8th Nov 2007, 19:42

I bought a 2002 Kia Sedona in June 2006 with 43,000 miles. I haven't experienced too many major issues yet. The battery went dead the first week I owned it, but the dealer replaced it for free and I have had no further problems with it. I have had to replace the brakes after 11 months, but that's not unusual for my driving. The car is built cheap for sure. The cup holder in the dash that can be pulled out has broken and it's difficult to get it in and out properly. The lid to the compartment on top of the dash has broken twice. It cost $60 to replace the first time so I have just let it broken for now. The rear view mirror fell off and I reattached it with a kit from Auto Zone. I do sense some developing issues. At the end of this summer the A/C has failed and just this week the airbag light has lit up... I'll get the A/C checked out next year when the weather heats up and right now the airbag light doesn't require immediate attention. So, I've put 17,000 miles on this van in 16 months with next to no maintenance required. I think it runs and handles well. City MPH is 15-17 and highway around 22-23. I bought it because it was simply a lot cheaper than its counterparts. I haven't regretted it yet, but the next year could change my mind.

19th Nov 2007, 22:08

Electrical Fire!!

I am luckier than most commentors, my 2002 Kia Sedona caught fire and destroyed itself. So I no longer have a problem. But during the 20 months that I owned it (purchased in February 2006, with 32k miles) there were continuous electrical problems. I travel frequently and leave the van at the airport. Every time it sat idle for a week I returned to a dead battery. I replaced the battery, the dealer replaced the alternator and the serpentine belt to no avail. The 12-way electric seat stopped working for several months (and this may be key to the fire) then surprisingly became functional again. About 5 hours after the seat began working the driver compartment caught fire. This happened while parked in my garage. Thank goodness I went to the garage for something unrelated and discovered the smoke and interior burning. The fire was extinguished before there was any major damage to my garage or house (other than smoke), but the Kia was a total loss. The fire department had to winch it out onto the driveway because all of the electronics were shot and it could not be shifted out of Park.

25th Nov 2007, 22:15

I agree with all comments previously listed regarding the 2002 KIA Sedona. I have had so many problems which started a few months after my purchase. We’ve had problems that include the following, but are not limited to this: Rust, A/C issues, alternator, engine noise, transmission, door handles breaking, seat belts, tail light problems, belt and pulley problems.. So many problem all of them cannot be listed. The main problem is this, my Sedona has a skip/hesitation that does not show or display an error code. The technician can verify the vehicle has a problem, but maintenance cannot be performed because the vehicle does not produce an error code that identifies the problem..

25th Jan 2008, 16:07

Bought 2002 Kia Sedona in spring 2004. Right away ran into problems. Thankfully, warranty covered around $3,000.00 worth of work. We only had to pay for brake pads. A couple of months later the driver side seat broke (thankfully, right before we left to go on vacation and not during.) Again, warranty covered this.

Not a great start, but seemed fine after that. Then, in spring 2006 went to get out of van and driver's side door handle broke.

About a month later the passenger side door handle broke.

Shortly after that the passenger side slider broke.

By this time we were down to 1 working door. (unless we rolled down the window and opened from the outside)

One day I went to take my son to school. I had my 3 kids loaded in the van. I forgot my keys. The one slider door that worked from the inside was for some reason on child safety lock. Long story short my kids and I were trapped inside the van for over 4 hours until my husband got home and rescued us. We ate stale cheese crackers and water bottles left over from a trip we had taken the weekend before.

We went to have the doors fixed and, of course, it was not covered. We had a list of repairs that needed to be made one of which was windows that would not go up or down. This was covered thankfully, this is after all the only way we can get out of the front of the vehicle. We always make sure the child safety lock is not on on the one working sliding door. Eventually, I hope to have this fixed. It is going to cost more to fix than the vehicle is worth.

We don't owe anything on the vehicle. We hate to have a payment again. But we definitely know that we will never own another Kia again. Did I mention we also own a Kia Sportage? That's another tale! My next vehicle will be a Toyota.

1st Feb 2008, 13:07

We call our Sedona the "money pit." Our sliding door handles have broken (among many other things--too many to name). We always laugh when we see the Kia commercials on TV with the ambiguous slogan, "the power to surprise." We have been surprised alright (like when we broke down in line at the bank, etc.).

1st Feb 2008, 13:13

We should have a support group for Kia owners. "The Power to Surprise"... This is the best and most ambiguous slogan I have heard. How much did they pay an ad exec to come up with that one? We will pay our lovely van off this summer. I hope we can hold out for a while without a payment, but I don't know! We may need to get rid of it ASAP... if we can find anywhere to unload it. Have you seen the Toyota commercials about people trying to destroy their cars so that they have an excuse to buy a Toyota? Believe me, things like this have crossed my mind.