2005 Kia Sedona Base review from North America

I knew what I was going to since I had the previous generation Sedona, but I thought Kia finally had got their cars right. In chronological order:

- Central locking.

- Climate control, electronic problem.

- Door mechanism many times.

- Central locking again.

- Defective temp sensor made the fan go all the time.

- Fuel leak. This one made me visit the dealer many times until they found out what was wrong. Had a strong smell of gas in city driving. The mpg on these cars are bad, but when you get less than 12 mpg you know something is bad. Turned out to be a tiny leak near the tank and car leaked gas when the system was pressurized.

- Even more problems with the central locking and door mechanism. This car does not cope very well with the winter.

- Brakes and tires all worn out. Front tires wears out quickly. Brake pads wear out even faster. The rotors are uneven and must be changed now and will be done when I get my next paycheck.

- Out of alignment and other smaller issues.

I bought these cars because they are cheap, roomy and quite comfortable. But beware they are quite bad and expect to spend a lot of time in the shop. My previous generation Sedona was also bad, but I kept it running under the Kia warranty program. The reason I bought a new one is Kia is the only ones taking trade-in in used Sedonas, even if the trade-in value in almost nothing. Even on my 2005 the trade-in is less than $10,000 now.

I definitely think this is my last Kia. Even the low new car price doesn't attract me anymore. All the repairs and heavy deprecation have convinced me not to buy a new Kia again. I know trade-in will be difficult when brand swapping, but I'll bite the bitter pill.

I initially though the dealer was doing a great job, but I'm getting more and more frustrated since warranty coverage is not as good as you may think. I have to pay for a many of the repairs myself. Like the all the problems that I've had with the central lockings in the winter. This car wasn't made for use in the winter, and every time it acts up I have to pay for it myself.

The car is heavy, and even with a powerful v6 this car is slow, but when at cruising speed it's the most comfortable van on the market. Cornering ability is not good either. Brakes are good, but wears out real fast and are not covered by warranty.