Nathan Pitmanhello, my name is
nathan pitman.

Kia Reliability Oct 23. 0931

Just a short post really to rant publicly about the shocking reliability of our now 2 year old Kia Sedona. It’s 5 days since our car was delivered to West London Motor Group Kia in High Wycombe on the back of an AA truck. Our 2nd breakdown in 2 years of ownership (I won’t go into detail about the crazy number of times its been back and forth to the dealership in that period for non fatal reliability and build quality issues).

Now, you’d think that a car being towed pretty much guarantees an upset disgruntled customer and that presented with this situation a dealership (and the manufacturer) should be doing everything possible to expedite the process of getting the owner back on the road, in their own car. However as you’re sure to find out, if you’re unlucky enough to own a Kia, this simply isn’t the case. First off the importance of your situation will be directly affected by the recovery service that is used to deliver the car to the garage! Yes, it’s true, direct from the mouth of Kia Customer Services. If the RAC bring your car in you’re in luck, if it was the AA, it’s to the back of the line for you. Not all customers are equal.

I imagined (perhaps incorrectly) that it would make sense to prioritise the totally borked vehicles that have rolled in over the weekend – call the customers who have routine services booked and re-schedule them, safe in the knowledge that they have a vehicle which works (for now) and this will probably only be a minor inconvenience to them. Now you’ve got an empty workshop you can sort those broken Kia’s up and ship them back out! No chance… the reality is that your car is already at the back of the line and it’s gonna have to fit in around anything else that’s booked in this week.

So today, 5 days down the line our car still isn’t fixed and I have very little faith in them resolving whatever outstanding issues there are with that hunk of junk this side of the weekend. In fact I even kinda doubt it will be fixed on Monday. Obviously they’ve been all to happy to offer us a courtesy car (Remember there’s a £10 administration fee though) to ‘get us mobile’, but a car which you cannot physically fit 3 children and 2 adults in really isn’t going to get us mobile at all is it.

Of course I’ve been on the phone to Kia Customer Services but they seem about as useful as a chocolate teapot. In fact they even lied blatantly about asking a manager about the situation and then made numerous excuses as to why we then couldn’t talk to that person ourselves. This car and the customer service we’ve received from Kia has been a total and utter disaster, from the day we took delivery of it right up until now. In 12 months the warranty expires and quite frankly that scares the shit out of me. If you take anything from this blog post, let it be this – Whatever you do, don’t buy a Kia.

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Tagged: Personal

I thought I was reading a re-post from last year!! Seriously, sorry to read about your car troubles.

Noted: Kia = horribly bad cars.

Posted by Matt Robin on 23/10/2009 at 02:08 PM

I really have to say this: you get what you pay for. Just like buying a Dell or Gateway versus an Apple, the car will have the same “features” on the surface, but tens of thousands of tiny parts that don’t even have pronounceable names have been sourced cheaply and installed by children in Asian sweatshops. Don’t fall for it again. Spend the extra money.

Posted by Daniel on 01/07/2010 at 01:02 AM

I’m sorry to hear you experienced so many troubles with your Kia vehicle. They (Kia cars) seem to be reliable these days. Also, their quality has improved a lot in the last two years, according to J.D. Power and Associates. But, you can always get a lemon…

What car do you drive now? Would you give Kia a try again?

Best regards,

Kia fan :)

Posted by Kia on 09/07/2010 at 06:26 PM

Hi @Kia fan, the problem wasn’t so much that we had a lemon but more the way in which Kia chose to treat us as a customer with a genuinely dud car. Somehow I doubt that has changed… in the end we resorted to selling the car at a huge loss just to be rid of it.

We now have a Ford Galaxy, which has been a brilliant family car thus far. Next month we make the last payment against the finance agreement on the Kia Sedona (that we no longer own!) so we’ll ‘finally’ be able to close the door on that experience.

Would I buy a Kia again? No chance and and every opportunity I get I warn other people against doing the same thing.

Posted by Nathan Pitman on 09/07/2010 at 06:38 PM

Very good to use. To exist responsible you cannot beat the services or the people that I give covered with. I’m complete to travel.
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Posted by jimy on 09/09/2010 at 04:41 PM

i so no where your coming from my junk kia sedona 2005 has had three soon to be four clutches at our expense apparently my driving skills are at fault , so why the 10 year old vaulkswagon sharon never had a new clutch fitted and over 100,000 miles is a mistery won,t mention brakes steering electrics etc etc

Posted by tracie on 06/10/2010 at 05:31 PM

Hi
My sedona has clocked 102,000 mile, other than a steering fault plastic bolt sheered I have no (touch wood) trouble.
Mine was from brand new, in 2004.
As for the clutch this is a Sedona trait, I am on the original, but a mechanic friend does say they are prone to these going. Mine has done mostly motorway, highway miles, if you ride the clutch this will burn it out anyway, or if you not good on the gear changes or heavy towing. If you use this car in heavy traffic lots of changes etc, then it will also cause a problem. If you buying second hand service history is a must. Main faults I know of, hand brake is crap, this is due to it being a foot brake in US. Rear wheel bearings are also prone to going. Clutch as mentioned, nothing else as I know of. Engines are bullet proof, inside is cheap and marks easily, but comfortable. Fuel consumption is good for 2.9 turbo diesel, great towing car. Great car if the price is right, new price now is really high in my opinion, I love my Kia, but understand the frustration when you get a bad one.

Posted by P D Hollington on 10/10/2010 at 07:08 PM

It’s all very well for Nathan Pitman to vent his spleen because he feels ticked off.  However, he had no compunction about selling the car on to someone else - and that before the finance was paid.  Is that even legal ?

Always take with a huge pinch of salt something which someone says bitterly.  By his own admission, he just wants to “cost” Kia £1m - though whther he thinks that is profit or turnover is left unsaid.

Posted by Cynic on 16/10/2010 at 09:15 PM

i have a sedona and when it was 2 the clutch started going wrong. dealers wouldnt cover it. ive just had to have it replace costing £493… thats cheap by kia parts standards and now my mechanic has said i need a new gearbox aswell.he also advised me its the third sedona with the same problems.Kia are a nightmare. really rubbish workmanship. please dont ever buy one whoever reads this.. You will seriously inherit a lot of problems and i dont want that to happen to anyone else.  plus they devalue quicker than any other car

Posted by jason on 03/12/2010 at 10:52 PM

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Posted by nejlepší online kasina on 17/01/2011 at 11:19 AM

Kia really have a lot of issues in terms of parts usability services and etc. i hope they can find solutions on this

Posted by Tail Light on 04/02/2011 at 06:37 AM

Great post! I also have had some issues with a Kia car. I’m glad I now have a GMC car. Regards, bedrijfsautoverzekering

Posted by bedrijsautoverzekering on 06/02/2011 at 06:29 PM

I think that the finance industry is the biggest industry in the world not only in the New York and the Easy Saver programs makes people want to spend more and more money every day so the industry is growing every day .

Posted by micaa on 08/02/2011 at 03:17 PM

If you use this car to run a lot of changes, etc., will also cause problems. If you buy second-hand service history is a must. The main defects know handbrake is crap, this is due to the fact that the foot on the brake in the United States. The rear wheel bearings are also prone to go. Switches as mentioned above, no change that I know of. The engines are bulletproof, is housed in a brand cheap and easy, but beautiful. The fuel consumption is a good 2.9 turbo diesel, a car towing good. great machine if the price is right, the new price is now really great in my opinion, I love my Kia, but understand the frustration when you get a bad one.boat parts

Posted by boat parts on 27/03/2011 at 07:27 PM

Dam a 2 year old car with that many problems already.  Think it’s time to trade it in for another car.

Posted by Charles on 29/03/2011 at 09:38 AM

Admirable content about Kia! from last week I face some problem in my car. What I’m doing now? Thanks :)

Posted by Los Angeles Movers on 11/04/2011 at 08:25 AM

Nice conference about the shocking reliability of old Kia Sedona. I also face exceedingly problem. Just need your helps dude.

Posted by James Anderson on 12/04/2011 at 04:54 PM

kia’s resale is zero in market no one interested in having it.Thank you for this sharing.

Posted by Graphic Web Design Perth on 15/04/2011 at 06:02 PM

I don’t appreciate KIA as solid car. It is better to pay more and buy Ford or Dodge and be sure in your vehicle. This article just confirms my point of view.

Posted by john murphy on 21/04/2011 at 11:21 AM

I don’t know about you, but in the US we refer to Kia’s as “Disposable cars” because you get them cheap, barely use them and get rid of them.  To the person who said their kia had 103,000 miles on it… first you are extremely lucky to get that many on a kia and second a plastic bolt sheered for the steering mechanism.  Thats what makes a kia a kia.. PLASTIC bolts.  Never get a kia, if you want a cheap car that will out perform and out last anyone car for the price get a Subaru.  Mine is around 395,000 miles and i am by no means nice to it.. i drag race it still, and no major parts have been replaced.

Posted by Shancaldazar on 06/05/2011 at 03:13 AM

Well referring to the plastic bolt, most cars have them in their steering.
There design to shear off in an accident, and collapse the steering column. As I said my Kia is a great car, if you have a bad one its a shame.

as a post script newer Kia’s a ven better with a 7 year warranty

Posted by MMM on 06/05/2011 at 07:07 PM

I really wanted to buy a Sorento back in December, but I was turned off by too many bad reviews and horror stories with the new 2010 generation. Did that change lately? I currently drive a manual Corolla LE 2004, seven years 145000 km and no visit to the dealer - also skipped a recall for the intake gasket that I changed myself 7$ + 1 hour labour is faster than going to a dealership to have it done. By the looks of it, no chance to get same service from a Kia, isn’t it?

Posted by Niculae on 08/05/2011 at 02:17 AM

My Kia Sedona has 167,000 miles on it with no major repairs. we use it to tow a small camper often. Even towed a flatbed full of wood recently.

Sounds like some of you just simply don’t know how to drive or properly maintain a vehicle.

Posted by Tom McShannon on 22/05/2011 at 02:42 AM

Thanks for the warning, I am sorry to hear about your experience but I wonder if we can generalize based on that specific customer service shop. We’re thinking about buying one of those class b motorhomes and we found a Kia that’s already on our options list. Now I am so undecided…

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Posted by classpad 330 on 26/05/2011 at 05:59 AM

Maybe I won’t tell nothing new to you, but 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.

Posted by New York on 03/06/2011 at 07:00 AM

I BOUGHT A 2003 SEDONA NEW AND IT CONSTANTLY WENT TO THE DEAQLERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. EVERY MOTOR MOUNT, SPINDLES, HUB BEARINGS, TIRES CONSTANTLY REPLACED CAUSE ALIGNMENT NEVER STRAIGHT,(HAD TO GET5 LIFETIME ALIGNMENT WITH FIRESTONE).fIRST REPAIR WAS IN THE STEERING COLUMB AND NOT RIGHT SINCE COLUMB WAS OPENED.SHORTS IN WIREING CIGB LIGHTERS,CRUISE CONT, HORN. tHE WORST WAS DEALERSHIP TRYING TO FIX STEERING TWICE,AND GOT THE VAN BACK THINKING ITS FIXED NOW.DROVE THE NEXT DAY OVER TODT HILL SINY AND GOT TO THE BOTTOM TO THE BANK PARKING LOT. WHEN I GOT BACK IN MY CAR THE STEERING WHEEL WENT COMPLETELY ROUND AND ROUND UNATTACHED TO THE WHEELS.I FELT IN MY MIND IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IF ONLY A FEW MINUTES EARLIER GOING OVERTODT HILL. HOW CAN THE DEALERSHIP GIVE BACK THE CAR WITH SOMETHING THAT SERIOUS GOING WRONG THAT IMMEDIATELY. I REALLY WANTED TO CALL A LAWYER INSTEAD OF THE DEALERSHIP.I ALWAYS HAD THE FEELING THEY WERE NOT TOO HAPPY TO SEE ME COMING BACK SO OFTEN WITH THERE PIECE OF JUNK ON 4 WHEELS.THEY GOT THE MONEY FOR THE CAR NOW THEY DONT WANT TO SERVICE.EVEN AFTER THE WARRENTY EXPIRED STLL THE BROKEN CRUISE CONTROL,DOOR HANDLES,RUSTED METAL AC LINES AND REAR HEATER LINES,AND A HOST OF OTHER SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. I HAVE LEARNED TO HATE KIA AND THERE THROW AWAY CARS.JUST PAY A LITTLE EXTRA AND GET A REAL CAR

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Posted by joomlaoscommerce on 02/08/2011 at 11:34 AM

You know, you aren’t the first person I heard negative feedback about Kia. They are fairly inexpensive cars and you can definitely feel that when you are driving them.  I used a Kia to drive in the mountains in Alaska and we could barely get to the top!

Posted by seo chicago on 04/08/2011 at 08:29 PM

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