Kia Motors Consumer Reviews - Page 2

NEW YORK -- I have leased three (3) Kia's. No problems with the first two at lease turn in. I take excellent care of the vehicles. Went to turn in my wife's Sorrento and did the "PRE TURN IN INSPECTION" at the dealership. There was a small ding from a shopping cart that the person at the dealership said I would not be charged for. He held up the "turn in inspection card" and indicated that the ding was not big enough to get charged for.....so I turn over the plates and go on my way. Well, two weeks go by and I receive an invoice from Kia Finance for $200.00 stating the ding was charged as excessive wear/damage. I could have brought it to my local "Dent Doctor" and had this miniscule ding popped out for 20 bucks! Kia Finance says "you got bad info from the dealership and there is nothing we can do about it". Well...this is now my LAST Kia and I will NEVER lease/purchase from them again. I have already steered three family members and friends to lease from Nissan based on my experience with this Company. Congrats Kia...you lost a loyal customer and I will continue to deter any acquittance from leasing or buying a Kia for as long as I am above ground.....

I moved state and requested a title transfer of my Kia minivan (partially financed through Kia Motors Finance) from Pennsylvania to New York.Over a month after I first contacted them, Kia Motors Finance tells me that they need three more weeks to "process" the PA title before they can send it to New York.

New York law only allows new residents 30 days to get NY plates. But Kia Motors Finance tells me that "details" such as any fines I may get for driving with out of state plates are not their responsibility.
Oh, and they won't phone to tell me if and when they are finally done. You have to navigate their bottom-tier telephone menus and rude, clueless customer "service" agents to get any information.

RENO, NEVADA -- I had a lease with Kia Finance. Always paid before the payment date. My account was never paid late. When I turned the car back in couple of months early I paid the final dues indicated in the letter they sent. It was always paid as agreed and should show paid off with a zero balance. The letter from Kia was received on March 6, 2017. It indicated a balance which was the final payment for my car lease. I paid this with a check in March 2017. This check subsequently cleared by bank account in March 2017 by them.

Even though Kia took the final payment and cashed the check they failed to apply this money to my account and instead they reported this amount as not paid. My credit score was in high 800 (for which I worked very hard) and overnight, without sending me a notification or calling me–my credit score dropped to low 600 BECAUSE OF KIA FINANCE's MISTAKE. I did not get the mortgage and now that I am trying to fix it, they are useless, rude and taking their time to "investigate" and deal with it.

CANADA -- My elderly grandparent's KIA Rondo just threw the connecting rods at 123,000 kms. Garage said its the 7th KIA they have had in within a year with similar low kilometer shot engines. Contacted KIA customer relations to see if this is a known flaw and all they had to say (paraphrased) was "you had a warranty for 100,000 kms, so we fulfilled our obligations." Has anyone else had a car that was essentially useless after only 120,000 kms? Looks like I am headed back to the domestics. I can't fathom wasting money on a new car that will be useless that fast. At least now I can understand why KIA received an F from the Better Business Bureau.

HUBER HEIGHTS, OHIO -- Sat. 8-24-13, around 3:20 pm, I went out to my 2012 Kia Soul parked on the street, in part-shade, in a residential area of Centerville, OH. The windows were cracked, and the temp outside was in the mid-80s. I opened my front door & put in my beach bag. I then opened the back door, and closed the front door, when I heard a 'boom'. The back glass on the hatch back exploded from the middle & laced everywhere else, leaving a hole in the middle about 2 feet wide. Everyone at the scene stated that they had never seen a window break in that way, from heat or whatever, and it was their feeling that it had to be a 'defect' in the glass.

I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I called 411 & asked for the Kia Dealership in Centerville. They gave me the number to the Dealership in Huber Heights. I spoke to the GM, who answered the phone & explained the situation. Kia has a 60,000 mile, bumper to bumper warranty, that is boasted about as one of the best in the industry. I figured with it being a fluke, and not like brakes or tires that had normal wear & tear, that it would of course be covered.

The GM proceeded to tell me that it wasn't, and that they couldn't help me but that I could bring it in on Monday, as the service center was closed at this time. I asked if he could give me the number to the Centerville dealership, as they gave me the wrong number. He stated that he didn't have their number & that it wasn't convenient for him to get it either.

I stated that it was less convenient for me, as I was on the side of the road. He still refused to help me in any way get the number to the other dealership where I purchased my car. If they are that unhelpful in time of a crises, then I would never step foot in their dealership to purchase a car from them on a good day!! Shame on them!! The back window will cost anywhere from $265 - $440 to replace. WOW!!

UPDATE: After sending my e-mail below to the sales person and his manager, the manager actually contacted me to say that he could make the deal work with a 2010 model car. When I told him I wasn't interested because it wasn't the vehicle I was shown and quoted, he actually had the gall to ask me if I had considered a KIA Soul. Unbelievable! What deceptive and slimey sales practices!

HERE IS A COPY OF THE E-MAIL I SENT TO A SALESMAN AT THE WATERFORD, MI KIA DEALERSHIP. I THINK IT PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP.

Jim

I just want to thank you for wasting my and my husband's time this last week with your bait and switch tactics.

Just to refresh your memory, I stopped in on Friday afternoon around 2:00 pm to look at a Sportage. You showed me the burnt orange colored vehicle you had on the lot to give me an idea of what the interior would look like. I CLEARLY told you that I had two requirements in a car - AWD, heated seats were a must and I would like a satellite equipped radio.

After we looked at the car we returned to the showroom and discussed pricing options. You disappeared for a while and came back and told me that for the same equipped car that you showed me, plus heated seats (you pointed out that they would not be leather) and AWD, the lease would be $260 per month with $2,200 down. I asked about a sun roof and you indicated that it would not be a factory install, but would add approximately another $10 to the lease payment. I even asked about the big sun roof they show on the TV commercials for the Sportage and you laughed and explained that it was a panoramic roof and that those only come in the deluxe model which would put us up in the $360 - $380 a month payment range. You said the "boss" drives a Murano similarly equipped.

I explained to you that our Jeep lease wouldn't expire till December and you indicated that it would be no problem and magnanimously offered to go to the Jeep dealer when we turned it in early and argue with the dealer about termination fees - you said you do that "all the time" for customers. You even went as far as to say that you would take the three final months lease payments we had to make and either give us a "dealer check" or a dealer discount to offset the cost to us.

I wrote all the information down on the back of your business card (a pdf copy is attached for you) - you sat there and watched me write everything down. I said my husband would probably come on Monday to look at the car. You said you only work by appointment, so I said we would call to set one up.

I called you Saturday morning to confirm all the pricing information you gave me - $260/month, $2,200 down, AWD and heated seats. I told you I didn't want to waste anyone's time if that information was not correct. You confirmed that was correct.

I couldn't believe my ears when my husband came back and said that the price had mysteriously gone up from to $260 a month to $360 or $380 a month for the same vehicle and that you looked at him like he had six heads when he mentioned what you said about the dealer discount for the remaining Jeep payments.

At the time I was at the dealership you said that your customers "are your best salespeople" and that "it's not about the price, but about selling cars and building relationships."

What a farce. But you are right - I will be a spokesperson not only for you, but also for your dealership. However, I don't think what I will be telling everyone is exactly what you might have had in mind. You are clearly a bait and switch operation unfortunately promotes the image that car salespeople are unscrupulous.

EAST BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY -- On October 12, 09 I had my 2002 Kia Sportage towed to a local Kia dealer because I had a dangerous leak coming from a fuel line. The diagnosis from the Kia Mechanic - the PCV hose was leaking and should be replaced with the valve. I was informed that everything was okay after I picked up my vehicle and this was
also noted on the invoice. Notation on the invoice states that I may need a fuel injector rail in the future (keyword: future).

Four days later, on October 16, 09, I'm still smelling gas fumes inside the car. I open the hood while the engine is still running and my car is still leaking gas from the same PCV hose. I'm 50 miles away from the Kia dealer that did the work, so I had no choice but to have the car towed to another local Kia dealer which cost me $175.00 for towing.

Now this dealer informs me that the return fuel line is leaking at the clamps plus additional components
that the first dealer did not inform me about which included the following: failure with fuel regulator, leak at valve cover, emission 3 stage cleaning system (this was extra work to inflate the invoice, work that wasn't needed). First dealer never mentioned this extra work.

I was seeking a Realistic Restitution for $199.00 extra labor from the first dealer. This is all extra labor that the second dealer had to dismantle the components to make the repair that the first dealer didn't do right the first time. This first negligent dealer has the nerve to say that I refused service for the repair. Let me repeat myself and maybe the ** in KIA will hear me. Notations on invoice from first DEALER:

Customer states fuel line hose is leaking and advise. Dealer called to inform me what the problem was and how much it would cost to repair. Gave the okay to forward with replacing the hose and valve. There was no other communication about any other problems. I couldn't deny any other additional work, because no additional work was discussed with me. There was a notation on the invoice when I picked up the car that the fuel injector rail
may need to be replaced in the future. AGAIN, NO WORK WAS EVER DENIED.

As a loyal consumer, I put my trust in the Kia dealers to be honest and correct vehicle maintenance problems to my satisfaction which they didn't do in this case. Have communicated with Kia Corp to resolve this for a fair realistic restitution of $199.00 which they have denied.

These KIA Vehicles are cheaply built and have many problems that require expensive repairs. These dealers will go out of their way to refuse warranty service on your car. The dealer will blame you, the owner, for the problem and will not do the warranty service. A simple repair to replace a leaking fuel line hose turned into a nightmare for me and will never buy another Kia. All you ** at Kia Corp, Wake up. I AM A VERY UNHAPPY KIA
SPORTAGE OWNER and will not buy your brand again.

In 2005, I had traded my SUV in for a 2005 Kia Optima. The car seemed nice and thought a new car would be a nice change, and the savings per month compared to the SUV. The first red flag that did not quite register at the time - I signed the contract with no finance company name on the contract. Just a PO box address in California and no account number. Then a week later, I was required to sign three separate contracts. Again no finance company information filled in and now no address. I was told they would fill that in later and this was normal. They were just waiting for information to fill it in.

Then I get a call from my old finance company to tell me that they have not paid off my trade-in. If the payment was not received in five days. They would repo it from the dealer and come after both of us for payment. The vehicle was paid off in a month and a half after trade-in. The next red flag was that I never received a letter or call from the finance company to go over the details of my new auto loan for the Kia and no payment coupon book ever arrived. Yet, the payment amount on the various blank contracts were all different.

Then there was the issue of never receiving a tag or registration for the vehicle. After five months of having the vehicle, the vehicle was repossessed. I called around and finally got a hold of someone claiming to have the loan. The response was that I had to reapply to get the car back. The biggest red flag of all.

What this means is that they gave me a car with no financing, took my trade in and got rid of of it quick (2 days sold to a buy here pay here for $500), and never filed the paperwork to have a tag or registration sent to me. If this is not bad enough, you will love this. If at any time I was stopped by law enforcement and they checked the paperwork, the first two charges would be no valid registration and no valid tag.

Here is the big felony coming up. I would have been charged with Unlawful Possession of a Motor Vehicle. Plain English, I would have charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. When I did nothing wrong. I never once received a phone call or letter stating there was a problem and should bring the car back. They got rid of my SUV quick so no one went to jail.

I have tried to work this out with the company, and, guess what, no response. I am going to the GA Attorney General's Office to see if they can do something and searching for a good attorney. One more bit of advice for all previous Kia owners, current owners, and future owners. Hyundai owns Kia and per legal agreement, Kia Motor Finance Company is a business name of Hyundai. Kia Motor Finance Company is a name that cannot be used in all US states to legally conduct business. The actual finance company that conducts the business is Hyundai Capital Finance. Deceptive finance tactics used that possibly fall under federal predatory lending practices act.

I also just found out that Kia Motor Finance Company is now Kia Motor Finance. The same legal agreement stands. So please check your local state to see if the legal agreement pertains to your state. One other thing, all Kia dealerships in the state of Georgia have an F rating with the BBB. The majority of complaints are sales/contracts issues. I wonder why!!! It seems that Kia profits from breaking the law.

ILLINOIS -- I recently purchased a 2007 Kia Optima from a local dealer. The first week I had the car, what I noticed was that when my wife sat in the front passenger seat, the warning light on the dash would remain illuminated, indicating that the passenger airbags were "off". Mind you, she weighs 150 lbs., so certainly the sensors in her seat should be able to detect that a full-sized adult is sitting in the seat, and therefore the airbag system should be fully activated.

I phoned the dealer, and got a guy on the phone from the service dept. After telling him the problem, his answer was it was probably due to the way my wife was sitting in the seat. In other words, she has to sit exactly a certain way, and be very conscious of how she first sits in the car. Otherwise the sensors in the seat will not pick up the proper signal, and the airbag light will not turn off. This of course means, in the event of a crash, her airbags would not deploy!!

Yesterday, I brought my Optima in to the dealer to have this problem addressed by a mechanic to see if in fact there was anything defective with the seat. After nearly two hours of waiting, I was approached by the service manager, who showed me a bulletin he had recently received from the Kia corporation relating to the very issue that I was concerned about. This bulletin went on to say that the passenger body must be positioned in a very exacting way when they first sit in the passenger seat.

The proper positioning on the seat, especially the way they extend their legs, is vital in those first few moments. If the said passenger does not sit properly in the first few moments, the sensors in the seat will not recognize the individual as a full-sized person, therefore the air bags would not deploy in the event of a crash!! I then walked out into the service area, and personally spoke with the mechanic who had been checking my car. He was quite clear with his explanation, and he concurred with the bulletin about how an individual sits in the passenger depends on the way the sensors read the person, and how they then react.

In summation, this design of the sensors is clearly a flaw. Why should I, as the driver, or my front passenger, have to worry about how to sit their body in the front seat??? The airbag system in my wife's Honda, as a comparison, is always "on". The only time it is deactivated is if it recognizes something light on her passenger front seat, such as her handbag when she sets it on the seat. It is only then that the "passenger air bag off" light is illuminated. I love my Kia Optima otherwise, it is a well-built vehicle. But this airbag issue apparently has become an issue with other consumers besides me. It hopefully will be rectified in future models.

GILBERT, ARIZONA -- I have a 2005 Kia Spectra with 32,000 miles on it that I bought brand new. The car just stopped running with no prior symptoms while driving down the freeway 6/11/2007 and the car was towed to the nearest Kia dealership, Desert Kia in Gilbert, AZ. They told me the car needed a new battery. I told them I had put a new one in after the car died and it still wouldn't start. Then they said I needed to use a Kia battery because aftermarket batteries won't work in some of their cars. My ex-husband just happens to be a battery expert, and he called and told them that was a load of crap. They changed their story while talking to him and said there was an electrical problem, but they were having difficulties diagnosing exactly what the problem was.

On 6/21/2007, they finally told me the car needed a brand new motor and they would not honor the warranty because I live in Arizona and did not have the severe weather maintenance done at 15,000 and 30,000 miles. They hadn't even asked me for those records (which I don't have because the owner's manual says they are "recommended"). All they asked me for was oil change receipts, which I provided to them.

After 10 days with no car and no word on what was wrong with it, now they're telling me I need to pay them $7,000 for a new motor. They're saying the flex plate cracked and went up into the motor and damaged the motor. But they're refusing to honor the warranty due to lack of maintenance records which they have never requested from me and don't even know if I have or not?!? And $7,000 seems like a lot for a car that was $11,000 brand new...?

I called Tempe Kia to see if I could have the car towed over there to have the warranty work done. Someone named ** told me not to bother because if the warranty was denied at one Kia dealership, another one cannot then do the work. He also said that if Kia is able to find a loophole in order to not have to honor the warranty, they will find it - whether it is related to the repairs needed or not. Oil changes and severe weather service would not have prevented my flex plate from cracking, but they are using that as an excuse not to honor the warranty and there's nothing I can do about it.

I have asked them repeatedly to provide me with something in writing showing exactly what is wrong with the car, what caused it, what it would take to fix it and if the warranty doesn't cover it then why not. They will not provide me with the info in writing. They will tell me over the phone what is wrong, and their story changes every time I talk to them and is completely different when my ex-husband calls. But they will give us nothing in writing.

Now I'm faced with filing bankruptcy because I am neither willing nor able to pay for a car that doesn't run while I find alternate forms of transportation and I can't afford an attorney to try to sue them. I am a single mother working 2 jobs and I bought the car because it was inexpensive and had a good warranty. And Tempe Kia told me if it broke down they would provide me with a loaner car until it was fixed.

It seemed like the perfect car for someone who can't afford to have unreliable transportation. Desert Kia wouldn't give me a loaner car for those 10 days because they say Kia dealerships each have their own loaner car programs and they don't honor each others' programs even though they are all Kia dealerships.

Please don't ever buy a Kia, and if you already have one, make sure you get all the maintenance work done at the Kia dealership at the proper times - otherwise your warranty will be worthless, regardless of the work that needs to be done.