Leather Prematurely Cracking

[SAS]

This issue probably has been discussed, so sorry if it has. But, my driver seat sides are severely cracking after just 6 months. I am not talking about normal wrinkles, they are to the point of almost ripping. I have had the seats routinely cleaned and conditioned by a top detailer. I have the red GT2 interior. Anyone else have this issue? Someone told me it’s a known problem. Any info would help. Thank you.

 

[nhcowboy28]

Sh!t happens.

It’s under warranty.

Take it in.

 

[AV8R]

Maybe dont routinely clean them as much. I have only done this once in last ten months and my seats are pristine. I am also careful on how i get in and out of car to ensure i dont rub the bolsters too much.

 

[Doel]

this is a known issue and there's at least one detailed thread on it. Kia will replace them at least once under warranty. Watch some videos on how to get in and out of a sports car so you'll stop rubbing up against the bolsters and wearing them out after they get replaced.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

this is a known issue and there's at least one detailed thread on it. Kia will replace them at least once under warranty. Watch some videos on how to get in and out of a sports car so you'll stop rubbing up against the bolsters and wearing them out after they get replaced.

The Stinger is not a sports car.

 

[MerlintheMad]

The Stinger is not a sports car.

It is low enough to cause entry and exit challenges for a lot of drivers. The profile is 3" lower than an Optima.

 

[Jimmer]

The Stinger is not a sports car.

way to swing and miss at the point.

 

[OriginalRobby]

where can I see some pictures of this problem?

 

[forzanerazzurri]

way to swing and miss at the point.

I'm glad you agree.

 

[lucif3r]

Would routinely using a high grade leather conditioner help this issue?

 

[Jimmer]

I'm glad you agree.

Everyone agrees and yet it's completely irrelevant to the point he was making.

Like I said, swing and miss at the point which you probably still dont get. That seems to be your schtick.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Its pretty clear its a problem with the leather bolsters. People saying change the way you get in and out, sure that will probably help delay the issue but it doesn't change the fact KIA screwed up by choosing a garbage leather supplier.

Take it into the dealer and have them fix it, that's really the only way KIA will sort it out in the long run.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Its pretty clear its a problem with the leather bolsters. People saying change the way you get in and out, sure that will probably help delay the issue but it doesn't change the fact KIA screwed up by choosing a garbage leather supplier.

Take it into the dealer and have them fix it, that's really the only way KIA will sort it out in the long run.

Kia describes the way they test the upholstery. Rigorous. I've brought this up before: it's in the promo book. There is no way such an assertion as "garbage leather supplier" holds up to the evidence. If it were true, we'd be having factory recalls for failed upholstery. Instead, we have these extremely few complaints on a forum that is now over six thousand members.

The evidence says that the leather (are the bolsters even leather? I don't know but guess not: "leather trim" on all Stingers means the parts we sit on, butt and back) is almost entirely up to the wear and tear. The "leatherette" holds up if anything even better than leather because it lacks the occasional weak spots that leather has.

And yes, the way people get in and out is the biggest factor/difference in how the seats wear. Nobody wants to have to change the most fundamental factor: how they move. But how they move even determines how long their joints and ligaments and cartilage are going to last, etc.

Kia's warranty on the interior covers early upholstery wear. Be prepared for a non covered incident down the road: because if you don't change something about how you enter and exit the car, it will happen again.

(Saying, "I've never experienced this with any of my other vehicles" is valid but non sequitur too: because it doesn't address the problem. If you're right and in this particular case it was material flaw, then the replacement should prove the point. But if the wear starts up again and you didn't change a thing about how you get in and out, then that shows where the problem is; and it isn't what the seats are made of or how they are made: "Min-jun", Kia's 165 lb seat test dummy got stuffed into and removed from the seats 20K times; the equivalent of in and out of the car four times a day for 13-plus years. So he's not the problem either. The common factor here is the individual driver's MO for entering and exiting the vehicle.)

 

[brancky3]

(Saying, "I've never experienced this with any of my other vehicles" is valid but non sequitur too: because it doesn't address the problem.

Most likely their 'other vehicles' don't have aggressive bolsters. Side bolster damage is 100% the fault of the driver and how they get in / out of the car, there's no other explanation needed. If it's a problem with the seat bottom or seat back that's a different story

 

[RyanG]

Most likely their 'other vehicles' don't have aggressive bolsters. Side bolster damage is 100% the fault of the driver and how they get in / out of the car, there's no other explanation needed. If it's a problem with the seat bottom or seat back that's a different story

I have a Dodge Stealth RT/TT (Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4). The sears are very similar and cracking of the leather on the side bolsters of the seat (upper and lower) is a very common problem on it too. Although Stingers are much newer -- Stealth/3000GT stopped production in 1999 -- almost every one of them had new seat leather skins installed by 100,000 miles. The biggest forum for that platform has a yearly group buy for seat covers.

Also had similar issues with the driver's seat on my '02 Avalanche leather bucket seats.

If you have the issue with the car under warranty, ge them fixed/replaced.