If you went 40,000 miles the alignment wasn't too badly off, compared to some of these above. A good alignment should be all you need.
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Niro severe rear wheel misalignment
Watch out for Niro rear wheel misalignment - which you may not discover until they refuse to rotate your tires because they're worn out! This happened to me at my recent 15,000-mile service on my 2018 Niro PHEV.
At the 7,500-mile service & tire rotation, it was noted that "the rear tires were 1/32" more worn than the front" and "the front tires were in better shape", but it did not indicate there was a misalignment.
At the 15,000-mile service, the local dealer would not rotate the tires due to excessive wear on inside of the rear tires. They offered to sell me replacement tires which would take 3 days to get there for a high price, which I balked at, and they told me to see a Michelin dealer about the tire warranty. Right away I went to a Michelin dealer who told me the tires were worn due to extreme misalignment, not covered by Michelin warranty.
I then went to a local tire shop and purchased new tires and an alignment. However, they could not align the rear due to a stripped alignment bolt that could have only been stripped before the vehicle was purchased. I contacted Kia dealer where I purchased the vehicle (not the same one as the local one) and they said they don't have a service shop and only do new vehicle inspections and I'll have to go to Kia corporate with a claim.
So I had the tire shop order a new bolt from Kia and complete the alignment on the new tires. Before I left there, they told me they know Kia dealers perform final alignments on new vehicles. Everything cost more than $500.
After I had all my paperwork together including pictures of the tires, and before & after alignment numbers, I submitted an online claim to Kia Customer Service. Today - 3 weeks later - I received a call from Kia Customer Service to tell me that my claim was denied. The reason it was denied is that I did not have the misalignment determination, new alignment and new tires purchased from a Kia dealer. They told me Kia does not believe or trust anything coming from a 3rd party.
I don't believe Kia treated me fairly, especially as this resulted from a fault with the original vehicle, regardless of where it got fixed. Does anyone have any ideas for recourse?
What Kia should have realized is the negative publicity from this could cost them many times over what it would have been to settle this fairly.
At the 7,500-mile service & tire rotation, it was noted that "the rear tires were 1/32" more worn than the front" and "the front tires were in better shape", but it did not indicate there was a misalignment.
At the 15,000-mile service, the local dealer would not rotate the tires due to excessive wear on inside of the rear tires. They offered to sell me replacement tires which would take 3 days to get there for a high price, which I balked at, and they told me to see a Michelin dealer about the tire warranty. Right away I went to a Michelin dealer who told me the tires were worn due to extreme misalignment, not covered by Michelin warranty.
I then went to a local tire shop and purchased new tires and an alignment. However, they could not align the rear due to a stripped alignment bolt that could have only been stripped before the vehicle was purchased. I contacted Kia dealer where I purchased the vehicle (not the same one as the local one) and they said they don't have a service shop and only do new vehicle inspections and I'll have to go to Kia corporate with a claim.
So I had the tire shop order a new bolt from Kia and complete the alignment on the new tires. Before I left there, they told me they know Kia dealers perform final alignments on new vehicles. Everything cost more than $500.
After I had all my paperwork together including pictures of the tires, and before & after alignment numbers, I submitted an online claim to Kia Customer Service. Today - 3 weeks later - I received a call from Kia Customer Service to tell me that my claim was denied. The reason it was denied is that I did not have the misalignment determination, new alignment and new tires purchased from a Kia dealer. They told me Kia does not believe or trust anything coming from a 3rd party.
I don't believe Kia treated me fairly, especially as this resulted from a fault with the original vehicle, regardless of where it got fixed. Does anyone have any ideas for recourse?
What Kia should have realized is the negative publicity from this could cost them many times over what it would have been to settle this fairly.
