2002 Kia Sedona EX from North America - Comments

Some rust started to appear above the rear licence plate housing area. I contacted Kia and they are willing to fix the problem.

Perhaps we're just lucky, but we are very happy with our van. We shied away from GM, Ford and Chrysler minivans after hearing horror story after horror story from people we know that have owned them. The Odyssey and Sienna were what we really wanted, but their excellent resale value made them out of our price range. We took the middle ground and took a chance on the Sedona.

It's comfortable, looks good, and has been reliable and trouble free. We've had it on a road trip already and it was competent and quiet on the highway.

I'm very particular about keeping track of fuel economy and our van has been consistently achieving better than published estimates which is good, as fuel economy isn't the Sedona's strong point.

I'm surprised at the number of disappointed Sedona drivers here. The Sedona has sold very well, I see lots on the road, yet when we shopped around, we found that very few were for sale... not what I'd expect if the dissatisfaction rate was very high.

Sorry to hear you bought a Sedona. Truly, a vehicle and company not worthy of praise. Give it a little time and you'll find out for yourself. Get back to us in about six months and tell us of your adventures with your Sedona as well as Kia its dealer network.

You're in for a shock when you see how much Kia wants for parts and the frequency you'll need them. Ask a Kia dealer how much the 96k (60,000 Mile) maintenance will cost you, if you make it that far. Better still ask a few dealers the same thing. Don't let your mouth hang open too long and don't forget to breath. Oh, one more thing, the warranty is as good as the dealer network.

The reason you don't see many used Sedonas for sale is that most people have resigned themselves to paying them off as much as they can simply because Sedonas have worthless trade in values. I hope you didn't pay more than scrap value for yours. I own a 2002 Sedona, had it since new, 115k (72,000 Miles) on the odometer. I think the trade in value is about a dollar a pound , maybe a liitle less. If you think I'm kidding, go find out for yourself.

You get what you pay for folks, and the Sedona is a prime example of that. Granted Ford, GM and Chrysler make road trash but at least they're worth something when its time to dump them.

Few used Sedonas for sale because people "have resigned themselves to paying them off as much as they can because Sedonas have worthless resale values?"

If that had an ounce of sense to it, then the used car ads would exclusively contain Hondas in them as only people having cars with decent resale values would sell them and only people with worthless piles would decide to keep their vehicles.

I had a VW Rabbit while in college. It wasn't worth squat, but it was a damn good little car. That's why I kept it -- not because it had no resale value.

Better re-think your logic there.

While I'm not a Sedona owner, we bought a 2002 Kia Spectra as a second car. 55,000 miles later, it remains a dependable and reliable vehicle.

However, my sister and her husband bought a 2002 Kia Sedona brand new when they first came out and they must be yet "another minority" in agreement with the author of this review because I know they love it. My brother in law says he looks forward to seeing the redesigned 2006 Sedona because their ownership experience has made them loyal to the brand.

You've never owned one, but you know someone who does, Hm! And yes, you do see a lot more used Hondas, Toyotas, Fords, Chevys, Nissans, Chryslers etc for sale.

The fact of the matter is simple. "People have resigned themselves to paying them off (Sedonas) as much as they can because they have worthless trade in values." Simply, this means that owners hang onto then longer, while making payments, so that balance owing eventually parallels the vehicles current value. The downside to this, is owning a less than stellar vehicle and exorbitant repair expenses.

Here is just one example of an exorbitant repair expense. At 102K (62,000 miles), just out of warranty, the alternator in my 2002 Sedona failed. There are very few after-market parts available for Kias here in Canada and Kia Knows it. No one other than the dealer could supply the part. The repair bill came to over $1,100. It's been a couple of months now and I still can't stand up straight. Oh' by the way, Kia doesn't offer a ten year/100,000 mile warranty in Canada like they do in the states. I wonder why?

I took the opportunity of talking to a Honda dealer in town, I was interested in a new Odyssey. The salesman said I'd be much better off I've I didn't trade the Sedona and sold it privately.

You get what you pay for. The Sedona is the best sucker buy of the decade. In this case it's better to pay more and buy a better vehicle.

We bought a Sedona new in 02. We did this after much thought and many visits to the dealership. We were assured that Kia had made a van that rivaled the honda and toyota. The reason for the warranty, we were told, was to attract buyers from the big van contenders. Boy were we sold a bill of goods!! I have been in the service dept too many tomes to count. We had a crack in the windshield for no apparent cause within 2 weeks of ownership. After internet searches we found this to be a huge problem with our new van... glad to be armed with this info when we went to fix the problem because Kia denied any previous knowledge of stress cracks on the windshields. They fixed it after much arguing. I would go on with all the problems we have had, but would suffer writer's cramp! We too are driving the wheels off our van because of the resale value. We are stuck and truly realize we got what we paid for!! Good luck to you and hopefully you do have the rare 02 sedona that works well!!!

Hey, I have a 2002 Sedona with over 115,000 miles and still an excellent van. I love this mini van because it runs so good, strong, and smooth. So far I haven’t done much to it except change brakes, oil, and timing belt on it. Man, I just can’t complaint about Kia. No matter what yall say and think about Kia, I believe Sedona is an excellent van for the money, I experienced it, and proven to myself that Kia is better than GM, Ford, and Chrysler. That’s all I have to say…

A Kia Sedona better than a Ford, Gm or Chrysler? Well maybe a Ford, but I doubt that anyone else who's owned a Sedona will concur with your comment.

I owned a 2002 Sedona and my ownership experience was horrible. I purchased it new and put 70,000 miles on it in four years. This vehicle's second home was the dealers shop. All the personnel knew me on a first name basis.

The dealership was as bad as the vehicle. It took forever to get parts and you could always expect a two or three day wait for most warranty or other repairs. The dealers service people were less than honorable with new faces showing up every other month.

When you've owned your Sedona for more than a couple of months get back to us, maybe you'll have a different point of view. I just sold mine thank god! I traded it in on a Pontiac Montana SV6, a GM made vehicle.

We have a 2002 Kia Sedona. Had the alternator replaced at a car electric shop cost approx $550.00. Guy told me it would smell antifreeze briefly because he had to loosen water line. I checked with Firestone here and they will do all the belts and the 60000 mile replacement here for about half what the dealer wants. Not done it yet - now at 85000 miles. And do not lose your keys - cost $7 - 7.50 at dealer - only available there! Believe Sedona more noisy then Ford - and not as roomy either. Oh well - Good luck to all.

Consider yourself lucky. If you lose the keys to an Audi A4, for example, it will cost you $340 and you can only get them from the dealer due to the security and technology issues involved.

As the original author of the review, I wanted to respond to the first comment posted: (16th Sep 2005 11:15)

"Get back to us in about six months and tell us of your adventures with your Sedona as well as Kia its dealer network."

Well, we have had many adventures, taking our van on several road trips. Since I wrote the review, I have had the alternator replaced (under warranty) with no problems from the dealer. The only other repair expenses have all been maintenance related.

"Ask a Kia dealer how much the 96k (60,000 Mile) maintenance will cost you, if you make it that far."

Fortunately, maintenance services performed elsewhere are a lot cheaper and as long as performed by licenced professionals, will not void the warranty. I have always avoided taking vehicles to the dealership for maintenance.

"The reason you don't see many used Sedonas for sale is that most people have resigned themselves to paying them off as much as they can simply because Sedonas have worthless trade in values."

Other than the Honda Odyssey and to a lesser extent the Toyota Sienna, minivans are all subject to terrible depreciation. Ours hasn't been for sale on the market because it has been serving us well and we're happy with our van.

I have to say that we also love our 2003 Kia Sedona. We bought it new in 04/03 and have only had to have it repaired once for a new motor mount. I had no trouble with Kia standing behind the warranty and was driven to work in their courtesy car after dropping it off in the morning. It was done in a matter of hours, and I did not pay a dime. My only complaint with my van is that the storage pocket on the back of the driver seat is coming apart, likely due to my kids stuffing too much in there. Still, stronger seams would have been nice. I am looking forward too many more years and memories with this van. We are at 32,000 miles as of 05/07.

We have had our 2002 KIA Sedona for almost 6 years, having bought it in August 2001.

It is GREAT, probably the best car we have ever bought.

It now has 76,000 miles on it, and we have had the first problem with it, the alternator went, and that was covered by the KIA extended warranty. How can you beat that, a 6 year old car with 76,000 miles, the alternator goes, and KIA still covers it.

Ohh, and the tires, the Hankook tires on the back, 76,000 miles and still lots of tread left on them. I replaced the front ones at 49,000 because we didn't align the front end as often as we should.

Do we like our KIA Sedona? YES.

Will we buy another one? ABSOLUTELY.

I have had a 2002 KIA Sedona since June of 2002. Almost since the beginning, I've had a noise in the front end that can only be described as "it sounds like someone bouncing a basketball on the road below the wheel". Can't really hear it with the radio on, however, it doesn't sound safe when you can hear it. Our KIA dealer has told me that this is typical and that there is nothing that can be done. It's the way the 2002 was built? Just turned 5 yrs and 8 days since delivery and 74,000 miles. The alternator just went out. I'm interested in how others (like the last posting here) convinced any KIA dealer to cover this under the extended warranty. Electrical components aren't exactly excluded, but they aren't specifically included in the extended warranty list either.

I have spent a considerable amount of time at the shop, mostly with dash/ radio/ air conditioning buttons and lights shorting out. Rust has been a problem also. Hood has been replaced due to complete rust perforation and the rear door above the license plate had been redone and repainted on two occasions for the same reason.

Must admit, I also keep my vehicle because of the terrible resale value. Still worth less than I owe. I refuse to carry the upside down balance to another car. Money is tight with two kids in private college.