9th Dec 2004, 07:39

Since I bought my 2003 KIA Sedona I have had 4 occurrences of which the brakes fail and I cannot stop. It's always the same symptom it never deviates. First, I hear a buzzing (almost electrical) sound that gets louder when I press on the brakes. The brakes will go soft at first and not stop me then they go hard where I can't press on them at all. I am unable to stop when this happens. Each time it has happened I am going under 30mph. The dealer states they can't do anything unless they can replicate the problem when it is brought in for service. I'm afraid an accident will happen and someone will be hurt. Knowing at some point I will not be able to control the brakes and stop the car is a constant concern I have with this car.

9th Dec 2004, 10:28

I have heard of people having problems with the springs and what not coming through the front seats. The drivers side seat is not nearly as cushioning as it once was. Has anyone else heard of this problem? Also we are in the middle of replacing the driver's door handle because we got stuck in the van. It just wouldn't work all of a sudden. We have had the A/C fixed, but only after we had to go through the whole summer with no A/C due to over demand for the parts. We have also had the recall on the seats looked after, the rust touched up, the covering on the passenger door latch replaced and the paint touched up where the back wiper rusts down the back of the van. Fortunately so far we haven't had any bad experiences with the service department, but the finance guy we spoke with recently was a real jerk! He said we would never be able to buy a new car because of credit and the like (trying to buy another KIA, thank god we didn't) We went to GM and were approved overnight. We are also having a problem with the rear heat vent on the ceiling. They only blow cold air. Bought the van used and now are finding out why it may have been returned!!

9th Jun 2005, 08:06

I'm alone with someone else here.

My Kia Carnival LS (That's the EX premium Sedona in US) haven't experienced any major problems at all. No rust, no engine problems, just minor ones like tire wear and others.

My Sedona is already at 37,500 miles (60,000kms) and still I haven't experienced any major problems.

The problems I encountered are these:

40,000kms- Battery discharge, battery was replaced

42,000kms- Tire wore out- Tires were changed

48,000kms- Replaced engine oil to prolong engine treatment

52,000kms- Refilled brake and steering fluid

55,000kms- Ball joint and Shock absorber worn out. Both are replaced

56,000kms- Fixed and replaced any bad, blown or damaged wires and circuits

Up to now, I'm still happy with my Carnival / EX premium Sedona. It still keeps on going.

1st Jul 2005, 18:34

We live the North/Central Texas area and bought a 2002 KIA Sedona from a local Plano dealership. Since our purchase, they had to replace the battery, alternator, compressor, expansion valve, a/c blower motor and a/c pressure lines. After several trips to the dealership, the a/c is still not working. The compressor will not come on. This all started around 34,000K and now has 70,000K on it and they say it is out of it's a/C warranty and there is nothing they can do due to federal laws. We were having this problem with the a/c before it went out, but as soon as we got it back and it went past the warranty the air stopped working again. They now want us to pay a diagnostic fee and then they will check with KIA to see if they will foot the bill or not. The problem shows up about every 5000K. Screw this, I am taking it to a local repair shop and then trading this piece of crap in. I will take a $3500 loss on the vehicle, but lessons learned - sometimes the hard and expensive way.

27th Sep 2005, 02:39

I just bought a 2004 Kia Sedona. It rides beautifully and I love the 5 star crash rating. Only have had it for 40 days. Only real complaint is the EXTREMELY POOR GAS MILEAGE. I'm getting 13 mpg. Tracking through online free service. The dealership told me I would get 22 city and 28 highway. They lied.

4th Oct 2005, 00:21

Huntsville Alabama. I bought my 04 KIA SEDONA LX brand new last year. At first - I was thrilled- that awesome warranty, the money was about 10k less than the caravan. THEN... 12,000 miles later we have been in the shop for what I describe as a jerking, feels like its running out of gas problem. Okay - not a problem. We go to the shop.

Here is my list:

11/23/04- 12047 miles- They say its due to an air filter.

11/23/04- pull out of KIA circle right back in there because its doing the same thing. They don't know what the problem is. They do nothing.

1/12/05-15852 miles-Back in the shop; No codes found; they say it does not apply.

2/24/05-19160 miles- Back to the shop. Made associate ride in my vehicle until it did it again; he verifies the problem. They put it in the shop. Return it to me on 2/28 and ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE - DID NOT DO A THING TO IT. It still had 19160 miles on it.

3/22/05-21230 miles- Back in the shop- same thing. They tighten ignition fail sensor and terminal at connector at tps and add stabiant 22 to connectors. Drove the van to 21496 Miles and returned it to me on 3/25/05.

4/19/05-22922 miles- Same thing wrong; Faulty inhibitor switch to open circuit short to ground; Removed and replaced inhibitor switch. Returned to me with 22928 miles on 4/21.

I REQUEST ARBITRATION.

4/26/05-23301 miles-Harness has short to ground that kept setting a range switch short to ground code P0707; Removed and replaced wire harness assy. Returned to me on 5/5/05 with 23306 miles.

FED UP.

STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM.

6/7/05- FINAL REPAIR ATTEMPT BEFORE ARBITRATION DATE- They drive my van 216 miles and tell me the problem was the spark plugs.

DUH DUH DUH DUH... how stupid.

Week of arbitration- 8/10/05. Mileage 28640 Vehicle is roaring like really loud. Has to be towed to the shop. Internal failure in rear hub; detected noise on test drive; removed and replaced rear hub assy. Returned at 28645 miles.

I pick my van up and the stupid check engine light is on. The man tells me that "we can fix that, I think I know what the problem is" Well, funny to me that the check engine light only... ONLY comes on after they have screwed around with it.

Arbitration- I Lose. I lose arbitration because when we test drive the van, it doesn't do what I allege it to be doing. Ha; figures, even with the paperwork that there is obviously a problem... I lose.

2 weeks after arbitration- I receive that throttle cable recall b/s.

I take it in today- 10/4/05 and it is jerking like it was for the past 20,000 miles. The tech drives it... Gets out and says, MAN, THAT THING WILL GIVE YOU WHIPLASH...

WELL... I SAY DUH- THAT HAS BEEN MY COMPLAINT FOR THE PAST 20,000 MILES.

He tells the man at the computer to note the check engine light being on ----- (the check engine light IS NOT ON). I told him that isn't right, he says we need to put that on the service order... Tonight I keep hearing all those lies he said and I can't sleep. I don't know what they are up to, but I think I need to quit playing this stupid game with them. My opinion is they are LIARS and I think they have intentionally just rode my time out. I am thinking I should pick my van up in the morning so that I can just file a civil suit. I am so sick of it and whoever they have to listen to... is a JOKE.

I am so sick of this van. I have never had problems like this with any vehicle. Oh; I though I would trade it. Then I find that I lose almost $10,000 if I do.

I keep waiting for them to laugh and tell me I have been punked. And this really has been just a long drawn out joke.