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Is a leaking AC covered under the 60k mile warranty?

905 Views 27 Replies 8 Participants Last post by merk, 2 d ago

merk

Discussion Starter · 10 d ago

Hi All,
I brought my 2019 hybrid niro in for it's 60k mile service the other day. It was at 59850 miles. I also discovered recently that the AC wasn't blowing cold, so I asked them to look at that. They said it needs to be recharged. but also claim there's no leak. My understanding is the coolant doesn't just disappear or break down. So if it's low on coolant, doesn't that mean there is a leak? And if so, would fixing the leak and replacing the coolant fall under the 60k mile warranty?

The other thing that seemed weird to me was they said they didn't have enough people available to recharge the AC during that visit and scheduled me to come back next week. I'm wondering if they did that just so the car would be over 60k miles? I'm assuming if it JUST needed coolant replaced, it doesn't take a long time/lot of hands to do that. I've looked online and it looks like I could just pick up a can of coolant myself and do it in about 10 minutes on my own.

1 - 20 of 28 Posts

Steel188

· #2 · 10 d ago

Do not use the stuff you can buy off the shelf, there is another thread on here (which I can't find at the moment) which very clearly states that Hyundai/Kia's OEM coolant is far supirior in terms of quality and lack of 'nasty' chemical content.

I'm in the UK, so cannot comment on your warranty situation - Ours is much better!

atc98092

· #3 · 10 d ago

I was expecting it to be covered under the warranty, but when I looked up the 2019 coverage I found this:

Basic Warranty Coverage Except as limited or excluded below, all components of your new Kia Vehicle are covered for 60 months/60,000 miles from the Date of First Service, whichever comes first (Basic Limited Warranty Coverage). This Warranty does not cover wear and maintenance items, or those items excluded elsewhere in the Manual. See “Exceptions” and “What is Not Covered.”
Exceptions:
Air Conditioner Refrigerant Charge Air conditioner refrigerant charge is covered for the first 12 months of the warranty period regardless of mileage. Over the balance of the warranty period, refrigerant charge is covered only when replenished as part of a warranty repair.

So the answer is no, it's not covered under the 60,000 mile coverage. Also you used the term coolant. That is not what is used in the A/C system. It uses refrigerant. The two terms are not interchangeable.

Reactions: 3

FlNiro

· #4 · 10 d ago

Well a few points:
1. Dan is right about the warranty coverage so your outta luck UNLESS a part broke that is covered. Our Niro had a cracked evaporator last year and our dealer told me while it's not a ton of failures it's a known (to them at least) problem so they always try to keep an evaporator in stock. Also a few years ago one of the high pressure tubes had a crack develop and it took them 2 times (another dealer) to find it. So in your case it would be a warranty part.

2Make sure your work order that you just got shows that you complained about your A/C not working while your warranty was still in effect and than if it loses freon again it sure should be covered since you complained about it during the warranty period and if the dealer mis-diagnosed the problem, that's not your fault. Be nice but firm and stick to your guns, the freon didn't just disappear, it had to be a leak the problem is the dealer didn't find the leak.

merk

Discussion Starter · #5 · 9 d ago

FlNiro said:
Well a few points:
1. Dan is right about the warranty coverage so your outta luck UNLESS a part broke that is covered. Our Niro had a cracked evaporator last year and our dealer told me while it's not a ton of failures it's a known (to them at least) problem so they always try to keep an evaporator in stock. Also a few years ago one of the high pressure tubes had a crack develop and it took them 2 times (another dealer) to find it. So in your case it would be a warranty part.

2Make sure your work order that you just got shows that you complained about your A/C not working while your warranty was still in effect and than if it loses freon again it sure should be covered since you complained about it during the warranty period and if the dealer mis-diagnosed the problem, that's not your fault. Be nice but firm and stick to your guns, the freon didn't just disappear, it had to be a leak the problem is the dealer didn't find the leak.

Thanks for the info. So, is it considered normal for the freon to slowly leak out over a few years? That was the part that confused me because if there's no leak, why would the freon be low?

Techy

· #6 · 9 d ago

merk said:
Thanks for the info. So, is it considered normal for the freon to slowly leak out over a few years? That was the part that confused me because if there's no leak, why would the freon be low?

It is not normal for the freon to leak out. It might degrade over the years but that should be like 7 - 8 years and chances are a leak will develop before that time.
It is rather tough to say the freon is low and then attempt to "top it up". They can try to add some freon until the gauge readings are within spec but there are so many other variables that can cause the problem.
The only way the freon can be "low" is if there is a leak and if there is a leak, it will not take long for all the freon to exit and there will be no cooling.

Reactions: 2

FlNiro

· #7 · 9 d ago

merk said:
Thanks for the info. So, is it considered normal for the freon to slowly leak out over a few years? That was the part that confused me because if there's no leak, why would the freon be low?

As Techy said it's not normal for the freon to leak out at least during this short a period of time. Your original post you say the a/c stopped blowing cold so all or most all of the freon leaked out. They just didn't find the leak.

atc98092

· #8 · 9 d ago

One more lesson for the class. I'm sure you all know, but the system does not use Freon as the refrigerant in the system. R-12 Freon was banned from use in 1996. Kia now uses either R134a or R1234yf. Neither use the trademark name of Freon.

Class dismissed...

Reactions: 2

Techy

· #9 · 9 d ago

atc98092 said:
One more lesson for the class. I'm sure you all know, but the system does not use Freon as the refrigerant in the system. R-12 Freon was banned from use in 1996. Kia now uses either R134a or R1234yf. Neither use the trademark name of Freon.

Class dismissed...

True dat and while you won't see the word "Freon" on the refrigerant bottle, the auto tradespeople will still (likely always) refer to it as Freon.

Reactions: 2

FlNiro

· #10 · 9 d ago

atc98092 said:
One more lesson for the class. I'm sure you all know, but the system does not use Freon as the refrigerant in the system. R-12 Freon was banned from use in 1996. Kia now uses either R134a or R1234yf. Neither use the trademark name of Freon.

Class dismissed...

Ok lol but it's easier to type freon than refriggerentt

Reactions: 1

vangone

· #11 · 9 d ago

I think many folks use the term Freon in the generic sense. Not all facial tissue is Kleenex or even made by Kimberley Clark, yet people call generic or even other branded facial tissue as "Kleenex".

I think we can loosen our grip on our vocabulary a bit. How many commercials have your heard this week saying "dial this number". I bet a lot of younger folks have never seen or used a dial phone.

Reactions: 2

merk

Discussion Starter · #12 · 8 d ago

FlNiro said:
As Techy said it's not normal for the freon to leak out at least during this short a period of time. Your original post you say the a/c stopped blowing cold so all or most all of the freon leaked out. They just didn't find the leak.

So, if there is a leak, would that be considered a warranty repair? I'm just suspicious that it was so close to hitting 60k miles and they claimed they didn't have enough people to recharge the AC that day and had to schedule it a week out.

So, as of last summer, as far as I can remember, the AC was working. I don't remember having any issues with it or if it felt less cool then when i first got the car. I haven't used the AC during the colder months and a few days ago was the first day it was warm enough to turn it on and i discovered it wasn't working. At one point after turning the AC off for a few minutes and turning it back on, it seemed like it was blowing a little colder, but still not cold. But since then every time i've turned it on it basically just feels like the fan is on without the AC being on.

Johnxyz

· #13 · 8 d ago

My experience has been positive with this issue. Regardless you will not know till you try!

www.kianiroforum.com

KIA A/C repaired

Used my warranty for the first time since purchasing the vehicle in 2019. Noticed the A/C wasn't working back in September. Made an appointment with the Dealer and took it in December of 2022. They believe it had a leak, couldn't find it and filled the system with dye and told me to come back...

www.kianiroforum.com

www.kianiroforum.com

Johnxyz

· #14 · 8 d ago (Edited)

One thing I forgot to mention a paper trail is invaluable. AC leaks can be difficult of find and sometimes take multiple trips to completely repair Our repair took 4 trips and 25 man hours to complete - while frustrating they did an excellent job and followed good troubleshooting procedures. Sometimes one repair uncovers another problem that wasn't first apparent.
It is not that unusual if the leak is hard to find and they have to inject dye into the system and have you drive around for weeks and then bring it back in so they can find the leak and at that point they may have to order parts to complete the repair.

The key being you have paper documentation that you bought the car in before the 60,000-mile warranty expired, and this is just follow up work to correct the problem that occurred before the warranty expired.

In May/June Dealerships and repair facilities are overloaded with AC complaints and repairs - so keep this in mind.

Service Managers, Advisors, Mechanics find new jobs, transfer, quit, get sick etc - but the paperwork demonstrates to the new people this was an ongoing problem.

You are probably a very nice person but keep in mind the Dealership is dealing with the general public and some very undesirable characters who are sometimes unreasonable with matching unreasonable expectations. A good cooperative common-sense attitude when dealing with the Service Department can go a long way in getting you the help you need.

See less See more

Reactions: 3

FlNiro

· #15 · 8 d ago

Johnxyz said:
One thing I forgot to mention a paper trail is invaluable. AC leaks can be difficult of find and sometimes take multiple trips to completely repair Our repair took 4 trips and 25 man hours to complete - while frustrating they did an excellent job and followed good troubleshooting procedures. Sometimes one repair uncovers another problem that wasn't first apparent.
It is not that unusual if the leak is hard to find and they have to inject dye into the system and have you drive around for weeks and then bring it back in so they can find the leak and at that point they may have to order parts to complete the repair.

The key being you have paper documentation that you bought the car in before the 60,000-mile warranty expired, and this is just follow up work to correct the problem that occurred before the warranty expired.

In May/June Dealerships and repair facilities are overloaded with AC complaints and repairs - so keep this in mind.

Service Managers, Advisors, Mechanics find new jobs, transfer, quit, get sick etc - but the paperwork demonstrates to the new people this was an ongoing problem.

You are probably a very nice person but keep in mind the Dealership is dealing with the general public and some very undesirable characters who are sometimes unreasonable with matching unreasonable expectations. A good cooperative common-sense attitude when dealing with the Service Department can go a long way in getting you the help you need.

I couldn't agree more with what Johnxyz has to say! Well put!

merk

Discussion Starter · #16 · 8 d ago

I like to think i'm a nice person

I used to work tech support so I have experience dealing with the 'general public'. Anyhow, I do have the original electronic notice where i stated there was a problem with the AC.

As of right now they are just saying it needs to be recharged, without there being a leak. I'm not sure how that's possible since if it's not in the system anymore (and assuming I didn't suck it out on my own) it must have leaked out. I guess i'll have to let them recharge it and see if it leaks out again over the next few days/weeks.

Techy

· #17 · 8 d ago

merk said:
I like to think i'm a nice person I used to work tech support so I have experience dealing with the 'general public'. Anyhow, I do have the original electronic notice where i stated there was a problem with the AC.

As of right now they are just saying it needs to be recharged, without there being a leak. I'm not sure how that's possible since if it's not in the system anymore (and assuming I didn't suck it out on my own) it must have leaked out. I guess i'll have to let them recharge it and see if it leaks out again over the next few days/weeks.

You are correct - the only way for the refrigerant to "leave" is to leak out.

Reactions: 1

BPryor

· #18 · 3 d ago

merk said:
Hi All, I brought my 2019 hybrid niro in for it's 60k mile service the other day. It was at 59850 miles. I also discovered recently that the AC wasn't blowing cold, so I asked them to look at that. They said it needs to be recharged. but also claim there's no leak. My understanding is the coolant doesn't just disappear or break down. So if it's low on coolant, doesn't that mean there is a leak? And if so, would fixing the leak and replacing the coolant fall under the 60k mile warranty? The other thing that seemed weird to me was they said they didn't have enough people available to recharge the AC during that visit and scheduled me to come back next week. I'm wondering if they did that just so the car would be over 60k miles? I'm assuming if it JUST needed coolant replaced, it doesn't take a long time/lot of hands to do that. I've looked online and it looks like I could just pick up a can of coolant myself and do it in about 10 minutes on my own.

Same situation with my Niro. They couldn't find the leak, so the charged me to recharge the coolant. They said it wasn't covered under my warranty because they couldn't identify the problem. The next week coolant leaked out again. The second time they found the problem and agreed it was covered under my warranty. It took about 3 weeks to fix. The part that needed to be replaced required diassembly of the dashboard and specialized equipment to test it. I addition they had trouble getting the correct parts and one part was faulty when they received it. They provided a rental car. I still haven't been reimbursed for the first repair almost a year later.

FlNiro

· #19 · 3 d ago

BPryor said:
Same situation with my Niro. They couldn't find the leak, so the charged me to recharge the coolant. They said it wasn't covered under my warranty because they couldn't identify the problem. The next week coolant leaked out again. The second time they found the problem and agreed it was covered under my warranty. It took about 3 weeks to fix. The part that needed to be replaced required diassembly of the dashboard and specialized equipment to test it. I addition they had trouble getting the correct parts and one part was faulty when they received it. They provided a rental car. I still haven't been reimbursed for the first repair almost a year later.

Was it the evaporator behind the glove compartment?

merk

Discussion Starter · #20 · 3 d ago

BPryor said:
Same situation with my Niro. They couldn't find the leak, so the charged me to recharge the coolant. They said it wasn't covered under my warranty because they couldn't identify the problem. The next week coolant leaked out again. The second time they found the problem and agreed it was covered under my warranty. It took about 3 weeks to fix. The part that needed to be replaced required diassembly of the dashboard and specialized equipment to test it. I addition they had trouble getting the correct parts and one part was faulty when they received it. They provided a rental car. I still haven't been reimbursed for the first repair almost a year later.

I'm taking it over there later today to get 'recharged'. I still don't understand how, according to them, there's no leak and yet it's all gone. Guess we'll see what happens after they refill it.

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