2011 KIA SORENTO Complaints

ORIGINAL OWNER '11 SORENTO 4CYL, AWD W/TOW PACKAGE & APPROX 88K MILES. PROBLEM 1ST NOTICED ABOUT 2 MOS AGO WHEN SEAT BELT LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING WITH AUDIBLE CLICKING COMING FROM RELAY BEHIND DASH. IT WAS DAYTIME WHEN THIS HAPPENED 1ST FEW TIMES & I COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE SEEMED TO HAPPEN AFTER STARTING CAR & WOULD GO AWAY AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF DRIVING. RELEASING & RE-CONNECTING SEAT BELT HAD NO EFFECT. THE 1ST TIME IT HAPPENED @ NIGHT I REALIZED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS & DASH LIGHTS WOULD FLASH ON & OFF ALSO. STILL COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM, BUT BEING A MECHANIC I WATCHED FOR IT TO HAPPEN AND TRIED DIFFERENT THINGS TO SEE IF THEY HAD ANY EFFECT ON THE ISSUE. ALWAYS WOULD BEGIN AFTER INITIALLY STARTING CAR, BUT NOT DO IT MOST TIMES. THEN 3 EVENINGS AGO, I FOUND IT HAPPENING EVERY TIME I WOULD START THE CAR & WOULD EVEN DO IT AFTERWARDS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. I WAS 70 MILES FROM HOME & TRIED TO GET BACK. IT DIDN'T MATTER WHETHER THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WAS ON, OFF OR AUTO, IT WOULD STILL FLASH ALL LIGHTS & SEATBELT LIGHT W/CLICKING FROM RELAY. ON THE WAY HOME, WHILE DRIVING A RURAL ROAD, THE LIGHTS AGAIN STARTED BLINKING ON & OFF CAUSING ME TO HIT A METAL POLE A DRAINAGE DITCH THRU FARMER'S FENCE INTO HIS FIELD. ACCIDENT PUSHED METAL BUMPER (BEHIND BUMPER COVER) BACK ABOUT 12", TORE THE ENTIRE FRONT END &LIGHTS FROM CAR & BENT HOOD BACK 1 1/2 FEET AND BUCKLED IT UPWARD - ALL OF THIS WITHOUT EVER DEPLOYING THE AIRBAG.THESE PROBLEMS ARE PREVALENT IN THIS CAR AS I HAVE READ, BUT I NOW HAVE A VEHICLE WHICH DESPITE IT'S DAMAGE WILL NOW DUPLICATE THE LIGHTS GOING ON & OFF EVERY TIME THE CAR IS TURNED ON. HAVE CONTACTED KIA CORP IN HOPES THAT THEY WILL WANT TO USE MY CAR TO GET TO THE CAUSE OF THIS ISSUE & FINALLY CORRECT IT. AS A MECHANIC I VERY WELL UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM TO FIND CAUSE ..... KIA NOW HAS NO EXCUSE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE ENTERING THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, THE DOOR FAILED TO OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BAR ON THE DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR FAILS TO OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE, IT WORKS FROM THE INSIDE. I WAS OUT RUNNING ERRANDS, JUST GOT CAR WASHED THEN WENT INTO A STORE. I CAME BACK OUT AND DOOR WOULD NO LONGER OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE. THE WEATHER TEMPS WERE ABOVE NORMAL ABOUT 60 DEGREES. I HAD TO CRAWL THRU FROM PASSENGER SIDE TO PULL DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN DOOR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORRENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN THE PARK POSITION, THE DRIVER AND THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOORS FAILED TO OPEN. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE LOCK MECHANISM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

I NOW HAVE 3 OUT OF 4 DOORS THAT CAN NOT BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE ONLY DOOR THAT CAN BE OPENED IS THE RIGHT REAR DOOR. KIA SAYS THEY DO NOT HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THEM WHEN THERE OBVIOUSLY IS ONE. THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST FROM DEALER IS $400 A PIECE. THAT IS CRIMINAL.

ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 6TH 2010 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00, I WAS TRAVELING IN MY 2011 KIA SORENTO EX. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH 2 PANORAMIC SUNROOFS ONE IN THE FRONT AND ONE IN THE REAR. THE FRONT SUNROOF IS ONLY MECHANICALLY FUNCTIONAL ROOF. WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH I HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION AND HAD A FEW SHARDS OF GLASS BLOWING INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE SUNROOF WAS COMPLETELY CLOSED AND THE SUNSHADE WAS PULLED FORWARD. THIS PREVENTED ME FROM BEING INJURED BY THE GLASS. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: THE MAJORITY OF THE FRONT SUNROOFS GLASS WAS MISSING FROM THE MIDDLE.THERE WAS AN APPROXIMATE 2 INCH STRIP OF GLASS THAT WAS BUCKLED UPWARD STILL ATTACHED TO THE MOUNTING RAIL ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. ONE THE PASSENGER SIDE THERE WAS A LONGER PIECE STILL ATTACHED. IT WAS TRIANGULAR IN ITS SHAPE COMING TO A POINT THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 9-10 INCHES MOVING TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE VEHICLE. IT TOO WAS BUCKLE UPWARDS TOWARDS THE SKY. THERE WERE SCRATCHES TO THE REAR PANORAMIC SUNROOF. THE SATELLITE RADIO ANTENNA WAS MISSING. THE REAR SPOILER HAD HUNDREDS OF SCRATCHES ON IT WITH GLASS SHARDS IMPELLED IN IT. THERE WAS MINIMAL GLASS IN THE FRONT INTERIOR AND A FEW SHARDS FOUND IN THE REAR AS WELL. I WAS RETURNING HOME FROM WORK ON THIS MORNING. I WORK AS A FLIGHT PARAMEDIC AND IN MY JOB WE HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR THE WEATHER IN OUR AREA OUT TO A 90 MILE CIRCLE FROM OUR BASE. CONDITIONS DURING THE DAY. THE SKY WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY. THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE MID 50'S. WINDS WERE CALM. TRAFFIC WAS VERY LIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY. I DID NOT HAVE ANYONE IN FRONT OR BEHIND MY VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO OVER HANGING LIMBS FROM TREES. IN ADDITION CONDITIONS THE PRIOR EVENING AND NIGHT WERE CLEAR, WITH TEMPERATURES ONLY DROPPING INTO THE LOWER 40'S.

THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE DOOR OPENS FROM THE INSIDE AND THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE APPEARS FINE BUT THE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN.

I HAVE A 2011 KIA SORENTO AND MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON WHEN I TURNED ON THE VEHICLE. I HAVE NOT YET TAKEN IT TO A DEALERSHIP BUT I AM SEEING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. WHY HASN'T KIA RECALLED THIS? DO THEY REALLY NEED A DEATH IN ORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM?

THE BULBS FOR THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN "BURNING OUT" AT THE RATE OF ONCE A MONTH. LAST MONTH, THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY PLUGIN TO THE BULB WAS MELTED DUE TO "A POOR CONTACT" OR SHORT IN THE WIRING". UNFORTUNATELY THEY SAID I NEED AN ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY (ABOUT A $400 PART AND $250 LABOR) AS THEY WON'T JUST SELL THE CONNECTION PLUG. FRUSTRATED I FOUND A GREAT MECHANIC WHO CUT AND SPLICED A NEW CONNECTION PLUG AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING. HOWEVER THE CONCERN IS THAT THERE IS STILL A "SHORT" IN THE WIRING AND WILL EVENTUALLY DO THE SAME THING TO THE NEW PLUG. I HAVE NOW HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE OTHER SIDE AND AM HOPING THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS FOUND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. THE OTHER COMPLAINT IS THAT THIS IS NOT COVERED BY THE ANY WARRANTY. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSE AND I STILLHAVE NOT SEEN A RECALL FROM KIA. THIS IS MY 2ND KIA AND I AM RETHINKING ABOUT BUYING ANOTHER UNLESS THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED.

I HAVE A 2011 KIA SORENTO, 106,000 MILES ON IT. FIRST I SAW A HEADLIGHT HAD BURNT OUT, I BOUGHT A NEW ONE, BY THE TIME I GOT HOME, IT WAS OUT AGAIN. MY MECHANIC HAD TO REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, SAID THE WIRES WERE MELTED. SOON AFTER, AS I AM DRIVING IN THE EARLY MORNINGS, I WOULD TURN ON THE RIGHT SIGNAL AND THE LIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF FOR 10 SECOND, ALL THE LIGHTS, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, BUT TURN BACK ON. IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN EVERY DAY, BUT ONCE A WEEK AT LEAST. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. TODAY, I TOUCHED THE BRIGHT LEVER AND THE CAR LIGHTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE TURNED COMPLETELY OFF, FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH AS IT WAS PITCH BLACK OUT AND I COULDN'T SEE IN FRONT OR ANYWHERE AND NO ONE COULD SEE ME. I TURNED THE CORNER AND THEY AGAIN WENT OFF, THIS TIME LONGER. THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO GET MY HAZARDS ON SO I COULD PULL OFF THE ROAD AND PEOPLE AROUND COULD SEE ME. I HIT THE BRIGHTS AGAIN AND EVERYTHING CAME BACK ON. I DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY TO WORK (45 MINUTES) WITHOUT USING ANY TURN SIGNALS OR BRIGHTS. I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO GET BACK INTO THIS CAR. I TRAVEL ALOT WITH MY 4 GRANDCHILDREN IN THE CAR. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL, AS I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME THING. THE WEBSITE DIRECTED ME TO THIS SITE. PLEASE HELP, I AM AFRAID TO GET IN THE CAR NOW, I TRAVEL IN THE DARK EVERY MORNING 45 MIN TO AN HOUR. HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2011/KIA/SORENTO/EXTERIOR_LIGHTING/PROBLEM.ASPX