Just before Hurricane Helene, I brought my 2018 Kia Niro Hybrid to Asheville Kia after noticing coolant leaking and smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Despite the regional chaos caused by the storm, the dealership charged me $1,400 for what they said was a repair involving new gaskets and an EGR cooler.
Within a month, the exact same symptoms returned in coolant loss and white exhaust smoke coming from the tailpipe at times.
I went back to the dealership and explained that I believed it was the same issue. I had done some research on my own and found that this was not an uncommon problem for Kia Niro Hybrids. I even suggested the coolant heat exchanger might be the source of the problem, or at least that coolant was still getting into the exhaust system.
They dismissed everything I said and insisted it was an entirely different issue. Their proposed solution? A full muffler system replacement for $3,500. When I asked for proof, they showed me a photo of the muffler, not leaking. I asked again for actual diagnostic evidence. After hours of arguing on the phone and getting callbacks, they said the muffler had a small leak found during a pressure test. But that didn’t make sense: the smoke didn’t occur consistently, it only happened after prolonged uphill driving. That pattern didn’t match a small leak. I knew they were either wrong or lying.
The manager (possibly named Jennifer) was rude and condescending, completely unwilling to consider that their first repair had failed. She blamed me for driving the car about 1,000 miles after the original repair and said I must have broken it again. Meanwhile, my technician Kristen, who had initially been helpful, stopped responding altogether once I began questioning their approach.
At this point, I brought the car to John’s Kwik Lube in Spruce Pine. They listened, re-diagnosed the issue, and confirmed that the coolant heat exchanger was faulty- exactly what I had suspected. After some research, they also told me this is a known and common issue in Kia Niro Hybrids and that Kia should have recognized it from the start, especially after I brought it to their attention.
John’s Kwik Lube provided a straightforward workaround repair for under $200. That was almost a year ago, and I’ve had zero issues since.
I kept records from both places, including pressure test results that prove Kia’s original test was wrong or possibly even fabricated. I also have screenshots of Kia’s repair quote (important tip: Kia doesn’t let you revisit your quote history so screenshot everything while you can).
Kia not only failed to fix the issue but replaced parts that didn't need replaced and then tried to push unnecessary, unrelated repairs on me for thousands of dollars more. They ignored the clear signs, refused to listen to the customer, and left me without a functioning car for weeks, all while we dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and I had no power, water, vehicles, etc.
If I had listened to them, I would’ve spent over $5,000 and still had the same problem. Please be cautious. Get a second opinion before trusting Asheville Kia of Paramount with your vehicle.
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Just before Hurricane Helene, I brought my 2018 Kia Niro Hybrid to Asheville Kia after noticing coolant leaking and smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Despite the regional chaos caused by the storm, the dealership charged me $1,400 for what they said was a repair involving new gaskets and an EGR cooler.
Within a month, the exact same symptoms returned in coolant loss and white exhaust smoke coming from the tailpipe at times.
I went back to the dealership and explained that I believed it was the same issue. I had done some research on my own and found that this was not an uncommon problem for Kia Niro Hybrids. I even suggested the coolant heat exchanger might be the source of the problem, or at least that coolant was still getting into the exhaust system.
They dismissed everything I said and insisted it was an entirely different issue. Their proposed solution? A full muffler system replacement for $3,500. When I asked for proof, they showed me a photo of the muffler, not leaking. I asked again for actual diagnostic evidence. After hours of arguing on the phone and getting callbacks, they said the muffler had a small leak found during a pressure test. But that didn’t make sense: the smoke didn’t occur consistently, it only happened after prolonged uphill driving. That pattern didn’t match a small leak. I knew they were either wrong or lying.
The manager (possibly named Jennifer) was rude and condescending, completely unwilling to consider that their first repair had failed. She blamed me for driving the car about 1,000 miles after the original repair and said I must have broken it again. Meanwhile, my technician Kristen, who had initially been helpful, stopped responding altogether once I began questioning their approach.
At this point, I brought the car to John’s Kwik Lube in Spruce Pine. They listened, re-diagnosed the issue, and confirmed that the coolant heat exchanger was faulty- exactly what I had suspected. After some research, they also told me this is a known and common issue in Kia Niro Hybrids and that Kia should have recognized it from the start, especially after I brought it to their attention.
John’s Kwik Lube provided a straightforward workaround repair for under $200. That was almost a year ago, and I’ve had zero issues since.
I kept records from both places, including pressure test results that prove Kia’s original test was wrong or possibly even fabricated. I also have screenshots of Kia’s repair quote (important tip: Kia doesn’t let you revisit your quote history so screenshot everything while you can).
Kia not only failed to fix the issue but replaced parts that didn't need replaced and then tried to push unnecessary, unrelated repairs on me for thousands of dollars more. They ignored the clear signs, refused to listen to the customer, and left me without a functioning car for weeks, all while we dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and I had no power, water, vehicles, etc.
If I had listened to them, I would’ve spent over $5,000 and still had the same problem. Please be cautious. Get a second opinion before trusting Asheville Kia of Paramount with your vehicle.
- Isaiah I., Green Mountain, NC, US