Denied service request at Kia dealership

Hi,

I've been a very happy South Florida 2015 Soul EV owner until today when I stopped in after making an appointment at Napleton Kia in Riviera Beach, FL. All I wanted was to get a multi-point inspection and a tire rotation done but was told right off the bat that they could not perform any service on my car no matter how basic it is.

After reviewing the owners manual and maintenance schedule multiple times I find no mention that only a Kia EV certified dealer can perform service on the Soul EV. Later today I opened a case via Kia Customer Assistance in which I speak to a man that understands my situation but first tries to get me to say that the Soul EV is a completely different vehicle and I should have known that the car can only be serviced in EV certified dealerships. Even for a basic tire rotation? He goes on to say because the Soul EV has special tires and special brakes, no other dealer except for one that is certified can do any work on the tires and can also refuse to do work as each dealer is independently owned. Hmm I can then assume the Optima Hybrid has a special procedure for rotating tires as well? Completely unacceptable. More arguments about what the Soul EV's Owners Manual actually means by stating "..Authorized Kia Dealer.." occur and getting nowhere with this. I then started to think of the standard feature that shows me visually on the Navigation if I'm going outside my driving range, maybe the same could have been done for going outside service areas. He then tells me that is not possible since the car does not have any tracking abilities built-in, are you really kidding me? I decided to just end our conversation and if I had to take legal action I would. He then calls me back a few minutes later to inform me that ONLY in the Warranty and Consumer Information manual it specifically states "...Authorized EV Kia Dealer..". Well there's the detailed fine print. But he also stated that he will try and call a few dealers in my area that are willing to at least do a tire rotation so that I do not risk losing my warranty.

I can fully understand all dealers not having the trained knowledge to perform work on the HV battery system and other EV related components, but its unacceptable for a Kia dealership that is even certified to work on Optima Hybrids to immediately decline basic maintenance service for a very low maintenance vehicle in which in itself is their very own product.

Any others run into a similar situation out of state?

I knew that only select dealerships were trained and certified to work on Soul EVs, but I've never thought to inquire whether non-certified dealers would turn us away. Let me guess - are there zero EV certified dealers in South Florida?

That is correct. No EV certified dealers in the state of Florida. I'm still bothered with the conflicting information between the Owners Manual and the Warranty booklet. In a way it sounds like you can't even drive it out of state if you wanted to because it won't be serviced. What if someone who leases or purchased this car like me and had to move to another state? Surely this has to be breaking some sort of law.

blavenn said:

... But he also stated that he will try and call a few dealers in my area that are willing to at least do a tire rotation so that I do not risk losing my warranty.

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From the FTC site:
An independent mechanic, a retail chain shop, or even you yourself can do routine maintenance and repairs on your vehicle. In fact, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which is enforced by the FTC, makes it illegal for manufacturers or dealers to claim that your warranty is void or to deny coverage under your warranty simply because someone other than the dealer did the work. The manufacturer or dealer can, however, require consumers to use select repair facilities if the repair services are provided to consumers free of charge under the warranty.

blavenn said:

That is correct. No EV certified dealers in the state of Florida. I'm still bothered with the conflicting information between the Owners Manual and the Warranty booklet. In a way it sounds like you can't even drive it out of state if you wanted to because it won't be serviced. What if someone who leases or purchased this car like me and had to move to another state? Surely this has to be breaking some sort of law.

Click to expand...

Did buy the vehicle while you were a resident of FL? I know the Chevy dealers in OR cannot sell the Spark EV to buyers that live in WA, even though they could be 7 miles (or less) from the dealership. In the Spark EV scenario, that is likely more than a little influenced by CARB credits - but the Soul EV doesn't earn Kia any credits if it sold in GA (where I assume you got the car).

The dealers reluctance to service the car was likely due to the fact that they would not get paid by Kia (if it was warranty/service contract related).

FYI, the Honda Fit EV lease specifically states that if you relocate to an area with no certified dealers, you must return the car and the lease will terminate.

Wow - I took my Soul EV+ to my local Canadian Tire garage to get my tires rotated ... when I tried to book an appt with my Kia EV Dealer, they never got back to me! I know where my winter tires will be coming from ...