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Kia Sorento Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • rizardrizard Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2006 Sorento. Recently replaced the battery in the key fob. Now it won't open the locks. The battery is the correct size the red light flashes, but nothing. Not a huge issue, but we get spoiled. trying desperately not to take it to the dealership and drop a hundred bucks on it. Anybody else had this happen?
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    What the KIA dealer forgot to mention is that you can't engage the down hill assist while in motion. You have to stop the car (recommended before your down-hill excursion), engage the assist, then go.

    You didn't break anything. The 16 MPG will appear if you turn off ECO Mode, change, or reset something. You will see the mpg go up after a couple fill-ups or more driving.
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    Open the fob again, make sure the battery is all the way down in the the holder and that the flat side with all the inscription is face up. It's annoying, I know, but if the battery pops out slightly, it won't work.

    These fobs don't seem like other makers that when you put the battery in, there is something to keep pressure on it or lock it in place.
  • rizardrizard Member Posts: 3
    I popped it open again and its locked in place. I understand with all the problems in the world, I should be embarrassed to even be posting this. I bought this car used about a year ago without reading anything about them on the internet. Now I am not so sure I would buy it again. They appear to be an electrical nightmare. I have replaced the right rear brake light bulb twice in the last 2 months. Only 1 out of the 3 cigarette lighters in the car works. I had into the Kia dealer recently for some work and did pay to have the dome light fixed. All on a 6 year old car? Oh well, i was out of work and the car was cheap. now i know why :).
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    Check your fuses.

    If your c-lighters aren't working, then something blew. Could also be reason why the fob isn't opening the doors. When bulbs blow often, could be as a result of what is sometimes referred to as an open circuit. You could also have a bad ground or open (frayed) wire either hitting the chasis or bare metal causing a short.

    I don't remember the if there are fuses under the hood as well as in the dash, but, you will have to check them all. I am hoping it's one of the simple 5AMP ones. Some of the bigger fuses can run up to $35 in some cars.

    I worked with a mechanic that had a bulb-blowing issue in one of his cars, If I remember correctly, he installed another fuse in the line that was having the issue rather then spending the time tracing the problem and it seemed to work fine. I have never done this. But the total cost of the do-it-yourself repair, about $10-$20 as opposed to a mechanic find the issue which could be $250 (labor/parts - but, mostly labor)
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    Sorry, a couple more things to mention is to make sure that your fuses are the correct amps based on the owner's manual. If any of them are higher than what is supposed to be there, it could cause major problems, and need to be replaced with owner's manual spec amps/fuses.

    And, I highly recommend only using OEM bulbs. If you are getting bulbs off ebay and/or different brand than what is being used by the manufacturer, that could cause them to blow as well.

    Some bulbs are made with inferrior quality and all they will tell you is "will work with..." or "is compatible with..."
  • longshot975longshot975 Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2012
    COuld you please email me the letter or the service number they sent that shows what the recall service number is etc. Is this suppose to help with tanks that read wrong. My roomate bought a kia sorento last year from a local dealer and it worked fine for a few months then the fuel gauge started reading a quarter of a tank no matter how much was put in it. Need to see if this recall is related to their issue because last time we called Kia they wanted to say the car was over the 10 year 100000 mile warranty that would have helped fix the issue. Sorry forgot to but my email address in the message leegarner1975@gmail.com
  • rborst43rborst43 Member Posts: 2
    Hello,
    I have a 2005 with what sounds like the same vibration. I wondered if you ever got it resolved?
  • rborst43rborst43 Member Posts: 2
    Hello,
    Having similar problems and curious if they ever got you fixed?
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    FIRST AND FOREMOST: Your vehicle should still be under warranty (assuming it is as least a 2008 or greater (I don't remember when they switched to 5/10 year warranty), so they should cover all problems.

    The leather seat issue could be as a result of the leather being put in after the dealer received the vehicle. I am not sure if you had the leather put in after the fact by the dealer, or, that was one of the elements the dealer offered.

    A lot of times the leather seats do not come from the factory, the dealer will take it to a local shop they contract with and what you get are vinyl seats covered with leather, which usually ups the price $1500 - $1800.

    The hatch issue may come as a result of the rear lock sticking. You will probably experience the door feeling like it unlocked and you will get some release from the door only to hear and feel it snag when you pull the handle.

    Three things could have happened:
    1. The cable attached to unlock the door became slightly extended (meaning loose)
    2. The locking mechanism is not opening fully causing you to click the remote a few times to release.
    3. The handle on the hatch to open the door is not disconnecting the lock properly.

    Numbers 2 and 3 can be fixed possibly with some WD-40 (only use a little) - and that is if you can hit the locking mechanism accurately - also, this might have to be repeated through the life of the vehicle.

    When the vehicle is bought new, they put a grease on the mechanisms which wear off over time.

    If using WD-40 doesn't work, then it sounds like a dealer fix. Could be an issue with the lock, handle, or cable.

    I recommend using the wd-40 solution first. If it works, then you just have to deal with the inconvenience of doing it a few more times throughout the year as opposed to a trip to the dealer.
  • vickster77vickster77 Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering if anyone has a 2012 KIA Sorento and if they have had any major issues yet?
  • newcarshoppenewcarshoppe Member Posts: 10
    I have 2012 EX with 4700 miles. Purchased in November. No problems minor or major so far. Great car with great mileage.
  • awnawn Member Posts: 5
    edited July 2012
    I developed a squeak when driving bumpy road. Narrowed it down to this part.... [URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/341/photourh.jpg/]

    Looking into the driver side rear wheel well. Please, someone tell me what this is called so I can get it fixed pronto!
  • jabermazzida81jabermazzida81 Member Posts: 1
    I will try to be brief:
    it has 93k miles. I changed the engine's rear seal (between transmission case and the engine) cuz it was leaking. It has been two months and did not drop one drop after that. After that, I decided to clean the transmission and the engine from the oil left by the leaking. However, after a week, I wanted to engage the 4x4 to HI and LOW but it did not work. It only flashes but your do not hear the engage click at all. My mechanic removed and cleaned all the plugs related to the transmission thinking that maybe wated got in there and caused the problem. Nothing happened. After that the ABS and the ESC lights came on.

    I took it to be scanned by computer, diagnose says it is the rear left ABS sensor. My mechanic who replaced the rear seal said it was the ABS sensor that is affecting the 4x4. Anyways, I replaced the sensor last night and ABS light is off, which is cool cuz ABS is functioning normal now. However, when I put the knob on 4x4 HI, ESC light comes on for 5 seconds and then it goes away but the 4x4 doesnt work. What the heck is this?
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    What have you tried so far? I ran into a similar issue with a Jeep Liberty and trying to engage the 4x4. I had disconnected the battery just simply to check for other things wrong with the truck, when I reconnected the battery I guess the computer reset and the 4x4 was fine after that.
  • robjtonrobjton Member Posts: 6
    Sorry For the Year long delay (wow) but since i installed the switch i have had no problems..
  • regos11regos11 Member Posts: 3
    Hallo,

    I completely agree. It is time for a class action lawsuit.
    We purchased a Sorento 2 days ago and it is a lemon. When we took it for a test drive it seemed fine but while driving home the car started to shake at idle and then just kept shaking while driving. Also the steering seems funny.
    We are convinced that the dealership misrepresented the car.
    We are trying to work it out with the dealer but if not we would like to start a class action lawsuit.
    Please contact me if you want to join the lawsuit.

    Thank you

    Thank you
  • preia1969preia1969 Member Posts: 3
    NEVER buy a KIA. We got ours, it was pretty good for a bit them all Hell broke loose and it's bee a down hill slide rapidly. First the stereo at the 6 cd's inside but hey, I wanted new one anyway. (so now the on steering radio control button are useless) Then found out you can't use the wipers if the seat heater is on so to prevent fire and/or accident from not seeing out the wind screen had to have the seat heaters disconnected. Then the roof window blows off track while closing it, with big storm coming so we had to open part of the ceiling to find the manual mechanism and the tiny tool they provide in the glove box is ooooh so helpful. So now no sun roof. We have had 3 front drive shafts replaced (and was making the same noises again as it did before the drive shaft actually snapped in half) so just had the front shaft taken out so that I no longer have 4wd only rwd (can't wait for this winter in New England) Each time to get repairs it costs more than a mortgage payment (sometimes 2) SO NEVER GET A KIA. :mad:
  • cheryl05cheryl05 Member Posts: 19
    sorry for your problems with your kia . i feel your pain, we had one for 5 years and spent 10,000.00 on the piece of crap just to keep it running thinking every time we had it fixed it would stay that way. well we finally got smart and bought a gmc terrian and are so glad we did. it feels wonderful to get in a vehicle and feel safe and just knowing your going to make to where you need to be is worth getting rid of that beast. i agree with you 100%...NEVER GET A KIA...... :lemon:
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    A class action lawsuit will not be won or even looked at by any courts or even the BBB after owning a vehicle for only 2 days, especially if you don't give the dealer the time to resolve the problem. More than likely they will just throw "buyer's remorse" at you which a lot of states don't support.

    One of the things to remember is that even though the manufacturer builds the vehicle, they don't make all the parts.

    The shaking could be as simple as a faulty coil pack (I believe it is made by Toyota, I don't remember 100% on this model) - if this is the case when you go back to the dealer ask them to replace all 4, without a check engine light, it might be hard for them to diagnose which one.

    Another problem could be bad gas, I have a 2011 Sorento which I haven't had any problems with (knock on wood), but, that is what happened with the 2003 (I think it was 2003) version I owned. I got some gas, after driving for a while, I guess the new gas finally cycled through the engine, I came to a stop and it was vibrating, then got worse as I drove. About $260+ later, my sorento was back on the road driving fine.

    Not sure which model/year you have, but, the last thing you want to do is pay money to start a lawsuit pay lawyers, and have it thrown out either because you bought bad gas, or, it was a problem covered under waranty (which everything is if you bought it new) and you didn't let the dealer fix the problem.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Please be advised that Edmunds does not permit solicitation of members in these Forums for the purpose of joining a class action lawsuit. Thank you!

    MrShiftright
    Forums Host
  • regos11regos11 Member Posts: 3
    Thank you.

    We did not put any gas in the car yet because the KIA dealer filled it up before we drove home with the car.

    I don't think you understand what I am saying. The car is a lemon and we were tricked. it is a 2013 brand new car that shakes and makes noises like crazy.
    There are so many people on this forum that have so many different problems with this car that it is appalling.
  • regos11regos11 Member Posts: 3
    I am not a solicitor just an upset customer and I was just replying to the other person who brought up the class action law suit.

    Here is the quote from your website about the KIA Sorento 2012.

    What Edmunds Says
    No longer simply just a good value, the 2012 Kia Sorento is now an excellent pick for a small or midsize crossover SUV.

    I used your website for research in order to make an educated and good desicion before I ventured into byuing a new car.

    I am really surprised that with all the overwhelming negative reviews since 2003 on this site, you still reccomend this car as "an excellent pick."

    Thank you
  • frustrated2frustrated2 Member Posts: 28
    I completely agree!!! I bought a brand new 2005 and I have had nothing but problems with the vehicle. I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars in repairs not to mention the time invested and lost work bringing the vehicle back in forth to the garage for repairs. it is sad the every Kia repair shop in a 60 mile radius knows me by first name. I orig thought it was a great warranty as well however I drive so many miles to work that all the warranties were not covered. I fought and fought to have this car classified as a lemon but was unable to make that my full time job but again because i drive over 60k a year they kept telling me it was because the miles. Everything from the brakes, to replacing my whole engine, replacing headlights every 6 mo, to especially even the electrical system issues this car would def not be a recommendation to ANYONE. i have talked MANY people out of buying ANY type of KIA product. I still LOVE the looks of this car and it is perfect for me with re: to the size, the seats folding completely flat etc. However not worth the time wasted sitting at the garage and the time off work trying to get it there before they close (esp since no Kia dealership within 40 min of me). Being a female I hear so much crap from all of them. Trust me I do my research before I go in and told them I was not their typical "female" who knew nothing about cars nor was I gullable to their BS and stories they made up over the years. i could write a book on all their dumb [non-permissible content removed] stories I heard. The prob was I refused to leave until something was fixed properly or until I had the bill correct ie refused to pay labor on them fixing my brakes,etc 4 x in 9 mo (and it would have been sooner if i could have gotten car in to them). I love the looks of the new Kia but I refuse to buy another one due to fear of another lemon. But again, when u have SOOOO MANY LEMONS.....this seriously needs to be investigated. I hope everyone is able to get the class action going for you guys. think its too late for me!!!! good luck
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2012
    We have "problems" discussions for most every brand here, just like every dealer you go to will have service bays so they can work on cars.

    Reliability ratings are good and other Consumer Reviews here look good too (I just picked '05 for the link).

    I think class actions are great for the lawyers or for consumers if you like getting a coupon for $500 (or less) off a new car. Otherwise it's better to work with the dealer yourself to get recurring issues fixed or go the small claims or BBB arbitration route. If you go the lawyer route, it'd likely be faster to go it alone with your own lemon lawyer. For safety issues, sometimes the NHTSA will do a recall if there's enough complaints and they are make the vehicle unsafe.

    The Secret Warranty may help in your dealing with Kia.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited August 2012
    I realize it is a monstrous disappointment to buy a new car and have trouble with it---I think the problem with making new car purchase decisions based solely on owner forums is that these forums are something like the ER room at a hospital---if you judged the condition of the human race only from the ER room, you'd have a pretty grim picture of our overall health.

    Hopefully, whatever inherent defects automotive reviews may miss, the factory warranty and the factory "fixes" through TSBs can take care of all that. (hopefully).

    VISITING HOST
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    I do understand what you are saying, but, without giving the dealer the opportunity to resolve the problem, it winds up becomming a mute point.

    You must give the dealer the opportunity to diagnose fix the shaking. If after that, the problem still exists, then you have options.

    There are so many things that can cause shaking (even on new cars). Something as simple as a bad set of tires can cause shaking while driving, certain electrical malufnctions can cause constant shaking. It could even have been a computer update (which is extremely possible) if before you drove off with the vehicle the dealer brought it in to be cleaned, etc. There is an update that was pushed to the Sorento not to long ago that I believe increased the transmission pressure. This caused the Sorento to "jerk", in some cases caused shaking, but mostly cause a "jerk" when the vehicle was started and made it sound like the transmission was banging into gear. If this is the case, they have to reset the transmission pressure back to the original ("factory specs").

    All I am saying is, you can't consider the vehicle (or any vehicle - brand or otherwise) a lemon until the dealer has had the opportunity to resolve it.

    If the vehicle was miss-represented in any way, you would need to show/prove how.

    Also, you can't always go what people say on any forum because you don't always get the whole story.
  • stevem3rdstevem3rd Member Posts: 2
    I've actually read 90% of the posts here, maybe more than I should have... I think alot of the people posting here work for toyota or some other car company.... Just seem unreal that dealerships and the manufacturer would go out of there way to screw people ... All I'm saying :) I lOve my KIA, it's a 2011 with 52k on it ( AWD With a 4cyl. )
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    It's not that; it's just that happy owners like you rarely take the time to post that their car is running fine. And such posts really wouldn't be much on topic in a maintenance and repair discussion.
  • bostbobbostbob Member Posts: 2
    Hi Steve,

    I agree, there is an inordinate number of complaints here versus other forums...don't get me wrong...I feel for the folks who have issues with their cars...we've ALL had issues with ALL of our cars...give the dealers a chance to honor the warranties...then escalate it above them..right to the VP of American KIA Sales if you have to...Both KIA and Honda are poised for historic growth..they know that bad references can kill the golden goose...

    I remember when Honda and Toyota just started to take market share from the Big Three way back when...same types and frequencies of complaints came through at first....

    Hyundai and Kia are driving Honda and Toyota crazy because they can move faster....

    I love my 2013 Kia Sorento EXV6 even more than our Highlander and our 4Runner..but good news and good references rarely come to these types of "problem forums"...
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited September 2012
    Part of the problem is that a good dealer can make even a lemon tolerable. But dealers are "independent" of the manufacturer and the quality of service that you get varies widely. And there's only so much the manufacturer can do to keep their dealers "in line".

    Meanwhile the manufacturers tell the dealers how much they will pay for warranty work and often it really doesn't cover the dealer's cost.
  • bostbobbostbob Member Posts: 2
    I agree with this statement as well. I've had some very great experiences (Like the one I 'm having now with my local Kia dealer who is part of a larger very reputable chain in the Boston area. They even hired the Honda Service manager from his store down the street to make sure the new Kia customers are having a good experience. The Service Manager is not seeing a fraction of a fraction of the types and volumes of issues this forum is seeing.

    On the other hand I've had very bad experiences with Toyota and Nissan Dealers and Service Managers who were always more concerned about their margins rather than keeping a new customer satisfied.

    Way back when I sold F&I and Service software to Dealers and I am still shocked as to how thin the operating margins were for the Dealers and the pressure on the Dealers to avoid honoring Warranty work as much as possible.

    I spent months asking other Kia owners how the Sales and Service was at this Dealer before I bought my Kia. Last week I had a minor issue with one of the outside door panels coming out...the minute I mentioned it to the Service Manager, he asked me to see the car and fixed it right on the spot..very, very pleased with not only the car, but this Dealership as well...
  • neveragain727neveragain727 Member Posts: 4
    Why would a one year old 2012 KIA Sorento with 9,800 miles having engine failure?

    We bought a new 2012 Kia Sorento for our daughter in college in 08/2011. She put 9,800 miles on the car so far with all the normalized services being up to date. This Saturday 10/27/2012, she drove from Miami to Naple, and this car died on I-75! Thank the Lord that neither she nor her friend got hurt! She had it towed to Fuccillo Kia dealership in Cape Coral, FL. This dealership did the initial evaluation that day, but could not diagnosed the reason why the car died! Thus, my 20 year old daughter had to leave the car in the Cape Coral Kia dealership, and no one at this dealership offered to help her getting a loaner/ rental car through Kia warranty coverage! My daughter had to ask her friend to drive from Miami (an hour and 45 minutes away) to pick her up and bring her back to Miami that evening!
    Of course, nothing was done on Sunday. On Monday, the Cape Coral Kia dealership had to ask that we should contact our Kia dealership in Clearwater to fax all the service records to them as all the Kia dealerships'service databases are separated with no connectivity or sharing capability among them. I called the National Kia Customer Service to ask for help as the Clerwater Kia dealership did not respond initially to our request. The toll-free National Kia Customer Service lady said that Kia National headquarter does not have any data on services at any of their dealerships, but she gave me a case # and her extension to call back or communication, which I thought initially as being very nice and helpful ( I even did a survey for her and gave her high marks!)
    I have to call the Clearwater Kia dealership's service manager to ask for help in faxing the service records to the Cape Coral Kia dealership to finally getting this done. After reviewing the well documented 3 services (on 08/11/11, 1/13/2012, and 06/11/2012), the Cape Coral Kia dealership agreed that we have had the car well-maintained by a Kia dealership during our short ownership, but th engine died fro unknown reason. The service manager there suggested that they will have to rebuilt the engine! We asked if this issue had been reported on other Kia Sorentos, and he replied that he does not or aware of any national recall nor issue with the Kia Sorento having premature engine failure. We asked that the engine should be replaced with a new engine from Kia factory in the Atlanta, Georgia plant in USA, rather from a rebuilt engine. The manager said that he will try to request for that. We requested that while the car being serviced under a Kia warranty-issue if my daughter could get a rental or loaner car for her to get to class at college. The dealership reported that they could do a rental car up to $30/day coverage only. However, since our daughter is 20 yo, she could not rent the car from any rental companies! The dealership insisted that they have no loaner car available for her to use! I called the Kia toll-free national customer service four times (twice on Monday 10/29/12 and twice on Tuesday 10/30/2012) using the previously given extension # to the service lady, Melinda. I was not able to get in touch with her either time, and upon calling back other customer service agents reviewed our case #, reporting that nothing was in our case report! So why created a case # and giving me an extension #!?
    At this time, we are waiting for Kia's decisions to replace the engine, and to consider helping our daughter a way to get back from Miami to Cape Coral!
    With this occurence of the failed engine on a new 2012 Kia Sorento with 9,800 miles after one year of ownership, I have to say that I am very disappointed in this car and with the above service issues from Kia National Customer Service Center! Thus, I would NOT recommend this car nor this car company to anyone at this time! Hopefully, this automotive company will learn to improve their quality and service in the future!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Probably a manufacturing defect. It happens now and then, even to Rolls Royces and Ferraris. That's what warranties are for, to take care of completely unanticipated defects.

    If you genuinely believe that these engines are defective, then you'd probably want them to rebuild the old one, rather than take a new one.

    Of course, I haven't seen the damage, so I have no idea what actually happened. It could have been as simple as an unseen water or oil leak that destroyed a perfectly good engine.

    We'd need more details to comment more intelligently, but keep us informed!
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    I agree with Mr_Shiftright if you had more info on what happened, did the lights on the dash come on, or, did the car die flat out with nothing. A rebuild and/or replace of an engine seems a bit extreme for a vehicle with only 9800 miles on it. They should have been able to diagnose an existing condition as to why the engine failed.

    I always keep my service records in the car and a copy at home (I am anal-retentive, but, if there are ever any questions, I have everything available)

    I would check all the service records also, they could have applied an update that could have screwed things up.

    After a year of owning my Sorento, there was an update that was applied that was causing mine to jerk. Brought it back to the dealer and it turns out it was an update that changed the transmission pressure. The dealer reset it to factory specs, then all was well. Even the cpu updates could have caused something.
  • neveragain727neveragain727 Member Posts: 4
    No light notification at all. The car sputtered n died on the side of I-75 as our daughter pulled over to the side! She kept the maintenance papers in the glove compartment of the car. When the KIA dealership in Cape Coral asked for them, we told them that the maintenance papers were in the glove compartment, but they said that those were not enough! They wanted the KIA dealership in Clearwater where we live and where our daughter had the car serviced, to fax the papers to them! I felt this request was done as a barrier to get the car repaired so I call the KIA Toll Free Customer Service for help! However, this national service desk was not helpful at all! I still have not had any return call from the KIA Toll Free National Customer Service despite my calls n left 2 messages with the assigned agent! The other customer service agents would say they were not responsible for our case number, and when they look into our case number's file, it was blanked - nothing in it!!!
    Update: on Friday 11/02/2012, our daughter left Miami and came back to the Cape Coral KIA dealership on her own to pick up her car - by catching a ride from a friend as the dealership would not send her a courtesy car nor pay for a cab, even though she could not rent a car as she is only 20 years old! (The dealership did offer to let her rent a car through Enterprise at max. $30/day, but she could not get this as Enterprise and all the other rental cars required the rental member to be at least 25 yo! We explained this matter to the KIA Cape Coral dealership, and they said that they would not help our daughter to obtain any ways of transportation back from Miami to their location in Cape Coral!)
    Anyway, they said that they put a new engine into our daughter car, and she drove the car back to Miami without incident. However, our daughter called us today, Saturday 11/03/2012, reporting that her "Check Engine" light came on! Thus, we will have the car to be checked out next week by a Miami KIA dealership.
    With this experience, I will NOT purchase another KIA anytime soon! I will not recommend KIA to anyone either!
  • scoutyjones2scoutyjones2 Member Posts: 6
    Yes...minor. I just bought a used one (8K miles on it) and turned the Sirius Sat on from a subscription leftover from my previous car. The reception is horrible and drops, and or searches, many times during any ride. I had Sirius on my previous vehicle for 5 years and only lost reception in garages and under gas station roofs during fill ups. This car loses it constantly on city streets, neighborhoods, freeways...I will take it in when I have a chance. Hopefully it will get corrected. I read others having issues with only one person having the dealer find an "open connector in the antena" being the corrective action. I will update when I take it in and see what they tell me...Otherwise, I love the vehicle!
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    WOW! Sorry to hear that you went through so much trouble.

    I have to question the dealership that you had the repairs done in. It is very rare that an engine will fail so quickly and then to get a check engine right after the repair.

    I am hoping that the problem gets resolved and your daughter won't have anymore future issues.

    I was trying to figure what would have caused the engine to fail. Usually it would be a part of the engine due to other problems, like an oil leak, etc. For the diagnosis to be that the engine died is a little scary.

    The check engine light could be coming on if they didn't match the engine serial series to the transmission serial series. When she gets it back to the original dealer, have them check that out.
  • neveragain727neveragain727 Member Posts: 4
    You were right - The KIA dealership in Miami reported that the reason for the "check engine" light coming on, was because the existing oil cap was not compatible with the new engine so we have to wait for about one week for the new oil cap to be arrived from the plant in Atlanta, GA!
    Still no word from the KIA National Customer Service yet on why the engine failed!
  • lwsbkrlwsbkr Member Posts: 1
    Hello neveragain272...
    I would like to know about what happened because it sounds like the exact same thing just recurred to me again last night on the side of the 400-series hwy up here in Ontario, Canada.
    Would you be kind enough to share more details about the sequence of events that happened to the Sorento with me (us)?
    I too am getting the corporate line towing from the service dept. However, I will deal with that aspect at a later date, right now I just need to get the darn vehicle fixed so I can return to work tomorrow.
    Many thanks! L.
  • neveragain727neveragain727 Member Posts: 4
    Hi L.,
    To this date, we have not heard from Kia about why the engine failed! KIA just replaced the engine and send us away! I think that KIA is trying to hush it up so no recall would be done!
    I need to report it to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to be included in a national database!
    Good luck.
  • kingedwardikingedwardi Member Posts: 1
    I have mixed feelings about KIA. My father has had three different ones. Two vans and one of the luxury cars. While he had minimal issues with his my former mother in law had the wagon, (Rio I think). At about 99,900 miles she started getting a noise in the engines or transmission. She took it to the dealer in Duluth, Mn., (40 mls from home). They changed the tranny fluid, filter at charge and sent her on her way. Two days later, just over 100,000 mls the transmission failed completely. Needless to say they didn't want to repair it under warranty, but offered a good deal on a newer KIA. Well she scrapped it and bought another brand.
  • eo64eo64 Member Posts: 2
    Just found out my 2007 Sorento threw a rod, i.e. new engine needed. 105K miles, 5K over their infamous 10/100K warranty. Had all the regular maintenance performed at their over-priced dealership service centers. Now, a paid off car, worth roughly 7K (according to Edmunds) is now a worthless pile of crap.

    Kiss my [non-permissible content removed] Kia.

    Thank you for allowing me to vent.
  • eo64eo64 Member Posts: 2
    "Well she scrapped it and bought another brand."

    Good for her, she made the right decision.
  • eantoneanton Member Posts: 1
    You are a genius! Your reset procedure seemed too bizarre to actually work, but I tried it anyway since I had nothing to lose. Worked like a charm (although with the EX model I had to shut the drivers door in order for the door lock to operate). I also allowed 30 seconds for the "Body Controller" to fully power down before I started the vehicle back up.
  • erniefd1erniefd1 Member Posts: 3
    I bought a new 2013 Kia Sorrento on Sept 2012. From day one, the ECO System has not worked causing the transmission to kick while shifting to second gear. This also causes the MPG to be even lower than listed by KIA America.
    I took videos and had a Service Manager ride along experiencing the same problems which he acknowledge. I have left the car with the dealer for over 15 days and they tell me that they are not able to recreate the problem in order to repair it.

    I contact Kia America and after sometime they also told me the dealer is not able to recreate the issue. I told Kia America of the videos I had shown all the mechanic and how the Service Managers had ridden and experience the issues with me in the car. Again their excuse is that they can't recreate the problem. Needless to say my car now has over 22K miles and the Lemon Law in the state I live will not apply.
    These problems continue and in addition, now the steering wheel is peeling as well.

    Can anyone suggest how I can get these items repaired under the warranty?

    Erniefd
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Lemon law likely isn't your only "legal" remedy, but a lemon lawyer could advise you on that. You can also complain to your local consumer protection agency or attorney general's office.
  • erniefd1erniefd1 Member Posts: 3
    I have already spoken and written the Sate Consumer people. I am truly trying to avoid hiring a lawyer.

    Thanks,
  • esmith1172esmith1172 Member Posts: 18
    What you might want to do is see if they ever did the transmission pressure update. On the V6 models, it causes a "kick" at start and 2nd gear. I had the same issue, the dealer wasn't able to recreate it, so the service department took a chance and reset the transmission pressure update and that solved the problem. The ECO System may be an unrelated issue. Without the ECO system on, yo are only getting 15 mpg if you have the V6. Have the transmission pressure checked first and have them reset to factory specs, as opposed to the update. That might fix both issues.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited October 2013
    Can't blame you. :-) You might get some more ideas from the How to Effectively Complain about your Car Problem discussion.
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