Kia Motors Consumer Reviews - Page 5

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA -- I recently bought a 2007 Kia Sorento. The dash has a light to show when the passenger air bag is off. When no one sits in the passenger front seat, the light comes on. In my vehicle, even when there is someone sitting in that seat, the light will remain on. This means if a front end collision occurs, the passenger side air bag will not deploy. This is very dangerous. One of the main reasons I purchased the Kia was due to the amount of air bags all around the interior.

I have had service to check this out at two dealerships and the computer does not register any sensor malfunctions in the history. The service manager himself stated he has had several complaints about this very problem. He stated it depends on the exact way a passenger positions themselves in the first few moments of sitting. I took him for a test drive myself and it worked perfectly when he was sitting, but the light has come on with each other passenger.

The sensor is a gel pad in the seat and must have appropriate weight placed on it to activate the air bag and allow deployment when necessary. The sensor is not set properly for the average person. This could be a very dangerous situation. I hope Kia Motors realizes the problem and finds a solution before someone is seriously injured.

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Wife and I love our 2006 Sportage. It's a great vehicle. We actually like the products Kia makes. My beef is with their customer service. Capitol Kia in Austin TX is the worst customer service experience I have ever been through. Our Sportage was in the shop for 1 month and 1 day before it was finally fixed. There was a part on back order for over 3 weeks.

Needless to say, my rental car was getting VERY expensive. Kia wouldn't lift a finger to help me. Because they couldn't get a part in, I was still responsible for a rental car. Their management gave me the run around. Would not provide any names or phone numbers of Kia Motors for me to call to escalate this. I was actually lied to by a couple of people. Their management talked behind my back thinking I couldn't hear them making derogatory comments. I was totally blown off and no one seemed to care one way or another about this costly issue caused by Kia's inability to get a repair part on-site.

Kia is also shady about not posting any mailing addresses anywhere on their website. But I will find addresses for them and mail them my complaints. They will hear about it somewhere. I'm sure it will fall on blind eyes and deaf ears though. Bottom line is my wife and I will never buy another Kia again based on this nightmare. I fully advise everyone in Austin TX to stay away from Capitol Kia on 183 and to just fully avoid Kia altogether.

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA -- I bought a 2005 Kia Sedona specifically for the warranty. At 96,000 miles I carried it to the Kia dealership, where they promptly told me how important it was for me to have 2100.00 dollars in maint. work done. At this point the van was running great, with the exception of a hum in the rear axle that was repaired. (Wheel cylinder bad, 489.00 not covered by warranty.)

I agreed to let them do the work, which included replacing every belt, detailed tune-up, etc. 80 days later, the motor blew up on the interstate and I was told the tension arm bolt, which holds pressure on the serpentine belt, broke, falling into the motor. At this point, I am thinking it's a warranty issue. However I was told I was 314 miles over the warranty issue, and even though no one had touched this motor other than Kia, it would cost me roughly 3900.00 to fix it.

After carrying it to another repair technician, I was told the bolt had not been tightened properly and it had indeed bent some valves in the motor. So currently, I have a 2005 Sedona that has been to the Kia dealership twice, that cost 21000.00 new and is for sale in my front yard for 1000.00.

I have told EVERYONE that will listen how terrible Kia service is. The van is great, but the service personnel is anything but great. Their warranty is garbage, Kia does not stand behind it, and when you try to contact their corporate offices, they refer you to everyone but the janitor. Never again will I even look at a Kia, much less purchase one, and will tell everyone I know how sorry their service is.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA -- My Kia Rio story! Sad but true. And if anyone from Kia is reading this... "It's just the beginning baby!" By the time I'm through with you, you won't sell one more of these pieces of crap, anywhere to anyone!" My Kia basically began falling apart the day I bought it. Weather guards flew off while driving away from the dealer, door handles and window rollers have broken off, warranty won't cover this!

At 61,236 miles the engine completely blew up. Kia will not honor warranty because the timing belt was replaced at my local mechanic and not by Kia dealership even though the cause of the engine failure was not due to the timing belt failure! They are scum! People, I know these cars are cheap and they seem like a sound buy with the 100,000 mile power train warranty, but for the love of God and all that is good, do not buy one of these.

It is Kia's objective to find a way out of honoring all engine failure warranty work. If you change you own oil and do not save all the receipts from when and where you purchased the oil, they won't honor it. If you live in the north and drive the car in below freezing conditions and the engine fails, they will say this is driving under extreme conditions and will not honor the warranty!

The list goes on and on people! They only put the warranty as an incentive to get you to buy this crappie car and then try and weasel out of honoring it! My car was two years old, all freeway miles engine blows up and they will not fix it! AND THEY WON'T FIX YOURS EITHER!

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE -- I have a 2008 Kia Spectra setting in the drive at my house with what looks to be timing chain issue. After reading all the reviews here, I'm very concerned if it will be covered under the warranty. It just now has 60,000 miles on it. I'm curious as to why a recall has not been done on this issue. From everything I have been reading it appears that Kia's have a track record of timing chain problems.

I also researched what is considered the power train: it states anything that comes in contact with the motor oil. Well the timing chain most certainly comes in contact with the motor oil. So I'm very concerned as to what is going to happen when I have this car towed to the Kia dealership I bought if from. Are they going to stand behind their product????

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA -- The warranty 10 years and 100,000 miles is a joke. My rear end is roaring so loud you can't hear inside it. Called Kia and made appt. No one said if you don't have maintenance receipts and your warranty is no good. Drove over and the first thing they say, "if you don't have receipts the warranty will not cover." 1500.00 to repair rear end that is bad. I was told I should have read my warranty book because without the receipts your warranty is no good. Needless to say, I will never buy from Kia again. Women do not read car manuals. I guess it will be OK with Kia if my rear end locks up and my family is hurt.

I bought a Kia Sportage 2008 last year and I can't count how many time I have taken it to the dealer for the Esc light coming on; I would say more than 15 times. I am VERY UNHAPPY the Kia would let this happen. The response I get from the dealership every time I take it in is "THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR". WELL FIX THE DAMN PROBLEM IF THIS IS A RECURRING SITUATION.

I would not recommend anyone to buy this type of vehicle. I bought it cause Kias are affordable and I thought they were dependable. At least once a month I have to take a day off of work to bring the car in for this problem cause the dealership will not do these types of repair on the weekends.

I have a 2008 Kia Optima. Oil has been changed, some from those fast track places and some I have done myself. So anyway had check engine, light go on, took it in and the dealership told me the oil pressure blew the filter paper apart and plugged something up. I can't see oil pressure being more than 50psi so they drained the oil, flushed everything out and good to go, right? Wrong.

2 months later 2/23/12, I get a pop and a knocking sound from the top end. I don't have all my records now. Kia won't cover it till I have 2 years worth of papers. What a joke. What if my house burnt down and lost. How do they know what's wrong just by listening to it. What if it's something else. They say from lack of maintenance. Being our only car, yes it would be up to date on maintenance. Now waiting for the district manager to call. Let's hope.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- I am just writing in on the companies currant Kia commercial. I believe their currant advertising tactics are not very profesional. The currant commercial on Kia Optimas, has the narrator referring to the car as, quote,"bad ass",unquote. Wow, how umprofessional that such a huge, I am sure, multi-million dollar company, has surcomed to our currant society. Getting back to basics is key for success. Not thinking it is even close to acceptable to use bad language as part of advertising slogens. It wouldn't make me go out and buy one, knowing that a company has given me their first impression as with no integrity. I think it is terrible, think even for the fact that commericail gets erred anytime for our young people to go on thinking that even businesses use bad words, so OK for them to use it in their own everyday converstions, or that it is OK to have it as part of our English language, which it is not. You should take this comment into consideration and perhaps rethink your advertising tactics, or perhaps retrain the person you allowed to make this add for the company, and retrain the person who approved it!

Food for thought. Back to basics is key for success people!
Thank you for allowing me to comment on this subject. Hope this gets to the correct person for redirection.

Thanks again.

This is a beautiful car however beauty is only skin deep. I bought this car with 66870 miles already on the car on 5/31/11. 3 miles later the check engine light came on and I took it back to the local car lot who cleared the code saying it is a faulty code. Four times since then including twice in 9/23/11 within 4 miles, the car accelerated out of control unresponsive to the brakes.

I avoided accidents by shifting into neutral and flooring the brakes with both feet. I have contacted Kia who is playing phone tag. I plan on filing a lawsuit against Kia. I have also filed NHTSA and Center for Auto Safety Complaints. I am stuck paying for a lemon for 4 1/2 more years. An expensive lawn ornament! Please do yourself a favor - NEVER buy a Kia.