[akkanodia]

I think before offering replacement batteries, they should investigate the battery fault in detail and make sure its not present in the new batteries.

 

[Tom P]

Yikes! I hope it doesn't take that long and I hope they are somewhat incentivized because in the meantime I have a loaner car supplied by Kia (a brand new Forte), so I assume they want that back asap. I'll keep you posted...but anything coming form oversees still has to get through the port of Los Angeles so it could get bogged down there. Ugh.

 

[Tom P]

Update: Kia dealer says the batteries are on back order and they have no idea when they will be in stock. So the nightmare continues...The dealer gave me the number for Kia consumer affairs...I called them this afternoon and they were actually very helpful. They looked at the diagnostics of the vehicle from the dealer and understood the battery delay issue. He then said the case needed to go their "escalations" department and that they would get back to me within 3 business days outlining my options. Ideally they'll realize this vehicle is a lost cause and just replace it. I'll update next week when I (hopefully) hear back from Kia

 

[Mark_T]

Update: Kia dealer says the batteries are on back order and they have no idea when they will be in stock.

Thanks for the update, so the US is in no better position than we are with regard to spare packs it seems

At least your 'lemon law' is more useful than ours, so I guess they are going to make you an offer to buy it back or replace it.

 

[chris.newbold]

FYI mine was confirmed as a failed battery. Dealership gave me a LT sportage courtesy. Said it would be at least 3 months. Am currently leasing an EV and spending about £250 on petrol!

 

[stageshoot]

FYI mine was confirmed as a failed battery. Dealership gave me a LT sportage courtesy. Said it would be at least 3 months. Am currently leasing an EV and spending about £250 on petrol!

Dont they give you an EV or cover the fuel costs while waiting Hyundai did on both our Konas that failed...

Hire car with Fuel covered till and EV available then swapped into that on long term loan.

Saying that we never got them back in the end first one replaced with a new one second one bought back after a few months off the road.

I would be pushing their executive office to cover your fuel costs and out of pocket expenses

 

[Hepy]

Dont they give you an EV or cover the fuel costs while waiting Hyundai did on both our Konas that failed...

Hire car with Fuel covered till and EV available then swapped into that on long term loan.

Saying that we never got them back in the end first one replaced with a new one second one bought back after a few months off the road.

I would be pushing their executive office to cover your fuel costs and out of pocket expenses

I have an ongoing complaint to Kia about this as I am in a similar situation, after 7 weeks they are finally switching me into an EV on the 20th….hopefully.

Had to push and push to get this though, they wouldn’t even give me a loan car at first!

 

[prawlin]

I have an ongoing complaint to Kia about this as I am in a similar situation, after 7 weeks they are finally switching me into an EV on the 20th….hopefully.

Had to push and push to get this though, they wouldn’t even give me a loan car at first!

Hope it’s not a Renault Twizy!
Kia service and support seems to be utterly appalling when something properly goes wrong. Peter.

 

[Tom P]

Update: Still no ETA on the replacement battery pack (the service advisor at Kia is good at providing weekly updates) but in dealing with Kia consumer affairs they have stated that the dealer WILL NOT replace my vehicle with a new Niro, so Kia is offereing me my choice of either a buyout, where they will refund all the money I've paid since I bought the car (including down payment) less a mileage charge OR they will give me a "goodwill settlement" as a way of compensating me for the inconvenience while we wait for the battery replacement. I'm likely to take the settlement because refunding my money doesn't help me get a new EV, espcially when prices have boomed and they are hard to find. I'm verifying, however, that accepting the settlement doesn't prevent me from further claims if, for example, the battery replacement doesn't fix the issue.

 

[chris.newbold]

Update! The dealer said Kia might speed up the process as they are now able to repair failing battery cells. Let’s see..

 

[Xinix]

Update! The dealer said Kia might speed up the process as they are now able to repair failing battery cells. Let’s see..

Very interesting! This would mean that if a battery should fail after 7 years, it would be possible to repair it relatively cheaply.

One of the things I dislike about the 'structural batteries'. Sounds to me as if it would not be possible to repair cells.

Let us know how you fare!