2003 KIA SORENTO Complaints

THE CAR STARTED MAKING A SCRUBBING SOUND AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. THE NEXT DAY THE BRAKES WORKED SCRUBBING SOUND CONTINUED AND WE WERE TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE ENGINE NEEDS REPLACING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HARMONICA BALANCE IN THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HARMONICA BALANCE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE REAR AXLE CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE WELDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, WHILE AT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE SERVICE, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE SUBFRAME WAS CORRODED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.

THE BOLT HOLDING THE HARMONIC BALANCER PULLEY TO THE CRANKSHAFT FELL OUT AND ALL THE ENGINE BELTS AND PULLEYS STOPPED TURNING RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING, AND MAKING THE VEHICLE VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THIS HAPPENED AT A LOW SPEED AND THE DRIVER WAS BARELY ABLE TO TURN OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT. AT A HIGHER SPEED, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, OR ON MOUNTAIN ROADS, THE RESULT WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A KIA DEALER AND REPAIRED FOR APPROXIMATELY $1,500.00, REPLACING THE FAILED PARTS WITH NEW PARTS AND WITH A WARRANTY OF 12 MONTHS/10 THOUSAND MILES. PREVIOUSLY, AT 70 THOUSAND MILES AS PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, THE TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED BY A KIA DEALER. KIA MOTORS, HAVING KNOWN OF MANY FAILURES OF THE BOLT, SPROCKET, AND PULLEY, SHOULD HAVE UPGRADED THESE PARTS YEARS AGO AND ISSUED A RECALL OR AT LEAST A SERVICE BULLETIN TO AVOID SUCH DANGEROUS FAILURES. AFTER OUR EXPERIENCE, WE DID NOT TRUST THIS CAR AND TRADED IT IN FOR A NEW CAR FROM HOPEFULLY A MORE RESPONSIBLE MANUFACTURER.

ENGINE LIGHT IS ON, AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, CLOCK CAN'T KEEP RIGHT TIME, NOW WON'T START AT ALL, I WISHED I NEVER BOUGHT THIS 2003 KIA SORENTO, THEY ARE NOTHING BUT JUNK. PLEASE ANYBODY WHO READS THIS DO NOT BUY A KIA VEHICLE. I HATE KIA VEHICLES, I WILL NEVER OWN ONE AGAIN, I WOULD NOT TAKE A KIA VEHICLE, EVEN IF THEY GIVE ME ONE. TO MANY PROBLEMS, SINCE I BOUGHT IT, HAVEN'T BEEN ANYWHERE IN TWO WEEKS, BECAUSE KIA VEHICLE IS JUNK.

ALL LIGHTS COME ON, HORN BLOWS, BUT WILL NOT START AT ALL, THIS KIA SORENTO IS JUNK, ITS FALLING APART, I GOT A DISABLE MOTHER, NOW CAN'T TAKE HER TO HER DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS, EVERY SINCE I HAD IT, ITS BEEN NOTHING BUT JUNK, WE LIVE ON FIXED INCOME, CAN'T AFFORD TO GET ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND THIS 2003 KIA SORENTO SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ROAD, ALL KIA SORENTO VEHICLES ARE JUNK, CLOCK IS MESSED UP, COMES OFF AND ON, AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, NOW WON'T EVEN START AT ALL, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT KIA DEALERSHIPS SELLING JUNK VEHICLES, WILL COMPLAIN AGAIN AND AGAIN, THEY ARE JUNK!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL WAS NOT GOING INTO THE FUEL TANK PROPERLY UPON REFUELING THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A CLICKING NOISE AS IF IT WERE FULL. THE CONTACT HAD TO TAKE AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME TO ENSURE THE FUEL TANK WAS ACTUALLY FULL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY DID NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TO BE TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V353000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

I PURCHASED THIS CAR BRAND NEW FROM STEVENS KIA IN PATCHOGUE, NY AND HAD THEM REPLACE THE TIMING BELT @ 58K MILES AS PER THEIR GUIDE LINES. WHILE DRIVING THE CAR I LOST MY POWER STEERING AND ELECTRICAL CHARGING SYSTEM, I WAS GOING AROUND 45MPH, I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE TO THE CAR OR ANYTHING ELSE. I CALLED CORPORATE KIA AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY.(IT HAS 123K MILES ON IT). THEY TOLD ME IF I WANTED I COULD HAVE IT TOWED TO A KIA DEALER AND THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT FOR A DIAGNOSIS FEE, BUT IT WAS STILL OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY ALSO TOLD ME MY VIN# DIDN'T FALL INTO THE RECALL THEY HAD CONCERNING THAT ISSUE. I HAD MY MECHANIC LOOK AT IT AND HE TOLD ME THE CRANKSHAFT DOWEL PIN SNAPPED ON THE TIMING GEAR CAUSING THE HARMONIC BALANCER TO FALL OFF THUS TAKING ALL THE BELTS WITH IT. IT COSTED ME OVER $2,000 TO HAVE THE CAR REPAIRED. AFTER DOING A GOGGLE SEARCH IT SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND IS BEING IGNORED BY CORPORATE KIA. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WITH THE FUEL TANK GAUGE AT 3/4 OR BELOW, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SPUTTER AND VIBRATE BEFORE STALLING. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FUEL TANK NEEDED TO BE AT LEAST 75 PERCENT FULL TO PREVENT THE FAILURE FROM OCCURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 209,000.

THE CRANK BOLT BROKE JULY 23, 2013. THE SECOND TIME WAS, THE CRANK BOLT AGAIN AND IT BROKE DECEMBER 19, 2014. THE ODOMETER WAS AT 133181 FOR THE SECOND BOLT BREAK. *TR

I HAVE SERVICE RECORDS SHOWING I HAD THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY REPLACED AT 55,000 MILES UNDER WARRANTY BY KIA. THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BROKE OFF AT 105,000 MILES. I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED COST $1500 OUT OF MY POCKET. ON 1/11/2015 THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BROKE OFF FOR A 3RD TIME, SHEARING THE THREADS TO THE ENGINE, AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO NO LONGER WORK. ALL 3 EVENTS CAUSED LOSS OF POWER AND ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. *TR