Complaint Review: Anderson Ford Kia - St Joseph Missouri

I am disgusted with my Kia Sedona 2004 minivan which I purchased brand new from Anderson Ford Kia in St Joseph Mo. At approx. 2900 miles, the last week of April 2004, we heard an intermittent sound once or twice while driving our van. The noise was a growling or groaning sound coming from the rear cargo area of the van. We thought it may be the transmission or rear end or the brakes sticking or possibly the accelerator sticking. We heard it again in May. We tried to duplicate the sound and ascertain what in the world it could be.

We called Anderson Ford to set up a time to have it looked at. It has now been to Anderson Ford a total of 8 times and in the shop 4, all for the same thing. A growl or roar in the rear of the vehicle, while driving after the vehicle warms up. We have never heard the sound when the AC is not on, but are not sure that it has anything to do with the AC. They seem to be incompetent to not only repair the vehicle at the dealership, but also have made the situation much worse each time they have worked on the van. We call and bring it in and each trip results in loss the of van, inconvenience, having to explain and re explain and then they fix something different and that results in new problems.

On the first visit to the shop for the repair of this noise, the mileage was at 3567.

The first time we took the 2004 Kia Sedona Van in to be looked at, Anderson Ford could not fix it that day and scheduled it to be brought in on May 24th 2004. the mechanic "Ron" stated "they will have the service people drive the vehicle, and see what the noise is and get it taken care of". We got a phone call from Anderson Ford stating that the problem was the power steering pump. We argued that it couldn't be the power steering pump as there is no sound coming from under the hood and that there is no problem with the steering.

Anderson Ford still continued to tell us it was the power steering pump. Since absolutely nothing was wrong with the steering and the sound was coming from the rear cargo area of the van, we did not believe them, I escalated the situation and we even talked to the salesman who sold us the vehicle. I talked to several other people at the dealership. I spoke again to "Ron", and to "Tyrone" and other people while being transferred all over the dealership.

I was told time and again that it was the power steering pump. I disagreed more strenuously. I called KIA in desperation and spoke to "Christian". He told me to let Anderson Ford diagnose the problem. He said that if they fix the power steering pump and that is not the problem, that Anderson Ford will have to "eat the cost". He said to have them call the Kia Tech line and have them help, or to ask for a Kia Rep to help if they can't diagnose the problem. He gave me a case number and also said that Anderson could access the information thru our VIN number.

I relayed this information to Anderson Ford, and "Ron" the mechanic said "yeah we got all that, it is in the computer, we will take care of it, the part is ordered". After waiting to "get the part" we took the van back in on June 1, 2004 and Anderson Ford were to replace the power steering pump. The sad part of this is that the Van had previously steered perfectly. Now that they fixed it, it squeals and feels loose. We were lied to by the service dept. We were told by "Ron" that they had "put our car on the computer" and that it was "definitely the power steering pump", that "they had driven it and that was what it was". He even argued with me stating "are you a mechanic?" and I said no, but it doesn't make sense that it would be the power steering pump.

He said, do you want to talk to the manager, do you think we don't know what we are doing, do you not want us to replace the power steering pump?" I said "all of the above".

I was then transferred to "Mike" the service manager. He said "this is the first I have heard that you did not think it was the power steering pump". He also told me it was already replaced. He said they did NOT put it on the computer, nor did they drive it. I was outraged. Later I was told by Mike the service manager and "Connie", that "Ron" admitted he lied to us. They told us that Ron no longer works with the KIA's and has been moved to another position. He shouldn't have lied to us.

We later got the service statement in the mail and saw no mileage on the ticket and checked the odometer and saw no one had driven it. We called again and were told that the van had never been driven by any one at Anderson, no one at the dealership had heard any noise and it was never put on the computer. We were again told the tech lied to us. We were told that this service man at Anderson apologized and admitted he had lied to us, had been moved from his position. What kind of way to run a service is that? So what if Anderson has to eat the cost of the power steering pump, which by the way, Kia has admitted was not defective and was in fact a perfectly good power steering pump? We were still inconvenienced and we weren't having "Bob the shade tree mechanic next door" repair our vehicle. These are supposed to be professionals! Mileage at that time frame was now 4023.

The growl? Still there since the sound was coming from the rear to begin with. Another slap in the face came when we got our print outs from Anderson Ford on the work they did. There were several reports. A couple of them, stated what we reported, a growl in the rear while driving. But many did not. One of them had the nerve to state "customer complains of power steering pump" that was a blatant lie. Not only did we NEVER say that, we ARGUED that it was NOT the power steering. One other report mailed to us states "cus complained of power steering pump leaking" that is also was a blatant lie. Not only did we not say that, but the power steering pump was NEVER LEAKING. In fact it was sent to the factory as I stated above, and checked out fine. Anderson Ford even told us they have to "eat the cost on that" since it was "not defective".

I suspect now that these incorrect print outs were generated to cover their incompetence in diagnosing the problem. I again called KIA. We had to let them replace the power steering pump as that is what the techs at Anderson said it was. So a perfectly good power steering pump was removed, they kept our car all day long and the original noise?? Still there! Mike the service manager said since the part had already been replaced, there was nothing he could do. He said he didn't hear any noise now so maybe that was it after all. I picked up the van, the power steering was now all loose feeling and squealing. Anderson said there must be air in the lines, give it a day or two. The brakes are also now squealing and I noticed one heck of a lot of miles were put on the vehicle. We were very unhappy.

The growling sound? Still there. We called Anderson Ford back, and also called Kia again. They told us to take the van back, so we took the van in on June 3, 2004 so they could drive with us and hear it. We were told that Mike, and Tyrone would ride along, but when we got the van there, Mike was unavailable. Tyrone got in the van to ride along while my husband drove. The Van made the sound once it warmed up. The service man "Tyrone Williams" heard it. He said "yeah I hear it, I don't know what it is, we will have to get Mike to hear it and see what it is.

My husband and Tyrone, went back to the dealership and waited for Mike. This time Tyrone could not go. Mike drove the van with my husband riding along. The van made the sound. Mike heard it. He said, " Sounds like the AC lines" They went back to the dealership. He called the service tech Doug, who is the AC guy and Doug said, "it sounds like the AC lines are up against the frame and vibrating". Mike, Tyrone and Doug all admitted the problem never sounded like a power steering problem at all and they apologized for all the misunderstandings. They of course could not fix it then, too busy, so another trip in to the shop on June 8, 2004 this time to "loosen the AC lines and add padding and insulation behind and around the lines to insulate them and stop them from vibrating against the frame" They said this would "help keep the lines from vibrating and take care of the problem."

Was the van fixed? No it was NOT fixed. Now the sound was a bit muffled, but it still did the exact same thing. I angrily called Anderson Ford on June 09 2004 and told them not only did this NOT fix the problem, Tyrone said he could put more insulation under and around the lines. I was livid!! That is no answer, I told him "if we went on their rationalization I should simply turn the stereo up loud and pretend I don't hear it". If he adds more insulation, that does not FIX the problem. I asked if they did this to other vans? He said no. I said ever heard of it before? He said no.

I was also concerned that since the growling/groaning is getting more frequent, it seems to be getting worse. I explained again for the umpteenth time what kind of sound it is, when I hear it, where it comes from and that it sounds like it "comes on and off like it is cycling" or a maybe a motor that comes on and off. It is a roar or growl in the rear end. It happens when the AC is on, and we have not heard it with the AC off. It did not do it in the winter with the heat on. The sound is getting more frequent and sounds like something serious. We then got a call from Kia on June 10, 2004 wanting us to evaluate the service we got at Anderson Ford. They sure got an ear full. Then "Connie" at Anderson Ford called us back approx 2 hours later. She said she was very sorry for all we went thru. She told us that Ron was no longer working with the Kia's and that she was so sorry he had lied to us, that is not how they do business. She was extremely nice, helpful and seemed very concerned. She said she would talk to Mike and see what to do next. Mike called us back and said that he would talk to service and get back with us.

We got a call from Mike on June 14, 2004 late afternoon. He said he just didn't hear a thing once they padded the lines. He said he drove it quite a while. He then acted like I was either lying or stupid. He told me when they drove it the first time, that "even my husband admitted there was a humming when they had the hood raised" and at that point I turned the phone over to my husband who told Mike repeatedly that the sound was coming from the rear of the vehicle and that he had said that when they raised the hood and asked him that question.

I said again under Ford's rationalization "if you shot a pistol off in the backseat you could hear it outside the car, what in the world does that have to do with it?" If you can hear the hum when the hood is raised so what? If you sit in the back seat you will hear it much louder as that is where the sound is originating from! Mike said all they can do is have him come and bring it in again and keep it until they get it fixed. He will have a loaner for us and he and Connie will be there when we bring it in. I called Kia again and spoke to Jason cook.

He said to give Anderson Ford one last chance to fix it. He asked if that was fair. I told him yes, I guess that would be fair to give them one more chance. I called Anderson and talked to Connie. I told her that I would give them one last chance to fix this as that was fair, but that this was it and I meant it. She said there would be a loaner car for us and that it certainly was fair and that they would keep the Kia until it was fixed. She said "it isn't fixed until you say it is" she said "if Anderson keeps the van for 30 days that the manufacturer has to buy the Kia back from us." I told her that I want the car fixed, this is a lot of trouble and I was very upset. She said bring it in we will fix it, I told her ok.

June 15, 2004 Tues We took the van in and of course both Connie and Mike were unavailable. The mileage was at 4369. There was no loaner car for waiting for us. We waited over 1/2 hour for Enterprise to send a rep to pick us up and take us to the rental car business. Then there was no car and no van available. We waited over an hour and 1/2 for them to find us a car and get it ok'd. Anderson Ford had not ok'd anything nor called them at all. They finally had to call someone at Anderson Ford named "Bruce" so that "Bruce" could get in touch with "Steve" and have the rental car approved. We left there angry.

I got a phone call from Tyrone at Anderson he wants me to come back and ride in the van so they can hear the sound. I was outraged. I told him we already did that. He said no your husband did, but not you and we fixed that noise this is something new. I really told him off at that. I told him that that was nonsense. We both know the sound it makes and it has never stopped making the original sound. I explained again the sound, and how they had replaced the perfectly good power steering pump. Tyrone said that he drove it a long way and it must be fixed as he doesn't hear the sound at all that he heard when riding with my husband. Then he added, "you don't want to help us?" I said , "oh, now you want my help, but when I told you people about it NOT being the power steering I got the "are you a mechanic??" speech and how I know nothing.

I finally agreed to come back and drive it and said I would be there in 15 mins. He said they would be ready and I said they better be. I got there in approx 10 mins and guess what? Tyrone and Mike could not come on the drive along!! The mileage was at 4382 and I drove with Connie who told me once we got in the car that it was she and not any mechanic who drove it all morning, so I was lied to again! I drove as Connie listened and once the car warmed up it clearly made the same sound it always had. She got into the back and it did this noise 20or 30 times increasing in frequency as it got warmed up. We went back to the dealership. Connie mentioned the expansion valve could be a problem. She had me leave the van and go on home in the rental car.

June 16, 2004 Wed: Connie called and told me that she, Mike and Tyrone had driven the van and heard it clearly. It was the expansion valve that was needed and they were sorry but the very earliest they could get the part was Friday. I told her that was fine.

June 17, 2004: Thursday. I got a call from Anderson Ford. My van is ready come get it. I said I thought the part could not be gotten until Friday, the man said well, it is fixed I guess they got it. I asked who fixed it, he didn't know. Where is Mike, not available, where is Connie, he didn't know. I said ok. I went and got the van and they took the keys for the rental and Mike said "I drove it and drove it" "it is fixed now". I said I hope so. They gave me a travel coffee mug and an apology card for my trouble.

I drove the van to an appointment close by and then home. I did not hear the noise, the mileage was at 4457.

June 18, 2004: I made a short trip to my mother's home and back I thought I heard the noise two different times, but was not sure. We hoped it was something else.

June 19, 2004: We decided to go garage selling. After driving approx 20 mins we heard what we thought was the sound although now it was very much more muffled. We continued to drive and then we heard it. The very same sound we have heard all along, just like always, except it is still more muffled then ever before, we heard it again and again and again. We called Anderson Ford from our cell phone and asked if we could bring it in. They said they couldn't look at it today. We then asked first for Mike, then Tyrone, then Bruce, then Steve and finally Connie. All not there. We spoke to "Tom" who took our name and phone number and said they will call us back, probably on Monday.

June 20, 2004 Sunday the van made the same sound we have always heard all day while driving.

June 21, 2004: Monday, no call from Anderson Ford. I had a Meeting to go to, and was transporting a relative to this as well. While driving to this meeting, we heard the noise. It happened 10 - 15 times while we drove. Muffled now, but definitely the exact same sound.

June 22, 2004 Tuesday the mileage today was : 4528. : I called Jason Cook at Kia, 3 times on the third time I left a voice mail. I called Denny Widener , the manager, at Anderson Ford @ 11:00 am . He took my information on the van and said he would talk to staff and service and call me back. My husband, Dave again Called Denny Widener at 12:58, when he did not call us back. Dave also called Kia again, they told us they would have Jason Cook call us back. Jason called back and I told him everything. I specifically pointed out the discrepancy about the time frame of the expansion valve. Connie specifically said they COULD NOT get that part before Friday and yet Thursday it was fixed! I told him I didn't even really believe they even replaced it. I also thought that perhaps Anderson had merely added more insulation as that was what was initially suggested. Jason said he was escalating the case to another person and that person would call me back as soon as possible. The noise? Still there. Denny Widener the Manager of Anderson Ford never did call us back at all.

June 22, 2004 @ 1:42 Connie from Anderson called again she wanted to know what we intended to do. She was very nice and seemed to be genuinely concerned. I told her I was waiting for the escalated person Jason Cook spoke of to call me and that the van was making the same noise and in addition the seats were rattling. She did not know what that could be. She seemed genuinely upset the van was still making the noise. She offered to come get it, I said no.

June 23, 2004 I got a call @ 8:53am from Ford Customer service stating they had missed us and would call back. This is the company that inquires as to the service we receive when we get a repair done at Ford.

They called again at 9:17 am and I missed this call as well.

June 23, 2004 @ 11:48 am I got a call from Connie @ Anderson. She said you're not going to believe this, but we just got a memo on your van. There is a new expansion valve for it that is supposed to be able to fix that problem. She wanted to know if I had spoken to Kia yet. I told her no I was still waiting. She said she would come and get the van, leave me a loaner and they could put on this new expansion valve that has a spring that prevents vibrating. I asked why this new expansion valve was not installed the other day when they worked on my van, she didn't know. She said they just got the memo, but she had previously told me that they had used a Kia Tech and the tech line to diagnose the problem, so wouldn't Kia have been aware of this just days earlier?

I reiterated how upsetting all of this was for us. How we have no idea what was wrong with our vehicle, but in repairing it, they had ruined it. Now the steering does make whining sounds and does not steer like it did, now the rear of the vehicle is all scratched and gouged up and rattling and I have no idea what that was. Connie was very sympathetic and friendly but it was all very upsetting to me. I felt sick that the van was getting this messed up each time we took it to get it repaired and it still was not fixed. I told her we would prefer to wait to see what Kia will do about this. I also at this point thought that perhaps Anderson was going to now put in the expansion valve I was not sure or not if they had actually installed at all. I said no.

June 23, 2004 I called Kia @ 11:55 am. They were not aware of any memo to Anderson Ford. I was told the person who would be handling my case was Debbie Wojciechowski and her phone number is 1-630-932-8500 I called @ 12:10 pm and left a voice mail.

June 23, 2004 4:28 pm I got a call from the Ford Customer service dept again inquiring if I was happy about the service I received. I really let them have it. I told them the whole story and how upset we were.

June 24, 2004 12pm I got my mail and the service report was there from Anderson Ford. We now knew what the rattling sound was! They literally took the entire back end apart to fix that valve with the wrong valve! I was very upset and tried to call Kia.

June 24, 2004 1:18 pm I got a return call from Debbie Wojciechowski @ KIA she said she would have Brian Jenks call me in the next few days. He will be handling my case. She didn't know why anyone told me that she would be handling it. Again I got upset. I waited all these days and she isn't even the one handling it?! She said that this Brian Jenks would schedule and appointment to take the van back to Anderson!! Jason Cook had advised me NOT to take it back to Anderson and now that was what I was to do? I began to cry as this feels like the run around. She argued with me and then said, ok I will handle this case myself. What do you want? I told her that they had had my van 8 times and it was left at the shop 4 times all for the same thing.

It was still not fixed, BUT in addition to that, the things they attempted to fix, they messed up. I told her about the power steering pump repair, and that Kia verified nothing was wrong with it, but they lied at Anderson AND now the steering is messed up. They have gone under my van willy/nilly loosening things and I have no idea if the van is now safe to drive. They apparently attempted to replace the expansion valve with what it turns out is the WRONG expansion valve and now my car is all loose with things rattling all over it.

I cannot take it out of town much less use it as it is intended to be used and my peace of mind is totally gone! This car only has 4000 miles on it and I want them to buy it back! She said I would have her decision by July 16, 2004 and that was it. She hung up!

June 24, 2004 3:01 pm I got a phone call from Connie @ Anderson and she said she had gotten a memo regarding our van rattling. I again discussed the rattling seats and I told her that I gotten the printout from the Service dept this morning and was very upset as I felt that was exactly what the rattling was! The report said that Service removed the third row seats, rear and RH side door sill plates, RH side second and third row seat belts, rear window upper side trim and complete rear quarter side panel, speaker and entire heater A/C housing assembly.

Then reinstalled all these things. Connie said they probably didn't get all the screws tightened! I was so upset I began to cry. The seats feel tight when you wiggle them, but jump around while you drive. The entire back end rattles as does the stereo speaker. There are 2 gouges on the plastic area and one large scratch on the inside door of the rear hatch door. Obviously no care was taken to protect these areas when they were removing these items as we have never had the seats out of the vehicle ourselves. Also one of my ashtrays is missing. Small item but upsetting nonetheless. Connie said do you want me to go ahead and come get the van and have service fix it?

We don't even have to generate a ticket. We can get those seats and things tightened down and get that new special expansion valve on. I told her no, I didn't feel comfortable doing that. I told her I don't know what to do at this point and I really didn't. I told her I guess we would wait to see what this Debbie will do at Kia. Connie told me that even if they buy it back, which is rare, they will make me buy another KIA. She suggested that I could trade it in for a Freestar. I told Connie that I still wanted to wait to see if KIA would stand behind what they told me and see if they would make it right. Connie said they don't often buy the vans back. I told her, if that is the case, I will sue under the lemon law. On the basis that the vehicle has been allowed to be repaired and the dealership has failed to do so, in addition they have damaged the vehicle to the point that I cannot be sure what all has been done and if in fact it is safe. She said to let her know what happens, and she will call me if she hears from KIA.

My vehicle has been in for repair a total of 8 times and left with the shop 4 times. My vehicle has been out service and in fact is still not functioning properly. We cannot use our van for it's intended purpose. We cannot take it out of town. We could not take it on vacation as planned to Virginia and will now incur the expense of a rental van to go or not go at all as we cannot chance taking our brand new van that far from home.

We could not even attend a funeral in Louisiana as we could not chance taking the van out of town and our second vehicle is a 5 speed pickup and much too small and uncomfortable for a 12 hour trip. We have simply lost our peace of mind now. My van has been ruined by the service it received and something is seriously wrong with the vehicle. The original growling sound has gotten louder and over the last few days of driving it we can now feel a vibration under the front floor, if the vehicle idles for long, the sound increases and will not subside. We are afraid to even use the A/C and although it is not over heating, the engine stays hot long after the van is shut off and the hood is still hot to the touch after sitting in the air conditioned garage 3 or more hours after it is shut off and parked.

What do they intend to do about this situation? So far it has been in and out and in and out of the shop. How many more unnecessary parts will be replaced before the problem is fixed? Each trip to the dealership results in at least a full day of them keeping our van. Unnecessary miles have been added to diagnose the problem. Scratches, gouges and a missing ashtray. This is just unacceptable. I understand that the industry standard is to wait until the consumer gets fed up with the runaround and then trade off or sell the vehicle. It was already suggested by the dealership that I could trade this KIA in for a Ford Freestar, but I would of course suffer a fairly large loss since vehicles certainly decrease in value after they drive off the lot. I am not about to take ANY loss in this situation and besides wouldn't I still have to use the Anderson Ford service for that? If that is the case and KIA or Ford is simply waiting for me to wear down and give up, it is NOT going to happen in my case!

Teresa

St Joseph, Missouri
U.S.A.

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