2002 Kia Sedona LX review from North America

Everything was great for the first year or so, then some of the little plastic things inside the car started to break. Cup holders, etc. The sliding door became stiff and hard to open. After a few trips to the now-unresponsive dealership, I discovered that the warranties were basically worthless.

Right after hitting 3yr/36000 the wiper arms went. The dealership said "they'll see what they can do". They had to order the parts and said they'd call us when they came in. Two weeks went by with no calls, so I called them. They said we never came by to pick the parts up so they assumed we didn't want them and sent them back. Huh??

Around that time the airbag light came on and stayed on constantly. The dealer could find no fault and after paying for "diagnostics", they simply removed the bulb.

At about 48000 miles the right front wheel bearing went out. The dealer said no coverage - normal wear and tear.

That winter, the front windshield cracked. (another common problem I came to found out about)

Right around 60000, the alternator and battery went out. Again the dealer washed their hands of me, I was on my own.

About 80000 miles the car developed an intermittent no-start problem. By now I was through with the dealership, so I went to a local garage that I trusted. One of the cam sensors was bad. My garage had to order the part from the dealership - who said that there was none in the US, and they have never heard of one of these going bad. Sensor located and replaced, and timing belt done while the engine was apart.

The next problem was a lack of air conditioning. It blew warmer and warmer air. I heard hissing under the front of the car. The AC pipes had corroded through. I called the dealership, of course it was not covered even though it was rusted through.

After the A/C went out, we noticed antifreeze puddles under the car. Sure enough the metal pipes under the car for the rear heater were rusted through. They were rusted the whole length of the van! I called the dealership again and they said that they have never heard of such a thing on a Sedona. They didn't stock the parts either. I did some research and found out that this was a very common problem that every 2002 Sedona will suffer eventually. People have had blown engines because of losing all their antifreeze due to these corroded pipes.

One more thing - the headlights only seem to last about a year. It's not like we drive a lot at night, they just blow out bulbs. Vibration maybe?

We were misled about the fuel economy, it actually is far worse than we imagined.

We were misled about the warranty, the coverage is worthless and the dealership will always weasel out of it.

We will not purchase another KIA.