KIA Motors
reviews and complaints

My name is Naomi Young, I'm 20 years old and I just bought my first car all by myself. My salesman Charles Crawford was very helpful so I thought. I wanted a blue Kia soul and he told me that Kia only makes blues Souls for 2017/18. I ended up buying a 2016 with low miles (not blue). I get home and my parents tell me that I have no spare tire and that's dangerous for a young lady. Also the car smells really bad like cigarette and should have been properly cleaned before selling. I also only have 1 key and was told that's Kia policy to only 1 key. I really need some help as I feel really taken advantage of right now. I want, a second key, my car cleaned, and a spare tire. The are minor things that I shouldn't have to ask for.
City Kia
950 S Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32837

Thanks
Naomi Young

Due to the awful exprience today, I am submitting a formal complaint to Sunshine KIA.

To begin, I had the service department call me on Monday, October 30th, urging me that I needed to bring in my car due to a recall; if I did not then they will return the part back to the manufacturer.
As a result, I made arrangements with work to make the appointment for today, Monday, November 6th at 10:30 am. I take the car in this morning, only to have the service department call me an hour and a half later to inform me that they are unable to replace the part because they did NOT have the tools to do it. I am stunned and appalled that the service department did not check before calling to ensure they had everything needed to replace this part. They had over a week to check to make sure that the part could be replaced. I have never seen such incompetence and I hope this gets corrected so that no one else gets their time wasted as mine was. I am especially surprised since it was KIA's service department that called ME, urging me to come in!

My case # is [protected]. I am very unhappy with the service at Generation Kia in Bohemia NY, as well as the follow from customer service over the past 6 weeks. This dealership has recommended unneeded service work on multiple occasions, June 13th [protected]), and recently for the case # listed above.
For the case, we were originally informed that our warranty would cover the replacement of a rusted oil pan. When the vehicle was brought in, we were told that that was not the case and the repair would be $699 + tax. I called the customer service group @ [protected] 6 times over a few weeks and all reps told me they needed to elevate to the District Service manager. I never was called back. I took the vehicle to my local mechanic and they did the repair for $325 including tax. less than half of what the dealer requested. And it should have been covered under the warranty. I love this vehicle but very disappointed with the service and ethics of Generation Kia staff. You have lost me as a repeat customer.

Hi I bought a new Kia Cerato S in September of 2016. Within the first three months I had problems with the radio and air conditioning. I was told by Kia castle hill (where I bought it) that there was nothing wrong with it. Still not happy with the car I then took it to Kia Blacktown and they found problems with the air conditioning. It has been back to fix up the radio and A/C. Whilst I have been driving it around the gearbox is playing up.
The car has been back and forward to get fixed 5 times. Now I am waiting for the car to be fixed up again on the 21.11.17 in blacktown.
1, Gearbox
2. A/C
3. Radio.
When I bought the car It had marks on the doors and was told before I pick it up that it would be cleaned up, it was NOT.
I spoke the Gary at blacktown service (he has been very helpful) that I can pay extra for a better radio.
PLEASE HELP, as we have another Kia. (Sportage 2013 model great car) And we have been happy with it so we thought this would be the same but it is not anything like it...

I ended up having my 2013 sorento towed to the shop for the engine recall. South hills motors seemed eager to help and was helpful and informative. 3 weeks later, i'm notified my sway bar links are loose, and need replaced but at 52000 miles I was out of warranty. Then when I was informed my car was ready they said they could not fully test drive it fully because the tires are worn and it could be a hazard to their tech. Also, we were given 2 different loaner cars and returned them both with full tanks of gas. My car? Returned with low fuel and knocking from the sway bar links 2k out of warranty. No details given on warranty or work done and an empty tank after filling both of theirs before returning. Very very disappointed. Terrible service. Thankful for the recall.

I visited Southwest KIA in Mesquite Texas and test drove the 2016 KIA Soul having VIN# KNDJN2A22G7873851. My salesman was Omar. After verifying my credit, etc. Omar came back from his manager's office and advised me that the MSRP price of the vehicle was about 5000$ more than the advertized price due to "add ons" that are not mentioned in the ad (see attached image) on the Southwest KIA website (see https://www.southwestkia.com/inventory/new-vehicles/vehicle/KNDJN2A22G7873851/2016-Kia-Soul-Mesquite-TX) . To me this was false advertizing and a very poor customer experience.

Raj Kinra
[protected]
[protected]@gmail.com

Took my car for repairs to Kia of White Plains, NY on Sept 5th, 2017
Full tank of gas and mileage at 47818. Picked up my car today, October 31, and there was an increase of 75 extra miles to my car and an empty tank. I was furious! Went directly to the manager, Kenny. His nonchalant attitude was unacceptable. Tried to appease me with an offer a free oil change! And have the nerve try to return my car with half a tank too. I want the person who took my car for a joy ride of 75 miles, terminated and the manager replaced. I also want to be compensated for a loss of 75 miles added to my car. This is unacceptable

Hello, I'm emailing you today about my car deferment I have spoke with numerous representatives at your company and they seem to never get it right. I live in Jacksonville FL lexis we had hurricane Irma come through in September and I called asking if I could get a deferment due to a natural disaster they said no I could I had to make my payment for September and then they would process my deferment for October. Here's it is October I get my stammer saying I owe my monthly car payment plus late Lee's applied to the account because of the payment not being made when the representative made it very clear to me when I paid my full September payment that the October deferment was going to go through immediately due to the hurricane. Now here we are day three after talking to the lady that resubmitted the request and here it is again not only reporting late to my credit but not fixed. If your going to issue a deferment and then go back on it please send out notifications ? Also this deferment should have went through with no problem please fix this problem

OnTuesday, Oct 24, 2017 I purchased a 2018 Kia Soul from Battleground Kia in Greensboro, NC. After reviewing the paperwork I received from the closing of the sale I discovered that I had not been issued a.vehicle registration for my new vehicle. I have called the dealership twice and no one will return my calls. THIS IS UNSATISFACTORY ! I can't drive this vehicle without a vehicle registration. How can this be resolved if your dealership WILL NOT RETURN MY CALL ! I would appreciate a call from the dealership or someone in your corporate customer service. I NEED MY REGISTRATION SO I CAN DRIVE MY NEW KIA !
Kathy Hales

Good Afternoon,
Hope my e-mail finds you well. I am Mary Zaki from Cairo, Egypt. On August 24th, 2017, I went to Kia Motors Egypt Kattamya branch. On checking my car, it has been noticed that the compressor needs to be changed due to manufacturer deficiency. The Engineer, Ahmed, has reported it. For the last two weeks, I have been calling the Call Center to check about the item status and on every time I call I only get the answer of " We will check with the purchasing department and get back to you after 48 hours by max. However, they don't respond until I call them again and repeat the whole story again.
Yesterday, Oct. 19th I call the complains department and here was the surprise. They informed me that they know nothing about the "compressor" and that there is no request from the Engineer or the branch side. It's been now almost 2 months and I am loosing my right. Please Please I am in urgent need for a personal follow up from your side as my car is getting worse and I believe that this part, that needs to be changed, is affecting something else too.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Mary Zaki
+[protected]
mary.[protected]@gmail.com

In 2011 I purchased my first new vehicle, a 2012 Kia Sedona. I have really enjoyed my van but about 3 months ago it began to leak in the very back. When it rains I have puddles. I have had it in the shop to get it fixed 3 times and it still leaks. Is there anything you can do to help me get it repaired properly, and at no additional cost?
I attached a photo that was taken 2 days after it began leaking. As you can see, it leaked about 3 in deep.

I bought my 2013 Sorento in January of 2014. Only having this car 3 years with 40, 000 miles on it, my engine blew and I had to get it towed to the Generation Kia dealership in Bohemia, NY on July 3rd, 2017. They then left me without a loaner or rental car for a whole week until they 'diagnosed" the problem with my car. I finally was sent over to Hertz on Friday July 7th to get a car. After 6 1/2 weeks of having my car, the service department finally calls me on August 16th, 2017 to tell me that my engine has been replaced and is ready for pick up. A week later, I get a credit card bill indicating I owe $1, 451 to Hertz for the rental car when Kia told me they would be taking care of flipping the bill for that. I call Hertz immediately and they indicate to me that Kia never sent them payment and that I was responsible to pay it. I call directly to Kia Corporate headquarters to fight with them about this and they immediately contacted the dealership to tell them to cut me a check that same day for the amount of money that was owed for the rental car. 5 days past and my check engine light came on again and they were able to diagnose it and fix the problem right away. 2 days later, check engine light is back on again and on my way driving to the dealership, my car starts shaking at 30 MPH. They kept my car for a day and indicated they replaced the vacuum canister as that is the reason why my car was shaking. About 3 weeks go by and I feel I'm having trouble accelerating and my car is julting a lot so I decide that I'm going to bring it back to the dealership for the 4th time! Check engine light comes on as I'm getting it there and I barely got there because the car was julting so much. They diagnosed that my transmission needed to be replaced. They kept my car for over 2 weeks but gave me a loaner car right away this time. When they called me to come pick up the car, they indicated that while they had it for replacing the transmission that the starter shorted out internally and that was replaced as well while they had it. Now here we are on October 11th, the check engine light comes on for the 5th time after only having my car back for 3 days and I get it back to them and still waiting for the diagnosis on this. Why can't Kia just pay this car off for me and be done with it? I don't feel safe driving it anymore and I want to warn anyone else there that is driving a 2013 Kia Sorento to trade it in and get rid of it before you run into all the issues I've been having because there were recalls on the transmission & the engine.

I purchased my brand new 2017 kia forte in april of this year... its now oct 11th. for the past month I have been having major break issues, screeching while I break softly, squeaking, odd banging sounds while I break and the vehicle doesnt even have 6k miles on it. Its 5 months old. There should be NOTHING wrong with this car. I have called the service department and they give me the run around saying well its probably how you are driving. I drive like an old lady very slowly and carefully. Never been in an accident, never have received a ticket. Nothing. I would have to be driving this car like it was on a race track to be THIS bad with not even 6k miles on it. I try to make an appointment but it interferes with my work schedule. I work full time, with a family and kids I CAN NOT be taking the time off work to deal with this when I should never have been an issue in the first place. I AM NOT HAPPY with this and how this vehicle turned out. 5 months old and not even 6 k miles on it it should be a perfect car. NOT having issues like this. Besides this it was not a cheap vehicle. Almost 30k total for this car it should have ZERO issues. I need this resolved asap. I AM NOT HAPPY and will be complaining to corporate as well. My first KIA experience is not a good one and I expect is resolved before I take my business elsewhere.

On September 22, 2017 I took my Buick Regal GS in, that I just purchased in March 2017 from KIA Canton, to get an oil change. During my oil change I was told that my rear driver's side headlight was out and did I want to get it repaired. I agreed, and after 2hrs of waiting Steve Szababos came out to tell me that the tried a bulb and it didn't work si they looked at some wiring to try to find they problem and I need a bulb something like a UV light that they have to order. Later on that day while parking I noticed my sensors and rear view camera was not working. The screen for the camera was black. On Sunday, September 24, 2017, first time I got on the freeway since my oil change my bumper flew off right there on the freeway. I had to get Livonia police Dept. to retrieve my bumper from the middle of the freeway. I contacted KIA Canton Monday and on Tuesday they had me take my vehicle to Chevy dealership in Southgate. After having my vehicle for 2 weeks they are telling me that my insurance is going to have to pay for it but they will help me work out the deductible. Steve Szababos even said my bumper came off where the light they was going to fix first and than it pulled the rest of the bumper off, but they are not taking responsibility for it. I do have pictures and I have already contacted Michigan auto complaints. I just want them to fix my bumper that they are responsible for coming off.

Hello i purchased a 2016 KIA. The car has been flawless until i heard a grinding noise in my brakes. Took it to a dealer and my thinking a caliper was hung up and my STELLAR warranty would cover it. Well not only did it not cover the front left brake i was told i need brakes and rotors all around. The problem is this it only has 37000 miles. Rotors cant be resurfaced i was told. I will pay the bill never will buy a KIA again. You offer all these selling points and " Service Centered around you " its service geared to KIA and not honoring the fact they use cheap parts. If i was told my tires would outlast my brakes and have to spend 500 plus dollars every 35000 miles i would have walked out the door.

Dear KIA,

I've been a KIA owner since 2012 (own 2 KIA optimas now) and I couldn't be happier with the service I receive from Kearny Pearson Ford and Kia location in Clairmont, San Diego California.

My family and I recently relocated to League City, Texas and need service for our cars. My husband just informed me that when he came to the service appointment today at 8am at the Freddy Kia 11711 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034 location, he was turned down due to the computer system being down since Friday and they couldn't look up our appointment and cannot take new customers for that reason. So now we were told that they will contact us back once it returns to normal.

We made a request online for service since we moved April and never got any response. We contacted this KIA Freddy location for today's appointment that we waited for 2 weeks. We never had any issue back in San Diego for years and if we did, our service coordinator Max does whatever he can to ensure we get excellent service that we expected.

Large amount of water coming from dash on passenger floor. Took my Kia Optima in for service. They replaced an evaporator drain hose that was clogged causing water to enter vehicle interior. They advised me that this is a problem with KIA vehicles and that they have approximately 8 KIA vehicles a month that they need to repair due to the fact that the drain is too small in KIA vehicles causing the problem. I had to pay $73.07 for this service. They advised that KIA will not pay for this under warranty even though this is a defect in the vehicle. I bought a KIA vehicle because of the warranty since I am on a very limited income. And this was not covered. I feel that KIA should stand by there warranty and should reimburse me the $73.07 which I have a receipt for if you need it. I am 61 years old and have never heard of a vehicle leaking water inside a car. This has to be a defect as the dealer advised. Please reimburse me asap. I need this money and deserve it. Thank You. This repair was done August 17, 2017.

VIN# of vehicle 5XXGMA75FG410564 2015 KIA OPTIMA

[protected]@YAHOO.COM
[protected]
SUSAN COONRADT
4764 DUCKHORN DR UNIT 105
SOUTH JORDAN, UT [protected]

I bought my car KIA Carnival about a year ago to use as a family car and my mileage has ran up to about 18, 000. The steering wheel started to veer to the left so i took it to a tire shop and was informed that 3 of the tires has started to bulge and that the 4th one is close to doing the same thing. Why is KIA selling me a car that has been sat in the store or showroom with tires that are about to expire? If i didn't take it to check i would have ended up in an accident and KIA would probably have to pay for a very painful lawsuit. Apparently i am not the only one in Brunei experiencing the problem. If i were the upper management i would look into this immediately before another issue like Honda brakes occurred.

1 / 3
Evergreen KIA
9205 S Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60643
RE: Customer Service

Dear Sirs;

On Thursday, 9/14/2017 I received a call from a sales representative from Evergreen Kia, located at 9205 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60643, the dealership where I had purchased my 2016 KIA Soul. The gentleman stated there was a buyback program that would allow me to step up into a 2018 KIA and have my current 2016 KIA Soul, paid off. I made an appointment to stop by the dealership on Monday, 9/18 around 5:30 pm. I was unable to go as I had another commitment I had forgotten about. I received a call from Matt, the Sales Manager, asking if I was still interested in coming by and I agreed to go in on Friday, 9/22/2017 at 5:30 pm.

I went in on Friday, was greeted by Matt and we sat down at one of the desks to discuss the program. I immediately stated that there were 3 things I was looking for before considering trading my car in:
• 1. I had put a $10, 000.00 cash payment on my KIA Soul at the time of purchase, and I wanted that payment to be applied to the new car in the form of credits, discounts, or sales incentives. I had put the money down to have equity in my car and did not want to lose the equity.
• 2. I was looking for financing that would reduce the interest amount I was paying on my current loan. I had built my credit in the last year and felt that I should be able to qualify for better financing than the 11% I was paying now.
• 3. I wanted my new car payment to remain close to my current payment of $300.00 as this is the amount I felt was within my budget.
Matt assured me that those requests would be easy to meet and passed me to Jimmy Lewis, the car salesman that had originally sold me my 2016 KIA Soul. Jimmy immediately recognized me; again, I repeated the 3 things I was looking for to consider purchasing a new car, in Matt’s presence.

Jimmy did an excellent job finding me the car that I fell in love with; a 2018 white KIA Sportage with sunroof, leather seats, large information screen, heated and cooled seats among other things; priced at $32, 000.00. We went in to negotiate the purchase price and run my credit check.
Gary, the finance manager came over and I told him the 3 things I was looking for to purchase the vehicle. At that time, Gary asked if I was interested in leasing the vehicle and I said “No”, I will lose the equity I am looking to keep. I was presented a purchase price of $35, 000.00 and told my KIA Soul would be paid off. I told them that was not what we had discussed; the balance of KIA Soul is $14, 000.00 and I did not see where the $10, 000.00 equity was being applied. I countered to have my KIA Soul paid off at

2 / 3
$14, 000.00 and that I was willing to pay $25, 000.00 for the KIA Sportage, including about $2, 800.00 in taxes. I explained that the $32, 000.00 sticker price plus the 2, 800.00 in taxes totaled about $35, 000.00 less discounts in the amount of $10, 000.00 (the equity I was looking to have applied) equaled the $25, 000.00 price I was offering. Gary stated, “Done” and went off to process the contract. During this time, I moved my personal items from the KIA Soul to the KIA Sportage as I believed we had an oral contract. I waited at the counter and Gary informed me that he the monthly payment would be $499.00 for 72 months and that he had managed to get me a 5.5% interest rate. I responded that $500.00 X 72months was approximately $35, 00.00 and that was not the agreement. Also, that I could not afford a$500.00 monthly payment. Gary worked the numbers again and told me he had gotten the payment down to $456.00 per month; again, I told him it was out of my reach. Gary asked me how much I could afford and I stated at the most, I could handle a $400.00 monthly payment. Gary told me he had worked the numbers and we were good to go.

I waited around for about 45 minutes, waiting for Gary to process the paperwork. I asked to see the contract on 2 different occasions so I could review the details; Gary told me to wait as he was still working on it. I did not receive the contract to review, but was ultimately called into the office to sign with Mark. I signed the odometer slips and other paperwork, and was then instructed to sign the contract. I asked to see the payment amount and was shown a payment of $400.99, as agreed upon. I asked how many months the contract was for, 60 or 72; Mark’s response was, “36, the contract is for 36 months”. I told him that was incorrect since $400.00 X 36 months is approximately $14, 000.00, not the price I was purchasing the car for. Mark responded, “This is not a sales contract, this is a lease”. I stated something was wrong because I came in to buy a car, I never agreed to lease a car.

Mark called Gary into the office and I told him that I had not agreed to lease the vehicle, that we had only discussed purchasing the car. Gary told me this was a better deal for me since I changed my car every year. I told him that this was the first time I was trading in my car and that I believe I am a better judge of what is better for me, than he. I asked him what the buyout price of the vehicle would be once the 36 months had passed, he stated that it was $20, 000.00. I told him, $14, 000.00 + $20, 000.00 = $34, 000.00; what happened to the$25, 000.00? Gary became upset and at the top of his voice, told me he did not understand what I was talking about, that we had discussed leasing the vehicle. I reminded him that from the beginning, I stated that I did not want to lose the equity in my car. Gary kept speaking over me, not allowing me to say anything; so, I stopped trying to talk and let him continue to talk at the top of his voice. Gary realized he was talking by himself and said, “What?” I said, I am waiting for you to finish so I can then speak. He became upset, told me “Don’t sign!” and walked out.

Mark looked at me and told me to go see my salesman. I looked at him and said, “Really”? Mark asked, “Really, what? What do you expect me to say”?

At the least, Mark could have apologized for the misunderstanding, tried to determine what and how the situation went from a sale to a lease, or at least try to find a way to explain and diffuse the situation.

3 / 3
I felt like I was being kicked out of the office. Mark could have said anything to better the situation or relieve the stress and confusion I felt at the moment.

Jimmy, the car porter and the car wash guy, helped me transfer my personal belongings back into my KIA Soul. I asked Jimmy, when did a lease ever come up? When did Gary tell me that I was leasing the vehicle. Jimmy put his head down and told me, I don’t know, I did not hear a discussion about a lease.

I left Evergreen KIA at a loss for words, feeling as though Gary tried to deceive me into signing a lease. Had I not asked the right questions, prior to signing, I would have signed away my rights to my vehicle. The only thing going through my head the whole way home, were the words, “Bait and Switch”. I never expected this to happen to me at Evergreen KIA, I expected so much more from what I felt was a reputable dealership. The whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth; I am still trying to understand what happened.

I hope that you will take an interest in this situation and investigate the practices of Gary and/or Evergreen KIA so that this not happen to someone else or that this is a common practice at this dealership.

Greeting!

KIA Sportage 2.0 AWD bought in November 2015.

1. Met an accident on 16th June 2017, the vehicle was sent to KIA authorized service center on 17th June 2017. After 1 mth that is 17th July 2017, there has not been any progress of repair due to parts not available. I have proceeded to make an inquiry to KIA MALAYSIA Customer Support and they revert that it will take another 2 - 3 weeks for the parts to arrive

2. After urging them, and requested them to monitor closely and monitor their feedback / email status every 2 days, and called the KIA MALAYSIA CSO every 2 days! Repair job in progress and they replaced a new front & back bonnet with newly paint

2. 3rd August 2017 my vehicle was discharged from the workshop, at the same time waited another 1 week for the muffler to arrive.

3. On 18th September 2017, I washed my vehicle due to bird dropping stained for 2 days. After wash, I noticed that the front bonnet have a burned smudge mark and forwarded to the KIA Authorized Centre and they informed me this happens due to Owner Negligence, quoted also: who ask you to simply park your car!

5. I am frustrated from 17th July and currently, the KIA Authorized Service Centre stated that: if you do not send your vehicle to us how we repair for you? I have earlier requested that the service center collect the vehicle from my office as I am a working lady from Monday - Friday.

I do not know if there is something you can assist, or this is usually what happens to all of the KIA drivers outside there... having and meeting this kind of unprofessional and seriously a very poor service. Or I am just the only one who was mistreated this way. I am not sure isn't the statement bird dropping is actually owner negligence by right we do not cover the repair is appropriate... I just wish I will be treated better!

Thank you