Kia First Year Introduction Track Record

[critrider]

Anyone one on the forum that purchased during the initial year of a completely new Kia vehicle? Just about every manufacturer has some issues at launch, and wondered how Kia handled them. A lot of us are a bit Leary about buying cars year one, preferring to let others sort out any minor quirks.

 

[Kamauxx]

I bought my Stinger in February 2018. That was only a few months after it was released in The U.S.

The car has a 10 year warranty. If there are any issues Kia takes care of it. I also had a issue crop up after the 12 month 12k mile warranty on brakes had expired and Kia still fixed it for free.

Something to remember, the new Korean cars we get aren't new to the world. Typically they have already been available in the SK market before we start receiving ours. So the kinks should be minimized.

 

[ucinn]

I have the 2018 Stinger also. Have had 1 recall and a couple TSB's, but has been fine other than that. My first Stinger had the yellow paint problem and they bought it back for what I purchased it plus gave me back the money i had spent for PPF and rear spoiler. Can't be more happy with Kia.

 

[Dandy]

I bought my Stinger in February 2018. That was only a few months after it was released in The U.S.

The car has a 10 year warranty. If there are any issues Kia takes care of it. I also had a issue crop up after the 12 month 12k mile warranty on brakes had expired and Kia still fixed it for free.

Something to remember, the new Korean cars we get aren't new to the world. Typically they have already been available in the SK market before we start receiving ours. So the kinks should be minimized.

That may be true for other vehicles in the KIA/Hyundai line up, but I doubt it for the Telluride since it is manufactured in the U.S. That stated, it shares the drive train with the Hyundai Palisade which appears to have been available in South Korea for a little while. Once the plan in GA really gets rolling, they may have a few fit/finish things to work through as they roll through production at higher capacities. This is a VERY important segment to every manufacturer right now. I somehow get the feeling that the "smaller" car companies (Hyundai/KIA/Subaru) know that they cannot afford to miss a mark on the releases into this segment. If KIA is smart, and thy must be to have grown in market share, they will be very careful with production and will also be very diligent of taking care of any initial complaints/feedback from early adopters.

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[Kamauxx]

That may be true for other vehicles in the KIA/Hyundai line up, but I doubt it for the Telluride since it is manufactured in the U.S. That stated, it shares the drive train with the Hyundai Palisade which appears to have been available in South Korea for a little while. Once the plan in GA really gets rolling, they may have a few fit/finish things to work through as they roll through production at higher capacities. This is a VERY important segment to every manufacturer right now. I somehow get the feeling that the "smaller" car companies (Hyundai/KIA/Subaru) know that they cannot afford to miss a mark on the releases into this segment. If KIA is smart, and thy must be to have grown in market share, they will be very careful with production and will also be very diligent of taking care of any initial complaints/feedback from early adopters.

Good point. I completely forgot that the car originates in the U.S. Still, Kia has taken care of me with any issues I've had. They've even sent me a $50 gift card to make up for my "bump in the road" as they called it. And they've sent a free gift to the first 15k Stinger buyers (a set of Harmon Kardon headphones).

It's interesting you put Kia/Hyundai in the same "small car company" category as Subaru. Unknown to many, Hyundai-Kia is the 4th largest automaker in the world.

 

[Dandy]

Good point. I completely forgot that the car originates in the U.S. Still, Kia has taken care of me with any issues I've had. They've even sent me a $50 gift card to make up for my "bump in the road" as they called it. And they've sent a free gift to the first 15k Stinger buyers (a set of Harmon Kardon headphones).

It's interesting you put Kia/Hyundai in the same "small car company" category as Subaru. Unknown to many, Hyundai-Kia is the 4th largest automaker in the world.

My reference was primarily towards the US Market. I do believe in the US they sell more cars than Subaru, largely due to:
1: Having 2 Brands
2: A much wider selection of cars

However compared to GM, Ford and Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/FIAT (or whatever they are now), they are a small manufacturer in the US. I guess in the US market, VW could also be considered small for a mainline line company.

Truth be told, I did no know that Hyundai-Kia was that large. I learned something today...thank you. I have always said that once I learn something I can go home. I doubt my boss would agree

In our conservative MN market, anything that is not "BIG 3" is a small portion of the market. We have a lot of U.S pride, which is a good thing, but many of them don't consider where it is produced and always have the argument "The money still goes back to....". The funny thing is that all the Dodge/Jeep fans don't seem to realize that the parent company is not US. It is tough to get people to change, which is why the KIA product line depreciates so fast in our area, they don't realize changes have been made. Many Fords and GM are produced in Canada and Mexico, but they are still American.

 

[Phaila]

k

Anyone one on the forum that purchased during the initial year of a completely new Kia vehicle? Just about every manufacturer has some issues at launch, and wondered how Kia handled them. A lot of us are a bit Leary about buying cars year one, preferring to let others sort out any minorquirks.

Telluride is a totally new model. It is loosely based on the 2009 Borrego. That only sold around 12,000 cars. It is now called the Mohave.

 

[critrider]

I have an Ascent ( trying to decide if I want to trade for a Telluride). The first year was pretty smooth. One silly issue with the door seals rubbing when the back door was first opened at 30 degrees then the front door was opened, and some break pad squealing issues. The big one was transmissions. There was an August 2018 build group of CVT's that failed and were replaced. Seemed like a really small number and isolated to that month. I've had zero issues. Would be happy with a similar roll out by Kia.

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[John]

Anyone one on the forum that purchased during the initial year of a completely new Kia vehicle? Just about every manufacturer has some issues at launch, and wondered how Kia handled them. A lot of us are a bit Leary about buying cars year one, preferring to let others sort out any minor quirks.

I purchased the Optima in 2011 and Cadenza in 2014 both cars were new models at the time. I felt comfortable enough to purchase a Telluride.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

That may be true for other vehicles in the KIA/Hyundai line up, but I doubt it for the Telluride since it is manufactured in the U.S. That stated, it shares the drive train with the Hyundai Palisade which appears to have been available in South Korea for a little while. Once the plan in GA really gets rolling, they may have a few fit/finish things to work through as they roll through production at higher capacities. This is a VERY important segment to every manufacturer right now. I somehow get the feeling that the "smaller" car companies (Hyundai/KIA/Subaru) know that they cannot afford to miss a mark on the releases into this segment. If KIA is smart, and thy must be to have grown in market share, they will be very careful with production and will also be very diligent of taking care of any initial complaints/feedback from early adopters.

Now only if they can fix their sales staff ... so far bad experiences all around.