2002 Kia Sedona ex from North America - Comments

I have heard of people having problems with the springs and what not coming through the front seats. The drivers side seat is not nearly as cushioning as it once was. Has anyone else heard of this problem? Also we are in the middle of replacing the driver's door handle because we got stuck in the van. It just wouldn't work all of a sudden. We have had the A/C fixed, but only after we had to go through the whole summer with no A/C due to over demand for the parts. We have also had the recall on the seats looked affter, the rust touched up, the covering on the passenger door latch replaced and the paint touched up where the back wiper rusts down the back of the van. Fortunately so far we haven't had any bad experiences with the service department, but the finance guy we spoke with recently was a real jerk! He said we would never be able to buy a new car because of credit and the like (trying to buy another KIA, thank god we didn't) We went to GM and were approved overnight. We are also having a problem with the rear heat vent on the ceiling. They only blow cold air. Bought the van used and now are finding out why it may have been returned!!

I'm alone with someone else here.

My Kia Carnival LS (That's the EX premium Sedona in US) haven't experienced any major problems at all. No rust, no engine problems, just minor ones like tire wear and others.

My Sedona is already at 37,500 miles (60,000kms) and still I haven't experienced any major problems.

The problems I encountered are these:

40,000kms- Battery discharge, battery was replaced

42,000kms- Tire wore out- Tires were changed

48,000kms- Replaced engine oil to prolong engine treatment

52,000kms- Refilled brake and steering fluid

55,000kms- Ball joint and Shock absorber worn out. Both are replaced

56,000kms- Fixed and replaced any bad, blown or damaged wires and circuits

Up to now, I'm still happy with my Carnival / EX premium Sedona. It still keeps on going.

We live the North/Central Texas area and bought a 2002 KIA Sedona from a local Plano dealership. Since our purchase, they had to replace the battery, alternator, compressor, expansion valve, a/c blower motor and a/c pressure lines. After several trips to the dealership, the a/c is still not working. The compressor will not come on. This all started around 34,000K and now has 70,000K on it and they say it is out of it's a/C warranty and there is nothing they can do due to federal laws. We were having this problem with the a/c before it went out, but as soon as we got it back and it went past the warranty the air stopped working again. They now want us to pay a diagnostic fee and then they will check with KIA to see if they will foot the bill or not. The problem shows up about every 5000K. Screw this, I am taking it to a local repair shop and then trading this piece of crap in. I will take a $3500 loss on the vehicle, but lessons learned - sometimes the hard and expensive way.

I own a 2002 sedona ex. I bought it nov 2001. I have been in and out of the shop 30 times for the a/c making noises/ transmition hesitation, engine light comes on. My major problem is that my check engine light and battery light came on and then abs and airbag light came on.. The battery then did not turn over. We jumped it so i could get it to the dealership and while i was driving it the car started beeping,stalled and vapors came out of the vents. They say I need a new alternator/and battery. I have 64,000 miles on it and already have put a new one in 2003. I have had my share of problems and would not recommend this car to anyone.

2002 KIA Sedona

88 miles- following morning battery was dead

122 miles- replacement of radio and battery.

480 miles- replacement windshield just cracked 75 degrees outside

870 miles- re-replacement of battery and radio

12,356 miles- replacement motor on moon roof

26,000 miles- replacement and tune-up to take care of a problem in engine- idle weak while stopping.

34,000 miles- replacement of battery, car wouldn't start.

38,000 miles-replacement of recalls on seat belts and throttle cable

59,870 miles- replacement of belts, complete tune-up. 1800.00 US Dollars. No answer on A/C not working.

65,000 miles- battery, alternator caught on fire while idle and A/C is on. 700.00 US dollars and no a/c at all.

Warranty doesn't cover a lot of the things that are considered normal wear. 4 sets of breaks and just for the record, 33,000 miles are long distance mileage. VERY FEW stops, average mileage is 1200 before stopping. It is a good idea, do not run you're a/c and sit idle in temperatures above 90 degrees.

Here is a list of all the problems, concerns, and repairs that have been completed on our 2002 KIA Sedona that we purchased October of 2002.

10/21/2002 259 Miles CONCERN:-Noise coming from speakers when radio channels are selected. REPAIR:Internal radio problem found and replaced complete unit.

3/16/2004 21,079 Miles CONCERN:-Passenger visor broken and vibration when braking. REPAIR:Replaced broken passenger side visor. Re-surfaced drums and rotors as rotors had lateral run out and rear drums were out of round. Also replaced brake pads and rear shoes.

6/28/2004 25,717 CONCERN:-Battery dying will not hold a charge. REPAIR:Battery found defective and replaced.

1/12/2005 to 1/14/2005 32,644 Miles CONCERN:-Windshield cracked.-Power lighter socket on dash fuse blown.-Parking brake goes down to floor when applied.-Drivers side visor mirror cover broke.-Advised there is a Bobbling noise coming from the front end of car. REPAIR:Windshield was replaced, under warranty, stress crack. They replaced the fuse for the lighter on dash, plugged in my cell phone to see if worked, no power still dead. Replaced the cracked visor. Adjusted parking brake. Used a scan tool to see why check engine light on and there was an evaporative system leak they made a repair to correct problem. Replaced engine mounts #1 and #2 broken front-end noise.

2/17/2005 33,837 Miles CONCERN:-Scrapping noise coming from rear wheel of car. REPAIR:Rear brake cylinder leaking found and replaced

3/4/2005 to 3/8/2005 34,172 Miles Gave us loaner vehicle (4 days to repair) CONCERN:-Check engine light and door ajar light come on at same time.-Advised that the interior lights and dash light will flicker and strobe sporadically at any moment.-Noise (bobbling) coming from the front end of car.-Lighter socket on dash shorted out fuse blown. REPAIR:Found electrical problem, had to replace the alternator. Found struts weak and noisy. Had to order suspension struts, will bring car back once struts are in. They found a noisy motor mount and replaced it. They forgot to check the lighter socket on dash.

3/14/2005 34,267 Miles CONCERN:-Brought car in to have struts replaced.-Drivers side headlamp not working. REPAIR:Struts replaced and burnt headlamp replaced.

6/22/2005 37,434 CONCERN:-Brought car in for recall item to be replaced (throttle cable) -Clear coat coming off drivers side rear view mirror.-Emergency brake goes to floor when push to set. REPAIR:Replaced throttle cable as recall item. New paint and clear coat on drivers side rear view mirror. Had to scrap overspray that covered windshield. Adjusted emergency brake cable. Paid for oil change.

6/29/2005 37,678 CONCERN:-Rubbing noise coming from rear brakes when driving. REPAIR:Emergency brake adjusted improperly. Adjusted brake and noise went away.

8/12/2005 39,102 CONCERN: -Clear coat coming off passenger side rear view mirror.-Advised that in the morning after my wife unlocks the car and puts the kids into the car she will shut the door and the car locks automatically when you shut any car door. We have to leave the windows down incase the car locks itself. REPAIR:Painted and refinished passenger side rear view mirror. Overspray all over windshield and clear coat missed/not applied to area where the mirror meets the door frame. At this time they are unable to reproduce the lock problem. Have to reschedule so they have more time

Present 39,206 Miles CONCERN: -Doors lock automatically when you shut any car door.- (Bobbling) noise coming from front of car.-Steering wheel and front end shake when driving on freeway. REPAIR: Next Scheduled Appointment August 26, 2005.

I have filed for mediation and hopefully we can resolve the problem. It was a great car and the few problems we had were fine. But now It has become a regular occurrence to go to the dealership every other week for a problem.

I just bought a 2004 Kia Sedona. It rides beautifully and I love the 5 star crash rating. Only have had it for 40 days. Only real complaint is the EXTREMELY POOR GAS MILEAGE. I'm getting 13 mpg. Tracking through online free service. The dealership told me I would get 22 city and 28 highway. They lied.

Huntsville Alabama. I bought my 04 KIA SEDONA LX brand new last year. At first - I was thrilled- that awesome warranty, the money was about 10k less than the caravan. THEN... 12,000 miles later we have been in the shop for what I describe as a jerking, feels like its running out of gas problem. Okay - not a problem. We go to the shop.

Here is my list:

11/23/04- 12047 miles- They say its due to an air filter.

11/23/04- pull out of KIA circle right back in there because its doing the same thing. They don't know what the problem is. They do nothing.

1/12/05-15852 miles-Back in the shop; No codes found; they say it does not apply.

2/24/05-19160 miles- Back to the shop. Made associate ride in my vehicle until it did it again; he verifies the problem. They put it in the shop. Return it to me on 2/28 and ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE - DID NOT DO A THING TO IT. It still had 19160 miles on it.

3/22/05-21230 miles- Back in the shop- same thing. They tighten ignition fail sensor and terminal at connector at tps and add stabiant 22 to connectors. Drove the van to 21496 Miles and returned it to me on 3/25/05.

4/19/05-22922 miles- Same thing wrong; Faulty inhibitor switch to open circuit short to ground; Removed and replaced inhibitor switch. Returned to me with 22928 miles on 4/21.

I REQUEST ARBITRATION.

4/26/05-23301 miles-Harness has short to ground that kept setting a range switch short to ground code P0707; Removed and replaced wire harness assy. Returned to me on 5/5/05 with 23306 miles.

FED UP.

STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM.

6/7/05- FINAL REPAIR ATTEMPT BEFORE ARBITRATION DATE- They drive my van 216 miles and tell me the problem was the spark plugs.

DUH DUH DUH DUH... how stupid.

Week of arbitration- 8/10/05. Mileage 28640 Vehicle is roaring like really loud. Has to be towed to the shop. Internal failure in rear hub; detected noise on test drive; removed and replaced rear hub assy. Returned at 28645 miles.

I pick my van up and the stupid check engine light is on. The man tells me that "we can fix that, I think I know what the problem is" Well, funny to me that the check engine light only... ONLY comes on after they have screwed around with it.

Arbitration- I Lose. I lose arbitration because when we test drive the van, it doesn't do what I allege it to be doing. Ha; figures, even with the paperwork that there is obviously a problem... I lose.

2 weeks after arbitration- I receive that throttle cable recall b/s.

I take it in today- 10/4/05 and it is jerking like it was for the past 20,000 miles. The tech drives it... Gets out and says, MAN, THAT THING WILL GIVE YOU WHIPLASH...

WELL... I SAY DUH- THAT HAS BEEN MY COMPLAINT FOR THE PAST 20,000 MILES.

He tells the man at the computer to note the check engine light being on ----- (the check engine light IS NOT ON). I told him that isn't right, he says we need to put that on the service order... Tonight I keep hearing all those lies he said and I can't sleep. I don't know what they are up to, but I think I need to quit playing this stupid game with them. My opinion is they are LIARS and I think they have intentionally just rode my time out. I am thinking I should pick my van up in the morning so that I can just file a civil suit. I am so sick of it and whoever they have to listen to... is a JOKE.

I am so sick of this van. I have never had problems like this with any vehicle. Oh; I though I would trade it. Then I find that I lose almost $10,000 if I do.

I keep waiting for them to laugh and tell me I have been punked. And this really has been just a long drawn out joke.

106,000 miles.

Purchased in April of 2002.

I have experienced several dead batteries because the alternator doesnot charge when idling so it goes dead if you idle to long and now it has failed and I am looking for an upgraded one.

I had a refrigerant leak at 95,000 miles that Pep Boys Auto couldn not fix so I put a can of stop leak in it and it has worked fine.

Original tires and brakes lasted 80,000 miles.

Had to replace the driver side door handle as it broke at 104,000 miles.

Drivers sun visor is loose.

If my wife drives, we get up to 26 miles. per gallon.

The check engine light comes on and will not go out for a couple of days if I don’t get the gas cap on tight enough.

No rust, I live in California.

I hope I can be as happy with my next car as I have been with this van. Its taken a licken and keeps on ticken.

2004 KIA SEDONA 33,000 miles.

Both front and rear slider inside passenger door handles are inoperable.

Vehicle came with two underinflated tires, running 40 PSI improved fuel mileage about 2MPG (Still dismal despite vehicles weight) My 94 V-8 powered full size wagon gets better MPG, and it weighs almost 5,000 lbs!!!

Vehicle warms up slowly, T-stat is good.

Even with gauge reading normal temp, heat output is lousy.

Engine surges directly to redline if you push the pedal anywhere near hlfway down. Sounds nice and racy, but rather have more linear response.

Haven't had rust issues yet, may have been fixed over previous models.

Starting to have light strut popping noise (front end).

No electrical issues yet other than dome light that never goes out on door swith option must be completly off which creates an inconvenience loading the van at night.

Rides nice, but corners like a small delivery truck, and I've driven many delivery trucks... Vehicle seems to be more stable partially loaded than empty with seats removed.

Fit and finish is actually decent on this van despite seeing so many complaints from others. The door handles are very irksome though. I rarely carry passengers and the passenger door handles broke internally. You must get out like a limo driver to open passenger doors from outside.

Brakes are getting very squeely, but no warpping. I tend to coast the vehicle most of the way to a stop if no traffic behind me to save on MPG so the brakes are used sparingly. The anti-lock is worse than early GM systems which make you feel like you just hit an oil slick while stopping quite well until they kick in.

I hope this van turns out less buggy than the'02 model. I'll report again after visiting the dealer about the door handles. Hope mine isn't as bad as others.

Hey folks - just an FYI - your rear heat is not intended to come out of the top vents - only the lower rear vents under the rear seats. The top vents above the rear passenger heads only will blow cold air. That's the way the van was designed. Keep the "RR Heater" button pushed on the dash (to keep warm air coming out the rear floor vents) and keep the top rear blowers off in winter.

2002 Sedona EX 45,000 miles.

I bought it in 2004 with 12,000 miles on it and have had the following issues as well.

May cosmetic breaks, both visors, door handles to the sliding doors both broke Moon roof motor ceased up leaving it stuck open during a 3,000 mile road trip. They could not replicate the problem so they manually cranked it shut where it has stayed for the past year.

The front wheel hub bearing went bad and was replaced under warranty after three trips to the dealer and after I was told it was the brand of tires I had on the car.

Most recently I had a 45,000 mile check up and new brakes put on the van. Everything checked out with them even servicing the battery (cleaning posts), windshield treatment, etc. Two weeks later the car dies while on the road. Alternator was diagnosed as inoperable. They replaced the alternator under warranty, but planned on charging me for a new battery because it is not under warranty. I disagreed with them stating my battery was "killed" by the faulty alternator and that I should not be charged for the replacement battery. After talking to numerous people including the service manager no resolution was made to accommodate my thoughts. I have been less than impressed by the service I have received at the Kia Service center.

I also once was insulted by a worker as she told one of her co-workers "This idiot is mad at me because he forgot to call and check on his van" When she returned to the line I pleasantly suggested that she not talk about customers when they are not actually on hold, but are actively still on the line. She tried to apologize profusely, but to no avail. I don't know that I have seen her around the last few times I have been in.

I have always been told you get what you pay for and I am learning the hard way. Used to be a pleased customer.

One side note the staff at the roadside assistance is very pleasant and and helpful. Obvious from this thread they are getting allot of practice.

For six months now my family and I have been fighting with Kia. We bought a 2002 Sedona minivan 2 years ago. It came with the remaining balance of the manufacturers warranty. Since we were not the original owners, their warranty clearly states that we have a 60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. Well, six months ago, the engine blew... with only 56,000 miles on it. That's where the run-around began. First they denied the warranty claim, stating there was sludge in the engine and it wasn't maintained. We then produced all maintenance records showing regular oil changes since the day we bought the van. Then they tried denying the claim based on some changes being done at 4,000 miles. We then showed their own Owner's Manual that shows their reccomend oil change interval to be 3,000 to 7,500 miles. You'd think at this point they would realize they were in the wrong and fix the van. Well, at that point, they starting refusing the claim... based on our inability to to prove the previous owners' maintenance. Now their warranty takes this into account, since it only gives the 100,000 mile warranty to the original owners, and 60,000 mile warranty to all subsequent owners. I've spoken to the service manager at Ray Carter Kia, as well as form the dealership we bought it from... and both say that Kia should be fixing it under warranty. The district manager is the one refusing the claim... and he refuses to even talk to us.

The worst part is that they've been performing other warranty work on the van al along.

I have a 2002 KIA Sedona, I purchased it in Sept 2001. Within the first few months, the Alternator went out, since that time I have replaced it two other times, but hey, I had to only pay for it once to be replaced.

Now the other problems. I have had the problem starting around 50k with it cutting out while pressing on the gas, (like it’s missing a cylinder or two). They replace a bunch of stuff, like spark plugs, ignition harness, coil, pretty much everything dealing with the fire to the cylinders. (Which took only 3 weeks to do that) Now at 99,975 miles they are telling me that it’s the catalytic converter which will cost $1,400 to fix, but no assurance that is the problem.

KIA, says, I know that you have been having the same symptoms doesn’t mean they are the same problem. Sorry no LUCK, pay the $1,400 and we can go from there…

WOW, I will NEVER OWN another KIA ever again. Yes, I will tell everyone that I ever talk to about buying a car not to buy a KIA, they won’t cover the car, if they can get out of it.

I bought a 2002 Kia Sedona when it was new. The check engine light was on frequently, and I took it back three times for that. It would only stay off a short while. I finally quit taking it back for that, and it has been on constantly the last two years. For the last six months, the brake light comes on everytime I make a right turn. The air conditioner has gone out four times. It is out now and they have had it for a week and cannot figure out where the leak is coming from. I won't buy a Kia product again.