TLDR: My brand new ev9s rear drawer is stuck, and the dealership has attempted to repair it 5 times now without success.
Note: I posted this a few weeks ago, and this has been updated. I have marked the updated part.
I went to a dealership in the DC area to test drive an EV9. On the day before our scheduled drive the new October incentives kicked in and the website somehow doubled all the incentives, and it was advertising brand new EV9 GT-lines for right around $45,000. I was wondering to myself if Kia was truly getting desperate, so I looked at a Niro, which they were supposedly selling for $10,000, so it was an obvious site-wide error. The salesman confirmed it was an error, and by the time we got to our test drive, the website was fixed. We liked the vehicle. It is a 2026 ocean blue gt-line, which they were asking $64,000 for. They had at that time an ivory-silver gt line for a little over $59,000. We liked the blue better, so we told them we would like the blue one for the same price as the ivory one, and they simply agreed. So we have a new ocean blue gt-line that ai think we got a good deal on.
However, during the test drive we noticed that the rear drawer was hopelessly stuck. I told the salesman, and he took it to the service department.
Repair attempt # 1: Saturday Oct. 3rd
We were told that their "master mechanics" were not available on the weekends, so apparently they took it to the service gorilla, who proceeded to rip the handle off the drawer. They needed new parts, so we'd have to come back. We live 50 miles away, which was well worth the drive for the deal we got on it, but we were a little disappointed that we'd have to go back to get it fixed. We got their commitment to fix it in writing before we left.
Repair attempt #2: Monday Oct. 12th
A few days later we got the word that they had the parts, so we went back and waited. Nearly 2 hours- they said that it required the entire console to be disassembled. Finally, it was done, we got in the car, and the drawer was still 100% stuck. They did replace the handle, though, but its crooked and loose. So I asked the service desk fellow to come look. He said "yeah, we fixed the handle." OK, that's nice, but the drawer is still stuck. He took it back to the "master mechanic," who said they'd have to order more parts. He said it would likely be a few weeks, as its a "new model," and parts aren't readily available yet.
Damn. How in the hell do you fix the handle and not the drawer? Did they not notice the drawer was stuck? This one boggles my mind. The service manager called the next day to follow up, and I explained what had happened, and I asked him very nicely to please ensure that next time we make the drive we should actually get it fixed.
This has been my first experience with Kia service. I hope it gets better.
UPDATE:
Repair attempt #3: Friday Oct. 15th
The service manager called me the day after I had the non-repair, and I explained what happened, and I told him I'm not upset, but I just don't want to keep coming down to get attempt after attempt since its a 50 mile one and a quarter hour drive each way, and he assured me he'd make sure he makes it right for us.
We had a very unusual week where my wife and I both got Monday and Friday off. Monday was the first attempt, and we got a notification Friday morning that the parts were in. They were able to take us that afternoon, so we drove down. We waited two and a half hours until the desk guy told us there was another problem. They needed more parts, and they were planning to take the parts from another ev9 on their lot and use it to fix ours. It would take less than an hour. We said no problem.
About a half hour later the service manager, who I'd talked to on the phone, told me there were no ev9s on the lot that matched our interior. The problem was that they got the replacement parts, but they came damaged. The technician installed it anyway, but the manager noted some gouges on one of the parts, and decided he couldn't send it out like that.
So they ordered new parts, and the service manager said they could give us a loaner, and when our ev9 is done, they'll have a driver bring it to our home and pick up the loaner so we don't have to make the trip again. We accepted, and now we have a little green Sportage for awhile.
We wound up spending the lion's share of our two days off waiting for repairs, but I will say that service manager is definitely trying to make things right.
Repair attempt #4: Monday October 19th:
We got the word that repair parts are in. Soon afterward we got a call that the part that they received was damaged.
Friday Oct. 23rd I spoke to the service guy, who told me their parts manager was trying to get a replacement part, and that there were only 3 available in the entire nation. They called a little later and said they had located a part in Ohio, and they were going to ask the people there to inspect the part, and assuming it was good they'd send it via "emergency order," and the moment it arrives they'll inspect it again, and if its ok they'll install it.
Repair attempt #5: Tuesday October 27th:
the repair part came in, and we got a call. This one is damaged as well. I asked more questions- they told me the drawer was severely scuffed in a very noticeable place due to "extremely poor packaging and handling." I was told that they would order another, and it would be a week or more. Their parts manager would escalate this to the Kia regional manager. I asked if they would be able to have the regional manager call me, and he said that regional managers do not speak to customers.
So now we wait some more. We still have the sportage loaner, but we want our new vehicle. We have owned it for a grand total of 24 days, 11 of which the car has been sitting at the dealership. We put on less than 500 miles, most of which driving back and forth to the dealership, and they have tried 5 times to fix it unsuccessfully.
I think I'm going to try calling Kia itself and tell them about this fiasco. This is not inspiring confidence in the brand.