KIA Motors
Reviews and Complaints

My wife and I purchased a 2009 Kia Borrego from the Paramount Kia of Asheville North Carolina dealership for $35, 782.00 on October 16, 2009. We returned to the dealership on Friday, December 4, 2009 to sell the vehicle back (due to our dissatisfaction with it) and we were given a ballpark figure of $21, 000 as its value and were told that the used car sales manager would have to approve any re-purchase of the vehicle and also approve the amount.

We made several attempts to contact the used car sales manager (Dean Blanton) over the course of approximately a week and were not given the simple courtesy of a call back for approximately a week. We have since been informed that the vehicle will not be re-purchased by this dealership at any price. We had specifically asked the salesperson (Tonia Burleson) during the purchase process if this vehicle would retain its value well and we were both told by her that it would.

The vehicle at present has approximately 2300 miles on the odometer and the vehicle has no damage or defects whatsoever (other than those which may be inherent to the Kia manufacturing process itself.) When I remarked about the vehicle apparently not seeming to hold its value very well the only response I got from Ms. Burleson in the way of explanation was simply it’s not my fault”.

I’m not only troubled by the seeming lack of quality and thence value on the part of this almost brand new vehicle but also by the apathy and discourtesy shown by this member of the sales staff. We also asked during the sales process if the vehicle was front wheel drive and we were told that it was. We have since discovered that it’s not. We would never have purchased the vehicle had we been truthfully informed that it was not front wheel drive. We also were due a balance on our trade in and we were not told that our check would not be available until the following week until after we had signed the sales contract. The person who had to sign the check had somehow conveniently just left the dealership.

We have since found the vehicle to be woefully underpowered and that it has an overwhelmingly cheap and exceedingly light feel to it and lacks traction and stability under any and all driving conditions. In summary, we are both completely dissatisfied with the sales experience, the vehicle, the dealership, and Kia Corporation as a whole. Based on my experience in the legal field I feel that these actions on the part of the dealership and Kia Corporation constitute unfair and deceptive trade practices and are just downright bad business as well as some of the worst treatment by a car dealer we have experienced in the last 20 plus years.

We both felt as though we were told whatever would serve to get us signed off on the sales contract and out the door with the vehicle. We would respectfully request a meeting with the general manager of the dealership to attempt to resolve this matter before resorting to arbitration or legal action to seek an appropriate remedy. If we could simply sell the vehicle at a reasonable portion of its original price after normal depreciation we could possibly walk away from this situation with some semblance of fairness. I wish we had done our homework and discovered beforehand the numerous complaints and lawsuits against Kia of America and their product line. Had we done so we would never have purchased the vehicle.

In late 2009 I purchased a 2010 Kia Forte Koup from Airport Kia in Naples, Florida. The Forte Koup is a great little car; however, the car that I purchased has a very interesting, yet frustrating issue. The Forte that I purchased is a second vehicle that is not driven often as I have a work vehicle. After only 4 months of ownership, I noticed a strange smelly white substance that seemed to be growing on the carpets. I cleaned the carpets and then about one week later, after a good rainfall one day, I opened the car doors and discovered what appeared to be moisture in the door jambs, indicating that perhaps the door seals might not be functioning properly. Additionally, the strange white substance had reappeared.

I brought the car into the dealership and was told by Mike Cabrera that new carpet and door seals would be ordered. The carpets were removed and cleaned and reinstalled at the dealership. Mr. Cabrera told me that it would take some time for the carpet and seals to come in because the car was so new.

Several months passed and the substance did not come back, nor did I hear anything further from Mr. Cabrera or Airport Kia. Finally, around the middle of February 2011 I noticed that the white substance had once again returned. Once again, I called Mike Cabrera and left a message, advising him that the substance had returned and inquiring as to why it was taking so long for the carpets and seals to come in. Mr. Cabrera did not return my call.

On March 1, 2011, after receiving no communication from Mr. Cabrera, I sent an email to Mr. Mike Abner, the General Manager at Airport Kia. On March 2, 2011 Mr. Abner responded to my email, advising me to schedule a service appointment and promising that he would “follow this to its conclusion”. Before I had an opportunity to call and schedule the appointment, Mr. Cabrera called me and advised that Kia would not warranty the carpet, which explained why I did not hear anything from Kia over the past 6 months that I had been waiting for them to order the carpet and seals and contact me.

Mr. Cabrera provided me with a customer service number so that I could inquire further on the situation and advised that he would speak with his boss to see if there was any remedy to the situation because clearly there was something wrong but he could not replace the carpet unless he was going to be paid to do so. I contacted customer service and spoke with a young lady named Lynn who listened to my story and took down my information. She asked if anyone had performed a leak test on the car, which I informed her had not been done. She also asked for the contact person I was dealing with and the number for the dealership. Lynn advised that she would do an investigation and get back with me. Within 15 minutes of that conversation with Lynn, I received a telephone call from Mr. Cabrera asking me to bring the car in for a leak test. On March 7, 2011 I brought the car into the dealership for the leak test. Mr. Cabrera later contacted me and said that the leak test was negative but he wanted to keep the car over night because a Kia Service Representative was coming in the following day and Mike wanted to personally show the service rep my car.

The following day Mr. Cabrera contacted me and said that the service rep did not feel that there was anything wrong with my car. He further stated that, after viewing all of the new Fortes on the showroom floor, all of the carpets were similar to mine and had a strange white growth in the folds of the carpets. I thought this sounded outrageous. I asked Mr. Cabrera for the service reps name and he said he would get it for me but did not. I also asked for something in writing indicating what I had been told. The only information I was given is the invoice. When I picked up my vehicle from Kia that day I noticed that the carpet had been cleaned (which was not indicated on the paperwork and I was never told that they had cleaned the carpet). Unfortunately for the dealership, they missed a spot. While cleaning the carpets they failed to clean underneath the passenger seat. Also, the white substance is already returning on the driver’s side carpet.

I sent another email to Mr. Abner explaining everything that had transpired because he asked me in his earlier email to keep him advised. I told Mr. Abner that I had not heard anything further from Lynn regarding her investigation or Mr. Cabrera regarding my request for the service reps name. While I have heard nothing further from Mr. Abner, I did receive a call from Mr. Cabrera with the service reps name, Aaron Shoemo. I also received a call from Lynn, explaining that she spoke with Mr. Shoemo and Kia would not warranty the carpet because it was their opinion that there was no leak and the carpet was just like every other Kia. When I asked for this information in writing Lynn advised that she could not provide it to me because it was all verbal. Lynn also advised that Mr. Shoemo’s word was final and that I had no other recourse.

I wrote to the CEO of Kia but to date the only responce that I have received is a telehphone call from a customer service person named Danielle, who has been less than helpful. To date, my problem is unresolved and I have been told that this white, smelly mildew/mold on my carpets is a standard feature on all 2010 Kia Forte Koups.

We felt that a new Kia Sportage that needed a transmission installed after only 2 weeks should have been taken back by the dealer. Our
dealings with the Bentonville, Ar. sales manager got us nowhere, even though the vehicle is yet to be tagged. A call to Fletcher's corporate headquarters has went unanswered. Very unhappy customers.
Joy and Jerry Tilton
Rogers, AR.
http://grannymountain.blogspot.com/2011/03/right-and-wronged.html

Service Department damaged new parts installed on vehicle by qualified mechanic and then charged us for the new parts. When we demanded they save the parts, they placed them on the back floor boards which then had to be detailed. SMKia then proceeded to triple the estimated amount we had been quoted; when we raised a fuss about that, it was quickly discounted $100. The damaged parts were taken to another Kia dealership where a transmission service expert examined. He confirmed that the SMKia service tech removed the parts with a pry bar damaging the parts. He also confirmed that there is no possible way the parts had been place in the vehicle backwards as SMKia claimed - it is not possible for the part to even fit in upside down or backwards. When this was brought to the attention of the operations manager, we were told that we were in essence - tough. This is twice we have taken this vehicle to the dealership where it was purchased for service; it is the last time.

I bought a used car at a Kia Dealership. The car was a 2005 Chevy Cavalier. It had 51, 000 miles on it when I bought it. The car was $1500 below bluebook value when I bought it. 4 months after I bought it I received the title and a letter from the Secretary of State Police stating that it was a salvaged vehicle and they required it to have a rebuilt statement on the title. I contacted the dealership who promised to fix the issue and get me a vehicle which wasn't previously wrecked, since I gave my old vehicle to my sister because it had been previously wrecked and had problems every couple years which I didn't want to deal with. When I went to the dealership to get a different vehicle they attempted to sell me a vehicle which was 3 years older and had 120, 000 miles on it, 70000 more than the one I was giving back to them and then they wanted to charge me another $2500. I told them to give me my keys and title to the original vehicle back and they refused. I left the dealership on foot in the middle of winter to find someplace to call the police since my cellphone was dead. The general manager followed me off the lot and asked me to come back and he would fix it. I walked back to the dealership because I told him I wanted the car back, when we got back he again refused to give me the car back, I have a heart condition and I got so upset I passed out after having walked over in the freezing cold. Someone in the dealership called the police who came out with the ambulance to take care of me. This is how Kia treats U.S. veterans. I spent 20 years in the service, I was retiring when I bought this vehicle and was starting a new job. The general manager knew this and used it when he mislead me on the status of the vehicle. I had asked for a copy of the Carfax but he lead me off talking about my time in the service instead of getting me the Carfax. I would not have bought this vehicle if I had known it was a salvage rebuilt vehicle. It is a violation of the law to commit fraud where I live when selling a vehicle and not having the buyer sign a statement from the secretary of state showing they know it is a rebuilt salvaged vehicle. The dealership knew this yet still tried to defraud me. I have filed a criminal complaint against the Kia dealership and its management. I will never got back to another Kia dealer again.

Complaint by: Mrs. Manal Mikhael Makkar
Country : Egypt - Cairo
e-mail : [protected]@gmail.com
Dated on : 23/02/2011
Complaint Detail:
* I bought my car on 09/09/2009 from a well known dealer in Egypt called EIT, at that time I was so proud of KIA brand.
* Three months later, I realized some water leakage on the car floor,
* On my 1st maintenance visit ( the 1000 km ), I drew the Engineer attention to the situation, but he ignored the matter and said : there is nothing . Same thing has been repeated in the 2nd visit,
* On 08/01/2011 was the 3rd visit (10000 km ), this time the Engineer ( who was another one) told me that, the leakage is due to the air condition unit and it needs the spare part # [protected]. He promised to provide it a week after.
Unfortunately, after several weeks and till now, the service center EIT has failed to provide the required part.
I WONDER ! ?
1- how a corporation like KIA fails to provide such a spare part...
2- Is there any process management system for such customer requirements and after sales service...
I'm sorry to tell u that you have lost one of your satisfied customers, and please remember that each dissatisfied customer could negatively influences 16 of your potential customers
A highly prompt action is required

Came in to purchase a car and the amount they wanted for the car on the lot seemed a bit high. I looked online while at the dealer and found that car was over $1000 cheaper online. I questioned (Nav Gil) about this and he claimed that there was something wrong with my cell phone. He eventually brought the price of the car down. When I came back in to sign papers for the car they had added over $4000 in extra fees. After a long arguement eventually they removed all the extra fees however it still cost $1900 for a 2 year extended waranty. I thought that was very very high .. also I had to pay an extra $800 that the dealer claimed I had to pay for Loan Insurance. I have never heard of this before but ok. So instead of $4000 extra I paid $2700 in extras. I also worked in tint and they claimed the car would be cleaned and any scratches would be fixed.I also traded in a car that had some money still owing on the car however the amount they were offering for the car was over the amount that was owing. I was suposed to pick it up on a Monday and I called...they told me it wasnt ready yet. I called the next day they said it still wasnt ready for me to pick it up. Eventually I got the car on a Friday (Christmas Eve) The tint was done but all bubbly no scratches on the car were fixed. The car wasnt cleaned it had no gas in the car. Every time I asked why nothing was done and why the car wasnt cleaned or scratches fixed. I was told that it wasnt Kia's fault. Couldnt understand who's fault it was? I dropped my car off for the trade in and eventually I took the car and left upset and decided event though I was told I could bring the car back and everything would be fixed that I figured I didnt want to deal with Kia any more. 4 days later I got a call claiming that I owed $60 for something on my plates. I came back paid the $60 and left. the First of January came and a payment for my old vehicle came out of my bank account. I spoke with my bank and they said they didnt recieve a payout amount for the car. The bank said it should show up soon and they would refund me the payment. However on the 15th of January another payment came out again for a vehicle that I havent owned since December. This time I called the dealer and they told me that its my banks fault. I called my bank and asked if there was ever a payoff amount asked for my Kia they said there was never anything for Kia asking anything. I called Kia back to ask when they sent the cheque to pay off the car and they said they would have to look into it. It took them 5 days to return my calls about why this car wasnt paid off. Eventually they told me that the cheque was never sent and that now the payoff amount was $200 more then what it was in December. They said they would pay the extra amount on there end but the 2 payments I made in January would not be refunded to me. They then tried to claim that I gave the payoff amount to them when obviously I had no idea what was owing never mind the fact that when your paying out a car you would get the payoff amount to pay it off not heresay. So at the moment Zahid is working with me to come to some kind of mutual agreement to get the car paid off and get me my money back. It is now day 6 and I am patiently waiting for him to call me back and let me know what they are going to do to fix this. I would never reccomend this dealer or the sales agent. They are shady have absolutly no customer service skills and I firmly believe in Karma. Karma will come back to haunt them on this and any other customer that has had this type of stuff happen to them. Dont purchase a car from them and if you decide to please please review everything and check online prices and other dealerships first on the price before you sign anything.

It is currently January 31st 2017 and they will not return my calls. They still have not paid off my trade in and I am still paying for it. DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS DEALERSHIP !

On 9 Jan. we towed our caravan to Illovo and the car’s temperature went up again. We took our car to Margate workshop to fix it. They replaced our radiator cap and said the problem is fixed. The next day we left for home. after 30 min, our car overheated and cut out. Rusty from Durban fixed a small leak on the top radiator hose and added 1 litre of water. He also found that the thermostat was stuck in a closed position and removed the centre part. At Pinetown, the car overheated again and cut out. We had to leave our car there and make arrangements to get ourselves and the caravan home. We contacted Kia Margate a few times and left messages. My husband was contacted on 1 February and was asked to fax our complaint to Rob. I sent 3 faxes – no response. When my husband called him 2 weeks later, he replied that it was not their responsibility because it only overheated when we towed our caravan (which was what they were supposed to fix). We are still without a car after more than 5 weeks.

I recently bought a 2008 kia optima from the lincolnwood KIA Grossinger dealership in ILLINOIS. They had bad customer service. The person who was helping us, ABRAHAM (ABE) was very rude and was pushing me to buy the car. I explained to him that I had gotten into an accident recently and was not going to get the check from the other insurance for my totalled car for another week. He told me it would be fine and kept trying to sell me a car. It was snowing really bad and it was night time. He showed me the car and did not tell me anything about the car. After taking a ride in the car he kept pushing me with his rude attitude to buy the car. I told him I am a first time buyer and he did not seem to care. He also kept making rude comments on how i would not be able to buy a expensive car or no one would give me a good loan percent on the car. I also explained to the finance department guy that the check is not going to be in my hand till the next week. The guy reassured me that they would only take the money out when I tell them i had received the check. Also, my dad had went in to talk to them about a dent we found on the car after we bought it, plus the tires were not safe for em to drive because they were worn out. My dad also told them not to take the money out until we get the check because I did not have the money in my account yet. Even then, they still took the money out of my account and I went negative in my account. I am really disappointed with service and the people working at the Kia Grossinger at Lincolnwood, IL. I am never going to buy a Kia again ever and never will ever recommend anyone to get a Kia again because of my bad experience with KIA.

dealing with kia sorento 2007 at 62000 miles and the "esc off" light randomly illuminating. there are service bulletins out for this issue and i was told by dealership that kia will cover this under 60000mile warranty but since i came in 2000miles over it was up to me to pay some $700 to repair. diagnostic test came up saying that there is a faulty transfer case decoder motor, and since i did not do my "recommended" services to the transfer case before 60000 my warranty is voided. this is an issue that i feel maybe a defect to the "esc" in kia and not that i did not comply with my maintenance. it seems that i am not the only person with this problem and the real issue is that when the "esc off" light illuminates it stays on and i lose engine power/acceleration, which has almost caused me two accidents on the freeway!

i have filed a complaint to the NHTSA (www.nhtsa.dot.gov ) in order for them to open up an investigation they need more consumers with this issue to file a complaint and determine if this is a potential defect or recall. so, if anyone has similar complaints with the "esc off" compartment in a kia vehicle please let me know or feel free to file a complaint online to www.nhtsa.dot.gov . this is a serious safety hazard.

AIC of Kia is one of the most dishonest car dealerships I have ever been to. My husband and I went there as we were solicited by a phone call stating we were approved for a loan. They attempted to sell us a vehicle for 4ooo over a brand new selling price. They gave us the keys and charged us a 399.00 processing fees. When they found out while we were still there that the phone bill was in my name only they asked us to fax something in my husbands name. The loan would not fund without both names, so they had us bring the car back. We returned it with a full tank of gas and an oil change as they gave it to us with an empty tank and oil change due.
They stated that there was no one to help process the fee and we should come back another day. We returned the next day and they said the business office was closed. Finally we called and they refused to return the money. We had to go through our bank to file fraud charges as they never performed a service that we were charged for... Dont go there. Go to B and M motors instead Leesburg. They are more friendly and can deliver on their promises.

I am on my second Kia Sportage. The first one started having engine problems but I was able to trade in and out run it. Why did I trade in and get another one? BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD TAKE THE PIECE OF CRAP. Now on my second one and they got me..states a timing belt broke and blew my engine..cost 8, 000.00 on my 2006..not over 100, 000 but warranty doesn't cover...ssssoooooo I get to con't making payments and still have no car..and need more money to fix.

Has anybody esle had this..I've found two people with similar prob'd...blown engines at two yrs old?

I've received a mail informing me i've won 650 000 pounds and a new kia. the whole thing ends up at sending barrister perkins james behrens (esq). about 450 pounds for legal representation fees.

Here's a copy of the e-mail

Kia motors corporation, (seoul, south korea)
Kia car sales promotion office, (england, united kingdom)
Regional office: # 591, wellington road, stockport,
Cheshire, england, united kingdom,
Telephone number: +[protected]
+[protected]

Dear hector pesquero,
Winning identification no.: kiasorentopromo210129928/2010
Approval no.: kiamotorssorentopromo2039832010

We are in receipt of your mail and it gives me great pleasure to inform you that your verification information and selected claims option has gone through our verification processes and has successfully passed all standards in accordance with the year 2010 kia motors corporation; sorento car promotion claims terms and conditions.

As you already know, all winners for the online version of the kia motors corporation sorento promotion programme were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from an exclusive list of 500, 000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed on the internet as part of our international sales promotion process to promote international sales of brand new 2010 suv kia sorento car and co-operation between our customers across the united kingdom and other countries worldwide, your lucky email address as ([protected]@hotmail.com) with secret #: kiasorentopromo210129928/2010 was selected as one of ten (10) star prize winner. you are approved to receive a new 2010 suv kia sorento car and cash sum of £650, 000.00 great british pounds sterling.

Your winning prizes been verified and cleared by our promotion headquarters in promotion headquarters in seoul, south korea. since you will be unable to attend in person for the final validation, endorsement and release processes of your prizes in our office, you are to proceed and contact our company's lawyer in our law department, whom you will empower to represent you on your behalf. we will nominate barrister perkins james behrens (esq.), to represent you in the documentation of all the required affidavits document and complete supervision of your winning funds bank to bank wire transfer of £650, 000.00 great british pounds sterling to your personal account and arrange for the delivery of your suv kia sorento car to you.

Contact barrister perkins james behrens (esq.) via the e-mail below:

Lawyer e-mail address: [protected]@kiaclaimslawfiles.co. uk
Contact person: perkins james behrens (esq.)
Telephone #: +[protected]
Kia law department.

Note: you are to provide him with these details for identification of claims:

Full name:... (as appeared on any of your personal identification card)
Personal telephone number:...
Prize identification number:... kiasorentopromo210129928/2010...

For insured security of your winning prizes, have it in mind that your won prize cannot be deducted from by anyone; this is because the total amount of £650, 000.00 great british pounds approved with your winning cheque has been insured to the real value, and as such most be delivered to you without any deduction. this is in accordance with section 13 (1) (n) of the national gambling act as adopted in 1993 and amended on 3rd july 1996 by the constitutional assembly.

Concise update on proceedings with the firm is required back to this e-mail as soon as you are in contact with them. if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Congratulations. you can call this office for assistance anytime: +[protected].

Your faithfully,
Mrs. rosemary johnson,
Winning prize claims fiduciary agent,
Kia motors sorento car promotion™ 2010 edition,
Kia motors corporation. copyright © 2010 all right reserv

that stupid kia soul commercial makes me want to hit mute or change the channel(or barf)!I wouldn't buy one if it was the only car on earth, that's how annoying it is!

This happened this morning.I popped in at Kia motors The Glen to have a look at their new Cerato.As I strolled onto the showroom floor I saw the stunning car and proceeded to go have a look.I had a thorough look at the vechile and this is where things took a turn for the worst.

I stood next to the car for some time hoping that some sales manwoman would attend to me as there were no brochures in or around the car.I ended up walking to the sales office(which accidently is roughly 10m away from the car).

There were two sales people at their desk a male and female.The guy was busy chatting on his cellphone and the lady proceeded to ignore me completely.Honestly I thought lets give them a chance, maybe they're both waiting for something.I kid you not, I stood there for over 3 minutes waiting for someone to attend to me.Thee amazing thing is they both just starred at me.

I then just took a slow long walk to my car and drove off with the most disgustful taste for Kia.I gather that Kia must be doing quite well under the economic melt down as they probably lost a sale from me in the near future.

I bought my 2017 Kia Rio on 12/30/2017. I am the first and only owner of the vehical. Two days after driving it off the lot my paint started chipping off all of the doors and handles. On the handles it chipped down all the way to the plastic. Before I could even take it into the shop for tht my TPMS light came on. Checked all my tires and they were aired to regulations. I brought the car into the shop and they had to order new door handles and 'fixed" the TPMS light. The next day the TPMS light came back on. While driving (at night) my headlights went off. Thank goodness I made it home safe but none of the lights in my car worked, no door chime, or radio. Brought my car back into the shop and I had to get a rental car. They kept my car for almost two weeks and then told me they "fixed" all the problems. According to them there was an electical chip that was loose that was causing all the light problems and TPMS. At this time they did replace the door handles and fixed the paint. Not even a week later my breaks started making a very loud grinding noise and became harder to stop. When stopping the breaks will be firm then go soft causing it to be harder to break. Brought it back into the shop and they said they could not recreate the sound. I called Kia Inc at this point because I was tired of the problems. Since then I have had my car back into the shop for my breaks 5 times. I have only owned the car for 7 months now. I have been told three times now my breaks were glazed and again they have "fixed" the problem. On my last visit, which was two days ago, I was told that this sound is normal for a 2017 Kia Rio and I need to undersand breaks make noise. Well when you have breaks that are so loud people stare at you and the more you drive it the harder it gets to stop, thats a car that should not be on the road. My case manager at Kia Inc. is now refusing to return my calls and the other reps that are answering are saying that they cannot help me that I have to speak to my case manager. This car is HORRIBLE! Like I asked Richard before he stopped accepting my call, What going to happen when I get into an accident because of the breaks. Are they going to listen then?