KIA Picanto (2004 - ) - problem picantos

Honest John Back Room » Legal matters
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Tue 23 Jun 2009 20:35
problem picantos - asda-al
In 2005 my wife and I purchased 2 Picantos from a local Kia dealer. An LX and an SE. In 2007 my wifes car started to play up. When you took your foot off the accelerator the engine continued to rev. A quick computer diagnosis by the dealer showed a faulty temperature sensor which was duly fitted and all appeared well. The car had 12000 on the clock at this point. Having driven my SE while hers was in dock my wife said that mine seemed very sluggish compared to hers, so an appointment was made to get it checked out a few days hence. This one had done 25000 miles. We had to make a round trip of some 500 miles in the meantime and took my wifes' newly repaired car. Halfway through the trip the same problem manifested itself. I immediately arranged for the dealer to look at both cars at the same time and with a struggle got the car back home. We delivered both cars to the dealer first thing in the morning and at 5 returned to pick them up. We were literally gobsmacked to be told that both cars required a new short engine. The problem apparently was that the pulley on the end of the crankshaft that drives the timing belt had come loose and screwed up the end of the crankshaft. The fact that this happened on both cars and was diagnosed on the same day was somewhat alarming. Furthermore KIa were not prepared to provide even one courtesy car for the 3 weeks it was going to take to fix the cars. In the end our dealer, who also happened to be a Peugot dealer, registered 2 brand new peugot 207s for our use, they were brilliant. I understand from the dealer that this has now happened on several vehicles, some of them just out of warranty so incurring hefty bills for the owners.
My wife and I both actually like the cars but have lost all faith in Kia and would not hesitate to get rid of them could we afford it. We both actively advise people to avoid Kia altogether as a result of this experience. Any others had this problem?
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Tue 23 Jun 2009 20:52
problem picantos - stunorthants26
Our Picanto auto had no such problems by the time it had 37k on the clock. Ours was an 04 1.1. It did however blow the oil seal between engine and gearbox in a monumental way, after which my misses lost confidence in it and bought a new Daihatsu.
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Tue 23 Jun 2009 22:57
problem picantos - ablandy
i believe the problem the op mentioned was a known fault and was the subject of a remedial work. we had an 04 reg 1.1 auto which had the work done during its 06 service. Ask kia, their customer service is very good and their systems are computerised and centralised.

Did you have it serviced independently and therefore missed this work being done? If it wasnt, then it is the dealer who should have done the work that i would blame. Give kia a call to check if the work should have been done and if it was

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Tue 23 Jun 2009 23:08
problem picantos - ablandy
thinking about it, if you bought them both at the same time, then it makes sense that they both have the same fault as it was a set range of cars that had the issue - probably fixed by an engineering change.

as the dealer has seen a few of these, i suspect the dealer didnt do the fix they were supposed to do. Get on to kia in the morning and ask them nicely if they work should have been done. In my experience kia dealers are a mixed bag. I had a poor experience with the first but a positive experience with the one we use now- hummingbird motors.
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Tue 23 Jun 2009 23:32
problem picantos - bonzodog
Yep, lumps of metal subjected daily to massive forces sometimes fail to perform to the ideal. What still surprises me after 25 years in the business is that people are still surprised when this happens.

Korean (& Japanese, obviously) remain far more reliable than European.
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Wed 24 Jun 2009 00:31
problem picantos - Avant
You say this happened in 2007. I'm curious as to why you've only now lost faith in Kias.

By all accounts a Hyundai i10 or an Aygo/C1/107 are better bets nowadays. So are a basic Fiat 500 or Daihatsu Sirion but they are a little more expensive.
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Wed 24 Jun 2009 10:50
problem picantos - runboy
What was the recall for? We have a 54 reg 1.1 auto and I'm concerned there may be something that needs doing that may or may not have been done. The car was main dealer supplied (not to us - previous owner) but I suspect in the interim of us becoming the second owner the car may well have been serviced elsewhere. There is no mention of a recall on HJ's CBC report.
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Wed 24 Jun 2009 19:31
problem picantos - ablandy
i think its more a remedial engineering change - a modification that relates to the crankshaft. I only remembered because i have just sold ours and someone asked if the mod had been done. I had no idea so rang kia customer services and they gave me an answer very quickly on the phone and told me when it had been done. Mentioned it to wife and she remembered it getting done. ours was an 04 reg and the work was done at the 06 service.

If it hasnt been done, it can lead to loss of power and some substantial damage.

call them and they will enlighten you.
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Wed 24 Jun 2009 21:57
problem picantos - asda-al
Hi folks, thanks for the kind words. Both vehicles were bought new from a main dealer in 2005 and were dealer maintained. I have only just mentioned it because I have only just found this site! We have never received any info about a recall, Kia never mentioned one and the dealer appeared completely puzzled by the whole affair. The dealer is a large dealership which has several sites covering Peugot, Citroen and Hyundai as well as KIa and several past dealings with them have always been positive experiences.
Within a couple of weeks of the warranty running out on my wifes the drivers door lock had a fit and would not unlock. This ended up as a £250 bill as they had to destroy the inner door panel to get at the lock. Our confidence was shaken when both cars developed serious faults simultaneously and has not recovered since. Finances mean we are stuck with the damn things so we are stuck with them. Better the devil you know ad nauseum.
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Thu 25 Jun 2009 12:18
problem picantos - ablandy
Sounds like the dealer should have known about it - ours did. It was a fault that had been picked up on and should have been remedied at the next service.

My wife has been really pleased with it, its only gone now because the double buggy, 2 car seats, a 2 year old and a 4 month old dont all go in it. Well, not if you want a driver as well. I think the 2 year old would have a go, but he struggles with the pedals.......
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Fri 13 Aug 2010 11:35
problem picantos - wulshaz

hi i bought a picanto in o6 brand new from a kia dealer all was well until last week when suddenly i heard a strange noise and feeling from the front i pulled over and as i did so the engine cut out! i have never had any problems and it is fully serviced so i took it to my usual garage as i do not deal with arnold clark due to previous experiences, i got a call from the garage to say it needs a new engine as the clankshaft/bolt has gone i was gobsmacked so after various calls to kia and the dealer i have been told to bring it in and pay £57 per hour they will check and if they confirm what my garage has said then they will forward it to kia and ask them to provide the parts as a goodwill gesture but i would have to pay for labour now i am not happy with this as i explained to the fella the car is an o5 plate i bought it from new from the dealer in april o6 so it has been on the road for just over 4 years has done 17000 miles so it should never be needing a new engine i see after looking for answers that more people have had this problem and some have been out of warranty also, kia did do a recall of some vehicles from 05,06,07, but said mine was not one of them how on earth would they know what vehicles had the defect until a problem actually occurs? i feel really let down and disappointed in kia for their lack of help with this situation i paid alot of money for this car believing that it was better to buy a new one as i would get more from it and it would last me more than 4 years at least!

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Fri 13 Aug 2010 11:57
problem picantos - LucyBC
The vehicle is likely be out of warranty so you need to negotiate.

If you want KIA to contribute then you will need to work with them and through their dealer network.

Until the problem is diagnosed it is worth paying their hourly rate for the initial checks.

Under EU regulations you should not be penalised in any way for not having the car serviced with a main dealer assuming the car was serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements.
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Fri 1 Jul 2011 15:37
problem picantos - evaang2003

the mentioned warranty is useless. i bought new model naza kia picanto last year, 2010. Less than 2000mileage, my bonnet corrode d. I went to 2 different authorized center, filing complaint. After that, still got corrosion. This time, in the engine part. They only want replace new battery for me. What does that mean? I posted my situation at

http://forum.autoworld.com.my/index.php?s=676f1eba902e70d069b7c1597223477b&showtopic=99990&pid=1734295&st=0&#entry1734295

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Tue 24 Jan 2012 22:31
problem picantos - legal advice

Hi everyone, This problem has ocurred with my girlfriend Kia picanto. We are going to take legal action. If you bought it from a reputable company ie Hidsons you have more leal rights. The problem is that this is a design fault and will keep on happening and cannot be permantly resolved. As someone who makes it his business to buy and sell vehicles, he must conform to the responsibilitiesset out in the sale and supply of goods act (1994). Also if there turns out to be a problem with the vehicle you can ask for your money back for the vehicle which you are entitled to recieve either the full cost of the vehicle back, or the difference in value between the cost of the vehicle you paid for and the one you actually bought. However you must act quickly send the sale company- Kia a letter in writting as the more you leave it, the more credible becomes the defence.

You may also want to report the seller (if a dealer) to the trading standards authorities.

If the fault turns out to make the vehicle unroadworthy, the seller coud be prosecuted under the Road Traffic act 1988 and you should contact the police.

We are seeking legal action through a solictor this is going to be a long hard fight but we are not walking away without giving in to Kia or the seller.

I recommend everyone should do the same rather than just give to yet another big company trying to have everyone over.

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