Kia of Cerritos

I was looking forward to buying my next Soul from here but I don't trust this Kia anymore and will probably choose a different brand altogether. I came in with my Kia Soul with a very simple issue - cy but I don't trust this Kia anymore and will probably choose a different brand altogether. I came in with my Kia Soul with a very simple issue - cylinders one and four are misfiring at high acceleration with engine codes P0300, P0301, and P0304 displaying intermittently. Firestone suggested I take it to a dealership so I did. Guy escorting me in says "no problem, that's an easy fix." Anthony (service advisor) was kind and descriptive and was verbose on the diagnostic sheet he sent to the shop, describing exactly what was wrong and how to replicate it when test driving. He says four days for diagnostic, I say ok, he says they don't do diagnostics on weekends so it'll be until Thursday (six days.) Understandable. On Tuesday (four days later) the technician texts me an inspection video and says, "You had some codes you said you had in your vehicle. However, I scanned your vehicle and the only code that was stored in as history, meaning the only code that was active in the past, is a P045." That was an unrelated EVAP leak code that they did a leak test for and determined was not an issue. So they didn't test drive the car or look into my actual issue at all. So I text them back and explain the entire issue over again in text and that if they test drive it, you will know immediately that something is wrong. No response. I call them and leave a voicemail with Anthony. No response. I call again the next day; straight to voicemail. I text and say "What is the status of my car? Nobody is returning my calls." Anthony texts back and says he's off today and will call me in the morning (Saturday.) The morning comes and goes. At 4:12pm I text "Hello, still waiting for a call back." I finally get a call back and they say it's a catalytic converter issue and it needs replacement. I ask him for 15 minutes to confirm and he says it'll be $1450 before tax, around $1500 after. I say nice and let's do it. He says car should be ready by Thursday. It's now Tuesday. They've had my car for ten days, and now I receive a new message saying that there was a "pricing error" and the updated quote will be $5449.95, truly an unfathomable jump in the price. I decline out of pure shock and he says "ok, since you're declining you'll now have to pay the $280 diagnostic fee" Tried to speak to a manager (Eli) today, straight to voicemail with no response. Great! You guys kept my car for ten days, wouldn't offer me a loaner or rental until the diagnostic was done four days in, wasted those four days and didn't diagnose the issue at all, then misquoted me eight days in and raised the price by nearly four times the original amount on day ten, wouldn't text me back or return my already scarce calls, and now I'm expected to still pay the diagnostic fee. I guess that fee isn't contingent on the quality or completeness of your diagnostics. Definitely do not recommend this dealership for a number of reasons - price, scheduling, but most importantly, communication. More

KIA put in a brand new engine, car caught on fire and was completely destroyed. KIA is not taking any responsibility for it. I feel the need to warn people as to the quality and safety measures KIA has negle completely destroyed. KIA is not taking any responsibility for it. I feel the need to warn people as to the quality and safety measures KIA has neglected to provide. We owned a 2013 KIA Optima. Our Optima experienced an engine failure when a connecting rod broke while driving on the 405 freeway. Kia of Cerritos replaced the engine under Kia's extended warranty, and the vehicle was returned to me on 12 days later. Shortly after receiving the vehicle, we noticed the engine would intermittently lose power while driving. The vehicle would stop responding to accelerator input for a brief moment and then suddenly regain power, causing the vehicle to lurch. My son and I experienced the same issue multiple times. In the 11 years I have owned this vehicle, I had never experienced this problem prior to the engine replacement. Two weeks later I returned the vehicle to Kia of Cerritos, because I was concerned about the new engine and the safety of the vehicle. At that time, the replacement engine had only 60 miles. The vehicle remained at the dealership for one week, and I was told that no problems could be found. A couple days later, my son again experienced the same loss-of-power issue while driving to school. A few minutes after parking the vehicle in the school parking lot and surrounded by other vehicles and students, it caught fire and the engine compartment was completely consumed by the fire. The fire department put out the fire but not before the car was burnt so completely it took 3 tow trucks to finally find one with the ability to scrape the car off the concrete. It was towed to KIA. The following details KIA’s response to the situation: We have asked KIA to compensate us for the vehicle “they fixed”. The vehicle that put our son and other students in danger. And the vehicle we no longer have. They did not install the engine correctly and need to accept accountability for their mistake. For the bad install that has now lost us an entire vehicle. KIA has offered us $1500. They believe this to be a reasonable amount to compensate us for the damage done. If we were to buy the same model with the same mileage (without a brand new engine) we would pay $7,000. Due to their lack of mechanical know-how and incorrect engine installation, we have no car and do not feel $1500 is a fair amount to even come close to covering our loss. KIA has expressed the loss they are facing if they gave us more money towards another vehicle. We have tried to meet them in the middle, but they act like they are the ones suffering the loss and what we are asking for is unfair. I am having a difficult time seeing how this is difficult for them. The lack of regard for our loss is upsetting and brings me to the reason for this review. This experience has made me question KIA’s ethics and I would caution anyone from trusting their vehicle with their service department. I understand vehicles experience mechanical issues, they require maintenance. But if you can’t trust the dealership to provide proper and safe installation or maintenance, or to fix a problem when one arises, I would not trust them to purchase a vehicle in the first place. We have been in contact with KIA's corporate office but have yet to hear how they will intervene. More

I have to share this because it's rare to find a genuinely honest car buying experience these days. I live in Redondo Beach, so I first went to another local Kia dealership since it was closest t genuinely honest car buying experience these days. I live in Redondo Beach, so I first went to another local Kia dealership since it was closest to me. Unfortunately I ran into some pricing games there, quotes that didn't match what was advertised online, and discounts that were listed on paper but never actually applied. It left a bad taste in my mouth. After that, I decided the extra drive was worth it and reached out to Serbie at Kia of Cerritos. Completely different story. He was upfront and transparent with pricing from the first message, sent me a real itemized breakdown, and when I asked him to remove things, he actually removed them. At one point we realized I didn't technically qualify for a $750 competitive discount he'd originally quoted me, and instead of just pulling it from the price, he worked with me to offset the difference anyway. When I showed up to buy, everything was ready. Serbie walked me through the car and the whole process, no pressure, no games. While we waited on the finance department, we ended up just talking, kids, music, life, instead of him trying to upsell me on extended warranties and add-ons I didn't need. It's honestly the best car buying experience I've ever had. You go in expecting to get worked, and that just wasn't the case here. If you're shopping for a Kia, go see Serbie at Cerritos. I drove an extra 15 minutes from the South Bay to get here, and it saved me thousands of dollars and a lot of stress. More

Kia K5 GT line having 2 recalls. Stuck fuel door. Bubbles in the system all before 60k miles. Then at 65800 miles, all lights on the cluster went off. From collision repair, ABS, lan Stuck fuel door. Bubbles in the system all before 60k miles. Then at 65800 miles, all lights on the cluster went off. From collision repair, ABS, lanes assistance, rpms and speedometer not working properly, ac not working properly. On the first day when taken for a diagnostic, I was offered spark plugs even tho they were done 5k miles ago. A coolant flush so early without even checking the condition first. Also, Nick the advisor got upset after being asked about the data of his findings. Nothing was logged and regardless of me requesting proof, I was not given any. Car was there for 10 days and only got test driven 1 miles or less. How could they replicate a problem if they hardly drove it? The fix on invoice what they call "stage 1" clearly says they wanted to fix a camera to see "if" it would fix the issue. Avoid Nick and Eli the director/service manager. Avoid kia of cerritos and go to another kia dealership but this one is not it. I opened up cases with kia of corporate and BAR. File your own complains and ask for proof when they are working on your vehicles. I denied their work, and took my car to Carson and they even found a leak that the car had and on video from Carson mechanic on top of them opening a case with the manufacturer due to the complex issues, having tech line help with the diagnoses. More

My husband leased a 2026 Kia Sorento from Kia Cerritos on April 24, 2026. I am writing this review because I was the one who had to fight for any kind of resolution, and future buyers deserve to know what we April 24, 2026. I am writing this review because I was the one who had to fight for any kind of resolution, and future buyers deserve to know what we went through. Week 1 — Kia Connect issues: Within the first week, we experienced issues with Kia Connect and had to return to the dealership. The sales manager and finance representative were dismissive and came across as rude. Our sales rep was kind and helped us get it working. But the fact that we were back in the dealership within a week of purchase was already a red flag. May 9th — Door handle falls apart: Less than two weeks after purchase, my husband closed the driver's side door and a piece of the door handle came off in his hand. On a brand new vehicle. He didn't report it because he didn't want to deal with the poor customer service again. That alone should tell you something. May 21st — Rodent infestation discovered: We began noticing a horrible odor coming through the air vents. It escalated quickly — we were gagging, nauseous, and wearing medical masks inside our own car. The smell was so strong it transferred to our clothing. We spent approximately $80 out of pocket on odor treatments and carpet cleaning. After investigating with an endoscope, we found sunflower seed shells, food crumbs, and live maggots inside the vehicle. We also found a plastic trim panel near the passenger-side windshield with a hole that had clearly been chewed through by a rodent. Based on everything we found — the nesting debris, the maggots, the gnawed trim — this animal was in the car before we purchased it. The vehicle was not properly inspected before being sold. I have photos documenting all of it. The dealership's response: After several days of texting the sales rep (who was responsive and genuinely tried to help within her limits), we were informed that the dealership would need to charge us to locate the source of the smell. We were not at fault. We have photographic evidence this predates our ownership. We are in the middle of an out-of-state relocation with a tight budget. And they wanted to bill us. Kia markets a 10-year warranty as a selling point. But when a customer reports a broken door handle, a rodent infestation with maggots, and chewed trim — all within 30 days of purchase — and the response is to charge them? That warranty means nothing if the dealership won't stand behind the basics. My husband is now stuck in a lease on a car he has no confidence in and deeply regrets. He trusted the process. He was let down. My advice: Research the dealership thoroughly before you buy. Inspect the car inside and out — including areas you'd never think to check. Ask questions and get answers in writing. Because once you drive off that lot, you may find yourself on your own. More