Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | |||
| 01/03/2002 | 3000 | 02/19/2002 | |
| Brake system fail to respond every 3000 to 4000 miles dealer claim is adjustment and cleaning, the vibration is terrible when braking is not safe i dont feel safe last time was 2 days ago and again car only 16106 miles bought in feb 2002 will go back to dealer lets see what they do | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - DRUM - SHOES/LININGS | |||
| 01/03/2002 | 3000 | 02/19/2002 | |
| Brake system fail to respond every 3000 to 4000 miles dealer claim is adjustment and cleaning, the vibration is terrible when braking is not safe i dont feel safe last time was 2 days ago and again car only 16106 miles bought in feb 2002 will go back to dealer lets see what they do | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 02/15/2007 | 2 | 06/06/2002 | |
| This is the 2nd alternator and battery to be replaced. first one was at 40k miles, and was covered under warranty. they tried to get me to pay for the new battery, but i insisted that since their faulty part caused the battery to die, they should replace at no cost. i bought the car to the dealer thinking the alternator would still be covered, it is not. i refused for them to replace, since there is an obvious problem with their alternators. the service rep. agreed that the 2nd alternator should have lasted for the life of the car. i bought the car to another mechanic who has now informed that the wire to the alternator was fried/rotted/burnt/ off. this is due to the way the van is designed. it is apparently too close to the exhaust and has caused the wire to burn off. this is now a major job, and his experience tells him that this will happen again. also, he has advised that he has seen a lot of problems with the brakes on these vans. i thought it was just ours that needed 3 sets of new brakes for less than 75k mile on the car. the average life of brakes on this vehicle is less than 25k. more importantly, the alternator wiring is defective and will undoubtedly can be a cause for a fire. *nm | |||
| 12/14/2005 | 9 | 07/14/2002 | |
| In 11/04 my abs lights went on in my 02 kia sedona. i took the van to get new brakes and was told that i needed to take it to the dealership because the abs sensor was broken in pieces on the driver side wheels. in 8/05 my air bag light came on in the dash and stayed on. before i could get my car in to dealership, i was driving home from work in early 9/05 going ove an overpass when my car just died and lost all power. i was told that my master flow sensor went bad and needed a new one (warranty). they also replaced the seat belt sensor in the drivers side to take care of the air bag light.2 days later my airbag light came back on. in 12/05 my abs light came on again along with the warning beep. i called my dealership and got appt. following tuesday. i was told it should be safe to drive until then. both headlights also went out. now when applying brake my brake goes down grinds, adjust then goes all the way down . got car to dealership tues am. in the afternoon received call 1 yr old battery is leaking acid due to faulty alternator (sending too much power out. was told must replace battery so that dealership may complete diagnosis. was told by dealership kia only warranties main issue not any additional items damaged by main issue. received call a little while ago, told bad altinator needs battery faulty seat belt sensor now in passenger seat belt (3 months ago was drivers side also my headlights are both blown - yes faulty altenator most likely caused this. i was also told that my new brakes (replaced in aug 05 at less than 3000 mi ago) are wore thin and need relacement along with rotors which now have grooves in them and they are also to thin. i have now replaced the brakes 4 times on a vehicle that is 4 yrs old and being told must replace once again. *nm | |||
| 10/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| I really need help and don?t know what to do. also with my car my engine light was constantly on and to this day the light is probably still on and kia have not contacted me yet and even though i have a rental from enterprise through kia paying that is not the issue i want my car so that can sell it so that i don?t lose my home because i am unemployed due to this bucket of bolts. and also the kia repair man steve johnson at kirkland kia stated to me that my odometer reading was incorrect and the kia manufacturer took my car to another dealer because i wad being seen at their auto shop too much and is bizarre or what? i spoke to a paul stapleton at kia motors america because they have had my vehicle for 30 days straight. on oct 8 i picked my car up and 20 min later my engine light was back on. the day before i was offered $1000 for a good will gesture from kia. when the engine light came back on the next day mr. stapleton offered to buy my vehicle back for 11,300 and that was without the $1000 good will. today is oct 12th and by this afternoon i will be hearing from this company. this is not satisfying to me because i still had a full warranty on my car and for 11,300 i will have to purchase used and no warranty because i had a 2002 that was paid in full and a full warranty. | |||
| 03/12/2004 | 3 | ||
| Our kia sadona is a 2002 model and has about 52,000 miles on it. it has had problems with the transmission, brakes and the windshield has been replaced three times etc. today however, my husband was driving the vehicle when the front drivers side seat in the vehicle broke. the seat broke completely out of it's chamber. thank god this did not happen during an accident. the dealership said they would be replacing the part that broke under the warranty however it will be awhile before they get the part in. they refused to provide us with a safe vehicle to drive during the time it takes to get it fixed and kia corporate also refused saying they do not provide rentals even if the part is a defect from the manufacturer. they pride themselves on the warranty of the car parts but who cares how much you have to spend on rental cars while yours is in the shop so many times.*ak | |||
| 10/06/2002 | 3300 | 10 | 07/04/2002 |
| On july 4, 2002 we purchased a 2002 kia sedona minivan. immediately after driving out of the dealership we parked at a store, when we returned to the vehicle it would not start. we called the dealership and they sent out a tow truck. the van was towed to the dealership and the service adviser indicated that they had numerous complaints regarding a driver seat relay that was causing the batteries to go out on this year, make and model of vehicle. he indicated that they were changing all relays. they replaced with new battery and new relay on the van. the van continued to give us problems, the whole electrical system (stereo, windows, door locks) would go off and on as we were driving. if we would stop vehicle, the vehicle would not start. we had numerous jump starts. we took the vehicle in approx. 4 or 5 times to the dealership with complaints regarding problems, there was black smoke coming out of the exhaust when we would start the vehicle. brakes would squeal when applied. van was terribly hot under the car and it would blow out the heat and almost burn us. i asked the service adviser if they could exchange the van for another one and he indicated that they had to have a continuous report of repairs in order to turn it in as a lemon. we were traveling in mexico for business and pleasure when our van started on fire on the highway and other autos noticed and waved us down to stop. we noticed, pulled off the road safely and all 6 adult passengers were able to get out safely and run away from the vehicle as it started exploding. the fire came from all underneath of the van. the mexican federal highway police came to where the van was and took a report of the incident. the van burnt down to a skeleton. i reported the incident to the kia customer service, they denied our claim without no explanation. no one ever called to find out the facts or gather information. obviously, they did not even look at their own service repair tickets. *jb | |||
| 08/28/2002 | 20 | 06/06/2002 | |
| Fallas sistema aire acondicionado desde 8-28-2002, todavia sigue dandio problemas en estos momentos se encuentra en taller de kia para reparacion. frenos reparados en 2 ocasiones los rotores y pads. cristal delantero se quebro sin razon. radio dejo de funcionar. *nlm | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 55 | 2 | 02/01/2002 |
| Our sedona has been pulling since we first bought it. first to the left, then to the right, then nothing, no pull. been aligned twice. also been told i take my hands off unevenly which causes to pull, also that i don't know how to keep correct tire pressure in. the car pulls heavily. one way or the other. scared to drive. also brakes vibrate car badly when braking from high to low speed especially on a downhill. have contacted the bbb auto line. i believe the car is extremely unsafe and i can not stand driving this thing. it is a two hour drive to my kia dealer and i have been there a lot. **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**768313 | |||
| 01/15/2003 | |||
| The brake rotors are wearing causing vibrations and extended stopping distance. dealer has been notified. ph | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 04/09/2004 | 22000 | 2 | 02/10/2002 |
| Car accelerated on his own as a result car went into median, also passenger side seat belt snapped. car was heavily damaged as a result of the crash. went from 10 to 50mph in seconds. also, brake system failed to respond. previous report filed #10065882. *ak | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| When applying brakes and coming to a red light, pedal went to the floor and vehicle did not stop. there was a thumping present, and abs kicked in, allowing driver to stop vehicle. dealer changed brake pads and rotors.*ak | |||
| 01/05/2002 | 5 | 10/01/2001 | |
| During normal operation of vehicle, at any speed abs light on instrument panel will intermittently illuminate. also, when consumer attempts to stop vehicle by applying pressure to brake pedal it will fall to floorboard, and brake system will fail to activate. complete brake failure has occurred approximately four times, and has not resulted in a crash or injury. dealership cannot reproduce the problem to diagnose the vehicle. *ak the abs light came on and the brakes failed again due to bad solenoid and loose wire connections and burned up wires. *yh | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||
| 12/29/2003 | 47857 | 6 | 12/28/2003 |
| We purchased the 2002 kia sedona yesterday 12-28-03. we drove the car for about 45 minutes today, stopped for dinner at a fast food restaurant and then drove again for about 10 minutes when while driving the vehicle, the battery and brake warning lights flashed on and off a few times, then stayed on. when the brake pedal was depressed, the radio shut off and would not come back on. then the seatbelt warning light came on and the dash lights, exterior and interior lights dimmed. while car was still in motion, the sunroof would not close and the other windows were very slow at closing. the car shuddered a couple of times as if ready to stall. we made it home just in time, the car stalled and would not restart. we were able to close the sunroof, but it was very slow. we have tried to charge the battery, but it does not seem to be taking a charge. secondly the seatbelt indicator light does not sound or indicate that seatbelts are not buckled. thirdly there is moisture under the drivers side head light. also, when the vehicle is in motion and the dvd player is operating, there is a whistling sound heard through the dvd headphones/sound during acceleration. we will be notifying the dealer tomorrow morning. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||
| 09/18/2007 | 2 | ||
| 2002 kia sedona abs light illuminated. mechanic determined that the abs control module needed to be reprogrammed. consumer vehicle was not involved in the recall. mechanic was unable to repair the consumer's vehicle. *kb the mechanic was not able to repair the vehicle, because kia would not release computer information for the necessary diagnostics. the consumer called several other dealership and they were not very accomdating. the headlights failed twice. the battery and belts had to be replaced and the ac was running low. the consumer believed there may be some type of problem with the alternator. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 11/01/2002 | 5000 | 3 | 10/02/2002 |
| Front discs brakes warping, appeas to reoccur at regular intervals. i took my kia sedona to have this corrected at the dealer in 12/1/02. it had its rotors and pads replaced, but the same problem reoccured with in 5k miles. i did not take sedona for service untill it got really bad especialy when exiting the freeway. buy this time my bake worranty had expired. my bad. the dealer still worked with me and resufaced the rotors for a minimal charge. 3k miles later rotors rewarp, at this time i decided to pushes a set of new rotors, pads and istall them my self. the sedona worked great for 7k miles then disc bakes rewarp.this tells me that the brake rotos are under engineered. so with this in mind, i sent my old rotors to be resurfaced, crossed drilled and slotted. with a new set of regular pads i reinstalled my rotors and pads. so far i got 35k miles on these brakes and they still have plenty of meat with no warping. my kia sedona has 50k miles and no other braking problems have accured. | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| When applying brakes and coming to a red light, pedal went to the floor and vehicle did not stop. there was a thumping present, and abs kicked in, allowing driver to stop vehicle. dealer changed brake pads and rotors.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 05/14/2005 | 47022 | 5 | 10/26/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving on normal road conditions the vehicle presented vibrations when the brakes were applied. the kia dealership did not have a service center on its premises and the contact was referred to a different manufacturer service center. the brake rotors were resurfaced, but the vibration continued. as a result, the dealership referred the contact to a different service center were the brake rotors were resurfaced again. the vibration persisted. a consumer protection agency was alerted and required the local service dealer to resurface the brake rotors on three additional occasions. this still did not remedy the problem. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who determined the rotors were fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle continues to be driven in its current condition, but away from open roads in order to reduce the accident risk presented by the defective rotors. updated 9/15/2006 - *nm | |||
| 09/20/2005 | 46876 | 1 | 07/01/2002 |
| Consumer belts squeal, slidding door drags, pulley was replaced at 7744 miles. *ts ***no answer required*** the pulley and belt have been replaced 10 times. the alternator seized while the vehicle was being driven. the a/c fan made loud noises. the sliding door dragged. the emergency brake would not hold, the dealer adjusted it three times then finally replaced. an internal short in the fuse clock caused the vehicle not to start. the vehicle stalled intermittenlty but the dealer was unable to duplicate the stalling. the power windows would stick and make noise, the dealer lubed it and replaced the regulator. the rear hatch rusted around handle and had to be repaired/refinished twice. the exhaust manifold racked. oil leaked from oil filter. the front and rear wipers failed. the sliding door handle broke. the dash lights illuminated due to broken bad switch contacts. the rotors warped. the a/c was blowing when it wasn't on and sometimes it blew out warm air. the rear seat arm rest will not stay down. the threshold on the left side is cracked. *nm | |||
| 06/22/2005 | 55000 | 3 | 11/13/2001 |
| I own a 2002 kia sedona. yesterday i took it in to the dealer for the 15th time due to a check engine light. i also asked them to check the brakes since they are pulsating when stopping, which is the fourth time for this specific problem. it has been just 19,000 miles since the last rotor and brake change. they told me that they had done a good will replacement of parts the last time i brought it in and that it will cost $700.00 to fix this time. they said, there were hotspot and warping noted the last time you brought it in and since it is happening again, it shows a pattern of hard breaking. my wife drives this vehicle back and fourth to work 3 time a week and thenm it is only used around town so i know that is not the issue. they also stated that rotors on minivans should only last 18000-20000 miles anyway. i feel that the sedona does not have sufficient sized rotors for the weight of te vehicle and kia should be forced to recall the vehicles and replace all the rotors with the appropriate size. it is a hazard since it couls cause the brakes to fail while driving which could cause an accident that may lead to death. kia also told me if it is at the end of the warrantee and the part is replaced, the second it goes past it is no longer covered even if it has only been 10 miles since it was replaced. | |||
| 04/02/2004 | 10000 | 1 | 08/09/2002 |
| The incident started prior to this date. it started when my vehicle hit 10,000 miles. i heard a rumbling in the brakes and told my husband, he thought i was crazy-that brakes don't go at 10,000 miles, but sure enough they did. it was covered under kia warranty, they said the rotors were warped and the brakes were shot. now in april of 04 at about 22,000 miles same thing again. kia said all 4 sets- front and reat needed replacement and it wouldn't be covered under warrant-normal wear and tear. they wanted to charge me $600.00. i took the car to goodyear. they replaced all for $340.00. i took the original brakes and they still had meat on them. anyhow, aug. 04 at about 27,000 miles under goodyear's warranty, once again the front brakes had to be replaced. now in feb. 05, everytime i made a right hand turn the red brake light went on. ast first i ignored it thinking it was defective, but then i heard the brakes rumble. i brought it back to goodyear at about 34,000 miles and goodyear once again replaced the front brakes and told me that that was the last time they were replacing the brakes. i would have to bring it back to kia. now, i'm sure it's going to happen again, since there is a pattern. i'm tired of this and i'm sure kia won't be cooperative. so this leads me to you.*ak | |||
| 10/30/2004 | 4 | 06/28/2002 | |
| We purchased our van in jul of 02. after 6 months we returned the van complaining about a squeeling noise from the brakes. we were told the brakes were ok. at 24k miles i noticed the rotors were dulland the rear shoes were worn, i was told the rotors were glazed over and need to be turned and the shoes were worn to less than 50% life, and they would not warrenty after 12k miles. i had the rotors turned and replaced the pads, a few weeks later we noticed the the brakes would pulsate when slowing down from highway speeds. i took to dealer that the rotors warped. i replaced the rotors and pads, after 3k miles the pulsateing happened again. in oct 04 we had an accident i was reffered to kia customer service and was told that they would not warrenty anything because i did the repairs myself, even though i had a reoccuring complaint about my brakes before now. i replaced the rotors and was told by the parts and service at the dealer that kia informs them not to turn the rotors but replace them, due to over heating and warping. i feel that if the dealership and kia had repaired my brakes properly from the begining our accident could have been avoided. in the past 6 months the brakes have gone to the floor 3-4 times and the dealer was informed of this.*ak | |||
| 08/24/2004 | 25000 | 1 | 07/07/2002 |
| 2002 kia sedona with 26,000 mile front end vibrates when braking from higher speeds 40 +mph dealler checked and said they have had complaints before but vibrations stopped.. now at approx 37,000 bad vibrations start again dealer now says its from driver braking to hard wants to cut rotters and replace brakes for same problemas before at owner expence.. brakes do stop van but you must hold steering wheel tight.. we have freinds with same vehile and they have had brakes redone 2 times at 40,000 miles this appears to be a componet problem not drivers.. *ak | |||
| 12/15/2003 | 35000 | 1 | 08/15/2001 |
| Vehicle shutters and pulls when brakes applied from freeway speed on downhill exit.*ak | |||
| 10/01/2001 | |||
| Vehicle shudders when braking, especially when driving downhill. vehicle has been returned to dealer for service four times: 1) rotors were re-surfaced, 2) rotors were replaced, 3) rotors were re-surfaced again, 4) dealer claimed that heavy braking caused wear and refused to provide warranty service. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM - SHOES/LININGS | |||
| 04/10/2004 | 10000 | 02/15/2002 | |
| One more time kia sedona 2002 failed to brake car lost control front passenger seat belt snapped out, looks like power steering failed and brakes also, not the first time brakes failed in kia sedona. prior to this accident the consumer complained to the dealer about vibrations while braking. car accelerate by itself (throttle stuck). *bf | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - MASTER CYLINDER | |||
| 01/07/2002 | 15 | 12/16/2001 | |
| We have a 2002 kia sedona; we bought in dec of 2001. within the first 6 months, the alternator,battery,ignition switch, had to be replaced, along with sliding doors falling off the hinge. i complained of a wind noise for the first year no one knew what it was. it went unfixed. within a year the shocks, the struts and sliding doors had to be replaced. my air-condition went out completely guess what no more wind noise. and no longer under warranty. my rear wiper control went out. recently, while on thanksgiving vacation to ohio we had to have roadside pick up our van as the transmission totally went out without warning. while in the shop we were advised our brakes were not safe to drive. we had never had a problem with the brakes. and the motor mounts were also in need of replacement. was in the shop 14 days, we had to drive back to ohio to when ready. the brakes went to the floor had never ever done that before. when we were on our way out of town, the transmission was acting up. we made it home on dec 7th and no one at kia could take the vehicle in until the service manager returned my call he was off for doctor visit. on dec 13, i took my van in to be repaired, they called me and told me it would need a new transmission, and guess what they are also repairing the sliding doors 5th time i think. they have to also fix the dent in the hood that was not there, before the ohio kia took it in to be fixed. today it has been 15 days. i still do not have my van. i would not recommend kia to my worst enemy. please allow others to know that kia is a lemon if ever there were one.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 1 | 10/03/2001 | ||
| The accelerator pedal and brake pedal were too close together and vehicle rides rough. *mr *cb *nlm | |||
| 10/16/2002 | 3000 | 6 | 07/20/2002 |
| The brake pedal placement makes it easy to simultaneously press both the brake and accelerator pedal when attempting to stop the vehicle. on one occasion the vehicle crashed into the wall of the consumer's garage. the dealer has been notified. *ts *nlm | |||