2003 KIA RIO CINCO — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

WHEN YOU PARK THE CAR, SHUTOFF ENGINE, PULL UP THE SHORT UNLOCK STICK, THEN PULL THE OPEN BUTTON TO OPEN THE DOOR. THAT'S NORMAL PROCEDURE. BUT IF YOU ARE IN HURRY, PULL THE DOOR OPEN BUTTON FIRST AND FORGET PULL THE UNLOCK STICK, YOU CANNOT OPEN DOOR ANYMORE, YOU CANNOT GO BACK AND PULL UP THE UNLOCK STICK TO UNLOCK DOOR ANYMORE. IT WILL KEEP LOCKING THE DOOR BACK WHEN YOU PULL UP THE UNLOCK STICK. YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR 15 MIN TO OPEN THE DOOR. DANGEROUS IF IN THE EMERGENCY.

THE REAR SEATBELTS DON'T LOCK INTO PLACE RIGHT. NORMALLY, WHEN YOU PULL A SEATBELT THE FULL WAY OUT THEN LET IT WIND BACK IN, IT SHOULD HAVE TENSION ON IT. THE SEATBELTS IN THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE DON'T DO THIS. THEY CAN BE PULLED BACK OUT WITHOUT STOPPING. THEY CLIP INTO THE BUCKLES FINE THOUGH. I HAVE 2 CAR SEATS IN THE BACK, SO I NEED THIS FEATURE TO WORK PROPERLY TO SECURE THE CHILD SEATS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 KIA RIO CINCO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WAS NOT LOCKING PROPERLY; THEREFORE, THE SAFETY SEAT MIGHT COME LOOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A REPORT WAS FILED SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

I HAVE SEVERAL ISSUES WITH KIA. I'LL GIVE YOU A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF MY DEALINGS WITH KIA. 1-I WANTED TO BUY THE 2002 RIO CINCO IN AUGUST 2002. I RESEARCHED IT ONLINE, AND PICKED THE ONE I WANTED BEFORE GOING TO A DEALERSHIP. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT HAD BILLBOARDS POSTED ALL OVER GRAND RAPIDS, MI ADVERTISING: $99 DOWN / $99 PER MONTH. I WAITED OVER 2 HOURS TO BE WAITED ON. WHEN THE SALESMAN FINALLY WAITED ON ME, I WAS TOLD THEY HAD TO GET THE CAR I WANTED FROM ANOTHER DEALERSHIP, AND I COULD PICK IT UP IN 2 DAYS. OCTOBER 25TH, 2002, I FINALLY PICKED IT UP (BETWEEN AUG & OCT THE SALESMAN CALLED SEVERAL TIMES TO ASK IF I WOULD ACCEPT A DIFFERENT COLOR, MODEL, FEATURES, ETC., AND OF COURSE I SAID NO ... ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY WERE NOT GOING TO OFFER A DISCOUNT). THEN, WHEN THE CAR FINALLY ARRIVED IN OCTOBER, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS WHAT I ORDERED, BUT IT WASN'T. MY HUSBAND PICKED UP THE CAR SINCE I WAS OUT OF TOWN, SO HE DIDN'T KNOW THEY GAVE HIM A 2003 MODEL, AND NOT THE 2002 I ORDERED. THEY HAD HIM SIGN THE PAPERWORK, SO HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE PRICE WAS ALSO $4000.00 MORE THAN THE PRICE I AGREED TO PAY! UPON ARRIVING HOME FROM MY BUSINESS TRIP, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO NOTIFY THEM THAT THERE WAS A MISTAKE, AND WE DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHT VEHICLE. THEIR ANSWER TO ME WAS, THE PAPERWORK IS COMPLETE, THE CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED, AND THE SALE IS FINAL. 2-I WENT BACK SEVERAL TIMES FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, BUT EVERYTIME I WENT INTO THAT DEALERSHIP, I HAD TO WAIT OVER AN HOUR, AND ENDED UP LEAVING BEFORE THEY WOULD TALK TO ME.... EVEN WHEN I HAD AN APPOINTMENT! SO I ENDED UP TAKING MY CINCO ELSEWHERE FOR MAINTENANCE. CONTINUED ....2-3 *TR

CONT...2 OF 3 3-I'VE FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE, PROVIDED EVIDENCE FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGES, TRANSMISSION FLUSHES, AIR CONDITIONER MAINTENANCE., TIRES, BRAKES, ETC. EVERY AUTO I'VE EVERY OWNED (DATING BACK TO 1976) HAS GIVEN ME IN EXCESS OF 200,000 MILES...AND MY TOYOTA HAD OVER 350,000 ... AND THE ENGINE WAS STILL PURRING (I JUST GOT TIRED OF HAVING TO REPLACE THE FLOOR). A PERSON DOESN'T GET THAT KIND OF MILEAGE ON A REGULAR BASIS WITHOUT TAKING CARE OF IT! 4-THE ENGINE LIGHT FIRST APPEARED IN FEBRUARY 2004. I TOOK IT TO BURLINGAME GARAGE. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO KIA, THAT THE WARRANTY SHOULD COVER ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN BRUSHED ME OFF BY STATING I NEEDED A TRANSMISSION FLUSH AS ROUTINE MAINTENANCE?THEY WANTED $225. I DECLINED THEIR WONDERFUL ?SPECIAL PRICE, AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH BURLINGAME GARAGE?THEY DID A TRANSMISSION FLUSH FOR $79. 5-FEBRUARY 2006, THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY HAD THEIR DEALERSHIP REVOKED, I NOW HAD TO GO TO THE COMSTOCK PARK LOCATION. SO I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR APRIL (THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO WORRIED ABOUT ME DRIVING THE CAR WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT ON). THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION BELT, SO THEY CHANGED IT (WHICH WAS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE ($400+), AND THEY ALSO CHECKED THE FLUIDS, AND CHANGED THE OIL. 6-I HAD THE ENGINE FLUSHED AGAIN ONCE WE MADE THE FAMILY DECISION TO MOVE TO CALIFORNIA. WE MOVED IN AUGUST 2006. MY HUSBAND NOTICED THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT ON AGAIN. HE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AROUND 79,000 MILES, AND THEY TOLD HIM IT ONLY NEEDED A TRANSMISSION FLUSH (BUT THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME SINCE I HAD IT FLUSHED LESS THAN 20,000 MILES AGO). HE HAD THE FLUSH DONE ANYWAY. CONTINUED....3 *TR