Union County Judge Alfred Beglin has ruled against the certification of a national class action lawsuit against Kia Motors America.
“In certain class action cases, you can pretty much find uniformity from state to state. You can’t here,” Beglin said in his oral opinion.
The ruling limits the case to a proposed class of New Jersey residents who purchased or leased a Kia Sephia manufactured from 1996 through 2000.
The lawsuit contends that Sephia manufactured from 1996 through 2000 suffer a defective braking system, which causes premature wear, vibration and increased stopping distance.
“I’m persuaded that the very nature of the allegations … are such that they do not speak to national class certification, that the interests expressed by the various states are so real and dominant that to respect the constitutional requirements … they could not be ignored or all bundled together in one state, be that California or New Jersey.”.
(via Reuters)
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I purchased a 2002 kia optima lx used. When I first started driving the vechile it was great for about 3000 miles. then the electrical problems started. as I was driving I would loose all electrical power for the car. I was almost hit on the freeway a couple of times as I coasted to the side of the road. I would loose all lights, steering, braking, cruise control, and once was almost hit by a police cruiser since he could not see me with no lights. there was a burning smell coming from the car prior to this happening. The radio would also cut out just before I would loose power. Once I got the car stopped I could restart it and go a few more miles before the whole thing would start again. This only happened during during hot weather or during long trips of over 100 miles. On July 14th of 2005 I was taking the car back to kia again after having numerous visits for the same problem. I lost all power right before a stop sign and ran through it and hit another car. My air bags did not deploy and I totalled the car. Thank God for a seat belt since that is the only thing in that car that worked. I am lucky to be alive right now. The service manager was able to duplicate my problem one time. Before that they said they could not duplicate it so they could not fix it. Bring it back while it is happening. I talked to the kia customer support personnel and they did everything they could to limit all repairs of that vehicle. Later after the accident they could not say sorry enough but all they asked for was pictures of the car and a police report sent to the kia consumer affairs division. If anyone knows of other 2002 kia optima lx owners with the same problem please contact me. I am gathering information for a possible law suit againt Kia and if anyone knows of other class action law suits that I can join against Kia please let me know. My next step is to report to the national transportation safety board about this wreck since I don’t want other people hurt like I was in this wreck. be very careful if you start to have these problems. Don’t drive the car until kia finds the problem and fixes it. My Kia dealer replaced the alternator, wiring harness, almost every ground on the car, the battery, the main computer for the car, and took the wiring apart on the total car on some occasions to check to see that is was installed correctly. I still didn’t think the car was fixed and I was right.
I have a Kia Rio 2002 4 door 5 spd manual that my daughter drove. A vehicle got in front of her and she struck the vehicle in the rear left side with her front right side. At 50 mph the passenger went forward hitting his head against the front windshield and his keen against the dashboard. The airbags did not deploy and his seatbelt did not restraint him. What are my options against KIA motors?
I’m driving a 2000 Sephia Kia which has given me no problems. I’ve had regular maitenance, driven the car from Florida to Georgia five times and I love it. Yes, it is not a quality made as far as the body. Noone cannot open their door unless they are opening their door on my Kia. To prevent the door dinging, I just park the car far away. Although everything has been going good, today I experience the O/D light blinking along with the Engine light coming on. Of course, I am very nervous. But in the meantime, the car has geen very reliable to me.
Thanks,
Nick
I’ve got a 2.5v6 sedona the head gaskets have blown twice in under 18 months I have been told by various garages that this is a common problem as the cylinder sleeves become loose. Have been in touch with kia who said not their problem?
I own a 1999 Kia Sephia. Just like everyone else I have had problem after problem with my ” lemon bit**”. We all just need to file complaints against Kia and maybe with enough complaints we can get a class action law suit.Log on to & file your complaints to :
consumeraffairs.com
I purchased a 2001 Kia Optima new. I have taken it it to the shop for the airbag light being on twice. I took it in twice for my windows being stuck, now it looks like the window is showing signs again of having problems. Ihave brought it in once for a recall that affected the driving and had to have it towed in. now the check engine light is on and it is not due to a loose gas gap. of course, this has to happen right after a week’s vacation when I need to return to work the next day. I hope people that are considering buying these cars are reading these comments. do not buy Kias. I will never recommend one or ever buy another one no matter what the cost.
My father bought me a 2000 Sephia for my high school graduation in June 2000. I had to get new brakes and rotors 6 months later. It’s been in 2 front end accidents and neither of my air bags deployed. My brakes failed in one of those accidents. Right now, it has a burnt valve and needs a new transmission. My engine light came on last year and no one I have taken it to knows why. My engine fan only works if I keep the air conditioner on and change the relay every so often. In Maryland, there was a class action suit against the dealership that sold my dad the car. The car was over priced; it had 749 miles on it and they sold it to my dad for a little over 12 thousand. He didn’t know at the time. The headlights had to be fixed too, they for some reason were pointing upward instead downward. I love the car, even though it’s had a lot of problems. I don’t know if it’s because my dad bought it or not, but I love it.
I am so glad I found this site. Though I am also a little bit frightened. I have a 2001 Kia Rio that I bought in October of 2000. (almost paid off, thank god) I had no real problems with the car (well, there was the transmission which had to be replaced at about 10,000 mi, but other than that…) that is until…
about 3 weeks ago, i was visiting a friend in Brooklyn, driving around looking for a place to park, when the car overheated. i took the car to a AAA garage nearby the next morning.
The radiator fan motor was apparently bad. The mechanic ordered the part off of a nearby dealer, who told him the part would be in and he could pick it up in 1 or 2 days. I hung out in Brooklyn, missing work, mind you, waiting for over a week, only to find out that the part is on backorder and being made in Korea!!! I feel sorry for the other Kia Rio owner whose car has apparently been at the dealership for 6 weeks waiting for this same part!
When I found out that the part was on backorder (1 week after order was placed!) I tried to cancel the order with the mechanic, and also with the dealership. Believe it or not I was almost naive enough to buy another Kia! Never again. Neither one would cancel the order. The customer service rep I talked to told me that the manufacturer could not intervene in the retail sale of parts. That’s really strange to me b/c they are making the parts.
It is interesting to me that my car made it almost exactly 5 years, and just past the 100,000 mile power train warranty period. I am grateful that the car does not stall in traffic, at least yet.
After reading these other accounts, I think I may just leave the car in Brooklyn. I was going to try to sell it to at least recoup the cost of this last repair, but I would not wish a nightmare like this on my worst enemy.
If anyone else with a Rio was stuck waiting for a radiator fan motor, or some other problem, and paying out of pocket for a rental car (so far to the tune of $380, for 2 weeks) please contact me via email. maybe together we can make ourselves heard.
Zen is good, but please don’t let this stuff go. We are all busy, but we need to make the time and work together, so that other good, hard-working people don’t get screwed over too. I am willing to make this my part-time job for the winter. Anyone know any lawyers?
I bought a brand new KIA Spectra in March 2005. Biggest mistake ever. After driving it for a few weeks the car started making jerking type shifting when I would take off from a stopped position in addition it would rev up high into the red and began to jerk the car. I was just heading onto the freeway and was attempting to gain speed. It seemed that there was no middle gear, just shifted from low to very high. Took to dealer they said something about the tork converter so they replaced it. Car still drives like crap. The other day I was driving and the drivers side airbag signal came on, which made me nervous I was afraid the airbag was going to deploy and cause me to have an accident. The brakes do not feel right, while I am depressing the brakes to slow or stop I can feel a release of the brakes and then I have to push harder. Also, although minor, my steering wheel doens’t lock. This is a brand new car. I told the dealer about it when they had the car to fix the trans. he asked me if it is really that important that the steering wheel locks? YES IT IS I told him, I bougth a brand new car and I want everything to work. Finally I have given up. I am so sick of going into the dealer to have this or that checked out. Sometimes the car sounds like it is going to expload. I hope it does. (of course not with me in it). I hate KIA cars. Buying this car is the biggest purchase mistake I have ever made. I call KIA often just to get a new case number and to have it noted that “I hate my car”.
I can’t keep from laughing at some of the posts here. There seems to be a lot of finger-pointing and complaining at the car dealers and kia in general. I would agree that most kia’s up to the year 2001 do have major problems. But some of the owners are responsiible for the results. If after 2 visits to the service location does not resolve a problem, it is safe to say that they are bleeding customers. Find another service place! Don’t spend thousands of dollars in one place! And if the mechanic says that something else has to be replaced at your next maintence service time, do it now don’t wait and make the problem worse. Also, a big problem is people think that only kia dealers and service centers can work on their cars. It clearly states in the warranty contract that any ASE licensed professional is fine. Having your car serviced at the dealer is always going to cost more than anywhere else. But for oil changes, brakes, exhaust related repairs midas and other similar locations are more than fine.
Another problem is that a lot of drivers don’t keep up on the regular service maintence either. Which can make a small problem huge. If you take your car somewhere and they can’t find the problem, take your business elsewhere! Don’t keep them in business by paying them your hard earned money! I’m not saying that all of the problems posted here are all caused from poor owners, but some of them are.
When people are driving over 15000 miles a year, things will break or give out quicker. That’s why buying a car that has more than 20000 miles on it and it’s only a year old, is a mistake. The same can be said for how you treat your car. If you abuse your car, then you get what is coming to you!
I believe that kia has changed for the better since 2003. I take my 2003 kia spectra to the dealer’s service center for most of the routine services. But i have done a little modifications to my car myself. Custom cold air intake, new spark plug wires, modified front grille, and replaced headlights (i tinted my windows so i wanted brighter lights). I live in colorado, and i see kia’s all over the place. Although most of them are 03 and newer!
I truley do feel sorry for the people who do have a lemon car and kia is un-supportive about it. I can only say that if you can afford it, just get rid of it and get something else. Replacing your brakes 6 times in less than 3 years is a sign!
I have an 03 spectra and so far my only issue seems to be the check engine light coming on every few months for no reason (Vapor loss but the dealer cant find it nor do they charge me) I got a new gas cap each time and it seemed to fix it for about a year
I had a 96 Sportage. I put over 200,000 miles on it before having a problem – the timing belt needed to be replaced. It was the best car I have owned. It is unfortunate that so many have problems that cannot be resolved. I suggest going to the media, such as 20/20 or Dateline. I intend to buy another KIA.
Please check spelling before posting! Korea and Japan are 2 different countries. Perhaps the fact that one does not know that and would refer to a vehicle as “jap crap,” makes the problems they are having part of Karma. Racial slurs are never warranted.
KIA OPTIMA 2001 SUCKS big time!!! I truly do not like my car. I will never ever ever ever ever purchase another KIA. They are worthless and you can not trade them in and they need continous service for something. I have spent over eight thousand in repairs. THE WARRANTY TRULY SUCKS!!!!
We have an 03 RIO. Bought it used this summer and have only one problem with it. The windshield washer pump. Oh yeah, somtimes there is this small exhaust rattle. The car is fine otherwise. It does feel like a cheap car though. Which is exaclty what it is. Sorry to hear about everyone else’s problems.
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