Serra Kia
Reviews and Complaints

These dudes sold me a pre-owned whip with a busted tire that blew up just a few days after copping it. No crash or nothin' that coulda caused that tire to go boom. It also messed up my truck big time, but the bosses wouldn't own up to it. WATCH OUT! These dudes only care about gettin' that cash - Not keepin' their peeps safe or bein' morally right. DON'T RECOMMEND!

I drove a jeep and told them my worries, but they said it was all good. I bought it, then went to another place to check it out and they said the transmission was busted. Went to another place and they said the same thing. I called the dealership to complain, but they just brushed it off and said the other places were trying to scam me. Not a good time at all. They didn't care about me, just wanted to make their money.

I went to Serra Kia with a preapproval from a major bank. I was clear about my choice, but they pushed other options and shopped my loan. The salesman offered a standard loan, which I accepted. However, the finance manager was rude when I declined extra warranties on a new car. He mentioned my income, suggesting I could afford the add-ons. I refused them, but they financed through Kia Finance instead of my bank and ran unauthorized credit checks, impacting my score. I felt they exploited my situation, and I won't return.

I got a 2014 Jeep Wrangler from Serra Kia (Gardendale) on Saturday, March 25, 2023. On Monday, March 27, I took it to my mechanic, who I've been using for almost 20 years, for an inspection. My mechanic had to replace the radiator because it had a hole in it, along with the radiator hose. Additionally, the oil filter housing had a crack in it and needed to replaced, along with other belts, parts and fluids. My mechanic bill was over $2200 because the warranty that the dealership "sold" me didn't cover any of the parts or service. I contacted the dealership's sales manager and advised him of the issues that my mechanic had to fix and he said it was not his problem. I drove the Jeep periodically for less than 2 weeks when I noticed that it was losing power and making a loud "ticking" sound. I took it back to my mechanic and he advised me to contact the dealership. When I spoke to the service manager at Serra, he advised me that I needed to take it to a certified Jeep dealership/mechanic. I contacted the sales manager at Serra and advised him that I had to take the Jeep back to the mechanic and he told me, again, that it was not Serra's problem. After the certified Jeep dealership mechanic performed a safety inspection on the Jeep, I was advised that the Jeep "threw a rod", was not safe to drive, and needed a new engine. He also advised me that when he contacted the warranty company to advise them of the issue(s) he found, he was told that the warranty was void because someone must have driven the vehicle to the point where it overheated. I have had the Jeep for less than 5 weeks and it has been in the shop for 21 days. I have driven it barely over 500 miles and most of that was driving it to/from the mechanic and dealership. Serra refuses to take responsibility of selling me an unsafe vehicle and refuses to reimburse me for mechanic bills, "add ons" that they charged me for but did not put on the Jeep, or the warranty that is useless.

I bought a car from Serra Kia on March 9. I paid cash but still ain't got no title. They ain't being helpful when I ask. I been to the dealership a bunch of times and they ain't done nothing to fix it. They said the car only had 17 miles but it really had over 900 miles. I don't know what they're trying to pull, but I'm 84 and I think they're trying to rip me off.

I traded my 2019 Kia Optima Lx for a 2021 Kia Sportage SX on 3/06. They said I'd get my GAP refund in 3-5 days, but that was wrong. I called a bunch of times and they said it'd be 3-5 weeks. It's been over 2 months now and I still haven't got it. I talked to Mr. and his boss, but they didn't help much. They said they'd call me in April, but I haven't heard anything. Serra Kia doesn't communicate well. Also, the Sportage had alignment problems in the back, but they didn't check it. I found out from ***. This is not how you run a business. I want a refund with interest.

I bought a new ride from Serra Kia in Gardendale on 06/17. I traded in my 2021 Ford Explorer as part of the deal, but on 06/30, I saw that the trade-in wasn't paid off yet. I called the dealer and talked to the Finance Manager, who said that the payoffs go out on Fridays and I should see the Explorer paid off any day now. But on 07/02, the trade-in was still not paid off, and the Finance Manager wouldn't answer the phone anymore. I was getting worried, so on 07/06, I wrote to the General Manager about it. He said that due to the holidays, there's been a delay, but the pay-off check for my trade-in was sent over-night to my bank on 06/30, and I should see it the next day or very soon. But today, 07/12, it's been almost 2 weeks since that "over-night" check was sent, and my trade-in still hasn't been paid off. I had to make an extra monthly payment on 07/10 to stay current on my loan.

I still ain't got my refund for GAP insurance and it's been 4 months. Been calling like crazy but no luck. Mr. K said I ain't getting no check for it and that credit union loan source gotta send it to me. He sent me a text with a letter they got saying they gotta mail the check to the bank, not me. I asked for a copy and he sent it. I'm gonna go to Kia tomorrow at 9 am to pick it up but Mr. K said I gotta contact credit union loan source 'cause they gonna send me the money. Confusing as heck but the pic he sent me was from accounting.

The guy at the car place texted me about a Toyota tundra they had and said it was super popular and might not be there for long. So I went down there and they said it had been inspected and had maintenance done to make sure it was in good shape. I took it for a spin and told the sales guy that the brakes were kinda soft. He said they could fix it if I was gonna buy it, so I said yeah. But then they gave me a discount on *** and I put some money down to buy it. On *** 2, I bought it and drove it home. But not even a mile down the road, the brake lines busted and I had to get it towed back home. I went back to the dealership the next day and all they offered was a $500 discount. But the mechanic said it was gonna cost way more than that to fix because the truck was in bad shape underneath. They didn't even have a sticker saying what was wrong with it before I bought it, even though they said it had been inspected.

I bought a 2016 Tuson Hyundai on Nov 8th with $7000 down and a $1500 trade-in. The car had some issues like a squeaky steering wheel column, jerking when accelerating after a stop, and a broken mode button on the steering. When I took it back the next day, the salesman said it wasn't a problem and he had a car at home that did the same thing. But at least I have a warranty, right? On December 27th, I took the car to Serra Hyundai for repairs. The service manager, ***, wouldn't give me a receipt for the repairs he said he did and kept my ticket open because he had to order a part for the steering column. Two weeks passed and when I called, there was no record of me ever going to the service department. Finally, on January 12th, I got a hold of my salesman, ***, and he transferred me to Kia service. They had an appointment for January 25th, but the service lady suggested I go to Hyundai because they could get to me faster. I called to talk to the sales or general manager at Kia, Mr., but a man answered and said he was a manager named ***. We got into an argument because he said the car was inspected and they spent over $2000 getting it ready. Hyundai in *** has since traded with me, but my car note is high because I didn't have a down payment. All I'm asking for is a $7000 refund to put towards my car payments. Thanks for your time, *** W.

I got a problem with my Kia Soul 2014 1.6 liter engine. There's a recall (SC176) to replace the catalytic converter because it can get damaged from high exhaust gas temperatures and even cause fires. The recall started on April 17. I went to Serra Kia of *** on May 7th to get it fixed but they didn't replace the converter. Then, I went to River chase Kia on September 3 because I was still having issues with the converter but they didn't fix it either. I went back to River chase Kia on January 29 to check for the recall services but still no resolution. I went back to Serra Kia of *** on April 10 and they told me I had to pay to get the part replaced. I called Kia customer service many times but they said the recall ended and my issue was never resolved. Now, my engine is damaged and I have to pay more money. Kia should take care of this serious issue. I paid over $100 to have my car checked at the location too.

I'm a car fan. I got a 2016 Hyundai Veloster from Serra Hyundai KIA last year, but traded it back in after a few months. Before that, I went to get my extended warranty refunded. Andrew said he'd take care of it, had me sign some papers, and said I'd get a certain amount back. But when I traded in my car and got another one, I realized I never got the money. I called the guy in Finance, and he tried to fix it. But he used the wrong date and mileage, so I got less back instead of what I was supposed to get. Fidelity warranty said it was because of the wrong info. So now I'm out some money because of someone's mistake. I bought two cars from Serra, and they still messed up. They said they cancelled my warranty, but they didn't, and now I'm in trouble. Can someone find the right paperwork and fix this mess?

I went to Serra Kia on September 1, 2022 to get my 2017 Kia *** tuned up. While I was there, I asked them to check my headlights because they were flickering. They said I needed a new Multi-Functional Switch and I paid $82.39 for the part. They said it would take 2 days to come in and they would call me. I got a call the next week and scheduled an appointment for September 15, 2022 at 9am. I took my car in and they said they would call me when it was done. I had to call them at 3pm and they said the wrong part was delivered and they were waiting for the new one. I told them I would be there before they closed at 4pm. When I got there, they said my car couldn't be serviced because the part never came. It's now October 13, 2022 and my car still hasn't been serviced. I've called 8 times and they keep telling me the part isn't in yet. One time they said they would refund me for the part, but then they said they don't give refunds. They said they would talk to the part manager and call me back, but they never did. I called back and asked for the part manager, but they never answered. All I want is a refund, but it's been really difficult.

I bought my second car from Serra Kia and my car was fine, but my wife's car had some issues. On April 1st, we went to buy a car and my wife liked the K5, which they didn't have in stock, but had one on the way. We agreed to wait for the car and that the payments would be no more than $*** a month. We gave them our trade-in and $*** down and they gave us a loaner until the car arrived. On April 6th, my wife got a call saying the car was in. When I got off work, I noticed that the payments were $*** a month and they added GAP and a VSC. I called on April 7th and talked to ***, who said my wife just needed to come in and sign the cancellation forms. My wife went in on April 7th after work to sign the GAP cancellation form, but they just switched providers for the VSC and didn't have the form yet. After calling several times, they finally said they had the form and my wife went in the next day. On May 21st, there was still no refund posted to the loan account, so I called *** and he said he would have to email their financing department. On May 23rd, I talked to *** and he said they were still waiting for the refund. On May 24th, I called the VSC company and found out the VSC was not canceled. I talked to *** (GM) and he said *** was out of the office and he would call me back, but he didn't. I called back on May 25th and *** said it was being processed. I told him I keep getting the runaround and he got angry and hung up on me when I asked for his supervisor's name.

I got my Kia Soul from this place and got an extended warranty too. My Kia's engine has been giving me trouble since 2018. I bought it on Easter 2015 with an extended warranty for 100,000 miles. My Kia account number is #xxx. I've been dealing with this place and my warranty for engine issues since 2018. It started with hesitation to go up small inclines. Between 40-60, I lost power, and there was a lot of burning oil, but no oil leaks when I took it to the dealership the first time. They didn't take it seriously and did a die test to check the oil. I would get an oil change, and within 1,000 miles, I would be 1-2 quarts low consistently. It was scary to drive the car, not knowing if I would run out of oil in traffic on the way home. There was never a leak with the die test to date. I had to start this test multiple times. This place had a great service manager, but he was forced to retire early. He mentioned that he was discovering issues with this model over and over. I've been dealing with this since I was pregnant, and my son will be two in June. My son came six weeks early, and my Kia was in the shop at that time. When I picked it up, it made it a month before being towed again to the shop. It has been towed three times this year. We stopped driving it for a while because we were scared we would be stranded. It stopped working on I-65 going up the hill from Hoover to downtown, stopped working on a hill on I-65 going to Cullman to take my mother-in-law to her surgery at the hospital, and stopped working on our vacation to Guntersville going up the large hill. There was never an engine light that came on. Every time they just did the dye test, never drove my car, and see what was wrong. I've been trying to do the right thing with this dealership since 83,600+/- miles. At 94,000, they started helping with the dye test, but as you can see, we still don't have any results, but I continue to risk myself and my one-year-old every time I drive this car on the interstate to drop him off at daycare and drive to the office. I purchased an extended warranty for 100,000 miles. I am now at 106,000 and still playing their game. This past time it was towed, I towed it to an expert mechanic. He said the engine just can't breathe, which is the issue. He recommended trading it as soon as possible. I would believe me if I could afford it. I have almost invested $xxxxx in this vehicle to own. They should honor their warranty, not keep playing games with me. There is something wrong with this car. This past update on the recall finally set off the engine light, and then they dialed it back because that's what Kia told them to do so it wouldn't knock. Finally, the engine light worked, and now it doesn't again because they were advised to turn it down. To be stranded so many times with a car I purchased new that has never missed an oil change is crazy. To never have an engine light come on, but yet it wouldn't drive is wrong. This past visit to do another 500-mile check and another recall, my husband finally stood up and stated we would have to consult legal counsel if they didn't look at it again and sent us on our way. They called me four days later and said they would have to reject service because of his comment. It's not their family that's driving on the interstate with a car that is so unpredictable on loss of power. I called the 800 number and verified what I should do and explained the entire story. I now have my vehicle since last Saturday evening in Trussville still awaiting a response. I have left all the documents with Serra Kia of Trussville. Once I hear back and get my vehicle, I can provide these documents. Any assistance would be helpful. I appreciate your time and all you do. I'm thankful for organizations like this that can help us.