2001 Kia Sephia LS review from North America
"Don't buy a Kia!!!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Brake pads needed replacement shortly after buying car.
Both electric fans needed replacement, 1 failing leaving us stranded, road side assistance was good, but took 1 month for parts.
Rough shifting / running almost from day one - many visits to dealer resulted in denial of any problems.
Dealer service was pathetic. Customer Service was lousy. Brought to dealer attention many times, nothing was ever done.
Turns out our regular service was never done - only the oil was changed.
Had to hound them to get anything done. Calls were never returned.
Always long delays to get parts - 1 month or more.
General comments?
We owned this car for 1 1/2 years.
In the end the dealer took it back and we got a Ford Focus.
We had the same issues with our Sedona van and the dealer took it back and we got a Ford Windstar.
Even numerous letters, faxes, emails, phone calls to Kia Canada resulted in no action or even a call back.
I would strongly discourage anyone (especially in Canada) from buying a Kia.
Recommended reviews
| Solid basic transportation |
|
| Buying this car was a big mistake! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 20000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 38000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Lumina |
| Date of Entry | 8th August, 2003 |