A brand new Kia Seltos breaking down thrice at the time of delivery has caused a lot of hardships for the customer.
Imagine a brand new Kia Seltos that costs so much breaking down at the time of delivery instantly shattering the joy of the occasion. This is what had happened to Balaso Babanrao Shitole from Baramati, Pune.
With great agony, he had written to MotorBeam about the harrowing experience he had faced while taking the delivery of his premium D-segment SUV.
“Just like every other person who works hard to provide a better and comfortable life to his family, I toil to the limit to fulfil the dreams of my family,” he started off. “I always wanted to buy a car to travel with my family,” Balaso said.
But, unfortunately, his dream had became a disaster. “On 14th July, 2022, I was about to get the delivery of my brand new Kia Seltos from Dhone Kia, Baramati. I visited the showroom at 2.30 PM. The car was ready and we took off the red cloth,” he exclaimed.
To part take in the occasion, Balaso had invited his friends too. After they had taken the delivery, it seems the problems had started 1 by 1.
“While we decided to leave, the car, all of sudden, refused to start. We called our sales man and branch manager and the latter explained that there was no fuel. But, even after refueling, the car didn’t start. This drama was going outside the showroom in the presence of all the on-lookers,” Balaso said.
“Then, the service technicians pushed the SUV to the workshop and started checking the fuel supply lines to no avail. Then, they removed a part from behind the rear seat and changed the battery as well, again, to no avail,” he added.
Seeing the technicians clueless about the problem till 7 PM, the disappointed customer and his family had left. Later, they got a call at around 7:45 PM. “The branch manager told that the car was ready and the plan was to deliver it by 9:30 AM, the next morning,” Balaso said.
But, even after waiting for more than a hour beyond the stipulated time, the car hadn’t come home. When the customer rang the showroom, he was further disappointed to know that his car’s engine had been making weird noises.
“The branch manager told that he has called a team from Pune to investigate the issue. Meanwhile, he provided a demo Seltos. Later, the manager called me and said the car is ready and will be delivered home,” the customer added.
When Balaso got the car, he noticed that the problem had still not been solved and then the car was taken to Hadapsar for further inspection. Finally, on 16th July, he was informed that all the issues had been solved.
Not convinced with their reply, the customer had asked for the parts changed in the brand new car and got an answer that the fuel line had been replaced. “I didn’t accept the car because buying a new car with replaced and repaired parts don’t make sense,” he said.
“I can’t have full faith in this car while driving. Who will take the responsibility that the problem won’t repeat in the future? What if the car does not start during an emergency? It has broken down thrice in 2 days,” the customer added.
It seems like a clear case of manufacturing defect and might put a lot of pressure not only on the customer but also on the showroom and service centre in the future.
Hope the issue is resolved on a war-footing for the customer so that his faith in the brand is restored.
This isn’t the only time that customers are facing such issues. Few months back, a few customers had complained about water condensation issues in their Carens vehicles too.
Kia should up their game and improve the quality check process. Dealers should thoroughly check the cars during pre-delivery inspection. They should take a leaf out of the book of their sister counterpart Hyundai to up their game in reliability.