Why does the sunroof rattle in my Kia Stinger GT?
Asked by Paul
My Kia Stinger GT, purchased in March 2019, has had a problem with a significantly rattling sunroof since shortly after delivery. Kia has acknowledged the problem, and have had four attempts at fixing it, during which I have been without use of the vehicle for a cumulative 61 days. Unfortunately the issue still has not been resolved, and is in fact worse now.
Both myself and NSW Fair Trading have requested that Kia provide a refund for my vehicle, on the basis that it was not of acceptable quality when I purchased it, and due to the fact that Kia have been unable to repair the fault in anywhere near a reasonable timeframe. Unfortunately Kia Australia has refused the refund, and have instead directed me back to the dealership for a fifth time. Do you have any advice as to where I go from here? I'm assuming going down a legal path is my only option from here?
Answered by CarsGuide
20 Nov 2021The NSW Office of Fair Trading has a Disciplinary Action Unit (DAU) which, on the surface, appears to be able to sanction companies or enforce findings by the department. Which leaves me wondering how Kia has managed to brush off that authority by refusing the refund recommended by the department. Perhaps you would be wise to contact the ACCC (the old Consumer Affairs Department) as this organisation has some real teeth.
The question, however, is whether you’ve given Kia sufficient opportunity to fix the problem. Form what you’ve said, that’s probably the case, but all disputes of this nature rely on the car-maker being given every chance to make things right. That said, your frustration is understandable and, even if the problem is eventually rectified, your opinion of the vehicle will probably be permanently coloured.
For the record, plenty of other owners of the Kia Stinger have complained about exactly the same problem, so it appears that it’s a real concern and not one of which Kia could possibly be unaware. I’ve heard of some owners having the sunroof frame replaced and that fixing the problem. So perhaps there’s a tolerance problem in the manufacturing of the sunroof frames. The point there being that replacing the original frame with another one that is out of spec will simply reproduce the same problem. Perhaps that’s what’s happening to your car.
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