Kia Warranty... Do Claims Get Denied Often?

I keep hearing about warranty claims being denied with Kia. I’m interested in the K4, but I’m worried about how common it is for claims to get rejected. Is that a real problem?

No, you’re hearing the worst case scenarios here

Lily said:
No, you’re hearing the worst case scenarios here

Exactly. Most people don’t post when their warranty claim goes smoothly. They just move on.

Lily said:
No, you’re hearing the worst case scenarios here

It’s mostly about first owners or when the car’s out of warranty.

If the dealer is helpful, they can usually get Kia to pay. I’ve had warranty work done a few times and it’s always been easy.

I actually had a mixed experience. My 2020 Kia Soul needed a new transmission, which was covered under warranty. The dealer handled the claim without any issues, but it did take a month to get the parts in because of the holiday season. I’m done with Kia after this though because of the issues with manufacturing.

Most warranty claims get denied because there’s no proof of proper maintenance.

If you take your car to a shop for oil changes, tire rotations, etc., they should update Carfax with all the maintenance details. If you handle the maintenance yourself, just save the receipts and document everything. You can even upload those receipts to Carfax to make things easier later.

When I had to replace the engine in my 2016 Kia Soul, having proof of maintenance made the process really easy. The repair cost $7500, but I only had to pay $1000 because I kept all the receipts and maintenance records.

@Cindy
That’s not entirely correct. Kia actually covers oil and coolant in engine replacements under warranty.

KingKong said:
@Cindy
That’s not entirely correct. Kia actually covers oil and coolant in engine replacements under warranty.

It’s possible they got those covered through a partial goodwill claim or by not submitting the warranty claim properly.

It’s simple… after buying the car, just follow the service schedule and keep all your receipts for maintenance. Don’t skip anything, and keep track of it until the warranty ends.

It’s the people who don’t follow the process that run into problems.

@Alex
What do you mean by fluids, filters, and supplies?

Most claims get denied because it’s hard to prove what happened during maintenance if you didn’t go to a certified technician. Saving a little money on services could end up costing a lot more if the warranty is denied later.

I love my K4 GT line. I also have a 2023 Honda Civic, but Kia is much better in terms of space, technology, and comfort.

@fabgise
It’s also about the dealer’s attitude. Some dealers just don’t care to help.

I went to two Kia dealers—one didn’t want to help with my AC repair after an accident, while the other fixed it without hesitation.

@Bright
I had the same problem. The dealership I bought from had a much better reputation than local ones.

@fabgise
In the US, you need to prove negligence to get a warranty claim denied. If you miss oil changes and your engine gets damaged, it’s not hard for them to deny the claim.

@fabgise
This is good news! I’m looking at the GT-line too. I’m coming from a Tesla. Loved it, but managing my life around it was a bit much. Thanks for the feedback .

Adam said:
@fabgise
This is good news! I’m looking at the GT-line too. I’m coming from a Tesla. Loved it, but managing my life around it was a bit much. Thanks for the feedback!

Here’s a photo of the K4 GT Line .

@fabgise
Do you feel like the car has any issues with acceleration? Is it hard to pass other cars on the highway?

Mia said:
@fabgise
Do you feel like the car has any issues with acceleration? Is it hard to pass other cars on the highway?

Not really. It’s just 0.2 seconds slower than my Civic. It’s not the fastest car, but I’m not looking for speed either.

We had to get two big repairs on a used Soul, and both were covered by warranty with no cost. It’s part of why we’re considering Kia for our next car.