Owners' Stories

We bought a new 2008 Kia Sedona and the first issue was the running boards. The sales person said 'absolutely no problem getting them on, just pop back and we will install them." Well, we found out after the purchase that they won't put them on the regular length van! I am disabled and need them to help me get into the van- they told me to get a step stool to get in and out!! That issue finally got fixed by having special ones installed. Next we had the transmission act like it was on its last breath- got that fixed. Had the passenger rear door lock and difficulty opening it. It was looked at and we were told ' you just have a tight fitting door' and they couldn't do anything to help it. The radio would play for 15 minutes or so and would go to static or silence- as did the CD player. Took it in and they said 'faulty radio' and replaced it. Guess what, they must have replaced it with another faulty radio as it is doing the same thing. When I originally took it in I mentioned that I noticed a 'hot' smell and asked if there could be a wiring issue- well, I guess as a woman I was not to question their judgement!! I have taken the problem to the BBB and would you believe they offered to put in the 3rd radio if I paid the labor!! I accepted if they paid the labor and if it didn't resolve the issue they would look at what the real cause was-- I have not heard from them yet!! This has been going on for almost a year!! This all happened under warantee, but they drug it out to the point they say warantee is void-- KIA will never see me buy or recommend them ever! Now it is making a strange noise- I am hoping it is as simple as the muffler.

Overall I LOVE my van!! I bought it used in June 2009 from a dealer who had leased it. I traded in my 2002 Kia Sedona for this one with over 175,000 miles on it. I am finding at approximately the same mileage (80,000 miles) I am having the same problem with the air conditioning system not working. It is starting to make me worry about the other problems now that may be around the corner. My first Sedona was great!! However, as it aged, I wound up spending more and more money on it. I know that is to be expected, but the repairs that were needed were very costly. My husband is VERY OCD about vehicle maintenance, so maintaining our cars has never been an issue. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience.

Bought EX new in 2002. Has been great, no unusual repairs (brakes need to be replaced more often though - it is heavy). Has 125K miles, and just bought a new 2012 Sedona.

purchased used '06 in '08. We've had several no-starts since then, at least one a year; this year ('11) twice, spending $1200. I saw the sermon about "doing your homework" which provoked me to tell my story -- I DID MINE and was pleased with the price / reviews, until I bought it. Currently we have problems with the sliding doors and power mirrors. Wife almost side-swiped another vehicle due to mirror problems. After 80,000 miles Warranty has expired. It didn't cover previous problems which is reason I haven't purchased an extended. Will sale as soon as I get current problems fixed. Next van: Honda Odyssey!

My van makes a noise when i put it into gear and when I stop,but not while I am driving. What can this be?

I own a 2005 Kia Sedona. Bought it new. Had it parked for a few years while I drove my 2007 Toyota Sienna. Bought a Toyota instead of a Kia because Kia customer service can't do much of anything to alliviate a problem with a dealership. The dealerships lie and cheat and customer service pretty much says, "OH Well". I now own a Kia piece of junk. A dealership ruined the engine or caused the already junky engeine to fall apart and of course it became my fault. I was lied to and cheated and kicked to the side. The Sedna has less than 75,00 miles on it. They said warranty want pay because oil changes need to be done every 3 months or so many miles. It was serviced when the dealership told me to come back. It was never said to bring it back in 3 months even if you have not driven it the number of miles listed. I am being help resposible for knowing the manual right down to the fine print. Way to go Kia. Well you saved on the engine but you lost repeat business. I will never buy another Kia. By the way, I had a 2000 Hyundai Sonata before this and done the same way. They eventually did put an engine in it but after a lot of blood sweat and tears. I was so stressed out. They are worth nothing on trade and I only got $$1800 for it in a private sale. Toyota is doing fine but intend to trade it for a new one soon.

I also bought a 2005 Kia Sedona brand new and at 72000 the engine started knocking. Oil was changed regularly. They want 200 to put it on the machine. My own experience with cars tells me that not enough iol is getting to the engine and it should be totally. Depending on how they treat me, this could be my first and last Kia.

@ the end of it all you get what you pay for.

Overall the Van is ok when it's working, but I've have had 2 times where the car was inoperable. First the car's computer had an issue that would shut off the car. Had to spend the night in an hotel while they fixed it. Second had an issue with not being able to turn the key in the ignition lock, bad ignition lock cylinder. Starting to have a similar problem again. Their Customer Service did not cover the rental car expense for the second issue. They need to take better care of their customers when the car becomes inoperable. Kia dealerships don't seem to have service loaner cars so your forced to rent a car if your car has issues, most other car companies have service loaners available for such issues.

BOUGHT IT NEW, NOW HAVE 72000 O N IT. ENGINE GOOD. ENGINE LIGHT BAD, STAYS ON. REAR WENT AT 60K, KIA REPLACED IT FREE. LIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL ARE BAD. STEERING GOT BAD IN COLD WEATHER AT 50K. BRAKES EVERY YEAR. PLASTIC SEAT ON DRIVER SIDE BROKE RIGHT AWAY. NO MORE KIAS FOR ME.

Love my Sedonas! I have an '02 with 92k miles and a '06 with 55k miles. Only major issue has been rotors on both vans however, this is to be expected since I tow 5k lbs every summer through the mountains. Harsh useage like this can cause rotor issues. I cannot stress strongly enough the need to PROPERLY MAINTAIN YOUR VEHICLE on time per the manufacturers manual. This is the only way to keep a car running properly. I absolutely hate it when people comaplian about a car and then you find out they have done nothing to maintain it. I went in for service last month and a man with a fairly new (under 40k mile) Kia Rio was in the shop arguing for a new engine under warranty because his engine had seized up. However, it was the first time the car had been in the shop at all. The man had never even done an OIL CHANGE! Yet he was in there critizing Kia cars as cheap crap!

bought used as a certified kia giving us the full 10yr 100,000 warranty owned 1 month took in after 30 days I told the tech. the van makes a funny noise while driving that sounds like a muffled wowoowwoowow I was told it was the tires what they don't know is I am a state cert. master mechanic. THE NOISE IS COMING FROM THE REAR HUB do to what will be a bearing failure, now they also tell me the rear coil springs have a failure due to a rubber around the springs failing, and their is a recall on the rear side doors a safety issue I wonder how long before they figure out the bearing issue hopefully the wheel won't come off causing an accident time will tell

We bought this van with 30k miles in clean condition. At yhe near end of the 60k mile warranty (the part that actually covers failures) the van lost all power and started missing. The dealer wanted $300 or so to change the plugs so they could figure out what was wrong with it. After doing some research of my own I found it was most likely a cam or ignition sensor. After yelling the dealer mech. this they changed the ignition sensor and the problem went away. But the check engine light would not stay off. So i changed the plugs to fix the problem. Probably caused from the bad sensor. I must warn you changing the rear 3 plugs is no easy task unless your mechanically inclined. You have to remove the upper intake to get to the plugs. We have also just been driving down the road and the doors lock or unlock on their own? I have changed the brakes 3 times in about 45k miles. Went to a harder ceramic/brass pad the last time and seem to do a much better job stopping and hopefully will last longer. I've also replaced the low beam bulbs 3 times (might be related to the doors/electrical). It was cheaper to buy the Kia but it wull be the last for the family, also.

Kia gives you a 100k mile warranty, you will need every bit of it. My father in law, brother in law and mother in law all bought the same van (Kia Sedona) we can tell each other what will go wrong with the other because they all have the same issues. Seat belt latch light indicator won't work so the airbags won't deploy. Electrical problems, heater and air conditioning problems, rear hatch issues, wiper problems, headlight issues, front struts, and the list goes on and on. Cheap van but you pay more in the long run. I was told that because Kia repairs the issues under it's warranty they don't have to report those problems and therefore the dependability rating is inflated compared to an American built car. My next purchase will be a Ford!

Constant issues, never resolved. No one can find the issue.

We've had numerous problems with our van including but not limiting to: break downs, shorted motor on sliding doors, tire pressure on with adequate tire pressure, etc. Recently, while driving our van on the freeway, we heard a cracking noise and saw smoke coming from the rear of the van. Subsequently, we lost all power steering and dash lights. After pulling over for safety, we found flames under the hood. This van was on fire!!!

We bought the 2005 kia sedona brand new. A week after buying it, the a/c stopped working. They 'fixed it' of course. But I gotta say, the a/c on this kia is the weakest we've ever felt. It never really blows full on cold air, but everytime we've taken it in they say it works fine. We thought we had a 100,000 mile warranty, but apparently 60,000 is 100% covered and the last 40,000 is power train only. 1,000 miles out of warranty a radiator hose blew and 5,000 later the TPS is now an issue. These are ALL issues kia is aware of with this model but will not fix. NO MORE KIAS FOR THIS FAMILY! :(

You know, you do get what you paid for. BUT and this is a BIG but...DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE SPENDING 25K on a brand new car! We have a 2006 Sedona and I absolutely LOVE my van! It's a wonderful family car. Very safe, drives beautifully, and when things have gone wrong with it (which yes, there have been some electrical hiccups) THE WARRANTY COVERS IT...EVEN IN KOREA!!! I don't know why people blame the car, the maker...if you do your research, stay on top of recalls or letters from the dealer telling you to come in for a replacement part then your car will run better, the way it's supposed to! All those who had "horrible problems" did you do your regular scheduled maintinence? Did you get oil changes when you were supposed to? Did you make sure the gas tank had some fuel in it? If you're car didn't work right did you call the dealer and take it in or did you try to fix it yourself? Are you a certified technician? Do you know about ALL the electronics in these cars? Did you spend the little extra money for the extended warranty or were you cheap? If you want a car to last more than five years these days (because face it they don't build them like they used to to last twenty+years) YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT THE MANUAL TELLS YOU TO DO and IF YOU DON"T HAVE A MANUAL GO ONLINE AND GET ONE OR GO TO THE DEALER AND GET ONE!!! I love my van. My kids and husband love our van. It's been a wonderful first brand new car experience for us. When we bought it, the 2006 Sedona had the highest safety rating of all the vans out there. It's a great van. Would recommend to anyone!

STAY AWAY.

Excellent mini-van! Had it for four and a half years (bought it brand new) and NEVER had an issue with it. Just oil changes and regular dealer maintenance.

We have 55k on it and have replaced the brakes, and rack&pinion, overall the van is good and if you consider that at the year end sales you can purchase it for 10,000 cheeper than the compatition, it is the best value in vans. (we paid $18,995 loaded)

air worked great 4 days now none ,dont know if im turning it on right,no owners manual,also alarm on key dosent work,is there a battery in key ring.high beams wont stay on

have put ALOT of money into this car/van. The electrical issues have been the worst. The doorlocks had a mind of their own.They would lock and unlock while driving or sitting still. I was actually afraid of getting locked in or out of my own vehicle whether I had the key or not!

2002 KIA Sedona would not buy another KIA forked out lots of money in repairs, not to mention I have to fork out 700 dollars for KIA to do major maintence every year. We bought a 2006 Toyota Tacomia and have not had any costly repairs (knock on wood) runs wonderful. We paid alot more for our Toyota but we never have issues with it, like out KIA. Major maintence is only around 400 dollars a year. I would buy a Toyotal next time.

I'm sorry to read all the bad reviews on this van. I love mine (hate that I'm still paying on it - lol). Brought it certified in 2007 with 90k miles and other than the regular monthly maintenance, the only thing I've had to fix is the tie rods, but then I drive it like I'm in the Indy, my baby has some "get up" in her step. Every KS owner I run into here in town has nothing but praises for theirs too. I was blessed with a good vehicle -- Going to put it to the test with our first major road trip (michigan to NY - woo hoo). I'm confident that it will do just fine.

You get what you pay for. Looks great new, lots of features for the price. But it deteriorates quickly. Cheaply made, electrical and a/c issues out the wahzoo, and everything everyone else says. Owned the car only 45 months but 3K miles over warranty on basic and you are screwed - even on problems they are well aware of. Ford has more recalls, but that is becausse they actually recall when they know of a problem. KIA just waits you out. In the end, this brand can't be trusted, now matter how much they upgrade the styling. Never again. Never.

will never buy kia again either . replace alt and then belts break replaced belts now wont start at all wont even turn over. stupid thing is not even paid off yet didnt last the payments

bought this car in january of 09' and only 58,000 miles on started having problems with it 6 months after I got it. electrical, radiator, engine, well u name it and thats whats wrong with it. this is the worst thing i ever had bought.. i'm goin to stick with my chev.

Minor electrical issues and a weird engine noise at startup that last for 3 seconds - like a heavy engine valve train noise

Had air bag, battery, side door, headlight and numerous other problems.

this is the worst vehicle i ve ever bought and will not buy another kia

hahhahahhahahhaha you serious.a ford the worst car youve ever owned.ahahhahahahhaha thats a good one.my neidhbor has one of these Killed In Action's.the worst POS on the planet.its had 6 batteries 4 alternators and 4 transmissions.his friends mom has the same pos and the same problems.and there is no warranty.not to mention the airbags went off for no reason.nobody was in the car but he went to use the keyless entry and pop the airbags went off LMAO.dont buy a killed in action buy a FORD.

Good value for money. Some small problems fixed under warranty (great dealership). Only needed Alternator replacing at 80,000 miles. Usual Sedona problems with Air bag / light seatbelt. Has never let me down. I bought new to replace a Ford Windstar that was the worse car I ever owned.

A great car so far! A few electrical problem with the side door slider, etc. But my warranty covered it.