Faults:

Alternator $1200.00.

Change spark plugs $460.00 because of their location???

Coolant hoses for rear $400.00.

Steering rack $1800.00.

Power steering pump $600.00.

All within 2 years.

I love this vehicle for its safety and comfort. I cannot handle what it costs for parts. This vehicle is cheap to make/produce, but a nightmare to fix/replace parts. Even the garage told me it is set up to fail at certain kilometers, ie, 20,000/50,000 or even 100,000. That's how KIA makes its money.

I was at the dealer one day, and a person with his family came in. They had just bought a new 2008 Sportage in December. The signal indicator broke off and the signal light would not shut off. The mechanic told him that he must have forced the switch too hard and broke it. This was crazy the man told the mechanic. They were going to charge him for the parts and labour. He refused and talked with the manager. I told the man Kias are a cheap vehicle and be prepared for the high cost of fixing them. I will never buy another Kia, and I tell anyone who wants to buy one to buy something else.

General Comments:

Good ride, comfortable, space.

Safety rating, I feel very safe with my family.

Gas mileage sucks, even on the highway.

Faults:

The back door has ugly, gaping rust spots around the license plate. Nobody told me this was a flaw, and now I think it might be too late to take it back to be repaired. There must be damage to the back door handle, because of the rust, because now it is very tricky to open.

I have had the air conditioning compressor replaced three times. It was covered by warranty.

The defroster has never worked properly. I think there must be a petrified animal permanently jammed in the dashboard somewhere, because no matter how I adjust the air, nothing ever seems to come out of the vents by the windshield.

The seats are extremely difficult and cumbersome to remove. I guess I was spoiled by my last minivan a Chevy Lumina. The seats were well designed for one person to be able to pop in and out. Now, when I need to remove a seat from my Kia, I have to get someone to help me and we typically end up injuring ourselves (smashing a finger, throwing out our backs, smearing oil on our clothing from the seating mechanisms.)

I wish the people who created these stupid seats were forced to take them in and out 100 times in a row to punish them for the horrible design.

Faults:

Only major thing to have gone wrong is the alternator went out while I was driving it on a (luckily) not very busy street and coasted to a stop. This happened last year at about 105,000 miles.

General Comments:

The car performed well during the entire 60,000 mile warranty period, and pretty well during the 100,000 power train warranty. Did not have any serious repairs during those times, and when there were warranty issues, the dealer here was very good about doing the repairs.

The one major problem is the cost of repairs and maintenance. The timing belt replacement cost about $1000 and the alternator cost nearly $800. You cannot beat the price of these Kia vehicles, but you should be aware of the excessive costs to repair and maintain, but these don't really become an issue until you're out of warranty.

Faults:

Paint is not good for Canadian Climate. Rust on back hatch, around license plate, repainting did not help. Door jambs and any rock chips rust very quickly.

Catalytic converter expensive to change - $1800 quote for parts, before labor.

Alternator needed @ 236,000km,$235 + 3 hours labour.

Does not retain it's market value - bought in 2002 for $32,000 now in 2008 with 235,000km dealers will only offer me around $1500!!!

General Comments:

I love to drive my van, it is comfortable and quiet.

Quick response, lots of power, gas mileage is reasonable.