for the UK, because mine has all of the problems found on the European version. 

I have been fooled once by Kia, never again. Our next van will be a Honda or Toyota.

I have owned a 2006 Kia Carens 2.0 CRD LS auto for the last 3 years and can say that it is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.  The service from my local dealer Ken Jervis has been superb and nothing is too much trouble for them, they even removed cleaned out and replaced the washer bottle after the filter became blocked with gunge at 4 years old, all under warranty.  As a result I intend to exchange it next year for a Kia Sedona 2.2 diesel auto.  The new engine & gearbox seem to be a vast improvement over the older model and recent reports talk about faultless reliability.  A manufacturer that offers a 7 year warranty across the entire range must have a reasonable amount of confidence in their products or they would make a loss on every vehicle they sold.  Hyundai-Kia are the 4th largest car producer in the world and not far away from overtaking Ford for third place, they must be doing something right.  I am sorry for those that have had trouble I have had similar problems myself in the past with Ford, Citroen, Saab and even Volkswagen cars.  Cars these days are complicated, the important point is that when you do have a problem you need a dealer that will sort it out for you and in this respect I have found an absolute gem in Ken Jervis.  I have no links to Kia or Ken Jervis other than being a very satisfied customer.

Well I am on my second Sedonna 2.9 TD, having the first one from New (51 Plate) trading it in after 8 years with 133,000 miles on the clock for a year old 2007 model. The 51 plate only cost me service costs. My current car has 45,000 miles and apart from servicing it every 10,000 miles and a couple of Front Tyres its given stirling service so far.
Don’t forget you will never get a Galaxy, Peugeot 807, Voyager etc, at the price of the Kia.

You are either a Fan of Kia or your not.

I was toying with the idea of a Kia but having read this page there is no way I will bother. Keep fighting the fight and ensure that they keep losing money…

Hi Nathan,

I’ve already posted about the trouble I’ve had with my 06 Sedona that I had from new and the awful customer services, but now there is more.

Last week we went on holiday to Cornwall and everything was fine but then on the way back on the M4 (Mimbury) I had a loud knocking and banging from the engine. The AA had to tow me home. I had a mechanic out this morning who tells me the camshaft has gone. The car has done 60,000 miles! Kia say that they’re not interested because its out of warranty. It’s going to cost me about a £1000.00 to put right.

I was going to buy a sedona.not now.How can the goverment let this crap into the country.It has to stop.

I think there are horror stories concerning all car brands, Kias are not so bad IMHO.  I have owned from new a 2007 diesel Kia Rio which is nearly 5 years & 40,000 miles old. After a succession of Citroens which seemed intent on unscrewing themselves the Rio is a revelation. It drives as well as it did when new, has no rattles and squeaks (unlike my Citroens!), and has been 100% reliable. Above all it is a real hoot to drive and can suprise owners of far more exotic tackle with its grunt. I agree that UK Kia dealers leave a lot to be desired which is why my car has been serviced by an independent for the last 2 years and also that spares can take a couple of days to arrive (even the dealers are not always aware of parts updates such as the change to the CRDi engine fuel filter fitting). Would I buy another Kia? Yes but only after my Rio has been run into the ground and that won’t be for a good few years yet...........

No Problems So Far with my 2009 Kia Sedona.  25mpg hwy - runs great.  It did have the front brake pads replaced at 55,000 miles and the ATF was about a pint low.  First time I checked it since I bought it, but I had to put a hitch on the car so I figured before I start pulling a small trailer, I’d better check it.  I really like the power side windows that many other vans don’t have.  Another feature I like is the deep well in the rear of the van that many other vans at the time didn’t offer. My son has a Honda van and the KIA out-accelerates it.

What can I say - so far, so good!
I’ve got 65,000 on it now, not one problem. 

Of course most people don’t write unless they have something to complain about, but I’m taking

Dear R Hoeppner

I think myself and others on this site have already concluded that the US product and the UK product are very different.

The people you refer to who have something to complain about are in the main, complaining about the UK product.

Whilst I am happy for you and other US customers that you aren’t having the problems we are having here in the UK, in the context of the discussion around the UK product, I don’t think your comments really change anything in terms of our perception and experience of the UK product....

Dear R Hoeppner

I think myself and others on this site have already concluded that the US product and the UK product are very different.

I think it is fair to say that the people you refer to who have something to complain about, are in the main, complaining about the UK product.

Whilst I am happy for you and other US customers that you aren’t having the problems we are having here in the UK, in the context of the discussion around the UK product, I don’t think your comments really change anything in terms of our perception and experience of the UK product....

The US and UK products are not that different, there are plenty of positive comments on here from UK residents.  As R. Hoeppner suggests it is always those that have problems that will shout the loudest.  There are hundreds of thousands of satisfied Kia owners out there that have never seen this website or even feel the need to look for it.  Kia are one of the most reliable car brands on the UK market, easily equal to the likes of Honda or Toyota.  If you look hard enough you will find similar blogs moaning about most makes of car and car dealers.  Personally I have nothing but praise for the build quality, back up service, terrific warranty and my local Kia dealer.  Don’t be put off by blogs that seek to destroy a reputation, check the cars out for yourself and look at independent road tests and reports.  For instance Parker’s comment on reliability for the Kia Sedona states “Kia has a good reputation for reliability and the Sedona has proved to be a trouble free car”.  See what I mean about independent, my next car will be a Kia Sedona 2.2 diesel auto.

Yes indeed folks do your research as I have just done and will NOT be purchasing Kia thanks to this and other info on the web. For the benefit of Mark Sherwen, here is another third party comment re reliability, this one from Wikipedia..feel free to see for yourself:
================================================
In the 2007 reliability report published by TÜV, 1st generation (1999–2005) of Kia Carnival placed 113th out of 113 in the 2 to 3-year-old cars category, with a defect rate of 25.1%.[19] In the 2008 TÜV report, 1st generation (1999–2005) of Kia Carnival placed 116th out of 116 in the same category, with a defect rate of 19.70%, and also placed 111th out of 111 in the 4 to 5-year-old cars category, with a defect rate of 27.60%.[

Speaking to a lady who works in a hospital who also owns a Kia. She said it was like flushing cash down the toilet.
I have previously owned Nissans (x4) Fords (x2) Skoda’s (x1)Citreon (x1). And we currently have a second car a VW.
Nissans traditionally go on forever, however prone to rust. Fords can be taken to any greasepit, Skoda’s are cheap and are a poor mans VW. And my VW is just the bomb, although pricey. However I have never had a vehicle which has cost me £3k in one year. I have never had a vehicle that has cost me £3k when it’s done substantially less than the average miles and never towed a bean. (less than 8000 miles a year) I have never had an advertised extended warranty that does not cover £3k of parts. I have never had a car like a Sedona until now.
Nathan’s point is you take a car to a garage and they do a good job, you tell your partner and closest friends for a day or two, you take a car to a garage and they do a poor job you tell everyone you meet for the next decade and beyond. It is upto Kia and the dealer to correct this perception by providing a vehicle that meets the needs of the customer, is roadworthy and fit for purpose. Certainly, in his case and mine, this is not the case. Of course if Kia would like to re-inburse me the £3k then I will retract everything and blow them a kiss, in the meantime the Sedona is soon going to become a third car for the family of two drivers and as soon as it’s paid off it will be part-ex’d. You get a lot of car for little money, but you get what you pay for. Quality does not come cheap.

3 Notes to self. The secret of a happy and wealthy life.

Never buy from ChapelHouse Warrington
Never buy Kia
Never buy from the Kia Group

I have 2 Kias, 2002 Spectra with 150,000 miles, and 07 Sorento with 125,000.  NEVER had a problem with either, best cars I have ever owned.

The one consistent theme in this thread is as follows:  People who have legitimate problems with the car and need to get them fixed and when the dealer cannot time and time again, Kia does not take care of the customer.  The flip side is the other people who come here and state, I have a Kia and never had a problem.
Is it just me or are we talking apples and oranges.  The second group of people have absolutely no idea what the first group is talking about because their car never had a problem.  Great, I am happy for them, but really, can you say Kia’s customer service and ability to fix a car based upon your experience is a truthful statement?  Since you never had a problem, you never had to get something fixed, and then experience the wonders of the hole that you fall deeper and deeper into when Kia attempts to fix your vehicle.
Your statements are alike to watching a sports game with a group of people and you are looking at lint on the floor instead with an iPod in your ears, but you are still commenting on what you are not seeing and hearing.

Dan - Brilliant post!

All. This is getting a bit boring now as we are going in circles between the moaners, (myself included), who have something to moan about and the do-gooders, who have been lucky enough not to experience our problems with Kia UK and their crap cars. So this will be my last post and I will unsubscribe from futher updates

The earlier wiki post by Murun Watson provides some pretty damning stats re the first gen model. For the sake of balance I should note that the same article notes significant improvement with the next generation model.

What is revealed by all the negative posts on this thread however is Kia’s bad customer service and how they will nit pick to avoid honouring their warranty. Just Google Kia warranty problems and see the hits yourself. And before any do-gooder comments that all manufacturers have warranty issues, it is Kia who claim to be the market leader. The issues don’t just apply to their old warranty but to their latest 7 year one as well. Just Google and see for yourself

And so for me that is the real issue which lies at the heart of my original post and the creator of this blog who had a supposedly superior and more reliable next generation model. Irrespective of what they are flogging now and the so called 7yr warranty,
having spent thousands of pounds, what assurance do you have that Kia will put things right when problems occur?

My experience and that of the creator of this blog is that Kia are pretty useless and ruthless and unreliable.

See my first post again from some months ago (or go directly to the Kia Uk Forums and search Kia warranty. I tried posting the website link but my post was not accepted as potential spam!)

Then just ask yourself if I was treated fairly. What about the creator of this blog and his experience? Was he treated fairly? Would you trust Kia UK?

I most certainly would not and will avoid them like the plague from now on and I suspect countless others will too.

Anyway that’s all from me so goodbye! I have said everything I want to say. Over to my fellow moaners and the would be do-gooders who have not suffered the same stress and expense as us yet feel obliged to defend Kia regardless!

Forgot to say that I was having trouble posting under my original name Kia-ed Off! so posted as Had Enough!