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Business Profile

Auto Manufacturers

Kia America Inc

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Auto Manufacturers.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Kia America Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Kia America Inc has 8 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 2,033 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 1,160 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/22/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Bought a 2014 *** **** back in Nov. 2021. $14k financed. A couple weeks after purchase, the check engine light came on. We took it in & they supposedly fixed it. A month later it came on again and *** said they had to wait to fix the rough idle we reported, until *** released a "code" so they could reset it. So we kept driving it. Then in March on the way to work, the car died. Towed it to our Mechanic and the engine was blown! Going to cost over $5k for a new motor! *** said they cant do anything to help, ive spoken to the finance company & all they offered was an extention on my $400 a month payments, so now Im going to have to pay $20k after the motor for a USED 2014 car? This is RIDICULOUS &should be illegal to sell someone a car that is a LEMON and less than a month later have problems & then have the motor completely die & be told,,, SORRY, while im stuck paying for a dead car. SO not right. I want *** to pay for the new motor in a car that they never should have had on their lot if it wasnt worth selling for even a couple months of driving. I literally got to drive it from Nov. 22 till March and now NO CAR, NO HELP, and they get 14k out of me, plus im out another $5k to even get it running. We are a low income family with health issues. Ive cried, begged, pleaded for them to do the right ************ refuse to help. The car has been at the my mechanics for over a month, almost two. The mechanic said that *** should have detected the issues had they gone over the car properly. We checked the codes even for the check engine light & there was a lot. When they sold us the car, even the front windshield had to be replaced from what looked like it had been through a haboob dust storm. Sand blasted. Ill NEVER buy *** or anything related to them. If i turn it in or let them repo it. It looks BAD on credit. I cant do this alone. I want them to pay for engine or trade for a better car.CONVENIENTLY, no record for chk eng. Light. *** CAR PROS, ******************* is where.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/25/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We have located your case, ********, and believe your issue has been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/21/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      April 27, 2019 is the first recall date, I have spoke with several *** ******** and I have also reached out to consumer affairs in regards to this matter. The company have been giving false information I never received a fair outcome to this situation I have only been getting the run around, I purchased the vehicle in ******* ** and since then the company is closed. The car was serviced their and at that time the car came up under another persons name and three months later, I had to turn the car in and my license plates were back so they put them on the other car, At that time the car was running well and then they sent a letter reaching out stating the car had a recall for the catalyst converter and engine to be changed out. The consumer affairs told me they have all of the documents from ******************** my case # ******* please contact me so I can give full detail and I have all forwarding documents after I spoke to District manager he was very rude unprofessional and kept hanging ** in my face, As of January 2022 I'm having problem with catalyst converter contacted *** and now they will not do repairs, I just want a new car and for *** to honor recall and repairs. I can be reached at ************** I have received unfair treatment payed a lot of money to have a car that I am still making payments on is unfair treatment please help me, I am disabled with health issues.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/25/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We have located your case, ********, and believe your issue has been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/21/2022

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      In January of 2022 I received an oil change service for my 2016 *** ****** from a local dealership who reported unusually high oil consumption based from the mileage between servicing. In February of 2022 I again took this vehicle in for an oil consumption test, at which point the same dealership diagnosed the engine was failing. I asked the service department at this dealership to contact Affenberg *** to confirm warranty and recall information specific to the engine issue. Upon follow-up, it was discovered that Affenberg did not return the call to confirm information with the local dealership (I have obtained service reports detailing these actions, however I do not currently have access to them upon filing this complaint. I can send these at a later date by request). On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, I experienced a total engine failure per diagnostics from the same local dealership assessed on Monday, July 18, 2022. I made multiple attempts to verify information with Affenberg *** to determine next steps regarding the class action lawsuit on their Theta engines and received no call back (I had spoken to two different representatives and they reported they would send email notices to the service department, which should be in their records, but I was not provided with verification other than verbal that these emails had been sent to the appropriate party. I contacted *** manufacturing directly and they reported that they were not able to assist in this matter due to an "upgrade" that was not completed on my vehicle which would have extended the warranty to cover the costs of the repair of this failure. I explained I had received no notice in any format regarding an "upgrade" to my vehicle. *** reported dates in 2018 and 2019 that these notices had been mailed via ***** but could not verify that I had received the notices.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/25/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We have located your case, ********, and believe your issue has been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/20/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have a 2016 *** ****** and on June 16,2022, the engine went out. I took it to the *** ********** on June 29, 2022. (That was their first availability). The did not provide me a loaner car so I have been paying for a rental this entire time. They finally got back to me on 7/19/22 and said *** could not cover the recalled engine because they sent out notifications and I did not comply. I never received any notifications. So I have a car that I can not use and still have a car note on it.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/25/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We have located your case, ********, and believe your issue has been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/19/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unresolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Hello Id like to first say that I really enjoy my Kia ****** however recently there has been a problem with my air-conditioner system and the local repair shop does not perform electrical repair which forced me to send my vehicle to Kia ************ location in ******* **. The service manager Chip and I have spoke on a few occasions and it turns out that his location has over 250 cars that needs repairs and no parts. In my situation he informed me that it would be four weeks before he could even diagnose my problem. My car warranty company is waiting for a diagnosis to determine if I can have a rental car. I am currently without any transportation and I have a child in summer school and yes the pleasure of just having a vehicle therefore I cannot take her to summer camp nor can I get proper transportation to work. Please help me understand what is the problem with your parts for our cars .

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/19/2022

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I own a 2023 *** sportage X line premium, which was bought on 4/6/22. On 6/4/22 my sunroof exploded on the hwy coming home from family vacation. Nothing hit us, was not under an overpass, etc. The car at the time had ***** miles on it. I brought my car to two *** dealerships one in alabama and the other in ************. ********* ************ refused to do anything to help me beings that *** corporate did not see it as their problem. I still have not been able to get in touch with ANYONE at *** corporate and there is also a RECALL on the 23 *** sportages for the molding not being installed properly at the factory, which can result in sunroof explosions. I had to pay out of pocket for these expenses on a brand new car. This couldve severely injured myself and my children if i had the shade back when it happened.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/24/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear of your concern and hope your issue has already been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/19/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      In April I bought a 2016 *** ******** and a month and a half later my engine seized while we were driving. My husband went to go put his foot on the gas pedal and nothing even happened luckily we were near somewhere that we could pull off the road safely. We bought the car from Kitsap Auto and ************. This 2016 *** ******** has recalls on the engine due to the bearings and the wiring harness. After being inspected at the place where I bought the car it was sent to *** who used their machines to check the bearings and the motor somehow the bearings passed but after having the engine broken down they found that the bearings were blue and they don't even know how it passed because they were so badly burnt so it was the recall that caused the issue which was the bearings. My car has been sitting at ************** for 2 months now and I've been paying on a car I don't even have and it's all because they have been waiting on *** and the warranty company to figure out who was going to pay for it and who was at fault after finding that ***'s at fault especially since there's an extended warranty on the engine and the car because of the bearings we submitted all the information necessary and video footage to *** to have them look at it so that I can be provided with a rental car and they can finally replace my motor. I am a home care aid and I transport clients in my vehicle had I been on the highway and the engine seized I might not be sitting here right now and they would be going through a lot of lawsuits. We were supposed to drive the vehicle to ******* so my husband could go bury his grandmother had we been on the way out of the state or in another state this would especially be a very bad situation. Having an engine fail is a huge safety issue if we had been going fast we could be dead right now. They submitted all the information to *** on Friday here we are at Tuesday still no response. *** is at fault and they need to fix my vehicle. Corporate isn't responding

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/19/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Two weeks ago I had a issue with my 2018 *** ******* I had it towed to the dealership where I bought it and was told it would be a week till it was looked at and another at least to fix it. Now its two weeks later and its still not even been looked at. According to the dealership there is no car rental reimbursement till its diagnosed which could still be another week if not longer. The dealership service department said the reason it takes so long is *** corporate requires them to do several checks before they are allowed to go ahead with the repair. In the meantime if you cant afford money for a rental which I cant do anymore then the 2 weeks, you just out of luck and you have no vehicle. There are no longer loaner cars, most were sold off so they dont have them to give out. There are so many people this is affecting and its simply not right and *** is only making it harder on the consumer. I am a senior citizen here on *************, what about other seniors. The treatment by *** is deplorable and they just blame the dealership when really its corporate thats making it hard

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/19/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      just recently filed a complaint about sunroof sealing improperly. Now my back window glass is not sealed properly!! this car is absolute garbage and i want nothing to do with it at this point.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/24/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear of your concern and hope your issue has already been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/16/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Turbo failed in my **** a repair covered under my car's warranty. I was promised by the company that the repair cost would be covered and I would be reimbursed for the cost of a rental vehicle due to that. I had to submit a claim for that and was denied reimbursement because I filed the claim under the wrong category/department. It took 60 days for me to be notified, then when I contested it they told me a new claim had to be submitted to get my reimbursement but that they would do it for me and put the correct information in my case/file. I asked to be updated of the status and they said someone would contact me within the week. No one contacted me after a couple weeks, so I called again and they said they had no notes under my case number about the conversation I had with their representative. They again told me they would resubmit a new claim for me and that I did qualify for reimbursement for my rental car. They said someone would be reaching out in 72 hours. No one ever called me, I've tried calling several times over the last couple months just to sit on hold and never reach anyone who can help me, and I still haven't received my reimbursement money. The date of the turbo failure was 1/22/2022, repairs were done in approx. three weeks, so it is now 5 months later and *** has not resolved this. They have also not responded to any of my recent emails. The cost of my rental car was $700. I also just learned that they closed my case - screen shot attached. They have all the documents that show the rental receipts, details of the repair, etc. (also attached here). Case number with *** Consumer Assistance is ********. I have screen shots of all email communication so you can see how unresponsive they've been. My vehicle's VIN number is ***************** for proof of my warranty coverage.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/24/2024

      Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear of your concern and hope your issue has already been resolved. If you are still in need of further assistance, please contact us at your convenience. You may speak directly to a customer care representative by contacting us directly at **************(4Kia). Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific.

    Kia America Inc is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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