2002 Kia Sedona ex from North America - Comments

We purchased a 2007 Kia Sedona about seven weeks ago. To start with, the gas mileage on the sticker said 19 city and 28 highway... not even close! We called the service department at the dealership where we purchased it and they told us to bring it in. Upon inspection, they said the van was averaging 14 miles per gallon, which was acceptable...NO, it is not! They said to read the fine print and there is a 5 mpg differential between sticker and actual! Then the next weekend I was leaving work and the van wouldn't shift. I turned it off and on, still nothing. After 20 minutes it went. Two days later the same thing, only the ESC OFF light was on. Looked it up in the manual, it said to push the ESC OFF button on the dash, I did so and although it shifted, the light remained on. Called the dealer, told to bring it down. They said we needed a new shifter and it would be 15 days because the part was on backorder! They actually told me not to drive it a lot because it could cause further damage! Can you imagine... purchased a BRAND NEW vehicle and being told not to drive it! While waiting for the part, the same problem happened and I had to have it towed to the dealership. They replaced my shifter with that of another brand new 2007 Sedona and told us to come and pick up our van. Went to pick it up on Sunday... could not even get it out of the parking spot because of the same problem! Called down this morning, they said nothing was wrong... maybe I didn't depress the brake while trying to shift!! Went BACK to pick it up and had the service manager go out with me, where, thankfully, it would not shift into reverse! He said to leave it and a part will be in on Thursday. When I asked for a copy of the work order they just denied me! They said I could not have it! You see, Florida lemon law says that if the vehicle is in the shop for the same problem three times within 24 months and the problem is not fixed, it's a lemon. Well, this was our third time in two weeks! He wouldn't give me the work order as my Lemon Law proof! Tomorrow I am calling Kia directly along with the Lemon Law folks and raising H***! DO NOT BUY A SEDONA!

We purchased our '02 Sedona in January of '06. Since then, with the exception of one issue, everything else has been normal wear and tear; no rust. (I live in Kansas-a LOT of inclement weather-ice, snow, rain, sun, you name it, we've got it and still no rust issue) While the gas mileage is not great, I do get the performance out of the engine I'd expect from a small eight cylinder engine. Just recently at 80K, I had to replace the alternator, water pump, timing belt, serpentine belt, battery and air filter. Yes, that's a lot of things, however, I chose to replace many of them for the sake of convenience; while the mechanic had the engine apart, it made perfect sense to take care of the other things at the same time.

My problem with the vehicle is this: it has this quirky electrical thing that I still have as yet to find anything about on the internet. Static electricity flowing from my right hand to the ignition "plate" where the key goes in sparks and turns off the interior dash lights, the interior cabin lights, the parking lights, the power locks and power windows, and - get this - ONLY the rear "intermittent" wiper mode; the regular rear mode called "on" works. In addition, turning the lights on to the first position-nothing happens. Second position, the headlights come on, but not the parking lights nor the dash. Third position-as long as it's dark enough, the dash lights will come on and the headlights, but still no parking lights. What fixes the problem? A well-aimed shock of static electricity at the same spot on the ignition!!! So, I've been racking my brain to figure out how, during the summer, to recreate a static electricity charge to "reset" it when it goes out.

Overall, besides that, I like my van. It serves us well.

Same problem as everyone else. I would be interested if anyone is looking at a class action down the road. The safety issues are a great concern to me. We bought ours in 2001 (2002) model.

The air conditioner stopped working after about a week, and was replaced or fixed/refilled, and still never worked for four years. It was in and out of the shop at least a dozen times with fixes, and still does not work. I think they just push you off until the warranty runs out on your particular problem...

The alternator has been changed several times, and the battery was replaced. There is a constant, and has always been, a constant shudder in the steering. The brake thing happened to us as well - vehicle did not stop!

I bought mine in the US and moved to Canada - so on mine I actually ended up paying duty, taxes and PST on it after all of the problems -

The dealership would not honour the warranty in Canada - even though they had the same vehicle on their lot. We finally found one who would honour it and arrange everything through the US customer service.

Still the same problems...

All of the chrome on the inside started peeling about three years ago... cut hands on the door opener...

All of the seat belt covers in the back have broke in two pieces - normal use - just crap...

I am way past fed up - I will drive it into the ground and never get a KIA again.

I would like someone to setup an online database or something where people can sign up and we can get some actual statistics on all of this - there is definitely something wrong if everyone has the same problems...

I have asked several times at the dealership about recalls on most of these problems... yeah right...

I do not work or have any family or friends in the automobile industry.

I am just hosed like so many others.

I bought an 2002 Kia sedona used for $4900. I have put at least $5000 into it since I purchased it. Bad cad. converter cost me $1200, O2 sensors, timing belt (my choice on this one). AC sucks!

My main problem is this strange engine surge when the car is in drive and I am stopped at a red light. My mechanic (who is not a kia mechanic) has checked everything on the car. The surge/miss does not trigger a check engine light, but it does it all the time. It drives me crazy. It stalls out a lot too.

I like the van cosmetically, but these engine problems are crazy. Anyone having the same issues or know of a fix???

I have a 2002 Sedona 2.9 diesel (UK), all the usual cosmetic problems, plus AC de-gassed where pipe wore through on retaining clip in engine bay.

Biggest issue now is the engine, I'm driving long normally, put my foot down and the engine dies back. doesn't stall, just no throttle, then suddenly it will pick up again after anything from 5 to twenty seconds.

Stop the car, she idles fine, push on the gas, nothing - no revs, then she'll be fine, drive off, go a mile if you're lucky and away she goes again...

Hi.

Bought a 2002 new in '02. Overall good vehicle. Our issue it seems like many others is rust. Does anyone have a solution or any luck pursuing KIA?

I just bought the 2002 Sedona EX a month a go.

1) After a few days: Check Engine.

2) No A/C

3) Couldn't open the back door, my 4 years old daugter pushed from inside to open it.

4) The car is rusty every were!

5) The car doesn't stop sometimes!

We got our 2002 Kia Sedona EX in June 2007. It has been a headache since then. 2 weeks after we got it the check engine light came on and it would stall. Also the AC went out.

I took it back to where we got it, they had it 2 weeks and replaced the AC and said my gas cap was loose. Next day the light came on again. They replaced the charcoal can.

2 weeks later it would stall and not turn over. They replaced the mass airflow and battery.

2 weeks later did the same they did the alternator.

3 weeks later the same thing. Mass airflow again. It is there now with the transmission.

They some how don't cover all this so we pay! All together it's been $100 or $150 every time and $300 this time. Oh, and it was taking $70 in gas to go 150 miles every time the mass airflow went out.

I am sadly becoming part of this group.

I bought my KIA used last year in Sept. 2006. The air conditioner/defrost went out in early 2007. Luckily I had the extended warranty. The dealer had told me when I bought it they had all of the 60,000 mile maintenance done.

In the summer of 07 I was told by my mechanic that I needed a radiator flush and refill. I said how can this be... it was done by the dealer less than a year ago. When I confronted the dealer they of course said that sometimes this happens. I don't think so... After an intense argument they finally agreed to do it for free. When I had it checked after the 2nd time they said that the dealer probably did not do a full flush... just drained and filled. I recently took it in for running rough. Luckily the repairs are covered under warranty... but they missed that the CV boot was torn. I found this out when getting a oil change in between the time for waiting for the ordered parts.

Also the retractor mechanism is out in one of my seat belts. Not covered by warranty. I think that is ridiculous. Other KIA models have had recalls on their retractor mechanism, but supposedly mine is not related. Whatever! I am stuck with it. I dread the day the extended warranty runs out. I can't afford to change my mind at this point.

I miss my Pontiac Montana. Had it forever with no problems till an accident that wasn't my fault. I hope and pray this is the last repair for a while, but I fear it will not be. I hate my KIA Sedona... I hate my dealer... There is no customer service there at all... But I bet that is because they have very unhappy customers coming in all of the time...

I have learned my lesson... next time I buy a car I am goggling... I hate my (insert vehicle here) to see what people are saying... if I would have done that before I bought my KIA I would have bought the less pretty car and not let the sun roof tempt me.

2002 Sedona. 90k miles.

Tailgate rust. Poor AC. Tires never look inflated properly even when the gauge shows they are at the proper PSI. Windshield wipers don't know when to retract and wipe the metal columns beside the window. Alternator died once. Seems difficult for the mechanic to keep it aligned (we bought a lifetime alignement from Firestone luckily). Temperature on the clock stopped showing up one day. Clock and other functions still work. 1 broken windshield. Other than that, it's been a good van. Given what we have put into it, I'd consider it to be average. Things do break once in a while. Would I buy another Kia? No. But then I wouldn't buy a GM product either for the same reasons.

I own a 2003 Kia Sedona, I bought it used in 2004. I had it one week and it needed a new battery. The next was transmission problems I paid $130 to have it flushed. My headlights were dimming so I took to the dealer and they said there wasn't anything wrong, I made it a block and my van died it needed a new alternator. My driver side mirror clear coat is peeling, my side doors are hard to open, I am on my second set of rotors on the passenger side do to the calipers which the dealer says are fine. My motor sounds like a sherman tank, I get terrible gas mileage, and my linkage for my transmission is off and hard to get in and out of gear. I take very good care of my vehicles and have never had this many problems with all the vehicles I have owned put together. Its not just the vehicles it the company period.

I bought a 2002 Kia Sedona in June 2006 with 43,000 miles. I haven't experienced too many major issues yet. The battery went dead the first week I owned it, but the dealer replaced it for free and I have had no further problems with it. I have had to replace the brakes after 11 months, but that's not unusual for my driving. The car is built cheap for sure. The cup holder in the dash that can be pulled out has broken and it's difficult to get it in and out properly. The lid to the compartment on top of the dash has broken twice. It cost $60 to replace the first time so I have just let it broken for now. The rear view mirror fell off and I reattached it with a kit from Auto Zone. I do sense some developing issues. At the end of this summer the A/C has failed and just this week the airbag light has lit up... I'll get the A/C checked out next year when the weather heats up and right now the airbag light doesn't require immediate attention. So, I've put 17,000 miles on this van in 16 months with next to no maintenance required. I think it runs and handles well. City MPH is 15-17 and highway around 22-23. I bought it because it was simply a lot cheaper than its counterparts. I haven't regretted it yet, but the next year could change my mind.

Electrical Fire!!

I am luckier than most commentors, my 2002 Kia Sedona caught fire and destroyed itself. So I no longer have a problem. But during the 20 months that I owned it (purchased in February 2006, with 32k miles) there were continuous electrical problems. I travel frequently and leave the van at the airport. Every time it sat idle for a week I returned to a dead battery. I replaced the battery, the dealer replaced the alternator and the serpentine belt to no avail. The 12-way electric seat stopped working for several months (and this may be key to the fire) then surprisingly became functional again. About 5 hours after the seat began working the driver compartment caught fire. This happened while parked in my garage. Thank goodness I went to the garage for something unrelated and discovered the smoke and interior burning. The fire was extinguished before there was any major damage to my garage or house (other than smoke), but the Kia was a total loss. The fire department had to winch it out onto the driveway because all of the electronics were shot and it could not be shifted out of Park.

I agree with all comments previously listed regarding the 2002 KIA Sedona. I have had so many problems which started a few months after my purchase. We’ve had problems that include the following, but are not limited to this: Rust, A/C issues, alternator, engine noise, transmission, door handles breaking, seat belts, tail light problems, belt and pulley problems.. So many problem all of them cannot be listed. The main problem is this, my Sedona has a skip/hesitation that does not show or display an error code. The technician can verify the vehicle has a problem, but maintenance cannot be performed because the vehicle does not produce an error code that identifies the problem..

I was hoping to search the Internet and find a few similar problems to my own. Alas, we are truly not alone. Here is my story: We purchased our 2002 Kia Sedona with 32,000 miles on it in 2005 what a great van. Then it happened around 55,000 miles 1st the headlight housing broke off of the mount so I fixed it with a little epoxy then the interior vanity mirror holder broke into pieces so I had planned to order a replacement, but wait while starting the car in July a hissing sound and lots of steam shoot out from under the hood, that was the A/C compressor blowing a line. So off to the dealer who replaced the compressor, but not the mirror.

At 57,000 miles, (keep in mind that the warranty is up at 60,000) the serpentine belt keeps flying off and the turn signal light switch is no longer working. To the dealer who after replacing the belt 3 times finally listened to me when I told the to replace the dynamic tensioner which was cracked. 3 visits later after trying every turn signal part they can get they "fixed the turn signals".

To top this off the dealer informed us when we picked up the van that the warranty was expired, but that they would cover it anyway. So today we now have a Van with 66,000 miles on it that has the following problems, A/C is now dead, Turn signals still work, but wipers do not fully work right, interior light on drivers door has no power, rust is showing all around the rear plate frame, the hood is oxidized and very blotchy the sunroof weather striping had to be re-installed which is when I discovered rust around the frame, The drivers seat power adjust skips on the track, Trim pieces from the bottoms of the seats have all come off. Oh yeah I cannot forget the airbag light. I can say however that my headlight repair is still holding strong. We still owe 16,000 on this piece of junk, so once it is paid off we will never ever ever buy another KIA product.

B.R.

Orlando, Fl.