When I bought my new 2023 Kia Niro a couple years back, I was definitely happy how I was treated. Not just by the salesperson, but everyone involved like the loan guy and also the guy from the service department that came over after I had purchased to go over every feature in detail no matter how long it took. I had to write a little review to counter balance some negative reviews on here. I’m definitely going to buy my next vehicle here

Big warning!!! I will never buy from here again! This is my second car from this dealership. I was trying to be a loyal customer even after my family wanted to me to go to nessian because of how great they are treated over there. My salesman was great in the beginning but failed to follow through. My first car had a recall on the trunk and could not be opened. He promised me that he would get in touch as soon as they fixed the trunk because of the personal items I had in there. A week later I got in touch with him and once again he said he would let me know after the weekend was over and I never heard from him again. Three weeks after I had the new vehicle my check engine light comes on while driving it on a Saturday. I tried calling them around noon for almost two hours and never reached them. That Monday I finally got ahold of them and they told me to bring it in, it probably just needed to be reset. I took it in and I get a call from them that the vehicle is ready and that it looks like a rodent chewed a wire and its going to be 500+ dollars to replace because it messed up the c02 sensor. I live in a community that has pest/rodent control. In the four years I've lived here, I've never had a problem or have had any rodent dropping in my garage or driveway or with any of the three other vehicles that are parked here. I purchased this car because I'm a single mom...the warranty is what had sold me and the low miles. I talked to one of their mechanics, who was very sweet! I asked if there was rodent droppings inside. He said no, I didn't check nor took any photos. He also said he didn't realize what a short time I had, had the vehicle and if it was up to him he would replace it but wanted me to talk to his manager. The service manager was very rude and in his office.. I quote, "so what are you wanting from me?" He first told me that it had to have happened right then and there and I was like well wouldn't there be a dead rodent because it came on while I was driving. Then he changed it to it had to have happened last night, those sensors are sensitive. At the very end of the conversation in which the manager acted like he didn't care at all and said he could only give me 120 dollars off in which I told him I could not afford that after I put a grand down on the vehicle, I proceeded to ask about my old vehicle. He went to look the vehicle up and I explained that my salesman never contacted me and I showed him the previous message with him. They then informed me that the vehicle with my personal items in the trunk went to auction and he insured me that the salesman would contact me by the end of the day because they were in a meeting. I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING BACK AGAIN!! I went to two other mechanics and they told me not necessarily did it happen right away that it could have happened weeks ago. Come to find out the vehicle I got sat on their lot for twenty something days! This has been a very bad experience all around and I will never purchase from them again. As someone who works in customer service, I would never treat any of my customers this way nor did they try to correct any of their mistakes. And as word of mouth goes, I do not have one positive thing to say about this dealership.

10 days passed and they have not sent payment for my trade-in. They keep boxes full so you cant' leave a message.

TLDR: North County Kia sold us the WRONG sized spare tire for a new Optima ES and refused to provide the correct size at no cost. This concern the PARTS DEPARTMENT: My daughter had just graduated from San Diego State and decided to purchase her first new car. It was a 2018 Kia Optima ES from North County Kia (NCK) in Escondido on November 24, 2017. Once we had a chance to go through the car, we noticed there was no spare tire in the trunk. The spare tire was not included in the purchase price. We immediately ordered one on December 17, 2017. The placard/sticker inside the driver’s door said that the front and rear wheels were 17” and the spare was a 16”, (which seemed strange at the time). We immediately purchased the spare tire for $228.97 from NCK. We felt not having a spare was a serious safety issue since my daughter would be driving on many trips outside California. Fast forward to February 3, 2024. I noticed a damaged right front tire from a pothole on her Optima when she visited our home. It was late in the day and Costco said they could not have a new tire installed until the next day. We took her spare out and attempted to install it on the car. It would not fit. The 16” wheel consistently would hit the brake caliper during the installation and would not seat. We re-indexed the wheel five different times (lining up the wheel studs) trying to get the wheel installed but it would not slide over the caliper. I took the wheel/tire assembly to NCK parts department at 2:30 pm but it was Saturday and they were closed. I called NCK parts department on February 5, 2024, and spoke to a guy who said that since the part had been installed on the car, they would not take it back. I explained that they sold it to me based on their information and it was not my fault it would not fit. He said his manager was not there, but she would call me back. She never returned my call. On February 8, 2024, my son called NCK parts department and spoke to Lacy (not sure of the spelling), who told him that even though we had an invoice number it was too old and no longer in the system. If we wanted a replacement 17” spare tire it would cost approximately $250. There is NO WAY I AM GIVING NCK ANY MORE OF OUR MONEY. This is not our fault in any way. We did not special order the wrong part. NCK parts department ordered the wheel/tire based on their data. I have a receipt with an invoice number dated 11 DEC 17 that shows paid in full. You can look at the tire and wheel assembly and see that it is new. Yes, there are marks on the inside of the wheel from hitting the caliper, but those marks WOULD NOT be present if it had been the correct size wheel. The fact that my daughter drove out of California on various trips during the summer thinking she had a serviceable spare tire when she did not is a safety issue that could have ended with disastrous results. If this is NCK’s idea of customer service, I would advise all prospective customers to shop elsewhere. They ONLY care about themselves and do not care about the safety of their customers. I ended up purchasing a used wheel for $30 and a new tire from Discount Tire for $177. With $207 recently invested I KNOW this will fit if needed. (The fact that we have had to spend $435 total) speaks for itself). I do wonder how many other Optima’s are out there with this safety issue? BUYER BEWARE.

As a prospective customer, I expected transparency and fair treatment. On 8/27/2023 I went to Kia and inquired about leasing Sorrento, the sales manager point blank refused to provide a ballpark monthly payment without a credit application. I made it clear I only wanted a general quote, as this was the first dealership I visited. However, he claimed the bank needed to see my application first in order to determine the payment. Having spent 6 years in the auto industry myself, I know this is simply not true. The dealer structures the deal and then submits it to the bank for approval. The credit application is not required for a basic lease quote. By lying about this policy, the sales manager was clearly using high-pressure, dishonest tactics to get my personal information before I was ready to commit. Despite explaining I only wanted a ballpark figure to see if the Sorrento fit my budget, he continued to insist I complete the application first. That honestly made me uncomfortable, as it was evident he cared more about getting my information than addressing my needs. I left without even a general idea of the lease payment, because I opted out of submitting an application just to get a quote. This experience demonstrated that the dealership seems more interested in taking advantage of customers than building trust and meeting expectations. Customers should be able to inquire about pricing without high-pressure tactics.

The worst. I have a vehicle that the a.c. went out for no reason. My vehicle is under warranty. inside my vehicle right now it is at least 125 degrees. I was unable to get an appointment to have them even look at it until the 21st and it was the 2nd when I made the appointment. I have a kid and cannot have my kid sitting a car that is that hot. So I took my car down there because calling them did nothing and they still refuse to look at the car that is broken due to their shotty materials. They not only refused to look at it they were hostile and canceled my appointment I had set for the 21st. They do not stand by their product, once you buy the car you are on your own they're warranty doesn't mean anything when they refuse to stand by it. Not only that, I called kia America, and since each kia dealership is independently owned they refuse to do anything about it either, they litteraly hung up on me because I told them I need a solution not an apology. If you are thinking about getting a kia I would highly suggest you don't, their warranty is a gimmick and they're cars will give you nothing but problems, and you'll be stuck footing the bill for something that should be covered. North county kia and kia America have no intrest in helping once you've purchased the vehicle. This guy in the glasses is the tough guy that says if it's hot in my car, with all black leather interior I should "roll down my windows". Apparently my 8 year old daughter, wife, and I can just roll down the windows in 100 degree weather where the interior temps are easily 120- 130. I can just go out start my car, roll down the windows and that'll sure cool those scorching hot seats enough that my daughter doesnt get second degree burns on the leather seats. I can just roll down the windows and that will solve all the issues I've created for myself when I chose to buy a Kia, thinking that a warranty should matter. North county kia should be ashamed at the way they do business. Final word of advice to those thinking of buying a kia ESPECIALLY FROM NORTH COUNTY KIA. DO NOT, YOU WILL REGRET IT.