2008 KIA SORENTO Complaints

BACKED OUT OF DRIVEWAY, CHECK ENGINE & ESC OFF LIGHT CAME ON, WOULDN'T ACCELERATE OVER 20MPH. BROUGHT BACK HOME AND PARKED. FEW HOURS LATER TOOK GRANDDAUGHTER TO DENTIST AND ONLY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DIDN'T GO OFF UNTIL TOOK TO AUTO ZONE ON ASHEVILLE HWY, KNOXVILLE, TN. AFTER PLACING ON DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND GIVING A PRINT OUT OF PROBABLE CAUSES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP ON 7/29 AND WOULDN'T EXCEPT DIAGNOSIS SINCE THEY DIDN'T PERFORM. WAS SHOWING ELECTRICAL AND VALVE PROBLEMS. STATED UNABLE TO REPAIR DUE TO LIGHTS NOT BEING ON WHEN CAR WAS AT THE KIA DEALERSHIP. STATED REPLACED THE PROBLEM WITH RECALL. HOWEVER, NOW STATING MOTOR SEALS NEED REPLACED WHICH IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. UNSURE IF OTHER ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED DUE TO NO ISSUES SINCE FRIDAY. *TR

DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET WITH A 40 MPH SPEED LIMIT. CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND COULD NOT GET SPEED ABOVE 20 MPH. WE WERE LUCKY THAT THERE WASN'T MUCH TRAFFIC ABOUT AS THIS COULD DEFINITELY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. WHEN THIS HAPPENED BOTH THE ESC OFF LIGHT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE HAD TO LEAVE OUR CAR IN NEVADA AND GET A RENTAL CAR TO GET HOME TO ARIZONA, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHEN WE WILL GET OUR CAR FIXED AND BACK HOME. WE WERE OWNERS OF A KIA RONDO AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO THAT VEHICLE TOO (NO LONGER OWN THAT ONE). THIS VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY AND KIA NEEDS TO ADMIT THAT THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG AND THAT THEY WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIXING IT. TOO MANY OWNERS HAVING EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM, WE SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE WITH A SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH WHEN WITH NO WARNING THE "CHECK ENGINE" AND "ESC OFF" LIGHTS CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. AT THE SAME TIME, THE ENGINE LOST POWER, CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY DECELERATE AND ALMOST CAUSING A COLLISION BOTH WITH THE CAR BEHIND ME AND WITH THE CARS MERGING OVER FROM AN ENTRANCE RAMP. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MAINTAIN CONTROL OF MY CAR AND PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS TO WARN OTHER DRIVERS OF MY MUCH SLOWER SPEED. EVEN DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE ABOVE 55 MPH, AND MY SPEED GOING UP HILLS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY REACH A SHOULDER WITH COMFORTABLE CLEARANCE, I PULLED OVER AND STOPPED THE CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES. I RESTARTED THE CAR, BOTH LIGHTS REMAINED ON, AND I SIMILARLY WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE THE CAR APPROPRIATELY, ESPECIALLY FROM A STOP. I LIMPED ALONG WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS FOR THE LAST FEW MILES TO WORK WHERE I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ONLY TO FIND THAT THIS IS FAR FROM AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. IN FACT, THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE PERVASIVE IN KIAS OF SIMILAR MODEL YEAR. THERE ARE SCORES OF KIA OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR SERIES OF EVENTS. THE SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS IN ANY SITUATION, BUT ESPECIALLY SO ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN SPEED LIMITS ARE SO HIGH. I WAS SO LUCKY THAT THE DRIVERS AROUND ME AND I WERE ABLE TO AVOID AN INJURY-CAUSING CRASH. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED SWIFTLY AND THOROUGHLY. AGAIN, A SIMPLE SEARCH OF THIS VERY WEBSITE AS WELL AS OTHER ONLINE CAR FORUMS REVEALS A PROBLEM SO WIDESPREAD THAT IT SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL BY KIA. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 KIA SORENTO EX WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY ESC LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE, MY VEHICLE IN FACT SLOWED DOWN TERRIBLY. I HAVE NOTICED THAT IF I SHUT MY CAR OFF THEN TURN IT BACK ON SOMETIMES THIS WILL TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT TIME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING WITH MY KIDS IN THE BACKSEAT. IF MY CAR SLOWS WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY I COULD END UP CAUSING QUITE AN ACCIDENT NOT TO MENTION HURTING MYSELF OR MY FAMILY THAT IS IN THE VEHICLE. MILEAGE ON MY VEHICLE AT THE TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 65000 MILES. *TR

STARTED CAR TO WARM UP FOR TRIP TO WORK. ESC LIGHT STAYED/CAME ON. ENGINE WOULDN'T ALLOW SPEED OVER 55 WITH THE GAS PEDAL FLOORED. TOOK TO KIA DEALER MADE APPOINTMENT. *TR

EVERY TIME I TURN ON MY CAR THE ESC OFF LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED. WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS I HAVE NO POWER. IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON, IT WILL USUALLY DISAPPEAR. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON LINE, AND MANY PEOPLE WITH MY SAME CAR HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THE ISSUE IN THEIR CARS HAVE PROGRESSED TO RANDOMLY TURNING ON WHILE GOING 65 MILES AND HOUR, AND LOSING SPEED WHICH HAS ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. I CURRENTLY DO NOT KNOW OF ANY ACCIDENTS, BUT THIS NOW HAS ME AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR. IF IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL TO FIX IT? *TR

JAN.19,2013 MY 2008 KIA SORENTO STARTED TO LOSS POWER AND THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON THE CAR STARTED TO SHAKE, THE DEALER FOUND THE VEHICLE SHOWN CODE PO300 ,VEHICLE MISFIRE AND IT BURNED PLUG ASSY-SPARK AND COIL ASSY-IGNITION. REPAIRS WERE DONE AT CITY KIA OF GREATER ORLANDO. SERVICES WAS GREAT. MARCH 7,2013 THE SAME INCIDENT AS ABOVE HAPPENED AGAIN THE REPAIR SHOP FOUND CAMSHAFT SENSOR CONNECTION ERROR, PERFORM PIN TENSION RECHECKED. I WAS TREATED BADLY, THEY STATED AT FIRST THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND REFUSED TO OFFER ANY SITUATION. REPAIR WERE DONE WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2/2011 WITH KIA WARRANTY. LOCATION ORLANDO KIA E.COLONIAL DRIVE.ORL FL.32817. ON MAY 4,2013 MY VEHICLE APPEARS TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AS ABOVE INCIDENTS WILL TAKE IT BACK TO DEALER ON E. COLONIAL DRIVE ON MONDAY 6,2013. HOPE THEY WILL HELP ME.... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHENEVER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED HIM THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, A LOUD BANGING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE ENGINE THREW A ROD, CAUSING A HOLE IN THE OIL PAN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 63,000. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD, CAR WAS BEARLY PULLING. NOTICED SMOKE ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF CAR. STOPPED AND CHECKED UNDER HOOD AND SAW NOTHING. WALKED AROUND CAR AND FLAMES WERE COMING OUT OF WHEEL AREA. HAD CAR TOWED. HAD NEW CALIPER, ROTOR, AND BRAKE PADS PUT ON. DROVE ABOUT A WEEK. AND BEGAN DOING THE SAME THING. HAD CAR TOWED TO MECHANIC SHOP, 4TH DAY THERE THE BRAKES WENT TOTALLY OUT. CAR CRASHED THROUGH THE DOOR OF SHOP AND HIT POLE. CAR IN STILL AT BODY SHOP SOME PARTS WERE HARD TO FIND. STILL WILL HAVE TO GET BRAKES FIXED WHEN I GET CAR THIS WEEK. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR SINCE JANUARY 2013. THIS IS MARCH 27TH 2013. *TR