I've been writing a lot about cars lately, they've been on my mind. We bought a new Kia Sportage at Frank Fletcher Kia in Bentonville, Arkansas a month ago to fill the bill for an all wheel drive vehicle. We had owned a Hyundai Santa Fe for 3 years so we felt comfortable buying the Kia, Hyundai owns them as well. The night we picked up the Kia, the service light came on. We were the last customers that night and taking it back was not an option. The following day we had a record 24" of snow so the new Kia "rested" in the garage with the Prius. The following week I took it back in and they reset the computer. In a few days the light came back on, back it went. This time was overnight and I picked it up the next day. A few days later the service light came back on and I took it back in. This time they kept it over the weekend. When Frank Fletcher Kia service department told me that our two week old car needed a new transmission I couldn't believe it. We hadn't even licensed the car and already it needed a major repair. I immediately told them I did not feel comfortable with the car. If the transmission needed replacing at two weeks, what else could be wrong with this vehicle? Last week was stressful with visits to the dealership, telephone calls with Kia Consumer Affairs and telephone calls with management at Frank Fletcher Kia. We asked that they sell us another Kia. Kia Consumer Affairs said it was up to the dealer. Frank Fletcher declined and simply replaced the transmission. I have to say we feel very worried that we will have further issues with this car. After 40+ years and many, many vehicles purchased this is the first time we've ever had a problem of this magnitude. This is also the first time a dealer hasn't done the right thing, at least in our eyes. What do you think?
Scary Joyce...I wouldn't give up yet...
ReplyDeleteI think they should have replaced it instantly!
ReplyDeleteI also think Kia should have insisted they replace it.
I would be almost afraid to drive it any distance at all.
And guess what they are loosing lots of potential customers by doing this!
My sis fought with Ford over a car for a very long time. She was never satisfied....Guess what they lost about 4 cars over that deal.
They were always Ford people; they are now Chevrolet people. Have bought two trucks, and two cars...........from Chevrolet since then!
Surely there's a warranty a car only a few days old! I suggest you write directly to the CEO of the Kia makers. Do something though, do NOT give up!!!
ReplyDeleteThe warranty did fix the car. Our gripe is that they should have taken the car back. We were willing to buy another. This one hadn't even been tagged yet. They flat refused, customer service is dead.Kia Corporation told us it's up to the dealer, they can't tell them what to do. We hit a brick wall.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a television station or local newspaper that solves consumer problems?
ReplyDeleteTulsa's KJRH Channel 2 has "Problem Solvers" and they can really cut through the crap.
Looks like you're going to have to embarrass these folks into doing the right thing. That's a real shame.
I'd be getting one of those magnetic signs made up for the sides of my car. I'd embarass the heck out of that dealership and tell every single person who would listen just how they dealt with the problem. Be sure to keep records because there is a "lemon law" and your car may fall under that if there continue to be problems.
ReplyDeleteAs the other person said, I'd contact a local news/radio station and tell them my story. It's a load of crap that you bought a brand new car and after two weeks had to have a new transmission. If you're on facebook you should be posting this. I'm going to post about it on my blog. That way everytime someone googles Kia they'll see it.
Ooh, I would not keep the car. I'll be very interested to see what they do for you. Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteLike the Granny before me I was going to ask if Arkansas has a "lemon law."
ReplyDeleteBuying a car is stressful enough, having it give you transmission problems this soon is terrible! I hope that the fix they do actually takes care of the problems and you don't have any other surprises with it. I don't think I'll be buying a Kia anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
sounds to me like they owe you a new car, and I would make sure to post plenty of reviews on the internet letting others know. Including the BBB.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your words of encouragement. I don't think that was too much to expect, after all the dealership would have sold us another at probably a higher cost. As it is, they will never sell us another one. I plan on sharing this with others who might consider Frank Fletcher Motors of NW Arkansas. Let the buyer beware.
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