North County Kia

My fiance's family and I have purchased a total of 4 vehicles and leased 1 vehicle from this dealership. A year and a half ago when I was in search of a new car, it was an easy option to come here since the family already had a relationship with the dealership. I purchased a used 2021 Sportage which had happened to be turned in 2 days before. Given that information, I had wheel and tire, key and extended warranty to 100,000 miles added to the purchased to ensure that we were covered in case anything came up that wasn't analyzed in the mere 2 days they had had this vehicle. We even drove it off the lot dirty because it hadn't been detailed yet. A year and a half later, I had 3 separate instances where the car slowed down on me to 25 mph on the freeway. I was able to get it looked at each time, run engine cleaner and change the oil (even though, it wasn't time for my oil change). Once it happened the third time, I had it towed to this dealership and told them the codes that popped up on my last incident. I am not a typical girl who is ignorant to cars and their function/operation. I have worked on machinery myself and already knew this was an issue with the engine. Luckily I was only at 90,000 miles so is something that is still to be covered under warranty. It looks a week and half and "tentative approvals of $750 (until warranty covers the claim)" for them to tell me what I already knew: I needed a new engine. After a week without a vehicle (here in San Diego, with 2 jobs, where public transport is just not an option) I asked about a courtesy vehicle. They said they couldn't offer that until the Kia claims department arranged for the engine swap. Instead, Kia claims authorized a rental credit of $35/day (with me still out of pocket by $16 a day) for 4 days until they could determine responsibility. Once the engine swap was approved, which was a surprise to NO ONE, they extended the rental for only one more week. I asked 2 more times about a courtesy vehicle; because I wasn't thrilled that I was paying out of pocket at all. THIS IS WHAT I GOT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO PROTECT ME FROM. I was told "you're already getting a credit, so we're just going to keep you in the rental". I was also told at one point that "they don't do that"-- referring to offering loaner vehicles. I finally picked up my car with a new engine after over a month of not having it and now I am being told they are only covering the vehicle for two weeks, telling me that "that's 5 more days than I should have gotten". Essentially, the dealership took more than the 2 days allotted for the engine swap (and the repair department DID inform me that it could take "weeks" not days...). So this delay is not covered and now I am being told I have to pay for a whole week and some change on this rental that I shouldn't have had to pay for in the first place BECAUSE I HAD A WARRANTY!!! Now I am being (once again) ping-ponged back and forth between the dealership and the Kia claims department for the extra rental credit I deserve. Unfortunately I keep tabs on and write legal contracts for a living so I am disgusted by the amount of time I have wasted on the back and forth and keeping tabs. I will say that Robert (the manager) was helpful in getting some of the process and moving it along; and Stephanie (from the repair department) is a gem and I know she took some heat and frustration. The gentleman who sold me the vehicle was also sweet but he doesn't even work there anymore. And these 3 people are the only reason this is a 2 star and not a 1 star review. Because this has been xxxx on earth for the past month and I will not change a word on this review on any platform until someone gets back to me on this. Enterprise still hasn't charged me and I am NOT paying $400 when I paid thousands for an extended warranty, I'm sorry. With the amount of Lemon Law issues Kias have I am SHOCKED they weren't more diligent with the situation.

Brought my car in for a serious safety issue — it randomly shuts off while driving and idling. This is the SAME problem that was supposedly repaired under warranty less than a year ago. Their response? “Nothing is wrong with your car.” Meanwhile, the engine stalls and I have to turn the key completely off and back on to restart it — which has happened while I’m on the road. That is not normal. That is dangerous. Instead of taking it seriously, doing a real diagnostic, or acknowledging this as a repeat failure, I was brushed off and told to call a manager later. No urgency. No accountability. No concern for the fact that a vehicle shutting off in traffic could cause an accident. If your car has an intermittent problem, especially one tied to a prior warranty repair, be prepared to advocate for yourself — because this dealership will default to “can’t replicate, nothing wrong” and send you on your way. Incredibly frustrating experience and very disappointing handling of a legitimate safety concern.

Kia Escondido has been a major disappointment. My 2025 Kia K4 (certified, 10,000 miles) stalls intermittently. Their own technician duplicated the issue, but service manager Robert Torres said they can’t fix it because their diagnostic system shows no errors. A car that stalls without warning and can’t be repaired by the dealership that sold it is unacceptable and unsafe. I would give zero stars if possible.

These Salespeople are just ready to scam you. Please don’t even waste your time.

North County KIA is top notch! Timely, friendly, clean. Sergio was professional, informative and knowledgeable!

The number one reason I would recommend North County Kia to anyone I care about is simple: they genuinely care about their customers. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a warm smile and made to feel welcome and valued. My sales consultant, Navid Zeighami, was incredibly professional—he took me on a test drive, patiently explained all the features, and showed me every vehicle I was interested in. He helped me compare models, features, and pricing until I found the perfect car for me and my family. The exceptional service didn’t stop there. The finance manager, Jim Cole, brought an incredibly positive energy to the experience. Knowing that my wife and I are both active duty military, he showed a sincere appreciation for our service. North County Kia’s support for the military is real and heartfelt—even the general manager, Abraham Nodarse, came out personally to thank us for our service. Because of this team—Navid Zeighami, Jim Cole, Abraham Nodarse, and the entire North County Kia family—I wholeheartedly recommend North County Kia of Escondido to anyone looking to purchase a vehicle. They go above and beyond, and it truly shows.

From the sales department to the service department I rate you guys a 10 out of 10!🤩 They worked with me to get me all that I could on my trade in Found different ways to make my brand new 2022 KIA Niro affordable for me The finance guy got me an unbelievable interest rate I’ve had my car into service twice The first time was complementary (wow) And then just the other day for my second oil change Victor was there immediately upon arriving Showed me inside and listened to what I could afford to have done He didn’t try to sell me things that would jack up my bill There wasn’t anything to have done, Except some fluid topped off my tires rotated and the oil change and, I’m Not kidding, I was out of there for less than $100!!!! I will never go a Anywhere else for my service or when I’m purchasing a new car I recommend NORTH COUNTY Kia so strongly to anyone who Might be contemplating buying a new car!

When I bought my new 2023 Kia Niro a couple years back, I was definitely happy how I was treated. Not just by the salesperson, but everyone involved like the loan guy and also the guy from the service department that came over after I had purchased to go over every feature in detail no matter how long it took. I had to write a little review to counter balance some negative reviews on here. I’m definitely going to buy my next vehicle here

The service department customer service is absolutely horrible. Constant problems with car- new 5k transmission(found less expensive at ever other shop I called but believed in the Kia service was going to fix issue) and still have engine light coming on weekly. I am positive if I didn't call repeatedly they would never call me back. Left two messages today still no call back.

Big warning!!! I will never buy from here again! This is my second car from this dealership. I was trying to be a loyal customer even after my family wanted to me to go to nessian because of how great they are treated over there. My salesman was great in the beginning but failed to follow through. My first car had a recall on the trunk and could not be opened. He promised me that he would get in touch as soon as they fixed the trunk because of the personal items I had in there. A week later I got in touch with him and once again he said he would let me know after the weekend was over and I never heard from him again. Three weeks after I had the new vehicle my check engine light comes on while driving it on a Saturday. I tried calling them around noon for almost two hours and never reached them. That Monday I finally got ahold of them and they told me to bring it in, it probably just needed to be reset. I took it in and I get a call from them that the vehicle is ready and that it looks like a rodent chewed a wire and its going to be 500+ dollars to replace because it messed up the c02 sensor. I live in a community that has pest/rodent control. In the four years I've lived here, I've never had a problem or have had any rodent dropping in my garage or driveway or with any of the three other vehicles that are parked here. I purchased this car because I'm a single mom...the warranty is what had sold me and the low miles. I talked to one of their mechanics, who was very sweet! I asked if there was rodent droppings inside. He said no, I didn't check nor took any photos. He also said he didn't realize what a short time I had, had the vehicle and if it was up to him he would replace it but wanted me to talk to his manager. The service manager was very rude and in his office.. I quote, "so what are you wanting from me?" He first told me that it had to have happened right then and there and I was like well wouldn't there be a dead rodent because it came on while I was driving. Then he changed it to it had to have happened last night, those sensors are sensitive. At the very end of the conversation in which the manager acted like he didn't care at all and said he could only give me 120 dollars off in which I told him I could not afford that after I put a grand down on the vehicle, I proceeded to ask about my old vehicle. He went to look the vehicle up and I explained that my salesman never contacted me and I showed him the previous message with him. They then informed me that the vehicle with my personal items in the trunk went to auction and he insured me that the salesman would contact me by the end of the day because they were in a meeting. I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING BACK AGAIN!! I went to two other mechanics and they told me not necessarily did it happen right away that it could have happened weeks ago. Come to find out the vehicle I got sat on their lot for twenty something days! This has been a very bad experience all around and I will never purchase from them again. As someone who works in customer service, I would never treat any of my customers this way nor did they try to correct any of their mistakes. And as word of mouth goes, I do not have one positive thing to say about this dealership.