i was a little skeptical when we bought the first one brand new but couldnt pass up the price on a brand new unit. 180,000 miles later on a 1999 sportage ex the only problems we have had are the heat shield on the exhaust vibrates loose every now and then. also the windshield wiper motor broke and went to far and damaged the window post ont eh drivers side. kia paid for new windshield wiper motor and also paid to have the body work done on the vehicle. also when the heat shield cam loose for the third time they put a brand new exhaust on for me from front to back.
my wife liked mine so much that when she wanted to get a new car she wanted another kia. mine has been great and so has her 2000. we also now have another one i bought a used 2001 and gave the 1999 to my kids to use. all have been great. the only real complaint i have is no interminent wipers on them. am buying the new sorento for my wife for her birthday in two weeks
i woudlnt hesitate to buy another one.
We have one of the infamous death trap Kia Sportages. When the pavement is, in the least, wet, it spins around like a top - thus the “off the road vehicle” reputation! When it is not doing this you can “enjoy” a ride which is not unlike a wild mule on steroids and met amphetamines which damages the spine of any human. The little go-cart engine sputters, stammers, and stalls, preferably in heavy traffic. In all fairness to any dealership, there is NO WAY they can make an acceptable car out of a Kia! The Kia is just cheap junk! They replace inferior, defective Kia parts with - guess what - more inferior and defective Kia parts - and there is not much unusual about this. Even if they do “repair” the Kia, most humans just get tired of “living” in Kia Dealerships and just give up like we did!
This contributes to the absolutely negative “resale value” of the Kia. Dealerships penalize you brutally for trying to trade a Kia in, and after owning one, we don’t really blame them. We have thought of “selling” ours to a private individual, but we are not big enough liars, nor do we hate anyone badly enough, nor do we wish to kill someone else with our little Kia Sportage Death Trap!
In short, we see NOTHING UNUSUAL about your complaints about Kia Motors, nor Kia Dealerships! That is just standard operating procedure and the way Kia Motors and Kia Dealerships work! Kia “warranty” is a cruel hoax and a complete rip off!
Kia Motors and Kia Dealerships operate with this philosophy: “Kia Motors and Kia Dealerships can tell more grandiose and expansive lies than anyone can tell the truth about them!” Their “cover-ups” make Watergate look like Disneyland! Sir, sorry to say, but we have been “had” by Kia Motors and Kia Dealerships, and there is NOTHING UNUSUAL about that!
Cheer up! It could have been worse! If you had used Kia financing they would have “tacked on” add on “warranties”, charges, and an interest rate unheard of outside of a pawn shop, and after paying $400.00 a month for two years you would now still owe $14,000.00 on a $15,000.00 Kia. By the way, your Kia is now “worth” around $5000.00, IF you could find someone stupid enough to buy the thing!
It has been hypothesized widely that the Kia is the terrorist revenge upon the American People for being in their country in the first place! Kia - made in Korea!