Odometer reading on July 21, 2006 still trying to get van to drive properly.
We purchased a KIA Sedona Van from Kia Atlanta South in Morrow, GA
Since we purchased this vehicle, we have spent A LOT of time trying to get it to drive properly to our satisfaction. To date (July 21, 2006) it is 2 months since the date we drove it off of the lot and it is still not driving properly.
My husband discovered the very first week we had it that he felt the vehicle was pulling to the left and felt there had to be some problem with it.
We have documentation to back up everything that we are stating here and images will be included of all of the receipts from the dealer's service center as well as those from independent service centers that have looked at the vehicle to tell us what they think is wrong with it.
Today (JULY 21, 2006) the owner of the dealership, Mr. Craig Fields, basically told us to "get lost" in his own words. My husband called to ask him if he would himself test drive our vehicle to tell us if he thought it was normal for a brand new vehicle to drive the way it drives. He claimed he would NOT do so because he is not a mechanic and is not qualified to determine what is wrong with the van. My husband reminded him that ANYONE would be able to determine there is something wrong with the way this vehicle is driving. You don't have to be a mechanic to know that if your vehicle immediately goes into the next lane when you simply take your hands off of the wheel for a split second that there is something wrong with how it is driving.
June 6, 2006
Van brought in for first service center visit because while driving my husband realized it is pulling to the left. They claimed to have done an alignment on it on this day.
June 23, 2006
Van returned to service center, still pulling to left. Invoice shows that alignment is still needed and that they claim steering is off center.
June 27, 2006
Van returns to service center for 2nd alignment.
July 6, 2006
Van returns to service center, still pulling to left. Both front tires are replaced since they think something is wrong with the tires. They claim the vehicle is aligned again. Do you see a pattern forming here? Do they know what they are doing?
July 8, 2006
My husband takes the vehicle to Firestone (Tire Specialists) for an inspection of tires and findings. Firestone determines tires are out of balance and that there are defects in two of the tires on this van. My husband has 3 service technicians verify the findings to make sure that there are no mistakes in their inspection.
July 10, 2006
They give us another identical van to drive to the one we bought. After driving it for 5 days, we are well aware that it drives 100% better than the one we have purchased.
July 12, 2006
Warning Lights come on on the driving panel indicating a problem with 2 of the tires. Extreme steering wheel vibration and vehicle vibration while driving on highways. They claim there is nothing wrong with the vehicle after driving it for 22 miles. They recalibrate the tire pressure sensors.
July 13, 2006
We return to the service center to get our van back. Now they have lost our key! We cannot pick up our van! They never find the key!!! Also they never called us to tell us they were done with our vehicle.
July 14, 2006
My husband goes back to get the van, they still can't find our key!
July 21, 2006
My husband called the tire company yesterday and had us take it to another tire professional that they recommend we visit. They balance the tires again. According to their findings the left rear tire is "out of round" which is causing the vibration.
I might also add a few days ago that the finance company called to tell me our payment was 10 days late. The dealership had agreed to pay our first payment but never took care of that detail. Additionally the finance company never sent me a statement to let me know when the payment was due ever until after they called me to tell me the payment was late. I call the dealership and I get the same run around kind of treatment they have been giving us ever since we bought the vehicle. Then someone calls me to tell me they will overnight ship the check. The following day the finance company calls me again to tell me they still haven't received any payment.
Today July 21, 2006, I finally receive a payment statement only because I told them I never got one.
The owner of the dealership is no longer interested in helping us to get our vehicle to drive properly so we are now forced to seek alternative resolution.
I would think twice before buying a vehile at Kia Atlanta South in Morrow, GA.
AUGUST 2006
The update for interested folks. We took the vehicle to another dealer for qualified service. We had a much better experience with the Service Dept @ O-Brien Mitsubishi-Kia in Chamblee, GA. The people there are much more qualified to work on cars there and have the equipment to do so. However either they were unable to figure out what is causing the problems or the manufacturer would not authorize the work and/or parts that would complete the job and fix the vehicle, so it is still not driving properly. Now it still pulls to the left and shakes (vibrates at speeds of about 55-65 mph) and worse at higher speeds. A Kia rep. told us their mechanics and service techs are not allowed to test drive a vehicle at speeds over the speed limit, however as I test drove it, I realized I wasn't even over the speed limit when I could tell it was still not driving like a new vehicle should. Now we go to the next step - evaluation for replacement or repurchase by the manufacturer.
Odometer reading on July 21, 2006 still trying to get van to drive properly.
Sept 27, 2006
I am happy to report that the BBB sent an inspector out to drive our van to see if there indeed was anything wrong with it. The report he gave was identical to everything we had claimed all along. The manufacturer responded immediately to the findings and we accepted their offer to replace the vehicle. We picked up our new van on Friday of last week. It turns out it is the same vehicle we drove for 5 days when they had ours in for service at the original dealer. Our radio station was still tuned in. Everything seems to be just fine now.