2011 KIA SORENTO Complaints

THE 2011 KIA SPORTAGE COMES NEW THIS YEAR WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. THE CAR IS STEERED BY AN ELECTRIC MOTOR ACTIVATED BY REOSTATES WHEN THE WHEEL IS TURNED. THE STEERING IS VERY JERKY, DARTING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON LEVEL ROADS. IN HIGH CROSS WINDS AND RAIN COVERED ROADWAYS THE CAR BECOMES HIGHLY UNSTABLE. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER THAT SOLD ME THE CAR AND WAS INFORMED THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BUT THEY HAVE NO SOLUTION FOR IT. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THIS CAR AND THEY EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS IS THE MOST UNSTABLE CAR I HAVE EVER DRIVEN AND FEEL IT IS A DANGER TO THE PUBLIC. MARK MY WORD, LIVES WILL BE LOST AS A RESULT OF THE POOR ENGINEERING EXHIBITED IN THIS CAR. TWO MAJOR CAR MAGAZINES THAT REVIEWED THIS CAR NOTED THE STEERING WAS TERRIBLE. I ASKED THE DEALER TO GIVE ME A NUMBER TO SPEAK TO KIA AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING ANYONE COULD DO. *TR

I HAD JUST LEFT WORK AND DROVE ABOUT TWO BLOCKS, STOPPED AT STOP SIGN, THEN PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR WHEN I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THEN A GRINDING NOISE. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY ARE SAYING I WILL NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I ALSO HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE DOORS UNLOCKING BY THEMSELVES AS I DRIVE. THIS HAS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY TO 3 -4 TIMES A WEEK. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD THE AXLE AND TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY WENT OUT. THIS CAUSED VEHICLE TO COME TO A SUDDEN ABRUPT STOP. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT IF TRAVELING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED OR ON AN INTERSTATE. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, YOU HAD NO POWER TO THE VEHICLE AND IT COULD NOT EVEN COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DEALER STATED IT WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT CAUSED BY A BOLT FROM THE AXLE HITTING THE TRANSMISSION AND SAID THEY FORWARDED PHOTOS TO KIA CORPORATE. I CONTACTED KIA CORPORATE AND ASKED FOR A WRITTEN EXPLANATION AND ASSURANCE THAT THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO US AGAIN AND THEY DECLINED TO PROVIDE ANYTHING IN WRITING. OUR PROBLEM WAS FIXED, AT LEAST FOR NOW, BUT I WANT TO KNOW THAT MY FAMILY OR SOMEONE ELSE'S DOES NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH A TRACTOR TRAILER BEHIND THEM AT 70 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE.

I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH AND MY TACHOMETER STOPPED WORKING AND I STARTED LOSING SPEED. THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO MANUAL SHIFTING AND RESUME MY SPEED. BUT THE TACHOMETER CONTINUED TO READ "0". *TR

I HAVE A 2011 KIA SORENTO PURCHASED NEW. ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2011 WITH 20,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE DEALERSHIP STILL HAS THE VEHICLE AND IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION. I AM CONCERNED AS THIS IS A NEW VEHICLE AND THEY CANNOT GIVE ME THE ACTUAL REASON WHY A TRANSMISSION IN A NEW VEHICLE COULD FAIL. I HAD WITH ME MY 3 YEAR OLD CHILD AND AM CONCERNED REGARDING THE OVERALL SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 60 MPH AND TRANSMISSION IN THE DRIVE POSITION, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DOWN-SHIFTED INTO 4TH GEAR AND HELD THAT POSITION WITHOUT SHIFTING MANUALLY OR AUTOMATICALLY. THE SUDDEN SHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE SIMILAR TO REVVING AN ENGINE IN NEUTRAL AND THEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE WITH THE RPM'S VERY HIGH AND THE SENSATION WAS A LOUD THUD/THUMP SOUNDING LIKE I JUMPED A CURB, WITH A SIMILAR SENSATION FROM THE DRIVING POSITION. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE, BUT COULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 4TH GEAR EVEN WHEN I STOPPED AT A SAFE LOCATION A FEW MILES UP THE ROAD. I WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY PUT THE VEHICLE IN N, R AND P. I PARKED THE VEHICLE AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I WAITED 15 SECONDS, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND PUT IT BACK IN DRIVE. AT THIS POINT THE ENGINE RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION AND SHIFTED FINE. NO UNUSUAL NOISES OR CHANGES WERE NOTED. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THE SALES PERSON WHO SOLD US THE VEHICLE AND HE MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A COMPUTER GLITCH THAT HANDLES AUTOMATIC SHIFTING. THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION HAS APPROX 3200 MILES ON IT AND THIS IS THE FIRST MAJOR CONCERN I HAVE EXPERIENCED. *TR

2011 KIA SORENTO. PUSH BUTTON START. INTERMITTENTLY YOU HEAR A THUD AND SOMETIMES THE ENTIRE VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD. ALSO HAVE NOTICED WHEN I TURN VEHICLE OFF A SHUTTERING NOISE COMING FROM THE RIGHT REAR SIDE CAR. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MILEAGE ON THIS VEHICLE ALSO. HAD TO DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THEY SAY THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE MY COMPLAINT. *LN

I HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS. DURING THIS TIME IT HAS 5 TIMES COMPLETELY SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND ONCE WHILE I WAS CHANGING LANES IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT AND HAS SINCE DAY ONE. DEALER STATES "WE CANT DUPLICATE YOUR CONCERN", YET WHEN WE PICKED UP THE VEHICLE (FROM THE CRUISE CONTROL BREAKING, THE VEHICLE AGAIN PULLED TO THE RIGHT. WE DID NOT SAY MUCH AFTER UNTIL READING ABOUT DOZENS OF OTHER VEHICLE OWNER WHOM EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN WILL THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE UNDERNEATH THE DRIVERS SEAT. THE VEHICLE THEN SHUTTERED, STALLED AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO KEEP DRIVING, BUT COULDN'T ACCELERATE OVER 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID VALVE FAILED AND THAT THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,500. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWO MORE TIMES SINCE FILING THE COMPLAINT. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A STRANGE NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS CLAIMING THERE WERE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE, WHICH WAS CAUSING THE NOISE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK AND UNLOCK AND ALSO THE DOME LIGHT WASN'T WORKING. THE DEALER FOUND THE DOOR LOCKS WERE DISABLED AND THE DOME LIGHT CONNECTOR WAS NOT CONNECTED. UPDATED 03/30/11