A Carvana buyer traded in a Ford Explorer after its transmission went out, only to have more transmission trouble with the vehicle they bought to replace it. Their used Kia Telluride has already needed two transmission replacements since July, along with a new steering column.
The buyer shared their experience on Reddit on October 16. They’d taken the 2022 Telluride in for timing chain work, but the shop couldn’t explain a rattling noise coming from the engine.
The Kia has been at the mechanic for almost two weeks. When the buyer called to check on it, they were told the shop still didn’t know where the rattling was coming from.
The warranty isn’t going to last much longer, either. The buyer said there’s about three weeks left, and they didn’t get the extended coverage when they bought the SUV in July.
Buyer Relied on Friends Before Buying the Kia
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The buyer said they were already researching cars when the transmission failed in their 2019 Ford Explorer. With kids to drive around, they didn’t have a lot of time to shop and decided to trade the Explorer in through Carvana.
They weren’t looking for a Kia at first, but friends who drove Tellurides kept telling them how much they liked theirs, which was enough to get the buyer interested in a 2022 Telluride. They admitted they hadn’t looked into the model as carefully as they usually would.
However, later one of those friends mentioned they’d been having problems, too. They’d recently spent $1,600 on suspension repairs and a tune-up, something the buyer hadn’t heard about before getting their Kia.
They’d also bought their Explorer without much time to look around. The buyer did check Consumer Reports on the Telluride, but didn’t come across the complaints on Reddit and Facebook until after the purchase.
Mechanic Can’t Find What’s Making the Kia’s Engine Rattle
The buyer said the Telluride’s current transmission is working fine. During the latest visit, the shop was supposed to be working on the timing chain.
The mechanic couldn’t find anything obvious to explain the rattling, according to the buyer. Carvana’s warranty company SilverRock wouldn’t approve taking the engine apart any further unless the mechanics could point to a specific problem, the buyer said.
The buyer doesn’t know if the engine needs replacing. They don’t want the mechanic to find something expensive after the Carvana warranty runs out.
SilverRock hasn’t made finding a repair shop particularly easy, either. The buyer said there are only two preferred shops near them, and one refused to schedule the Telluride.
The shop reportedly told them it didn’t have time to deal with SilverRock. The warranty company has covered the repairs that have been completed, including the two transmissions and steering column.
Carvana Buyer Asks About Returning the Telluride
Carvana’s seven-day return policy lets buyers send a vehicle back if they change their minds or aren’t happy with it. The company also includes a limited warranty covering 100 days or 4,189 miles, whichever comes first.
The buyer said the Kia started having trouble after those first seven days were already over. They’d also passed on an extended warranty because none of their five previous cars had needed repairs while that type of coverage would’ve been active.
One person in the comments suggested getting another warranty. Someone else asked whether the Telluride might still qualify for Kia’s factory coverage, but the buyer thought that was unavailable because they’d bought it used.
The buyer was more interested in finding out whether Carvana might accept the vehicle back. They’d heard about other customers getting exceptions after dealing with major repairs and wanted to know whether that was actually possible.
“Is this a thing that can happen or am I stuck with this car that has had non stop issues?” they asked.