Part needed for a 2024 Sportage isn’t expected to arrive until at least September
A London, Ont., woman is frustrated after her brand-new hybrid SUV had to go back to the dealership in May, where it’s still sitting. With parts taking months to arrive, the dealership is now looking into replacing the vehicle.
“We were really upset because we’re talking about a five-day-old vehicle that had 362 kilometres on it,” said Tarrah Fairweather.
The trouble began in May when Fairweather and her partner traded in their two older vehicles for a brand new 2024 Kia Sportage hybrid priced at $49,000 before tax and a $5,000 government grant for new electric vehicles. With Fairweather working from home and her partner within walking distance of her job, their plan was to go down to one hybrid vehicle as a way to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on gas and insurance.
Five days after picking up the vehicle, Fairweather and her partner were driving from London to Toronto to meet friends.
About 30 minutes into the trip, the car switched from using electricity to gas. Not long after that happened, a dashboard indicator reported the engine was overheating. The London dealership towed the car to their service department and Fairweather and her partner had a friend come pick them up in Woodstock.
…
George Iny is the director of the Automobile Protection Association, a membership-based consumer group. He’s impressed Kia is providing a free loaner vehicle to Fairweather and said many auto companies continue to have long delays getting vehicle parts, leaving consumers caught in between.
“We’ve had issues where people are waiting even for very common parts,” he said. “People are sometimes waiting for three or four months for those to come in.”
As for replacing the vehicle, Iny said often car companies won’t do it until after all repair options are explored, even if that means a months-long wait for parts.
Iny would like to see a “lemon law” in Ontario, one that guarantees a period of time where consumers can return a vehicle for a full refund or replacement for any reason. It would be similar to the kind of time-limited, no-hassle return policy consumers often get on anything from a new appliance or piece of electronics if they’re unhappy with their purchase.
“What would help here is legislation that would give you the right to return a vehicle when they can’t keep it on the road,” said Iny.