A search for Kia recalls has become as interesting as those jokes and movies featuring the less mainstream vehicles. There is a common tendency to poke fun at such makes as the Ford Pinto, the Yugo, and the make made famous by Mike Myers and Dana Garvey in Wayne’s World-the AMC Pacer (which, by the way, is on sale for 15 grand). For some reason, I was thinking a search for Kia recalls would result in material for the aforementioned jokesters…but I was wrong.
Here’s the thing about Kia recalls-that I can find. Either the Kia is a hyperbreed of manufacturing genius, the makers of the many series are hiding something, or the usually comprehensive and thorough database I consult for recall info has not yet uploaded the data regarding recalls. I suspect it is the latter. When I researched other makes, I found information going back as far as the early eighties. But when I searched for Kia recalls, found “no information available” messages on the Kia Optima, Kia Optima_SE, Kia Rio, Kia Rio Cinco, and the nine other Kia models. Then again, that was on one web site alone-despite that this site is really good.
Cars that just function without problems? Possible?
So I forged on, sure that if a car like Chevy or Ford has its share of recalls, surely Kia recalls would match in number if not outdo the others in recalls. So far the presumption. The next site, number one on the results list of my favorite search engine, also rendered a “no Kia recalls” message. But my third effort did garner some of the sought after information.
While there are still no Kia recalls for the 2005 Kia Sedona EX, the 2005 Kia Sportage LX V6, the 2005 Kia Rio Cinco, and others, for example, there was one piddly little recall for the 2005 Kia Rio: evidently there was a failure to comply with the Child Restraint Anchorage System requirements. As I drilled down deeper, I still found no severe or drastic Kia recalls-not for the 2004 Kia Sedona EX, not for the 1997 Kia Sephia GS, not even for the earlier models and series, such as the 1995 Kia Sportage EX or the 1994 Kia Sephia GX.
Okay, so I don’t know if I am disappointed that such a unique make and its models have so few defects, just like any other car, legendary or otherwise, or if I am delighted that we can say at least one underdog has outdone the stars.