2011 KIA SORENTO Complaints

WHILE ON VACATION IN SOUTH FLORIDA, I WAS TRAVELING ON A CITY STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH IN MY 2011 KIA SORENTO SX (6 CYL, AUTO TRANS), WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN RACING (BUT NOT ACCELERATING), AND I FELT A HEAVY THUMP IN THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE, AS IF IT HAD BEEN STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES NEAR ME, AND NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. WHEN I PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN OCTOBER, 2010 AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD THE PROBLEM IN 12,000 MILES OF USE. I TELEPHONED MY KIA DEALER IN PENNSYLVANIA AND WAS TOLD THAT IF NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM UNLESS IT WERE DUPLICATED DURING A TEST DRIVE. THEY DID TELL ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO A KIA SERVICE DEPARTMENT IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN. *TR

I BOUGHT MY 2011 SORENTO SX AWD 2 MONTHS AGO AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. THE DEALER HAS ALIGNED THE CAR 3 TIMES FOR PULLING TO THE RIGHT, IT STILL DOES IT. MY BIGGEST ISSUE IS THE VIBRATION AND GROAN SOUND I GET WHEN DRIVING AT 57MPH. THE SOUND IS A RESONATING AND ANNOYING SOUND WHICH GOES UP AND DOWN AND SEEMS TO SUBSIDE AFTER 60MPH AND GET BAD AGAIN AT 80MPH. THE DEALER HAS BALANCED THE NEW TIRES 3 TIMES, SWAPPED THE DRIVE LINE WITH ANOTHER SORENTO AND IT DIDN'T IMPROVE IT AT ALL. THEY PLACED A NEW DRIVE LINE AND IT MADE IT WORSE. I HAVE OPENED A TROUBLE TICKET AND A CASE NUMBER WITH KIA CUSTOMER SUPPORT BUT THEY HAVE SAID THE ISSUE IS AN INHERENT CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS VEHICLE. NOT ACCEPTABLE BY ME. KIA CORP NEEDS TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THIS ISSUE. I AM WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE AND HAVE A FIX FOR IT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON MONDAY JAN. 9TH GOING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR JERKED VIOLENTLY. THEN THE CAR LOST POWER I HAD TO PULL OVER IT WOULD NOT DRIVE, I WAS PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR BUT IT WOULD NOT RESPOND. ALSO THE TACH QUIT WORKING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED MY HUSBAND WHO CALLED AND SCHEDULED SERVICE WITH OUR LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP. ON MY WAY HOME IT DONE THE SAME EXACT THING I HAD TO PULL OVER AGAIN, LUCKILY BOTH TIMES THERE WAS NOT A CAR FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY. MY HUSBAND DROVE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY KEPT IT FOR 4 DAYS AND SAID THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WE PICKED IT UP ON SUNDAY THINKING EVERYTHING WAS FINE, WE MADE IT HOME AND WENT TO THE STORE. ON THE WAY BACK COMING ACROSS THE POMEROY MASON BRIDGE IT JERKED AGAIN VERY HARD AND WE HAD TO COME TO A STOP IN TRAFFIC! WE CALLED TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT FOR THURSDAY JAN. 19. ON MY WAY TO WORK TODAY JAN. 16 IT DONE THE SAME EXACT THING! I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS WITH MY 2 KIDS IN THE BACK SEAT. *TR

I HAVE TAKEN MY 2011 KIA SORENTO IN 3 OR 4 TIMES TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE SUSPENSION. THEY DID A VISUAL INSPECTION AND SAID ALL LOOKS GOOD. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING TO MY VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC AGREED WITH ME, ON THE ROUGH RIDE. THE VEHICLE BOUNCES ALL OVER THE ROAD. KIA DID CHANGE THE SUSPENSION IN OCT OF 2011 ON ALL NEW SORENTOS. WHICH TELLS ME THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE OLD ONES. ALSO IF YOU LOOK ONLINE IT APPEARS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT SORENTOS IN THE BEGINNING ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ROUGH RIDE. KIA NEEDS TO DO RECALL ON ALL OLDER MODELS AND UP GRADE THEM. (THIS IS FROM AUTOBLOG.COM: KIA NOTICED THIS RIDE QUALITY ISSUE AND DECIDED TO TAKE THE COSTLIER DFD DAMPERS AND EMPLOY THEM NOT JUST ON THE NEW SX MODEL, BUT ACROSS THE MODEL'S ENTIRE RANGE BEGINNING IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. WHILE KIA OFFICIALS WE SPOKE WITH AT AN ATLANTA PRESS EVENT THIS WEEK STOPPED SHORT OF ADMITTING THAT THE SORENTO'S RIDE QUALITY HAS BEEN AN ISSUE, THEY DID NOTE THAT ONCE ENGINEERS SAMPLED THE DFD SETUP ON THE SX, THEY LIKED THE RIDE SO MUCH THEY DECIDED TO INSTITUTE THE NEW UNITS ON ALL SORENTOS.) *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON I-95 AT APROX. 65 MPH AND FELT A SEVERE JOLT. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER LIKE EITHER OF MY KIDS TO LOOSE CONTROL. I INITIALLY THOUGHT SOMEONE HAD HIT THE REAR OF MY CAR. THERE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE ANY OTHER VEHICLES CLOSE ENOUGH TO HAVE HIT ME, SO I PULLED OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER TO SEE IF I HAD HIT SOMETHING. EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE SO I PROCEEDED TO GET BACK ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I NOTICED THE CAR WAS SLUGGISH AND THEN NOTICED IT WAS NOT SHIFTING GEARS. AS I CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE THE ENGINE RPM CONTINUED TO CLIMB SO I HAD TO DRIVE BELOW 45MPH.WHEN THE SHIFTER WAS MOVED TO THE MANUAL SIDE IT WAS IN 4TH GEAR. I PULLED OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER AGAIN AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND DRIVE A FEW TIMES BUT IT WOULD ALWAYS GO BACK TO 4TH GEAR WHEN IN DRIVE. I HAD TO DRIVE THE REST OF THE WAY, ABOUT 20 MILES AT A SLOWER SPEED WITH THE FLASHERS ON. THIS MORNING I CHECKED OUT THE CAR AND IT WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. I WILL BRING THE VEHICLE TO KIA, BUT WILL NOT LET OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS DRIVE THE CAR UNLESS I AM CERTAIN IT IS CORRECTED. I NOW SEE THERE ARE A LOT OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS ON EDMONDS. COM. IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS? I COULD NOT FIND ONE ON YOUR WEB-SITE. *TR

KEYLESS IGNITION SWITCH WHICH IS ATTACHED TO BREAK HAS DEFECT. UNABLE TO START CAR, CALLED AAA WHO COULD NOT START. CALLED HOT LINE AND THEY SAID HAVE BEEN HAVING A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS. CALLED LOCAL DEALER WHO VERIFIED HAVIN A NUMBER OF FAILURES ON THIS AND NEED TO REPLACE. AGREED PROBABLY NEED TO SEND A BULLETIN TO OWNERS AND RECALL. THE SWITCH STICKS AND WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO START THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT ONCE THE VEHICLE RESPONDED, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, BUT REPLACED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY AS A TEMPORARY REMEDY. THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO LODGED A COMPLAINT AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HIM AT A LATER DATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRADED THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 02/01/12

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND WHILE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL THE VEHICLE STARTS TO COME TO A STOP AS IF THE GAS PEDAL IS NOT BEING APPLIED. I HAVE TO RELEASE THE GAS PEDAL AND PRESS IT AGAIN FOR THE SORENTO TO RESPOND AND CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY HAVE NO CLUE AS TO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM. THEY RESET THE COMPUTER AND RELEASED THE VEHICLE TO ME BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. *KB

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A SHOPPING PLAZA, GOING ABOUT 15MPH,THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF, CAUSING THE LOSS OF ALL POWER ASSIST FUNCTIONS AND ELECTRICAL OPERATION. THE ELECTRICAL CAME BACK ON-LINE RIGHT AWAY, BUT THE CAR HAD TO BE RESTARTED. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, 4 DAYS LATER. THE CAR WAS COASTING AT ABOUT 25 MPH WHEN IT SHUT DOWN AGAIN. *KB

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH, WHEN THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO MISS/SKIP GEARS! IT FELT AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO STOP ALTOGETHER, AND I DEFINITELY LOST ACCELERATION ABILITY. NEXT THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AND IT HAS NOT GONE OFF. I AM GOING TO TAKE THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALER ON 12/17/2011 TO SEE WHAT MAY BE CAUSING A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. *TR