Comments: 1-15, 16-19
Recalls only. Nothing. Nada.
K-K-K-Kia pet.
This is a low mileage vehicle, but that can often be a killer for cars. So far, so good. I think there are hundreds of us satisfied KIA owners out here, but while happy customers won't bother to write, the few unlucky owners will vent - often without cause in my opinion. Stop and talk to a KIA owner. We'll be honest with you. This is a budget econobox car that represents very fair value for money. We don't expect Honda or Toyota long-term quality. We made trade-offs in our purchasing decision and opted for a cheap car with a lot of features against an expensive Honda with far fewer features.
I earn over $100K a year and I'm no longer buying expensive "quality" cards that cost a fortune to own, insure, and service. What I saved on the KIA will more than pay for any conceivable out-of-warranty repair in its first 5 years of ownership.
My wife uses it mostly, and she has a very short commute. On summer weekends, we drive a regular 240 mile round trip, often towing a trailer. I use it when I need to take the trailer to Home Depot and load it up with building materials. I like the fact that this minivan can easily pull (and more importantly stop), a 3500lb trailer.
We have not had any significant problems with it. It still drives well and is comfortable. There is road and wind noise, but that has not worsened and there are no hardware rattles or squeaks. The tires are holding up very well.
During a recent service visit, the dealership skimmed the brake rotors under warranty even though we had not noticed any brake shudder (and with a trailer, that shudder shows up fast). I think they are watching this brake issue now.
Fuel economy is as bad as it was when we bought it, but fair enough for a 6-person people mover and tow vehicle. I'd recommend this car for owners of small campers or light travel trailers.
The seats are extremely heavy, but I often remove them all to create cargo space. (it actually improves gas milege a bit when they are out.). I find them firm and supportive - comfortable on our weekly 120-mile runs.
The value-add features in the Sedona are still very good compared to the competition. You get a lot of options for the money.
Contrary to other reports, the hardware has held up very well and the car looks good.
On the whole, I'm very happy with the first three years of ownership. It's been the least troublesome vehicle that I have ever owned.
When we bought the Sedona in 02, I was nervous enough to buy a top-up warranty. With that additional cost, we still came out at thousands less than any other comparably-equipped minivan at that time. Even my friend who owns a Dodge dealership could come nowhere near the price for a similarly-equipped Caravan.
So, even if the Sedona needs a whole new engine and tranny and the warranty fails me, I STILL have not lost any real dollars. (Think about that as you read comments by the KIA nay-sayers.)
One downside is the availability of repair parts. I was broadsided by a Saturn and it took 10 days for the body shop to get door skins. On the other hand, the KIA was like a rock in the crash, yet the Saturn had substantial front-end damage. My repair costs were very reasonable at only $1500. The only pain I suffered was after my wife found out about me damaging her KIA pet. (wasn't even my fault!)
In three years, you've only accumulated a total of 21,000 miles on your Sedona and you say nothing has gone wrong. I would hope not! You suggest that the so called disgruntled Sedona owners who vent their frustrations really have no cause in your opinion! Do you think these so called disgruntled Sedona owners are exaggerating their tales somewhat?
You also suggest that Sedona owners should not complain if something breaks, like an engine or transmission, because you'll be saving so much money by not buying a Honda, Toyota, Nissan or whatever. You'll have all kinds of cash leftover to fix your broken down Sedona so don't worry?
Well I guess I just fell of the turnip truck. Where's Doctor Phil when you need em? What are you thinking?
For the rest of us disgruntled Sedona owners, and I mean the majority of Sedona owners, we live in the real world. Not all of us make $100K a year. Most of us drive on average 25,000 miles a year and most of us would not expect to, or hope not to, replace an engine or transmission due to some fallacy about saving money.
I do agree about one of your comments with perhaps a little emphasis to highlight reality. If you want to know the "truth", talk to an average Sedona owner. And yes, you probably guessed it, I am one of the outspoken disgruntled Kia Sedona owners and rightly so!
WOW!! You haven't lost any real money.. Kudos for you. However for the majority of Sedona owners we have lost money and not play money either. Any time I take my van to the dealership I have to rent a car...why...because it takes at least 2 days to fix any problem of significance. Then, of course, I usually end up battling the service manager over what should be covered under warranty, but is not due to petty reasons. And then guess what I even have to spend more real money! The problems we have had with our van are way too numerous to list however I will assure you that they were not minor fixes. Please remember just because your van has not given you any problems...YET...does not give you in any way the right to minimize others who have had very real problems!!! Oh by the way I don't know where the money issue comes into play, but my family makes big bucks as well. We still expect quality when promised!
We bought our 2002 Sedona new thinking that we were getting a great value. We purchased the extended warranty as extra protection. Since the week after we drove it off the lot, it has been nothing, but a nightmare. I need to say that we were warned by others, but we did not listen. We are now having transmission problems at 54,600 miles. The van won't go in reverse up an kind of incline, but will go in reverse fine on a flat road. Our Lawrence MA dealer said that Kia denied our claim to fix it and they want $1995.99 to replace the tranny. The van has lousy trade in value and we are now pondering our options. Maybe if enough unsatisfied customers filed complaints we would get results. By the way we were also warned that KIA didn't stand behind their warranties.
My family has an 02 Sedona with a little over 50,000 miles on it and the only minor problems we have had on it have been covered under warranty. Maybe we just got lucky.
If I were you, I'd be buying lottery tickets. Obviously, you've been blessed by the "Car Gods" or you must live right. Good Luck with your Sedona, maybe you got a good one.
Ditto to all the negative comments made by my fellow 2002 Kia Sedona owners. Oh, how I've relived my nightmare of owning this vehicle. I'm the owner that lives in the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot. My neighbors all know me and my Kia because it squeals every morning when I start it and drive away. The Kia service department tells me that it is because it is damp outside. I've told them for 4 years that no other cars around me are squealing down the road!! I've had too many repairs, replacements and frustration to list, but believe me this was a terrible purchase. Now, my alternator (2,000 miles after my extended warranty that I purchased) has gone out. I have 86,000 miles on my van. The ironic thing is that we had honestly just left several dealerships where we were looking at what to trade the van for. We almost made it home when we lost all power and found out our alternator had gone out. All I could say was TYPICAL!!! Believe me as soon as I find an alternator this 2002 Kia Sedona is a trade. I think I'll try an American dealership because maybe they will give me more on trade since the industry is so bad. I just hope I can find something safe and economical. What a gas guzzler the Kia Sedona is. Yes, it is 5 star rated because it is so heavy!! Gas is predicted to hit $3.00 a gallon and I refuse to fill my Sedona up every two days for that price!!! Buyers beware of the Kia Sedona. DON'T buy it unless you intend to be using the warranty at least once a month and then eventually paying for the parts yourself when the warranty doesn't cover it!!!
We too, are also owners of a 2002 Kia Sedona and are surprised by the number of negative comments as we love our van. We bought it used just over a year ago and besides it serving the daily driving needs well, we have also enjoyed it on 2 longer road trips. We feel that we got quite a lot of vehicle for the price and there's till another year of warranty left. I'm guessing that there are many more happy Kia owners out there that haven't posted; the urge to post a complaint is usually much stronger than being compelled to post a commendation.
We bought our 2002 Kia Sedona new and the first two problems were a loose left windshield wiper and a cratered air conditioner compressor--both fixed under warranty. The air conditioner had to be fixed a second time, again under warranty. We had the recall stuff done; however, when we took the van in for the third recall--at 50k--the service rep lied to us when he told us there was a transmission flush that was supposed to be done at 35k. (He lied because when I looked up the warranty details, it said that such a flush was only necessary if the van was commonly operated under extreme conditions. Dallas, Texas, commuting is hardly extreme conditions.) The flush cost $150 and 250 miles later the transmission failed. I can't prove it, but I suspect the dealer screwed up the flush and damaged the tranie. Anyway, it was replaced under warranty with a rebuilt transmission. Then the speedometer sensor on the top of the transmission failed and had to be replaced under warranty. Then, the door over the ashtray stopped closing and it was replaced under warranty. Now, the air conditioner is making a buzzing noise when the van is idling and the compressor is running. It's still under warranty, but I've had the same experience as several other people on this list; no repair takes less than one day to do, so no repair is really free. The van has 55k on it now and I break out in a cold sweat when I think of what we'll face after the total warranty stops at 60k and we're left with only the powertrain warranty to 100k. Our 2003 Corolla was just totalled at 102k--it's never had one problem since we bought it--and the van is now our daily driver at 16mpg average. I can't wait to buy another Toyota so I can park the van in the garage. There's no point in trying to sell it; it has no resale value. It's useful when the inlaws visit because it can carry us all. Paying $23k for a spare car was not what I thought I was doing when we bought it.
I have a 2002 Kia Sedona and it has been in and out of the repair shop since 5 weeks after we bought it. That's right; I had not even made my first payment when the problems began. I wish they were little things, and yes they have all been covered under warranty. Unfortunately warranty repairs don't mean a lot when your car breaks down in the middle of the free way going 35 miles per hour. These types of breakdowns are especially scary when I am carrying my four children in the car. We have had transmission problems, fuel line problems, sensor problems and most recently the vehicle accelerated for no reason while approaching an intersection. When the brake was used the car continued to accelerate. The dealer cannot replicate the problem so there is no real fix for it. I now rent a car whenever I drive long distances because I am scared it will break down and leave me and my kids stranded in the middle of nowhere. I have heard great things about the new Sedona's, but the 2002's are full of problems!
We bought our 2002 Sedona new, and it has been the best vehicle we've ever owned. Our three previous vehicles were all Chrysler minivans, and none of them held up as well as our Sedona. We're at 102,000 km now, without a single major repair.
The dealer (in Kamloops, BC, Canada) has been a pleasure to deal with.
My only beef with the Sedona is the poor gas mileage (~25 mpg) due to its weight, but that weight has made it a very solid drive in snowy conditions.
We have had our Sedona for 5 1/2 years now. We bought it new and it now has 100,700 miles. We have enjoyed the van for the most part. We lived in Utah and it handled nicely in the mountains. We liked the power of the vehicle, but I would have to agree that it has been in the shop a lot. Most of which we had to pay for and figure out a way to get it to the dealership some 60 miles away. We took it in for the 60,000 mile check up and they said that our timing belt was going out, and since it had not gone out completely it cost us $1,000. I just do not feel that we have gotten a fair shake from the Kia repair departments. Many of the things we have had to pay for looked as if they should have been covered under the 60,000 and 100,000 mile warranties. Another problem is if you need to have something fixed you can't find after market parts, you have to order from Kia and the parts are expensive.
We bought a 2006 model Sedona and it's been a very nice van so far. Have put on about 40k miles so far and it has only had minor problems that any other brand vehicle would have.
As far as features go it's pretty spartan, but we like that fact, it has what we need to haul the kids around and be comfortable on vacations.
Our only complaint is the gas mileage - we're lucky to get 22 mpg. But we knew that when we bought it.
Add another satisfied Kia 2002 Sedona driver. I haven't had problem one with my Kia and I've used it to drive across the country and back several times. 60,000 miles and going strong. Just recently I bought a Rockwood 1808 travel trailor and have been using my Kia to tow it. No problems whatsoever. Still a smooth and comfortable ride.
If my family had'nt shrunk recently because of kids leaving home I'd make the Sedona #1 on my list of mini-vans to buy. As it is when I get a new vehicle it will definately be a Kia.
We bought a used 2002 Sedona in late 05 we traded it in on a 02 Olds Silhouette after spending a fortune on replacing the alternator (2 times), the a/c compressor (2 times) and having a problem with the transmission downshifting from 5th to 3rd at highway speeds. 2 dealers, a Mr Transmission and a local trans shop all tried to sell us a new trans... the local pontiac dealership foun d the vehicle speed output sensor was bad.. part $195 labor to replace $15!! KIA quoted $95 labor to replace it!! I will admit the KIA was very comfortable and very confident on the road (especially in the rain) however the Olds beats it hands down... better gas mileage, better performance and much cheaper to repair. I will never own another KIA.
I've had my 2002 Kia sedona for 5 years, without any problems, untill, this summer the rear A/C line rusted out.
Now no a/c. was hoping this might be a recall problem.