27th Aug 2003, 10:44
I also have a 2002 Sedona with 20k. I have had the car in the shop numerous times for the same issues, ac, fuel pump, fuel lines, stalling, surging, ect, I have been told that is now fixed it was in the shop 2 weeks! It still surges, and stalls, I was told that because I live in a high altitude climate that I need to use only the "cheap" gas and only certain brands. I changed my gas and it still does not drive properly, I want to trade it in and will lose 10k on the original purchase price. WOW.
1st Dec 2003, 10:07
I have the same problem too... but I need a copy of this bulletin to prove our statement... Have currently been fighting with Kia for 18 months!!!
They even tried to sell me a new car for MORE MONEY, and add on 5 more years for a loan... I am very disappointed with Kia and it's managers for avoiding me this whole time.
Now lets do some math:
37 000$ Canadian car and loan interest.
18 months payments on a rusting Kia.
+ 50$ more a month to get me into a 2004 Kia for 5 years.
= A 60 000$ car... that's actually 2 Kia Sedonas!!!
I HIGHLY suggest NO ONE ever buy a Kia. The headache it has caused my family and myself is terrible. It is an awful company to deal with, so SAVE YOURSELF and listen to these "proud Kia owners".
23rd Dec 2003, 22:27
I agree 100% as well.
My 2002 KIA has been rusting around the back tailgate, front bumber and tiny rust "pits" all over the sides...
I guess it goes with: a bad battery (that left me and my family stranded), slipping transmission, both headlights going at the exact same time (funny how this was my fault @ $70) Buzzing blower, squeaky interior, inside trim falling off, anti-lock brake failure and EXTREMELY poor gas mileage. Maybe I expected too much from a vehicle that I bought brand new 1 year ago that's now literally worth half what I paid for it. I went to go trade it in for something else, but who can afford to loose $14,000 on a $31,000 (1 year old) vehicle. This sure says something about KIA vehicles in the market. Junk. Absolute Junk.
2nd Jan 2004, 14:01
I would like to add that Kia Sedona is not a reliable car. We have owned a 2002 Sedona since Nov. 2001; So far we have had shocks replaced, transmission (this took 6 months to get Kia to admit it needed a new one), door handles, electrical work, front brakes, two or three recalls on seats, new driver's side seat, and once again it has stalled and would not start. We wanted to take it to the dealer for a new battery, but their "special Kia battery tested was broken" and could not do anything with the car until the battery tester came in. So we replaced the battery on our own (75.00) and then two days later it died again. Alternator? Kia will not admit the faults with this car and continues to brag about it's 5-star rating. Someone should look at all Sedona owners and the repeat problems this model has. The service department that we have to deal with for warranty work does little to make the customer feel satisfied, even after continued complaints.
19th Jun 2004, 18:28
We have a 2002 Sedona with the same problems, too -- rust, A/C starting to fail... I have an appointment for the Regional Rep to "inspect" the rust spots this week and determine whether or not they will be covered under the warranty (the same guy, who, incidentally, was called in to inspect this van when it broke down SIX TIMES in the first month we owned it). Good thing I know now that these are common problems. We're seriously considering getting rid of this vehicle before something like the transmission goes, because apparently, we'll be SOL on the warranty.
7th Aug 2004, 17:02
We also bought a brand new 2002 Kia Sedona. Within a few months, problems started to arise.
The plating on the interior door knobs was peeling, the driver's seat was loose, paint started to bubble up on the roof and on the top of the rear bumper. The rear latch to the hatch would not lock when we locked the van with the remote. Two months ago, the air conditioner began to cut out off and on. Now there is an intermittent strong smell of mildew.
The dealer was condescending when we complained about the problems as they arose. Their solution for the paint problem was to dab touch up paint on the spots in question. When we picked up the van, handed us a bottle of touch up paint. Apparently they knew more spots would appear... My wife has scheduled numerous appointments to meet with the regional representative about the paint problem and her overall dissatisfaction with the van. She has yet to see him. Each time the rep was to be at the dealership, she would get an excuse as to why he was not there. This is nothing short of stonewalling.
Thank you to all who have written in to comment on their experiences with their Kia Sedona. We thought we were the only ones out there!
29th Sep 2004, 20:59
I feel bad for all of you who have had problems, however, I bought a 2002 Sedona EX in August of 2002 and haven't had any problems at all except for the rust on the back tailgate. The dealer fixed it promptly and we were on our way. Our van now has 37000 miles on it and it has been perfect. I can't imagine that I am the only person that purchased a kia sedona that is happy about the decision??? I'm going to run this van into the ground, due to the low resale value (not worth trading in). I would have to say that besides the resale value, it's been a pleasant experience. Sorry :)
10th Aug 2003, 01:46
I haven't had too many problems with my Sedona. However, this past weekend we stopped for about 10 minutes and when we got back in the car it would not turn over (crank). It sounded like it was going to, but like maybe no fuel was getting to it. We bought this 2002 Sedona in March 2003 used and the dealership, since we have driven it off the lot, has just been horrible. The car did not come with a manual or a key to the box underneath the passengers seat. The dealership really didn't care and made it extremely hard to even order these parts (no we still don't have a manual or the key). I still have to have the car towed somewhere so someone can work on it to get it to crank again. Do I want to take it to the dealership that sold it to me? Not unless I want to be abused, belittled, and taken advantage of. Kia really needs to work on their customer service. If anyone has had this problem with the cranking of the car any information would be much appreciated. Maybe it has a reset button that just needs to be reset. You can email any suggestions to galarza5@cox.net.