From: Sonshinere@aol.com
Hi:
I just read many of the emails on your site and it's comforting to know that my problem wasn't my doing but others have similar problems. I too had the brake problem, the wiring harness problem, ac problems, water leaking from under the dash ( the third time I was told that leaves were blocking the ac unit. I explained that I have worked at the same place for 10 years and never had that complaint with any other cars but to no avail). Like the other people, the dealers were nice at first but as I returned often, they kept getting rude. I tried to call the toll free number and they referred me to the dealer's manager. Naturally, they have not responded to my calls. Are we going to have many people die like with the ford explorer before the government investigates this problem? I feel helpless as I have no money to replace the car and yet I feel uneasy in it. I have had to rent cars on several occasions so that I would not have to miss work when the car is being repaired. I bought the car to have reliable transport for my family, In stead I have gotten much heartaches and frustration. I hope this class action suit materializes as I would love to have my car replaced before my family is hurt or totally stranded. When I bought the car, I thought I was getting great quality at a great price. Instead, I got junk at a huge price.
Again, thanks for pioneering this site. I found it by accident and I guess like they say, "misery loves comfort" and I was comforted by the words of other writers. I sure hope we can be put out of our misery! Please count me in if you do a class action suit and email me with updates.
G

From: Agirl1962@aol.com
Hello my name is Angela Jones, I too have experienced the many problems that everyone else has with there Kia, I have aa Kia Sport and one day as I was driving my radio would not work unless you let the driver window down, then it would shut off if you would let the window up. I have had my battery replaced, and I have taken the Kia to the dealership complaining about the idle problem, but they say they don't know what I'm talking about. I like the style of my vehicle, but what I don't like is the problem of not being covered with a car when it is in the shop. If I could get rid of the Kia Sport today I would and would never buy another please help me, because I feel more headaches coming.

From: RSands9983@aol.com
Hi my name is LaDawn Sands we have recently purchased a 2000 kia we have had it in the shop 5 times now and it is still not right it acts like it wants to stall .. I am mailing in my lemon law papers please send me any info you recieve on the kia Sophias Thank you
Mrs. Sands
RSands9983@aol.com

From: TABLAS73@aol.com
please send me email,my girlfrien bought a 2000 sephia,5 mths ago,nothing but problems,brakes,computer,she uses cigarette lighter and the car dies,she has been stranded 4 times,please help us

From: Pistolgal2@aol.com
I own a 2000 Kia Sephia it has been the shop for a month now and it is only 8 months old w/15,600 miles. I have had my Radio (electrical problems) and My Clutch cylinder (Clutch Master Cylinder) Replaced so far. My Tires wear down to quick and I have to have my tires balanced every week to 2 weeks, cause of the wear. But I have the same problems with this car as I would w/ a used car w/high miles. They say it is a well built for a low price. One thing I believe is, it is a low priced car, but well built my Butt. I bought my car in Naples, FL, and the dealership modo is the fun begins here w/ a Well built car. The only fun I have had was the first 3 months, and than it went all down hill from there.
Sincerely,
A dissatisfied Costumer

From: bbenson@twowords.org
Joe,
I'll add a voice to you Kia complaint page. My 1999 Kia Sephia LS hasn't been too much of a problem, though the build quality is cheap, but I expected that from an inexpensive car. However, now I'm plagued with the dreaded brake rotor warping problem. Mine started getting flakey at around 15k miles, and the dealership wants ME to pay for replacing them. Grrrr. Hopefully I'll talk them out of it, but, unfortunately Kia's 1-800 number wasn't much help. Good luck with your site, let me know if the class action suit materializes ( though I'm sure the lawyers will walk away with most of the money :-( ).
Regards,
Blaine Benson
Brooklyn, NY

From: "COrban@AndoverPublicSchools.com
Dear Joseph,
The following is an e-mail that I sent KIA. At this time I have not received an answer. This letter could have some additional information concerning the mental state fo my wife, for whom the vehicle was actually purchased. My wife suffers from temporal lobe disgfunction, and had not driven for 18 months. She liked the KIA sportage and was comfortable enough with it to drive around the parking lot, which was a wonderfull first step in getting her to drive again. Unfortunately, that has all gone to hell now. If you have any suggestions for me, they would be highly appreciated. I am ready willing and able to join the war.
Chet
P.S. Please respond to my home e-mail: mummacod@ici.net

------------------------------------------
To: 'webmaster@kia.com'
From: Chet Orban
October 26, 2000 .....3:21Pm EST
To whom it may concern,
My name is Chester J. Orban from Derry, NH. Please be advised that on October 23 my wife and I purchased a 2001 KIA Sportage with 25 miles on it. The final transactions took some time, and we eventually left the Bournival KIA dealership in Portsmouth, NH at 11:31 PM. A few minutes later I obtained 10 dollars worth of gas from a Mobil Station due to the fact the vehicle was virtually empty, although I was given a voucher to fill up the vehicle at some Sunoco station in the area.
Approximately 17 minutes and 12.2 miles later at Midnight I stopped the vehicle to pay the 50 cent toll at the #2 exit off of Route 95 in NH. The vehicle never moved again. There was a single clank noise and that was it. The Highway department towed the vehicle out of the toll booth because we were blocking all the traffic. It could not be pushed because the transmission had bound up. After finally getting someone to answer my request for help at the 800 number, my wife and I waited another hour to have the vehicle towed back to Bournival in Portsmouth. No transportation nor thought or care for the well being of my wife and I was given. Fortunately, a security guard at, KIA Bournival, showed up at the lot, recognized my wife and I as having left the dealership a few hours earlier, and allowed us to get our old vehicle that I had left there because my wife cannot drive at night and. We arrived back in Derry at 2:22 AM Tuesday morning.
Sometime during the late morning on October 24, I informed the KIA sales manager at Bournival that I was quite upset and did not want the vehicle. Feeling quite upset with the context of the conversation I deferred the discussion until later in the day. No doubt, the fact that I had risen at 5:30 AM to go to work, and had less than 3 hours sleep, was cause for me to loose my temper. The afternoon conversation went no better. The dealership refused to give me another vehicle, "the transaction is legal and binding", as they say. I was given the telephone number of the Head manager to call. Interestingly enough, it was his day off. Oh! but if I left my name and number they would get back to me. Then I called the 800 number of KIA to find someone to listen to my "dilemma". A gentleman by the name of Ed, who refused to give his last name, said that I would have to call the manager of the Bournival KIA dealership. I explained that I did that and got no satisfaction. I said please let me speak to your manager, Oh! he said, "He is not available". Ed then proceeded to explain to me, once again that I would have to get in touch with the Bournival Manager. After some further 'circular' conversation I requested to speak to Ed's manager. His answer was, "He is not available sir". When will he be available? I asked. An undistinguishable answer was given. I would like him to call me. Ed said, Yes, his manager would call me. When I asked, Ed's answer was incoherent.
As of this time, October 26 at 3:21 PM I have not heard from the Head manager of KIA Bournival Portsmouth, nor have I heard from Ed's Manager, nor do I have the vehicle. The KIA Sportage I purchased from you was in good faith. According to my Lawyer you hold all the legal cards, so I must take possession of this vehicle that I believe 1st to be dangerous, 2nd was not the quality vehicle that had been advertised, and 3rd I am in fear of . However, the question I pose here is quite simple. Is KIA an honest company? To what extent must I be forced to tell this story over and over again, and have it fall on deaf ears?
Please give me a different vehicle, or cancel the transaction. Chet Orban

From: Bcarr613@aol.com
I am a college student that just talked to kia dealership yesterday. NO WONDER THEY WERE WILLING TO FINANCE A CAR SO EASILY. Luckily I read your site first, before I went back. Thanks for warning buyers.... NUFF SAID!!!!!

From: K3132@aol.com
I have a Kia Sportage 1998, that I purchased used in January 1999. I bought the car on the 7th of January and it had 13,313 miles on it at the time. I had the car for 4 days before I had to return it to the dealer because it would not go into 4-wheel drive. At that time they tried to repair it. I then had to return the car to the dealer on January 26, 1999 because it still would not go into 4-wheel drive. I then took the car on my vacation when the brakes failed due to the fact that the dealer failed to put on the lock down screws on the hub causing the wheel bearing to fail and the wheel started to fall off. This occurred in Kentucky and the car had to be towed to the nearest Kia Dealer , which happened to be in Madison, TN. I live in Ohio. At this time I was given a rental car. The car remained in the garage in TN. for 15 days. I then had to go back to TN. to pick it up. On the way home the 4-wheel drive would not engage again, also the front passenger wheel was loose, and the thermostat kept sticking so there was, nt any heat. The car was again taken to the dealer on its return where it was kept for 21 days. So in the first 4 months that I had owned the car it was in the garage being fixed a total of 38 days. Since then the car has been in to the garage 4 more times. It now has 48,000 miles on it, and when I complained to the dealer they told me that it was my fault that the hubs did 'nt work and that they insisted that it was a customer pay situation cost estimate around $600.00 dollars. I tried to complain to Kia to talk to their representative and the dealer told me they could not give out that number. So I called their customer service department and he gave me an address in to write to Kia and he told me that they would get back to me in around one month. I am now dealing with BBB to see what can be done. I would like to get my money back for the car. By the way Kia has contacted me and now says they will repair the hubs again because it is under warranty, but who would want to put themselves through the whole thing again.

From: shawn1@quik.com
Hello
My name is Steven Baugess and I am interested in any and all lawsuits against KIA. I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get out from under this 1998 Sepphia. I have just wriiten the WA State Attorney Generals Office and my Congressman. Any help would be appreciated. shawn1@quik.com

From: Dreemlvr3@aol.com
i'm scared to death after reading this and others like it. I have a 1999 Kia Sportage with around 38,000 miles. It's almost 2 years old now. I've had both recalls fixed but last winter, when i thought my 4 wheel drive was engaged, it was not and i slid off the road into a snow bank and thank God was not injured. I have had the car in for various repairs, but my biggest complaint is the belts.....they are constantly loose and making noises. They have been replaced at around 20, 000 miles and i believe need replacement again. I plan to sell the car next year when i've had it for 3 years but i hope it's not too late. I'm really not all that happy with it. I have also noticed that the power steering fluid is low and the power steering doesn't seem right. I'll be telling the dealership about that also. Please advise me as to what i should do. Do i have any legitimate complaints yet. I can bearly afford this vehicle as it is, let alone have to worry about costly repairs.
Thanks for any help you can give me
Barbara

From: Marks166@aol.com
Add me to your list. I bought a 99 KIA Sportage My battery died 11 months after I bought the vehicle on a weekend day and was stranded miles from home So I had no choice but to get a battery from Walmart, The battery they put in was not an official KIA battery so my electrical system shorted out but the vehicle was drivable the only problem was that every time I would step on the brakes my radio would short out and all my gauges went haywire and the windows which are electric would not work, and the dealership in Kissimmee Fla. Has conveniently 1 tech on staff and when I went to bring it in they told me I would have to leave my car for weeks, so they told me that I could make an appointment because they do not offer rental cars even if your vehicle is covered under warranty. So I brought the car back in two weeks when they told me to and had to bum a ride to work. They call me several hours later and tell me that it will cost! me over a hundred dollars because the computer was shorted due to the battery they put in and that my 1 year warranty on the battery had expired two days earlier. I was very upset and yelled on the phone and told them to keep the car after arguing back and forth and reminding them that I was in there before my year was up they agreed finally to pay for the repair. I was happy only for a short time as my vehicle would turn into a nightmare. Several weeks later I am pulling out of my driveway and I hear a screeching noise (mind you my vehicle has only 18,000 miles on it) I immediately return to the dealership and they inform me that it is the indicator on my brakes , so I figure no big deal brake shoes YEAH RIGHT They inform me that type of pads that are put on the KIAs groves the rotors and they will have to be replaced (I later confirmed this through Midas who replaced my pads but could not do the rotors as nobody carries KIA rotors. The dealership tells me they will do it but it will cost me in excess of $300.00 to complete, so as of right now I don't know what I am going to do Midas told me my brakes would be fine for a few months which will get me through the holidays. I even called the 1-800-KIA number and their attitude was sorry about your luck but we stand behind our companies that sell our products. I do have a written statement from Midas saying that the pads that they put on are faulty and caused the rotors to wear out quickly and that the rotors cannot be turned as they are so cheaply made. KIA must know this as they only give you a one year warranty on your brakes and mine wore out 15 months after I purchased the vehicle how convenient. Two days ago I received a letter from J.D.Power and associates wanting me to rate my KIA and I nailed them to the wall but you know I don't think anybody will really give a shit as I am stuck with the veh! icle. I even wrote to the webmaster who did the KIA homepage several weeks ago haven't heard anything from them either but one can assume they probably trashed the letter as well. I live in Kissimmee Florida and tell everybody I know and those I don't know who ask never buy the piece of crap it will be the worst mistake of your life.
Mark

From: cwilliams@srob.com
I am the owner of a 1997 Kia Sephia. I got my car in November of 1997 and it only had maybe about 46 miles on it. Since I first purchased my car it has been in the shop at least 8 times. The first time I put it in the shop was for the exhaust fumes. The smell was horrible and it made my family sick. After that I had to put the car in the shop because everytime I turned the AC on the car would just die. It would jerk and sputter and finally just quite. I sometimes had to drive with two feet to keep the car from cutting off when I have to slow down or stop in traffic. The next time was for breaks and rotors. I have had to replace the breaks twice and the rotors once. In 1999 I noticed this brown spot on the dash over the drivers side. I took the car to the shop then and asked about the spot. I was told that it was from the sun. So I put a towel over the spot. When I removed the towel sometime later I noticed the spot was getting larger. The dealership that I took the car to said that there was nothing that could be done about the spot. Now within the past 6 months the dash has popped out from the vents. It is starting to pop up completely across the dash. I really think that this is a hazard because of the airbags and the fact that the dash is popping up to where it is obstructing the view of the road. I took my car back to the shop in July of 2000 for the check engine light coming on and the car acting like it was going to quite. When I got to the dealership I told them what was wrong with the car and what was going on and I also had them to look at the dash. I was told that the entire dash would have to be replaced. Why should I pay for this when the dash sh ould have never popped up or burned like that in the beginning. How many vehicles have you seen on the road with this problem? Well I have seen about 8 and they are all Kia Sephia's. I have a sister and a niece that own one, and their dash is burning and popping up also. Now while I was waiting in the waiting room one of the salesmen came to me and asked me if I wanted to buy a car. I told him no, that I was only there to have my car worked on. He just kept pressuring me to get a new car. He went as far as saying that the 1997 Kia vehicles should have been recalled because they were not any good. Now I didn't ask for this information, he volunteered it. So I decided to go ahead and trade it in and get another car because of the dash and the problems I was having. (I got a sportage.) I only had the car a week and paid my money down and every thing and they called me and told me that my car was not worth anything. They informed me that the dash was completely destroyed and that the car was not in go od working condition to trade. They told me that I would need to come up with about $3000 and the new sportage had a $2000 rebate. The service people never did tell me how much it would cost me to fix my car before I decided to trade it. But after they would not take the car they told me that my car needed $1000 worth of work done on it. I was thinking that that was a way for them to keep some of the down payment that they had to refund me. I had some work done on the car and about 1 month later the check engine light has come back on. I told the dealership the light was on and was told that they did what they could to repair the car. I got under the hood to see what had been done and there was scraps of metal where they had been welding on the car. I also had a cut wire that was not cut before. And in order for me to get this repaired I would have to pay more money. That was something I was not about to do. I don't know what to do with the car. By the time I get done spending money to repair it and decide to spend money to fix the dash, I would have spent enough money to buy a new car. I really think that something should be done about the Kia corporation and the quality of their cars. I have enclosed a photo of my dash to show you just how bad it looks.
(See attached file: my dash.jpg)
Thanks for listening
Andre and Cynthia Whitelow
awhitelo@bellsouth.net / cwilliams@srob.com

From: BLYTHEJIMBO@aol.com
11-8 I RECIVED A BUYBACK OFFER FROM KIA.IT IS FOR THE FULL AMOUNT OF MY 2000 SEPHIA.I GUESS I WILL WAIT TO SEE IF THAY PAY UP.THIS WAS DONE .BY GONIG WITH THE STATE LEMON LAW. I LIVE IN MISSISSIPPI.I WILL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE.THAY HAVE 30 DAYS.TO COMPLY.I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY THAT THE USE OF BBB WAS A SIMPLE BUT TIME CONSUMING PROCESS.

From: VALLEYV13@aol.com
my girlfriend was basicaly forced into buying a '97 Kia Sportage with her trade in at John kENNEDY FORD IN LIMERICK PA . They refused to give her the option of taking her bronco back & going someplace else to get a real car. This thing is so poorly made the hood & gas tank open with thing wire with a little piece of plastic tied to the end with the gas 1 ripped out! the battery died before she even got it home, the starter went after 3 weeks- which left us having to stay home intstead of going away for a weekend we had been planning for 8 months! the dealer sent it someplace else & would not tell us were it was or if it was done. after 8 days she finaly got i back. aparently it is under some warrenty still but the dealer refuses to give her a copy or even let her see it ! it still dosn't like to start , the brakes are nasty, the transmission slips, this thing is a death trap! i don't know if any of this is bad enough to sue over but if it is i'm certain she would gladly do it.

From: PAB070863@aol.com
My girl friend and i both bought a kia i had bought mine one week before her it was the worst mistake of my life. I ran into problems with my car about one week after i bought my car. First thing that went wrong with it was the battery from then on it was all down hill. everything from the brakes that was really scary almost got hit a few times. Then the struts it drove like a truck. Stalling out when ever it felt like it. Paint on the outside of the car faiding. I had my car in the shop six times in seven months i was a the end of my rope. I didnt even want to drive this car all that money per month and i was afraid to drive it. I was ready to take it in for the seventh time when i decided to talk to the manager of the dealership i bought the car from he had informed me that there was nothing i could do but to keep on taking it in to be worked on. Thats when i decided to try the lemo! n law filled out all the forms and submitted. I heard from them about three weeks later. They set up an appointment with dealership and a rep from kia. When i got there no rep from kia was there just the same idiots i delt with before. They had told me it was all in my head and there was nothing wrong with my car i went away in tears. That following weekend my husband and i traded the car in. We took a five thousand dollar loss on the car. Im free and clear of my worst night mare but i still thing of all that money i had lost. Every time i see a kia driving down the road i feel sorry for them i wouldnt wish that car on my worst enemy. I want to smash my tv every time i see there ads. well thanks for the web sight im going to tell every one who is thinking about buying a kia to look at your website. thanks again.

From: TERRI ZUCCHERATO (tzuccherato@hotmail.com)
It appears that I am not the only one to be fooled by the KIA company - I leased a 2001 Sephia in London, Ontario, Canada on Sept. 20th 2001. On Oct. 6th 2000 the car died on me, smelled of burning & had to be brought in for the replacement of an ignition coil & spark plugs. On October 31st the engine light came on again and the car was sputtering. I once again brought it in & was told that the last time it was serviced the spark plugs were not replaced as they said they were done and displayed on my service receipt. Days later a black box close to the petals on the driver's side has dropped down to interfere with my left foot. The spray for the windsheild washer fluid ends up on the hood of the car when used. And, more recently as this past weekend (November 10th, 2000) I took a 5 hour drive in which it sounded as if a belt was whistleing.
I do not feel safe driving this car, but I do not know what my rights are. On Oct 31st when I brought my vehicle in for servicing they assured me everything was ok - I don't buy that. I do not want this car now (not even 2 months after aquiring the car) or for the remainder of the lease, do you have any suggestions on what I can do or who I can contact?
Sincerely,
Terri Zuccherato
tzuccherato@hotmail.com

From: Nike121241640577@aol.com
I WAS A SERVICE DIRECTOR FOR A KIA DEALERSHIP AND I CAN TELL YOU THE CARS ARE UNSAFE AND THE WORST CAR ON THE MARKET WIKTH ALL THE ON GOING PROBLEMS FROM THE RECALLS AND MORE ON THE WAY TO POOR BRAKING SYSTEM AND ALL THE WIRING PROBLEMS . YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW BAD THE CAR REALLY IS YOU MAY ONLY HAVE ONE I SAW OVER 25 A DAY OF THE WORST CARS EVER MADE. THE BRAKE PADS WONT LAST LONGER THEN 10,000 MILES AND THE WARRANTY WONT COVER THEM AFTER 12,000 MILES ROTORS PULSE . AND PLAN ON HAVING YOUR TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT LEAST ONCE . THE CAR WILL SPEND MORE TIME IN THE SERVICE DEPT THEN YOU DRIVING IT FEEL FREE TO EMAIL FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS

From: MHauge74@aol.com
Well, I probably have been lucky compared to some of the reviews. I haven't had any major problems other than the fact that my brakes have been replaced at 20,000 miles and they need to be replaced again at 38,000 miles. My tires are nearly bald already and this is simply the worst riding car made! Everything about the car is cheap and I am crossing my fingers that nothing major happens. After reading all these other emails, I am convinced that I need to trade this pile of shit in immediately.

From: marco m (giggler@gci.net)
My husband and I purchased a 1998 Sportage new off the lot. We started having problems less than a month after we purchased it. Last week we had the whole front end replaced for the second time, that is just the begining of the problems and 4 recalls that we have had. While we were there they tried to sell us a 2001 Sportage and a used 1997 Blazer for $22,000.00, needless to say it was quite comical. We inquired about purchasing the extended warranty and they told us it would be $1518.00. We feel that we are entiled to atleast an extended warranty free of charge, if not compensation for the low quality of the vehicle.
I would like to know who I need to contact at Kia Corporation. I will not get any help from the dealership, they made their money and now they don't care.
Could you please e-mail me with any information at mistymerriman@hotmail.com
Thank you for the website!!!!!!!

From: Bandeni95@aol.com
Dear Joe and Tara,
I have recently visited your site and am more hopeful now than I was 3 hours ago. My husband and I bought a new 99 Kia Sportage last September and like you it is less than 2 years old and I have had one problem after another with this car, including my idle and my alternator and my battery. I started having problems with this car before 10,000 miles and Kia doesn't seem to be getting things right. I have had my Sportage in the shop pretty much every two months for SOMETHING. As we speak my car is in the shop. One month ago I had to have my battery replaced ( sound familiar) and now I thought my alternator was going bad and I was having problems with my idle. They (the Kia dealer) said they adjusted the idle and adjusted the alternator belt, well it's doing the same thing so I took it in once again and they called today saying that it wasn't the alternator belt it was the power steering belt that was making the sound. So my question was " Why the hell did they adjust the alternator belt?" I do believe that Kia's mechanics don't know there heads from holes in the ground, you agree? I thought maybe I just got a bad apple, after reading all the bad reviews about them, I know now that there are quit a few bad apples out there. I am now going to take legal action. I don't think I have a lemon, because it hasn't been the same thing each time, but there has to be some law about how many repairs during a certain time just can't be right. If you can help me in any way, I beg you. Please e-mail me with any info you have. Thank you very much.
Sherrie Hoelzer

From: Barbarino37@aol.com
Just read about the car. And I planned in looking to buy one. Boy I am glad I finally got a computer so I can do my homework. Thanks again. Hope everthing works out for you . Barb

From: Liana Artinian (lartin@uiuc.edu)
I want to be a part of the law suit. I just received another recall from KIA. Now it is a valve in the gasoline pump. I was always covered with gasoline during refill and always blamed myself for geting to much of gasoline. Now it turned to be one of the KIA's endless problems. I have KIA sophia 1998. Seats covers are torn from the sides, even though the car only has 17,000 miles on it. Brakes, ignition, ect, when is it going to end.
I am with you !
Liana Artinian,
Urbana, Illinois.

From: Stacyowens402@aol.com
HELLO MY NAME IS STACY OWENS AND I LIVE IN MEMPHIS ,TN AND I BOUGHT A 2000 KIA SPECTRA AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEM WITH IT EVERY SINCE I BOUGHT, 1. IT CAN'T GO OVER 200 MILES ON A FULL TANK 2. THE TRANMISSON HAS A BAD JERK TO IT 3. THE CAR RUN LOUD 4. THE DRIVER SEAT HAS A LONG ROD STICKING THUR IT AND IT CUT MY SEAT UP AND THE INSIDE CONSOLE IS COMING APART AND IT IS JUST A PIECE OF CRAP.

From: towman@aug.com
Hello, My name is Jessica and I am 20 years old. I bought my very first brand new car 1 year ago on October 4th needless to say it is a 99 Kia Sephia. I have had many problems with my Kia, the first problem being that I can't start my vehicle half the time. They have had my car in the shop 1-2 times a month ever since I have bought it.They have changed my brakes, my computer chip in the car along with many other things. My battery just died a montha go. Good thing I wokr for a towing and service place because I don't know what I would have done. My story differs from yours though, I filed for the lemon law and went to court but they denied me. They didn't really care aparently. The service department I have taken it to doesn't seem to care so now I have switched dealerships again (this is the third one). I tried to trade my car in after they denied me but I am $4000 in the upside down. I owe $10,000 on my vehicle and they would only give me $6500 for it. I am in a no win situation. If I drive the vehicle for another 2 years I could trade it in but it won't be worth anything. I am still young and I work very hard for evrything. I don't go to school but I work a 50 hour week and I am very disappointed with my vehicle. It still doesn't work very well and I could have gone back to court but this time it would cost me money for court costs and lawyer and I don't have th emoney for it. The arbitrator that took care of my case didn't seem to care about my situation at lal. SHe asked me if I felt that my car was a health hazard and I said yes because among other things my car has stalled several times for me and my boyfriend and she didn't feel that that was a hazard. I feel that any car that doesn't run properly is a health hazard. Well I wanted to share me story with you maybe you can recommend something that I can do? Thank you for letting me share Jessica majorly frustrated

From: Kiabandit6@aol.com
Joe,
I have had my Kia for 6 months and it is currently in the shop for the 4th time. It only has 20,000 miles on it. They've had to replace the transmission, Muffler, Timing belt, many valves, dashboard, CAT converter (three times). Fortunately everything has been covered on the Warranty, but next March that ends. Plus the time and use I've lost with this car. Please add me to your list for a possible class action lawsuit. My name is Larry Stanley, and I live in Covina, CA. If you need more info, just email me at LarryStJr@aol.com. Thanks
Larry

From: Mafgmc99@aol.com
I have a 98 sportage. At first I loved it, now I hate it!! I have had it in the shop 7 to 9 times for recalls, check engine light coming on, almost stalling when stopping, high reving when put into park (I thought it was going to blow up a few times) ,battery problem, exhaust problem...I could probably go on! I paid close to $20,000 for this car, and people with 10-15 year old cars don't have the kind of problems I've had. My favorite recall has to be the one sent Feb. 25, 2000 stating bad connections in the fuel injection wire harness cicuit could cause the engine to stall, which could result in injury or death!!!! That's a great thing to hear about your new car! Anyways I would never recomend this vehical to anyone, or even think about buying another...unless I decide to move into the repair shop!! By the way I just had my car in the shop a couple of weeks ago, this visit would have cost $800 if I still did'nt have the warranty! That's alot of money for a brand new car purchased in Apr. of 99!

From: meme-76_@hotmail.com
IF A LAWSUIT IS BROUGHT AGAINST KIA I WANT IN ON IT. I OWN A '98 SEPHIA AND DON'T GET ME STARTED. I HATE KIA WITH A MAJOR PASSION. IS THERE A WAY THAT I CAN KEEP UPDATED ON NEW INFO WITH A POSSIBLE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

From: suzukii@mail.com
Hi. I found your web site by searching for "KIA AND Rip ANd off" on the ahoo search engine. I've written the following to Mr. Howard Gutman in hopes that he may have some advise if he cannot help. I hope he responds.

"Hello Mr. Howard Gutman. I understand you are a lawyer on the KIA case. Is there a law in the State of New York that says that if you're not 100% satisfied with your purchased new vehicle you can return it to where it was purchased from even on the 80th day of ownership with less than 2000 miles on it?
Hi. My name is Hector Santiago. I found your e-mail address on a web site complaining about the KIA Sportage. We seek counseling or advise on what we should do, if we can do anything about our particular situation. Any help will be very appreciated.
Please keep in mind that this is our first new vehicle purchase. We feel that the excitement of purchasing any new car overwhelmed us and may have cluttered our minds, especially mine.
On behalf of my fiancée and myself we recently feel as though we've become prey to car salesmen vultures of MAJOR KIA, a dealer in Northern Blvd-Queens, New York area. Therefore, we may have made a b-i-g mistake in not properly surveying this vehicle during the 5-minute test drive that the dealer rushed us through including the final dealing and our lack of negotiation because of our inexperience in this matter.
We recently purchased a KIA Sportage EX, year 2000 on 9/9/2000. We're greatly dissatisfied with the car in it's handling, it's pathetic performance, it's uncomfortable ride which becomes self evident after only driving for one hour. I've already taken it for four minor repairs by the dealer's service center already. It started on the day I was to pick up the vehicle from the dealer after our purchase finalization process. The air conditioning system did not function & they had me return with the car on the second day of ownership for a non-documented repair. Then, I found a plastic rod on the floor on the 3rd day. I recently took the KIA to dealer because the valet parking feature on the alarm system, provided by the dealer, wasn't functioning properly. On that same day I reported that the hood had a misalignment, the fuse box compartment door didn't stay closed, it still doesn't. In addition to this a black box from behind the dashboard fell behind my break pad as I was parking the vehicle next to the dealer on the day I went to complain about this vehicle. We've been trying unsuccessfully to get the vehicle traded in for a totally different vehicle. We're seeking another car made by a different car manufacturer since the dealer we purchased it from would not take their own car back for a trade in without giving us a loooong story about how we're going to lose so much. In other words how worthless the product they sell actually is. They down played this cars possible trade in so much that we became depressed and walked out. Feeling like we'd had the wool pulled over our eyes in a major way when we purchased it. The dealer wouldn't even accept the car with it's low mileage of 1300 miles with less than three months of our ownership for another car at one of their other sites which sell Dodge and Chrysler vehicles. We've been to six other dealers in the New York and New Jersey area and nobody seems to accept this car as a trade in. When we did find two dealerships that we liked we were excited when they said they take any vehicle as a trade-in. Then, their obvious excitement went out the window as soon as they learned the vehicle we were trading in was a KIA Sportage. The dealers that would accept the car as a trade in wanted to give us no more than $12,000. We're paying almost $24,000 with financing. The Kelley Bluebook says this car is still worth $14985 as of the time of this writing. Our purchase price was slightly over $17,000 without financing charges. According to the dealers we've spoken to, if we trade the car in for a much more higher quality vehicle we will be tacking on to the new vehicle's purchase approximately $6000 additional dollars because of this vehicles unworthiness and low trade in value. Can you help us or are we stuck with this car."
Hector Santiago.

From: cooper_lab@hotmail.com
Hi Joe and Tara,
I have had a "pleasant" conversation with my KIA dealership today as well as KIA Canada. They are going to try to fix the problems that I am having with the car and say that there is no way that I can get out of the lease, claiming that they have nothing to do with the car now as it is all with the leasing company they no longer have responsibility except for warranty items - comforting thought! So, the car will be left with them to do any necessary repairs. In the mean time I was wondering if you guys could help me out. It appears that the references on your site & the lawyer you reference are all from the US & I am in Canada. Would it be possible for you to put a note or link on your website for any Canadian dissatisfied KIA customers to drop me a line at the email address cooper_lab@hotmail.com ? It may prove helpful. I appreciate anything that you can do.
Thanks again,
Terri Zuccherato

From: Vitalogy2001@aol.com
To Whom It May Concern-
Before i Read you dite i was gonna buy a Kia 4x4....but after reading the emails on this page with the same problems being reported...i will no longer look at a Kia as a choice of a car...i figured since people said the same things about Honda when they first came out i would get the Kia but after seeing all the emails...HOnda never had these kinda responses....one question? what car along the same line is affordable and do you recommend
Vitalogy2001@aol.com
St. Louis,MO

From: knails@bellsouth.net
Hi Joe,
I am another unsuspecting customer of Kia. Bought the car in March of 2000. Thought that I would be getting a great car to drive back and forth to college. Kia 2000, pewter in color, 47 miles on it when I got it. At 137 miles, noticed the front end pulling to the right, guess how many times I've had it in the shop (4)changed the tires around, one time they told me that it was road grout?????and to wash the car every week. Then the engine light kept coming on (5) times in the shop, then finally a caring technician, after four painstaking hours found a large leak in the gas line, but before it was found they kept telling me I was not pumping the gas properly, and the cap was not turned five clicks HAAAAAA. Then on (4) occassions I was telling them that the car was losing power, now this my friend was my imagination, at least that is what Kia said, they finally found out that I was right again, the damn car needed a CATALITIC CONVERTER, ON A BRAND NEW CAR, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!! Now this is only the beginning of my fight with Kia, now last but not least, the rotors were changed twice and the brakes were changed once and of course they are still sqeeking, the car is still pulling to the right and I lost to Kia at the Arbitration Hearing, needless to say I got a bum deal just like everyone else who was seeking to save some money. But you better believe they will never see anymore business from me or anyone I know. Now the car has 9,486 miles and I pray every night when on my way home from work, that the front wheels don't fly off while I'm on the highway. I hope that someone will win in the arbatration hearing, which is a big joke unless someone dies.
Thanks for listening