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2015 Kia Sedona rattle

19K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  sega626 
#1 ·
Hello all! New to the forum here and actually new to Kia all together. Here is a little back story and issue that I am having and hoping that someone is having the same problem and a remedy that I am having. My wife and I purchased a 2015 Sedona SX about a month ago from the Stealership. I was very sceptical of buying a Kia, but everyone that I talked to said nothing but good things about them so I thought it was worth the shot.

We purchased the Sedona and within 2 days, I began hearing a rattle coming from the rear of the vehicle. I looked all around thinking it was something simple like a seatbelt buckle rattling against a panel or something like that. I secured everything and the rattle is still there. It only happens when going over a bump or a bumpy road. Its not super loud but definitely noticeable and just loud enough to get under your skin when you are driving.

So I take it into the stealership and took the service advisor out with me on a drive and he told me that he could hear it as well. I left the van there and they came back and said that they found the rattle and it was the jack that was loose and the secured it and it was ready to go. I pull out of the dealership lot and I began hearing it again!! I turned right back around and told them that they didnt fix it. They then wanted me to take the service technician who "secured the jack" on a ride to show him what noise I was hearing. He rode in the 3rd row as I drove and he too told me that he could hear it and it sounded like it was coming from underneath the vehicle. I left the sedona with them and they gave me a rental. After having my sedona for 2 days, I finally called up there and asked what was going on. The service advisor said that they put it up on the lift and tightened every nut and bolt and checked all bushings and everything was in spec. Then he told me, "just drive it until spring and see if it goes away". I was floored. I just spend 40k on a new car and you are telling me that you want me to just deal with it and see if it goes away? The car currently has right at 1,000 miles on it. I contacted KIA corporate and spoke with a guy in customer relations that stated that he would look into it but I am still fuming that the service advisor at the dealership basically just said, come pick it up and deal with the noise.

Sorry, I know its kind of long winded but I am hoping that someone out there is having the same issue and has maybe a remedy so I can tell these clowns at the stealership how to fix it.

P.S. I have had plenty of new cars and I have had zero problems with them, so Im not one of those really super picky guys who takes his car in to the dealership for stupid minor issues. This is my first Kia and I am starting to wonder if I made a mistake by buying a KIA.
 
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#6 ·
don't think you can delete a thread (the moderator can do that), you can delete your own posts, like if you duplicate something.

When you post it again in the appropriate section, please fill in your drives details and where you are located, as we have no idea if your problem could be weather related as we don't know where you live.
The more info we have the better we might be able to help, but things like this are very difficult to diagnose from afar and particular if your have problems and the dealer too. Get someone to drive it and go sit in the rear if that's where the rattle is coming from to try and narrow down where it could possible be, its all trial and error.
 
#5 ·
sorry to hear.

car rattles are awful to deal with...especially after putting out 40k.

I am considering a Sedona but for the reasons you are expressing here, I have held off and even cancelled a deal I had all set up already.

I cannot figure why the mechanic could not find the rattle even riding in the back of the car. It apparently is a loose item that is light enough to bounce on a bump. So a nut or washer.

If its muted its in a covered area or outside the vehicle. If it is sharp and distinct then it is in the cabin.

You probably need to find a parking lot where you can replicate it and then have someone driving over a speed bump or pothole so that you can find the general location of its origination. Left, right, top, bottom, side.... Try with seats down, seats up, .... sit on the floor when they are driving, lay on the floor.... You're gonna have to be a sound sleuth to find it. At the very least find its exact location even if you cannot find the exact cause.

Another suggestion is that once you find a bump or road imperfection that causes it to happen try going slow and then try fast to see if it changes any. that can tell you a lot as well.

Also keep in mind sound travels and what you could be hearing is an echo as well.

good luck. It may be as simple as a nut that worked its way loose or an extra nut\washer that fell into a cavity during manf and now after riding around a bit it has fell into a position that allows it to "dance".

let us know what you find....
 
#8 ·
Thanks for all of the replies guys, I really appreciate it!! I have tried driving it with the 3rd row completely stowed, seat backs folded down and then completely up and the noise is consistent with all positions, so that leads me to believe that it is not related to the 3rd row seats. I have not tried to lay on the floor while my wife is driving, that's not a bad idea, I think that will be next.

So here is the update from the dealership today. The service advisor called and said that a Kia regional manager and their district manager are going to be coming to the dealership to help diagnose it tomorrow. He said that they are going to put a chassis scope on it tomorrow. Not sure what that is but it kind of sounded like a device that would help track down chassis noise. Maybe someone here can further explain?

Then here is the part that kind of ticked me off. The service manager calls my wife today and explains what they are going to be doing tomorrow and wanted to know if we can bring our rental mini van back and turn it in since they are paying for the rental van and they wanted to put us in a dealer "loaner". Im guessing that the dealer loaner is a vehicle that they own but just use as loaners instead of renting cars for customers. The manager said that they were out of loaners when I dropped the Sedona off a few days back so that is why they rented us a 2014 Sedona. So the manager said that they had a Kia Forte that they would let us use until our issue is resolved. My wife looked at what the car was and saw that it was a compact and she got upset as did I. My thinking is that I purchased a van because we NEED a van because of kids/carseats/stollers...etc. I would think that they would want to put us in something that is comparable to what we bought, or at least similar. A SUV a mini van or something like that would be fine. I don't think that them trying to cram us into one of the smaller cars that they sell is right especially for an issue that we are having with one of their vehicles. I don't know, maybe I am over reacting a little, but it just really ticked me off and I told them that we were not interested in the Forte and we needed the space of a van or SUV. The manager then told my wife that I am probably going to have to live with the noise until it gets worse so they can find it. He then stated that he wanted us to just bring the van back in the spring/summer to see if it gets worse. I told my wife that I didn't think that would be a good idea because the van only has 1,000 miles on it now and by then it may have 7-8,000 miles on it and will be that much older and I could just see them saying "oh, well, its a car with 8,000 miles on it, of course you are going to get some rattles...". I just think that we should leave it there until it is fixed or they present us with a different option. Again, we really like the Sedona product (with the exception of the rattle issue) but this dealership is really starting my KIA experience off on the wrong foot. That was a big reason why we decided on a KIA because we heard nothing but good things about KIA and their service/warranty.

Of course, if/when I find anything or hear anything I will post what we find out.
 
#9 ·
Ok, here is update from dealership today. The service advisor called me and told me that they put the chassis scope/ear on the Sedona and the advisor told me that they think they have narrowed it down to the rear trailing arm where it connects to the knuckle. The advisor said that the bolt is tight that holds it in place but they noticed that there is a few 32nds of an inch gap and they believe that the trailing arm is twisting in the knuckle when going over bumps causing the noise. They are going to overnight a trailing arm and install. I will keep you all posted.
 
#10 ·
So, "Rear Trailing Arm that connect the Knuckle" That's most like. I hope things turns out positive along the way and finally bring your Sedona home once again. We're glad that we're impart by sharing your experience regarding this issue. Just keep us posted! :)
 
#11 ·
the dealership are sure going to a lot of trouble to try to correct your problem, probably because its an all new model and they want to make sure its right.

There will be feedback to KIA and the factory to make sure its a one-off or perhaps a correction/change in production.
This is how many TSB's get created.
 
#15 ·
Update: Dealership replaced the rear trailing arm and test drove and still heard the noise coming from the rear. Upon further inspection, they decided to replace the shock to see if that was the source of the noise. They test drove and still heard the noise!! Just out of curiosity the manager said that they had a brand new Sedona that had just came off of the trailer and they took that one out for a drive and heard the same noise coming from that one as well. He told me that the regional manager for Kia is coming to the dealership tomorrow to see/discuss the problem. If any of you have a 2015 Sedona, listen carefully for a slight rattle or knocking noise coming from the rear if you are going over bumps or a bumpy road. If you hear it, take it to the dealership and report it because the corporate Kia guy is telling us that they do not have any other reports of the noise, but if mine is doing it and a brand new one off of of the trailer is doing it, more than likely most of them are doing it and they need to figure out a remedy for the rattle.
 
#16 ·
Sad but thanks for the heads PDAW, I will re-inspect mine which is EX. Beforehand, I did test drove and everything is working perfectly until now. It's very unfortunate to hear such issue which is very rear but alarming. I'm sure the're gonna resolve the issue ASAP while you will have the benefit of having a 0 miles car soon.:)
 
#17 ·
Well, back to square one. The district Kia rep was in the dealership and listened to the noise and told the service advisor to tell me that the noise is a normal noise and I am going to have to deal with it. Im sorry, but I have owned several brand new vehicles and NONE of them have had rattles from the jump. Sure maybe 10-20,000 miles you may start getting a little noise here or there, but right from the start? In the mean time, we are driving a 2015 Kia Optima and that thing is nice and tight and does not have a rattle to be heard, so him saying that is a normal new car noise is hard for me to comprehend. I am waiting to hear back from corporate Kia to see how they want to proceed. Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed by the dealerships/local Kia representatives and overall Kia experience so far. I will keep you all posted.
 
#18 ·
Well, back to square one. The district Kia rep was in the dealership and listened to the noise and told the service advisor to tell me that the noise is a normal noise and I am going to have to deal with it.
Of course, they are playing their "it is normal" card. As simple as taking the district KIA representative for a ride through the same road with another van in the lot. Is the noise there? If the answer is no, then it is not normal.

If the answer is yes, then you'll have to live with it, get it to another dealer or sell the thing if it so bad for you, unfortunately the issue does not seem to call for a lemon law action
 
#19 ·
Hi, I noticed that you are from Indianapolis. I don't know which dealership you are dealing with here in town, but I know it is not the one I currently work at. You're right about our DPSM coming through the area earlier this week, and what is humorous is that he swapped his corporate demo here at our store, and is now driving a 15 Sedona himself. PM me with details, and I will see if our service advisors and technicians (we have the best in Indy, no BS) can help. It's warranty stuff, so I'm not trying to swindle you. I just want your vehicle fixed correctly.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I am currently researching your vehicle, and cannot currently seem to locate any information about any of this. I will test a 15 Sedona that we have on the lot at lunch and listen for the sound if it does it. We have the remote sound probes that attach to the vehicle and can be listened to individually to determine the location whilst driving.

Also, thanks for buying the car from us. I'm sad that you decided not to use us for your service needs. I will keep you informed about my progress though.
 
#22 ·
Update: I picked up the sedona from dealership because I realized that the clowns who work there were not going to go any further with my issue. I will never return to a Ray Skillman dealership. Their sales staff are sub par and service department, I just found out, is just as incompetent. I spoke with Kia corporate claims representative and she advised me that it would probably be a good idea to pick the van up and take it to a dealership that could properly diagnose it/and or be willing to offer other solutions. So, its off to Butler Kia in Fishers on Friday, hopefully they can get it dialed in for us. Thanks majik_kiaparts for the advice. Hopefully you guys can get her dialed in for us.
 
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