Lemon laws exist for a reason, and judging by this woman’s experience with a brand new Kia she purchased for $45,000, it sounds like she needs to invoke said laws to get her money back.
Dani (@dani_bannani) posted a viral TikTok where she skewered a local Kia dealership for selling her a car she says gave her problems since day one—and the issues just snowballed from there.
The woman said that when she was shopping for a new, bigger car, she looked up the Kia Sorento and thought that it was a viable option—major automotive outlets have sung its praises. Then there’s Kia’s built-in warranties with its vehicles that outlast many competitors, and reviewers who seem to have a soft spot for the Sorento, in particular.
However, the TikTokers’ experience with the car was less than ideal. Dani, who said she was previously a Kia owner, opted for an upgraded $45,000 model which has third-row seating. She said she noticed issues with the car from the first day she brought it home, such as finding oil in her driveway.
@dani_bananni Hey, @Kia America, I’d love to trade it in, but the value is nothing because it’s been having issues since the day I bought it, and I keep getting told I just had bad luck. #car #storytime #rant #cardealership ♬ TEXAS HOLD 'EM – Beyoncé
A few months later, she said the panoramic roof on the vehicle would get stuck when she tried to close it, leaving her to drive around with a perpetually open-roofed vehicle. When she phoned the dealership, she said they told her that sometimes sticks get caught in the mechanism which will slow the window from closing properly. For a spell, Dani said she was afraid of opening the sunroof ever again, however, it ultimately did begin operating as intended again.
She said she also noticed the car began to look “weathered” on the outside. According to the dealership, it was a result of too many car washes. On top of that, when she would often accelerate or shift the car after it was stopped, she said that the engine would feel as if it was “bottoming” out or stuttering. Again, she was informed that this was a result of the drivetrain option she selected for the car, a turbo.
Months after, when she brought her car into the dealership for “routine maintenance” she said she was informed that there was a “giant oil leak” in her oil pan and timing belt. Because the car was under warranty, she said the dealership said they would take care of the problem, but that the work would take “a day or two.”
Once at the dealership, she said apart from checking the sunroof, the side panel, the timing belt and the “LED strip light” near the headlights of her car, which was a $2,000 part, the mechanic told her her transmission also needed replacement.
The auto workers allegedly told her that while the car was in drive, the transmission automatically threw the thing into reverse: not the kind of thing you want to happen while you’re on a road and commuting with other drivers. As a result, they needed to replace her entire transmission on the 2022 Kia Sorento.
Dani said since the car has suffered several problems over a prolonged period it doesn’t fall into the “lemon law” as that usually intones one persistent problem with a vehicle that can’t be fixed (these laws vary from state to state, but there are some federal stipulations). She demanded to get the car bought back because of all the issues she’s experienced with it over 30 months but was told that the best they could do was “trade it in,” which would net her less than half of what she agreed to purchase the car for.
She added that when she purchased the car, she financed it at around a 2% interest rate, and that if she purchased one today, her interest rate would be much higher, meaning she’d lose a ton of money on a trade-in.
“I bought that car brand new, zero miles, within the day that I bought it sh*t started going wrong, Kia kept telling me it’s not a big deal,” she said.
It’s worth mentioning that the model year of the Kia Dani purchased is 2022, which is around the time that many auto manufacturers and consumers were feeling the effects of a chip shortage and high demand that appears to have severely affected the quality of many vehicles that rolled off of assembly lines during that time.
Commenters who replied to Dani’s video bashed South Korean auto manufacturers while extolling Japanese brands Toyota and Honda for their renowned reliability.
“Idk when people are going to learn…. TOYOTA OR HONDA ONLY,” one person said.
Another wrote, “Kia is the Temu of the car industry.”
Someone else penned, “Meanwhile I am still trying a 2004 Toyota sequoia 3rd row with almost 300,000 miles still going strong.”
One person remarked, “Pretty much every mechanic on here on TikTok is saying don’t ever buy a Kia or a Hyundai.”
Other folks shared their negative experiences purchasing Kia cars, with one sharing, “I got the original Kia in 2003, had to replace the transmission 3 times. Never again. I love my Toyota Highlander.”
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