2003 Kia Sedona EX review from North America

I have 2003 Kia Sedona and have had my fair share of problems, all covered under warranty. I can say that most of the problems are caused by mechanics that don't care, and that's why we Kia owners go back to have the same thing fixed again, and replaced again.

A lot of the transmission problems are usually because of the transmission flush they recommend. They don't tell you that today oils have detergents in them which are very bad because it loosens all the dirt filings inside the tranny causing tranny failure. Well guess what, don't change it, it won't happen.

And I had tranny failure due to the left drive shaft breaking and locking up the tranny at 80km/hr, causing the differential to shatter and breaking the parking pin. All warranty.

Ny A/C works, but doesn't cool on very hot days. The dealer says it works. It reads from 49 to 44 degrees; well it's big range, so if you have a leak it's usually a small one, so the ranges get Kia out of doing warranty work. So do this; find an independent garage, get dye put in, drive with the A/C for week and find that leak. Bring it back and tell them to verify the leak you found; they have to cover it. The leaks are the lines leading to the back, usually under the bracket.

I do recommend trying different dealerships till you get what you want done under warranty; it works.

Timing belt; they say 95000 km, well you can get at least 130000 km. If you are looking for parts, well they use Hyundai parts, so cross-reference with the Santa Fe, it's the same motor.