The Kia That Keeps on Giving

I know a few people who own Kias. They love them. Kia is also known for being easy to steal, and have quite a few recalls in the past year. I chose to pay attention to the good reviews and bought a Kia Niro Hybrid in July. The second half of this complain entry explains the car issue.

Cape Kia got my car back to me after a two week stay with them. I drove off the lot, and twenty minutes later, the same startling hissing/clunk came from beneath me before the car subtley bucked. I got a new clutch but the problem wasn’t fixed afterall.

I called both Kia Framingham and Kia Burlington. Neither could take my car for another six weeks. Coincidentally, they gave me appointments one day apart. As late-September came around, I decided to go with Burlington, and cancelled the other one. I brought the car in and immediately the guy behind the counter announced “Well, if we can’t replicate the problem, we can’t fix it” in this I don’t know what to tell you way.

“OK, well, it’s unsafe, and I’m happy to leave it with you until the issue can be replicated” I told him. He handed me the paperwork to sign. On it was his transcription of what I explained was happening. I took a pen and fixed all of it because CLEARLY HE WASN’T LISTENING TO ME.

I caught an Uber to my parents’ place and retrieved Mom’s car. Went about my business for the reast of the week. I returned Mom’s car before leaving town for a solid week for professional development stuff and some fun in Utah.

While in Utah on this trip, I gave Kia Burlington a call for an update. Michael Unhelpful at the front desk informed me that no one has been able to replicate it yet “And I came in on my day off to see if I could make it happen and it didn’t”.

I’m not sure if Michael was expecting praise from me for coming in on his day off, for being so generous and benevolent, but later it occured to me that this strange car symptom only happened every 25 miles or so. Unless Michael is a mechanic himself who can possibly diagnose the issue when he hears it, I do not want him driving my car and attempting to replicate the car issue since all he could do is describe it to the mechanics just like I’ve already done.

I ask him to please have them keep trying and I’d be in touch. Before hanging up he informed me that the splash shield on my car is missing, then smugly informed me how exorbitantly expensive it will be for them to replace that. I told him to hold off.

I called the Cape Kia and asked them about the splash shield. Any chance your team may have forgotten to reattach it when they replaced the clutch (which didn’t need replacing)? The woman on the phone said it was unlikely but she’d look into it. We chatted for a bit about the situation and after being far more reassuring than any man at Kia had been thus far, she suggested I get in touch with Kia Customer Service to start a case record. Since I was coming up on the expiration of the warranty, it might be a benefit to make record of all that’s going on.

I called Customer service and gave them an update (we’d already become friends weeks ago when this all started). Again it was a woman and again I found peaking to her far more helpful than speaking to the men, primarily because I got some form of “That sounds frustrating” from them.

“Thank you! It is frustrating!” I felt heard.

They recommended that I call Kia Burlington and ask that they start open a tech line, which apparently means they can connect with other Kia mechanics to troubleshoot.

At some point int he next few days, Cape Cod Kia left me a voicemail that my splash guard was tucked behind Dave’s toolbox and what was my address so they could ship it to me?

No. No, sir.

I called them back and explained that the splash guard was removed while work which was covered under warranty was being done, so I shouldn’t have to pay to have it re-installed. He agreed and said he’d get in touch with Burlington Kia to figure it out.

(Dan) from Kia Burlington called me for an update and he was the most helpful there so far, and I was grateful. He asked lots of questions; Do you know how many miles needs to be driven before this sound happens? Can you tell where under the car it’s coming from? “So what you’re describing sounds like a release of pressure of some kind” he said after listening.

“That’s exactly what it sounds like!” I told him, then shared with him that I’d found only one case online similar to mine and it was directions to bleeding the brake system o a Niro because of a loud noise and air in the bake system. That the Integrated Brake Actuation Unit needed replacing. I had mentioned this same thing to Michael a week prior but I’m sure he was busy not listening to me to make note of it.

Dan told me things were hectic but they’d keep trying. They had yet to replicate the sound themselves.

When I arrived home from a week away in Utah, my held mail arrived a day later and in it was a letter from Kia informing me of a recall for my model Kia. Totally unrelated to the issue it’s currently in the shop for. The letter basically said that if a specific dash warning light goes on I should pull over because my car’s about to blow up, and that another letter would come soon with details about the solution which they are currently working on.

All I could do was chuckle. Hey, at least I don’t have to schedule an appointment to bring it in. I’ll just leave it there till the solution is discovered!

Yesterday Dan called with an update. They determined there was air in the brake system and they needed to flush out the system. I found the solution on the internet two weeks ago and they’ve only now just come to it. In their defense I do understand that they need to replicate the symptom in order to diagnose, but still. Once they were done with that they attach the splash guard (at no cost), and look into any recalls.

I just want my car to work. I am hopeful. Do I want my car to work because I can’t fathom the mess of getting rid of it at a financial loss and starting the car buying all over again? Absolutely yes.

Next Kia Chapter