Faults:

Complete engine seizure in our 7 year old, purchased brand new, $29990 car. Apparently a common fault with Carnival's. The Kia company told us that their goodwill does not extend past 100,000km's, and that we have no recourse. Normally I would fight this to my last breath - but with many recent, personal tragedies, I just don't have the fight left in me.

Most mechanics won't touch them, because they can't afford to provide a warranty on such a poorly designed engine.

We eventually did find a mechanic to do a rebuild, and were quoted $6000-7000... for a car that now has a market value of about 3000-4000.

We only sent our Carnival for warranty repairs straight after purchase. The radio did not work and the wiring was very poor. Once the radio was replaced, the only way we could get it to work was if we had the headlights on. The lights - headlights, parkers & tail lights only lasted a few weeks once installed.

This morning a wrecker offered me $400 for my Carnival, and I accepted his offer.

General Comments:

This car was comfortable to ride in and drive, but was not worth what this car has cost us.

Faults:

I never bought this car, but did a short term lease from a dealer with the intention to buy, which I never did because this car was really bad:

It's noisy even for a diesel and has several irritating rattles (doors, interior, suspension), also the engine also made a booming noise at a certain rev. Engine also is rough at idle and interior rattles extensively.

The automatic had a life of its own, you basically never knew when it would shift up or down, it was irritating and unpredictable.

Some parts of the interior was loose and rattled.

Driver side window lifter hardly worked and the window seemed to be loose unless in upper position.

Electric bugs: The central locking had a life of its own and was problematic, had to manually open the doors several times. Also problem with defroster.

Rust proofing seem to be poor, and it may start to rust in few years. The paint seem to be poor as well.

General Comments:

Dealer was anxious to sell, but I was unsure so we had this agreement. I'm glad that this dealer was so honest, because I quickly found out that I should not purchase this car. (Carnival is the same car as the Kia Sedona). I drive across Europe and I'm dependent on a reliable car with low running costs.

I think everyone should be careful if considering a Carnival. It seem to be very poorly made. Car was less than 2 years old, but still seemed to have a lot of faults and was worn. Consider other cars instead.

Faults:

When the vehicle was delivered, the radio/CD player did not work. The radio was replaced and a few months later it blew a fuse.

I have travelled 36,000 kilometers and the clutch has started slipping. I took the vehicle into the authorised Kia service centre to make a claim under the warranty. I was told that it will only be replaced if it is a mechanical problem under warranty.

I was also told that if it was not a mechanical problem, to expect a bill for $1360 for the replacement. I have been in the motor industry for fifteen years, and have never worn a clutch out at 36,000 kilometers.

I was also told that a clutch is a consumable item and is not covered by the warranty. Having a legal background, I will seek a ruling in the small claims court before the discovery.

General Comments:

We have been happy until the clutch incident occurred.