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About 3 weeks ago we had the passenger air bag light start to go on and off "intermittently" on our 06.5 LX Optima. Diagnosis showed it to be a bad seat sensor, which after 3 weeks according to my dealer is on indefinite back order.
Would appreciate it if any Kia people can confirm or deny the shortage on this item.
Just got a phone call from my dealer, he says the part I need came in today.
This goes back to my comment thinking part of this problem is with the dealer. 2 days ago I was in the dealership and was told, "the part is still on backorder, we can do nothing".
Having been in the parts distribution business for years when someone tells me there's nothing that can be done, I know in many cases something can be done. Yesterday I got on the phone and informed a few people including the business owner and my sales rep that we had entered the lemon law parameters and that the attorney general had already been notified.
The squeeky wheel gets the grease but you also have to know to apply the squeeks. With no help from the Kia reps on this board, which is now no surprise, by rights I should let the lemon law run it's course.
The correct part did come in and the service manager who told me nothing could be done was at a loss for words when I stopped in and asked why I could shake out the part and he couldn't.
Still unsure if if I'll let the lemon law run its course as the wheels are in motion. Will decide over the weekend.
Likely against my better judgement I've decided to let Kia off the hook and have the dealer install the replacement seat bottom. By rights I should teach a certain person from Kia a lesson. The dealer knows Kia would not be happy with them if I let the lemon law run its' course as the problem was with the dealer.
This decision was done mostly due to the wife as this is her car, she likes it better than anything she test drove last spring/summer with one exception "drove something like 25 cars" and she has done some fancy decorations that would cost a fair amount to redo on a replacement that the lemon law would not cover.
If one finds something that "fits" and the overall projected cost is only a couple percent difference from what might be conceived as a "real deal", which educated car buyers understand, there are many choices available to the consumer that does not require one to be tied to any mode of thinking or manufacturer be it something within the GM line, Ford, Honda or whatever.
Overall projected costs were not a factor when this car was bought. Had it been such I probably would have bought her a Mazda or a Honda as these manufactures had her # 2 & 3 picks. To be frank the Optima was a tie with her # 2 pick, which was a Mazda 3.
Buying the Optima versus the Mazda was my decision as I wanted to test one. Responses and lack of from Kia reps with this issue will now cause me to never buy another Kia. While I like the Rondo, there are other choices that will easily fit this slot.
Odds are I'll be going back to more GM products, possibly Ford & Honda will be given a serious look over the next 2 years with my next 2 purchases.
I've always been partial to GM, particularly Chevy and this prejudice is founded in my love for auto racing. However, I am also interested in getting the most for my money and I have been very satisfied that my purchase of a new 2004 Optima was just that.
The problem you are describing is found in every brand and in almost all industries. It does not reflect on the mfg. in most cases. And it's been going on forever. Back in the late 60s my 68 Nova SS was stolen. Fortunately it was stolen by some kids and was not stripped of anything major. However, they did some body damage and stole the air cleaner, oil filler cap, floor mats, wheels and shift knob. It took the dealer where I bought it from well over 2 months to fix and return my car.
Problems/excuses given:
1. Because I could not get assurances from anyone at the dealer that I could just go to the high performance store and buy some chrome wheels, I had my original wheels chromed. At first they said they would do the same thing. After a month of no action, they went across the street to the hot rod shop and purchased off the shelf wheels.
2. It took them over a month to even start on the body work which was light to moderate at worst. Always told they would get on it soon.
3 After 2 months of no air filter, I started calling them every day and was told it was on order. I called a friend who was the parts manager at another Chevy dealer(same city) and asked if they still had the air filter they took off of his son's car and he said they did. I asked him if it was for sale and he said yes. I then went out to the dealer where my car was and asked again and again was told it was on order. I told the service manager that I knew where 2 of those air filters were in this city and he said I was crazy. I told him they had one on their showroom to which he naturally said they couldn't take one off that car. I said ok, "how about purchasing one from another Chevy dealer?" and he said of course. So I dropped my friends name and his jaw dropped. I told him, I expected to pick my car up the following day. And I did. This was not a Chevy problem, but a dealer problem.
While it's frustrating to be waiting on parts, especially when you know they should be available, we have to be careful in assigning blame.
When you say you are considering going back to GM or some other make over this kind of problem, you are blaming the wrong party. And you are taking a chance of running into the same kind of problem. If you had said, you didn't want to deal with that particular dealer again, that would have made more sense.
Seat Sensor Unavailable?
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