Kia Motors Complaint - Timing Belt - 2005 Kia Rio

Posted by UrFriendlyPirate on 2007-11-10:

IF the belt wore down enough or got slack, it could jump a bit throwing your timing out of wack thus causing your engine to get out of timing and blow.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2007-11-10:

kia....killed in action...nuff said

Posted by Lidman on 2007-11-10:

jktshff1, I can add no more.

Posted by moneybags on 2007-11-10:

Today, so many cars have engine parts and belts made of aluminum. The manufacturer and mechanics may not tell you (afterall, they want to make money on repairs and replacements) but ALL cars should have timing belts REPLACED between 50,000 and 60,000 miles. Your instruction book may even tell you that. A $250 repair (preventive maintainance) can save you thousands.

Posted by tjputvin on 2007-11-11:

Ahhhh but hindsight is 20/20. I took the car to the dealer and do you think they told me to have the timing belt changed??? nope.. I've decided that Kia is a disposable car. It would just be nice if they made them so people could at least get them paid off before they blew. I think they would make more money this way, people would be more willing to upgrade every few years instead of getting upset and bad mouthing them, enough complaints and Kia will not be selling anymore cars. I'm not sure about Kia's but I've heard for a bit more you can have the timing belt switched out for a chain. I've also learned my lesson on extended warranties also, not that it would have made a difference with Kia but I have one with my Toyota now. When purchasing a new car on Friday our Bank told us, we'll finance anything you want, just not a Kia. That says alot. They told us that they are no longer financing Kia without extended warranties. Which, leads me to another thought, ask your bank about extended warranties, we learned that dealers pay 400.00 for them and charge anywhere from 1600 to 2500 but the bank has a better deal and with Kia's you might actually get your work covered, Not real sure how that works though, talk to your loan officer, that is if you use your bank instead of your dealer as we do.

Posted by tjputvin on 2007-11-11:

JD How too cheap to get it done, Had I knowns it needed done I would have done it. I'm so cheap that instead of fixing the pc of crap Kia I bought a new Toyota. CUSTOMER SERVICE is not Kia's thing, screwing the little guy is.. You get part of the story, and then you only read part of that. And throw this at me. READ READ READ, I maintained my Kia, They just make crap.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2007-11-11:

tip, did ya read the book that came with the car? It has a suggested maintenance schedule. More is required than oil changes and tires. It's that way with any car you buy.

Posted by tjputvin on 2007-11-11:

Read the manual, memorized it. Not, I did read through the manual, I also just assumed, and you know what that does, that Customer service would come with the car. I work and live and love the customer service business and if I did to my customers what Kia does, I would be out of business. It seems more productive to work on a solution. Moneybags and Piratewithparrot thanks for the non judgemental advice.

Posted by WhineX on 2007-11-11:

I've heard that Kia has made improvements in quality lately, but early Kia's are poorly engineered cars. As for the belt, there is a maintenance schedule with the owner's manual, and it's the owner's responsility to follow it. If the belt broke, it would cause the intake/exhaust valves to go out of sync and collide with the pistons. If the engine seized, that could shear teeth off the belt w/o breaking it. Either way, if the car is out of warranty, you're kinda outta luck.

Posted by Bellyupinmi on 2008-07-24:

I bought my Sedona new, It has received all scheduled oil and maint service all done at KIA dealerships. When I took it in for its 60,000 mile check up at 56,000 miles I was told the timing belt needed changed, KIA refused to cover the 120/100,000 mile warranty as they said the belt was worn because of normal wear and tear much like tires and brakes and they are not covered either

Posted by Catastrophic Damages on 2008-11-14:

Im having the same problem. 2005 KIA RIO new off the lot three years ago. KIA quote "From the moment you get behind the wheel of your new KIA vehicle, you'll notice how satisfying it feels; a feeling you'll appreciate as long as you own your vehicle. Your complete satisfaction is our primary concern!"

KIA mechanics and non KIA mechanics alike as well as the KIA Motors Corporation are aware of this problem, this engine is the highest in demand right now because of the failure rate due to the belt problems.

Posted by Catastrophic Damages on 2008-11-14:

Forgot to add to my post...Oct 30th our belt jumped time, because of the "interference engine" design when the timing is off the crankshaft and camshaft are out of time which allows the pistons to strike the valves. My engine has bent or broken valves in all cylinders and we still dont know the full extent of the damage becuase the engine has to be disassembled and we havn't gotten there yet! Brilliant design flaw, costing consumers millions. Why rely so heavily on a disposable part?

Posted by Jim on 2011-06-04:

Boy that sounds familiar. We had the same exact thing happen at 62000 miles and guess what. OH WELL. That was from ROYAL KIA. Never have another Kia!!!!!!

Posted by Ann on 2011-06-14:

I was told by the Kia dealership in my town that I needed a new timing belt for my 2007 Kia Rio and they told me they would charge me $540 for this repair. Well, I looked in the owner's mnaual and there was no mention of a timing belt, only a drive belt. I looked online and found a kit with the belt and the tensioner pieces for about $76.00. The $500 must be for the rental car the dealer said they would give me while the work was being done! What a rip-off!