justkeepswimming Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We're considering buying a new Kia - their warranty is a big reason we're looking at it vs a Toyota. We don't know anyone who drives a Kia, though - so I'm hoping someone here has some input? Do they follow through on their warranty promises? Does the car hold up well over 5-10 years? We're looking at the Kia Forte and the Kia Soul primarily. Thank you in advance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Have had more than one Kia. Loved every one of them. They take a beating and keep on going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Love my Kia Sedona. 2008 with 107000 miles. Knock on wood, only have replaced a starter. I loved that it was more roomier than the other vans out there. We will be getting another Kia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Only flaw with our 2003 Sedona is that little things break. Handles, knobs, whatever. Could be that my crew is pretty rough on stuff. I like it otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 we once rented a kia sedan for a week. I loathed it. (dislike just isn't' a strong enough word.) the seats were very uncomfortable, it just felt cheap, and it didn't handle as well as my mother's basic Toyota camry which was its contemporary. (neither did the Nissan that liked to compare itself to Toyota. that thing was a slug.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Dh and I each purchased a Kia about ten years ago (one was new and one was used). We had them for only a month before we traded them both in for a Toyota. We now drive Fords. I will never purchase another Kia. They were both horrible and the service we received on the one that needed it the most was horrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Girl Power Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Had a Sedona which I loved. Now I have a Sorenta which I love even more. Great warranty, very safe, never any problems. Beck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebbyribs Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I've had my Kia Rondo for 5 years and only had 1 minor problem with it - one of the seatbelts that was holding a car seat got stuck and had to be replaced. I don't drive as much as some though. After 5 years, it has only 38,000 miles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We love our Kia Sedona. We didn't ever need the warranty. It's a 2006 with over 100,000 miles, and has had no need for repairs at all. It did have a minor recall. We got the card in the mail and brought the van to a dealer He replaced the whatever it was, though we had no problems and the recall part was precautionary. That's it. Outside of that we've only had routine maintenance. We picked Kia because of reliability reports, lower upfront costs for us used compared to Toyota and Honda (our previous van, and not a good experience), and safety features. I would/will buy another Kia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 we once rented a kia sedan for a week. I loathed it. (dislike just isn't' a strong enough word.) the seats were very uncomfortable, it just felt cheap, and it didn't handle as well as my mother's basic Toyota camry which was its contemporary. (neither did the Nissan that liked to compare itself to Toyota. that thing was a slug.) Dh rented a Soul for a few days and said pretty much what I bolded above. He didn't like it at all. I didn't ride/drive it so I can't say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Very pleased with our 2011 Kia Sedona. Comfy, reliable, decent gas mileage, no issues thus far (65,000 miles). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happymom4 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I agreement with the previous posters who mentioned the little things. We have a 2004 optima bought brand new and the stuff the warranty covered did not break, just a bunch of other smaller things (and some big things). For example, we had it for a month or less and the steering started shaking; turned out to be a bad tire. The service department wasn't very kind about it (not many service depts are when they have to do something for free) but they replaced it. Over time the rear seatbelts stopped working, had a wiring problem with one headlight that made it stop working on and off, the door locked stoped operating last year (had it fixed but still conks out from time to time), every now and then the interior lights will come on for no reason while the car is parked and off, and the list goes on and on. We've had bigger mechanical problems in recent years that are, of course, not covered in the warranty. The warranty covers only a small part of the vehicle, an important part albeit, but doesn't count for much when everything else is going to pot. Long story short: no, I will not purchase another Kia. It was in around the 5-10 year mark that most of the issues happened. You are better off getting a all around better quality vehicle like the Toyota, because like I said, what the waranty covers is a very small portion of the vehicle compared to what eles goes wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4everHis Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Kia Sedona 2008. Love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I believe we have a 2011 Kia Sedona. We have had it over 3 years and have 56,000 miles on it. We've had the battery replaced, the tires replaced (just this past winter - we have rough winters here and needed better treads), and general maintenance. That is it! So we've been very happy with ours so far. We've driven it on very long road trips many times too. We decided on the Kia after having horrible experiences at Honda and Toyota dealerships. They act like they're doing you a favor by even talking to you. And those were the top 3 rated for safety that year. Although, I think any mini-van is pretty safe and all those ratings are very close, especially compared to a car. ETA - we also serviced on a recall. I don't even know what they fixed - never had a problem with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Love and hate. We have a Sedona and an Optima. The Optima is the older version (2007) and has been just absolutely awful. The Sedona has over 150,000 miles and has had no significant problems (the auto doors don't do well in the cold..had to fix twice). The Sedona sounds like it is going to break apart in the cold months. Seems all of the bigger vehicles they built about that time make this horrible noise when it is cold. But, it is nothing. I've gotten used to it. The Optima..just ugghhhh. Still runs fine, but has always just randomly died and refused to start at times. Repaired under warranty for a long time. Then the warranty wore out. Still just dies at random times when being driven. Starts right back up though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I bought a Kia Soul in March, and I love it. It is my fun little cute car! I can't speak for the warranty info because I haven't needed it yet. But I love my Kia. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We have a 2006 Kia Sedona. I don't really feel strong enough about cars to say I love it but I like it fine. We've never had to use the warranty, in the past year some minor things have had to be repaired but total under $5000 repairs over the 7 years we've had it. It has about 90,000 miles on it. We haven't had an issue with small things breaking. I would get another one if we needed another minivan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Ds is buying a 2006 Kia Rio this week, so I hope it's a good car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I know someone who was going along a highway in their mini van and they hit a KIA, Soul, I think. The kia burst into flames, 2 escaped and 3 died in the vehicle. They couldn't get out. I don't know any technicalities, but there has been a recall and concerns over such an issue with those cars. You can like them, I strongly dislike them. I rode in a kia and thought it felt light, junky and not sturdy. I would never own one. My preferences are VW, Subaru, Jeep Cherokee and other things my dh would know how to repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I don't know the first thing about KIAs, but it's interesting that the people here seem to either love them or loathe them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I know someone who was going along a highway in their mini van and they hit a KIA, Soul, I think. The kia burst into flames, 2 escaped and 3 died in the vehicle. They couldn't get out. I don't know any technicalities, but there has been a recall and concerns over such an issue with those cars. You can like them, I strongly dislike them. I rode in a kia and thought it felt light, junky and not sturdy. I would never own one. My preferences are VW, Subaru, Jeep Cherokee and other things my dh would know how to repair. :eek: :eek: :eek: I thought they were always advertising how safe KIAs are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We have a Kia Sportage. I like it fairly well. It doesn't go quite as well in the snow as my old Town and Country minivan, but it is a lot lighter also. Bought it new in 2009, the only thing that has needed replaced were the sun visors, which lost their ability to stay up, out of the way. I would definitely buy another one. Have you checked out the Consumer Reports car ratings to see where the Kias stack up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We live in South America. Most (the majority?) of our neighbors have KIAs. My impression is that there is a "lot of bang for the buck" (or in this case, the Peso). Most of them drive the KIA Sportage model. Some of them have more than one KIA. Regarding other makes of cars: Any of them can have issues. The wife of my late friend (in Texas) had a Honda sedan. It was in the garage of their house. She was asleep. The car caught fire and their house burned down. Their cat woke her up and saved her life. My friend was not home at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'll agree with the "more bang for your buck" idea. We have a 2006 Sedona bought used, now almost 60k miles. No big problems, and if I'd get off my rear and take it in for the recall work then one minor issue would be resolved. I'd probably buy another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I've never owned one (and never would, if I had any choice about it), but I've ridden in and driven a few. They all felt....cheap? Uncomfortable, small (not in a good way - in a claustrophobic way), cluttered dashes, rough sounding/feeling on a highway, driver area not laid out well. I hear that they're safe, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Our sorento is certainly not small or uncomfortable. I don't think that you really can speak to all of the models. Of course not. :) I didn't say that I did. Just about the models that I had ridden in or driven. No offense meant. I'm sorry you felt you needed to defend your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 . it sounds like it was a two-door and the back seat passengers were unable to get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I know someone who was going along a highway in their mini van and they hit a KIA, Soul, I think. The kia burst into flames, 2 escaped and 3 died in the vehicle. They couldn't get out. I don't know any technicalities, but there has been a recall and concerns over such an issue with those cars. You can like them, I strongly dislike them. I rode in a kia and thought it felt light, junky and not sturdy. I would never own one. My preferences are VW, Subaru, Jeep Cherokee and other things my dh would know how to repair. it sounds like it was a two-door and the back seat passengers were unable to get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 it sounds like it was a two-door and the back seat passengers were unable to get out. I'm not certain of that, but I think you're correct, the passengers in the back were unable to get out. It happened fast. I looked up in the world wide web about the soul catching fire and there were a few, thus the recall. Why put out a recall if there is no danger? I disagree with a previous poster. To me, that model will always pose a danger. It reminded me of the little Ford Pinto and GMC Gremlin, both known for bursting into flames due to a design flaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have a 2005 Kia Sedona. We have had it for 5 years and it has been a great van for us. So far repairs have been basic and routine maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I got a 2014 soul in April. I love it. The trunk space is huge compared to my last car. Kias are definitely coming up in the world. They are getting better ratings and becoming more popular. Souls are great cars for the right situation. I have 1 child and mostly drive around town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratford Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have 2 Kia Sedonas (2008 and 2013.) Love them both. We have never had any issues with either of them and our local dealer/service center has seriously excellent customer service. That said, those are the only Kia models I have ever driven. No experience with the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have a 2008 Sedona, and love it. My husband says it's too big, but he's just not a mini-van person :). There has been one minor service alert (which really didn't apply here because road salt isn't used much), and when I took it in for that, the dealer changed two other minor things that didn't reach the official service bulletin level but were considered worth addressing by Kia. Our local dealer tends to be slow on service (as in they may not even get to your car he first day after you drop it off-they seem to be really bad at time estimates), but there's a third party shop (where the owner and primary mechanic is from Korea), and he's great and is much faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielle1746 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have a 2006 Sedona that we bought new. I've put 159,000 miles on it. I absolutely love it. We are very hard on our vehicles, especially the Sedona, and it rises to the challenge. No major issues with it, and the dealerships (in different states, as well as Guam) have been great. I would absolutely buy another KIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I had a Kia Spectra that I loved. The only reason we got rid of it was because I had three teenagers and they were getting very, very cramped in the back seat. I bought it used (it was around 3-4 years old) and kept it for another 4 years. It never had any problems and it was driven from TN to TX and back several times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I will never own another KIA...tried to get warranty work done and they did everything in their power to not have to do it....it broke constantly....just not worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I try to not to be a bully here but I'm pretty sure most vehicles don't burst into flames when hit, and yes, there was a faulty wiring issue. I did my own research too and I still wouldn't own one of those what I call a piece of crap car. It isn't meant to offend you or be seen as a scare tactic. It reminded me of Ford Pinto is not a comparison statement. Fire and vehicles. I'm not going to post personal information about that particular accident because it may still be in case pending. I don't think I was breaking forum rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I try to not to be a bully here but I'm pretty sure most vehicles don't burst into flames when hit, and yes, there was a faulty wiring issue. I did my own research too and I still wouldn't own one of those what I call a piece of crap car. It isn't meant to offend you or be seen as a scare tactic. It reminded me of Ford Pinto is not a comparison statement. Fire and vehicles. I'm not going to post personal information about that particular accident because it may still be in case pending. I don't think I was breaking forum rules. You're not. Some people are just unpleasant. And some people really really love their Kias for whatever reason. And there *are* some people who do put out blatantly false information on things here. You're not one of them. Not here, anyway. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 You're not. Some people are just unpleasant. And some people really really love their Kias for whatever reason. And there *are* some people who do put out blatantly false information on things here. You're not one of them. Not here, anyway. LOL. Agreed. And sometimes people are having a bad day. KIA company is changing and some of the newer models look sturdier and are a lot more popular than earlier models. I just personally would never own one and I don't think that is something to insult and make snarly remarks over. EXIT stage right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 http://answers.edmunds.com/question-A-Kia-Soul-burst-flames-accident-weekend-Any-thoughts-172533.aspx Really calling peoples choice pieces of junk and making unverifiable claims isn't cool. A quick google turned up your case. A law suit isn't proof of a problem. Here is a Nissan that burst into flames. http://m.fredericknewspost.com/archive/minivan-bursts-into-flames-on-md/article_b0eda9e1-1932-5683-a56e-d83d2672905e.html?mode=jqm I'm sorry, but that is not the accident to which I was referring. The accident I was referring to did not happen in Maryland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 http://answers.edmunds.com/question-A-Kia-Soul-burst-flames-accident-weekend-Any-thoughts-172533.aspx Really calling peoples choice pieces of junk and making unverifiable claims isn't cool. A quick google turned up your case. A law suit isn't proof of a problem. Here is a Nissan that burst into flames. http://m.fredericknewspost.com/archive/minivan-bursts-into-flames-on-md/article_b0eda9e1-1932-5683-a56e-d83d2672905e.html?mode=jqm LOL. It's an opinion. What do you build these things for a living or something? Unclench, will ya? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 No it's not an opinion. It's an insult. It's an opinion. *You* can take it as an insult. But it's an opinion. My opinion right now is that you're unbalanced about this topic. My opinion. Your take on it might be an insult. I don't actually care at this point. Peace, I'm out. OP, hope you got what you needed to make a decision. Rabid deniers of anything ever wrong with their precious Kia, or no. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I deleted my previous posts because I'm not trying to argue with anyone or be snarky. I'm sorry if I came across that way. I'm not a rabid Kia defender; I don't think they're the best cars in the world. I think they're a dependable, reasonably-priced car and have improved quite a bit over the last few years. Their safety records have been consistently very good by multiple rating agencies. I just think implying that Kias are out there bursting into flames on a regular basis based on an unfortunate accident is a little misleading. I googled many different 'car brands (Kia, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Jeep, VW) and catching fire' and found multiple links for accidents and recalls for all those brands. I don't think these specific incidents, however, mean these cars are inherently dangerous or 'pieces of crap'. Fatal accidents happen, all car brands can have recalls, all can have mechanical problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acsnmama Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 We just traded in our '07 Hyundai Entourage which is the same vehicle as the Kia Sedona. I hated that thing. Granted we had it 3.5 years. For as long as we had it, the shocks didn't fair well in cold weather, it squeaked going over bumps, had lots of road noise and just was not a fan. Auto doors didn't always work properly and one of the doors started failing us completely in the last month we owned it. We purchased a 2013 Honda Pilot. The newer Kia's may be better, we always liked the Soul, but completely impractical for our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 drove a kia a LONG time ago and didn't ever have any problems with it...it was definitely smaller than what I had been used to....but it got me where I needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 3 years and 99,000 miles on our Kia Sedona, and we've been happy so far! It was about 15k cheaper than the Toyota (25k instead of 40k), so that was pretty much the clincher for us. We've bought a couple sets of tires. One battery (last week, seemed early, but that was $120). One set of brake pads. Replaced a fuse or two. Our first real "repair" is scheduled for tomorrow because the blower on the AC has suddenly stopped working. Pretty sure it'll be cheap and easy, and pretty happy to make it nearly 100k miles without a repair. I knew we'd be putting loads of miles on it quickly, and I knew we'd be buying 5 cars in the next 5-8 years as we have three kids turning into drivers, plus our other car is/was already old (11 years old Volvo with 130k miles on it), so I wasn't about to spend premium $$ on a Toyota van (although we liked our last one well enough when we weren't spending $$$ fixing the dang thing). The Kia has been perfect for us so far. We've already gotten good mileage out of it, and I have no reason to believe we won't get another 5-8 years and another 100k out of it, which would be AWESOME because both our prior vans totally bit the dust by 130k. So, we already have gotten 70% of the mileage we have EVER gotten out of a (bought new well rated) minivan. And, we paid about 70% of what one of the others would have cost us. So, we're already ahead of the game, lol. That said, it's not "fancy". It's got plenty of plastic. The plastic on the driver's door sort of had the finish surface sort of rub off after maybe 70k miles. It still is totally functional, but it's a bit crummy looking. It's where my thigh would rub it (at times, I'm not giant, lol), and I am guessing that sun tan lotion corroded the plastic surface. That's my guess. No huge deal, but still. But, really, it looks pretty OK. I'm fine with it. My Volvo had some plastic part fall apart in a rear door a few years ago, too. It happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I have a 2006 Kia Sedona with over 150k miles, and if something happened to it I would buy another in a heartbeat. No major repairs, just routine maintenance and little piddly things like a belt. Oh, and the CD player only plays sporadically. But otherwise, it is in great shape...the interior and exterior still look as good as a new model (minus the orange slushie stain on the seat :tongue_smilie: ). I have ridden in other minivan models that belong to friends, and even though they are all newer than mine and have fewer miles, they look like they are falling apart inside - stuff hanging down everywhere, doors coming apart in pieces - they look awful. My kids are hard on the interior of our minivan, but everything seems to be built solidly so it stays in place. The only thing close to a problem we have ever had with it was going through tires rather quickly, until we learned that it takes truck tires, not car tires. I am not a huge fan of Kia cars, though...like a PP said, they feel cheap. I prefer Hyundai cars if I am looking for inexpensive and durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.