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Comments
Should I be concerned about what seems to be a weak 2nd gear synchro on my manual 2.5 diesel? Is it a warranty issue or is it common to this gearbox?
It is quite easy to crunch into second unless one pauses for a full second between depressing the clutch and selecting second.
dheiron...I bought my Sorento back in November. I now have over 26,000 miles on my Kia....as you can see, I drive it a lot! I've had it to Moab and did the White Rim Proper with it. I've driven it on a trail here in Colorado called Montazuma Revenge, not a trail for the weak willed. I've driven it in blizzards and did a 3800 mile road trip with it. I drive about 70 miles a day to work and back. AND....the only two major problems I've had were: replaced brake rotors, and a tire that was out of round that was replaced by the tire manufacturer. Minor fix to the drivers side airbag sensor that is located in the seat. Other than these issues, this thing has been great!
For the first 6 months, I'll admit, I was apprehensive about my decision of purchasing the Kia based on what most of us think about Kia. But now I know I made a solid choice with the Sorento, and I could not be happier!
Mark.
Duncan
Also...I am having all four of my door handles replaced this week because the paint is chipping off around the edges. My only concern is the paint shop matching my paint color correctly.
Reading the Chevy TrailBlazer/GMC Envoy board, it lookd more like they wait until the customer complains. They've had at least two software upgrades for the transmission and engine computer....
And people wonder why I won't buy another domestic brand vehicle again.
Deke
If you wanted to, you could probably go into your dealer and ask them to look at your Sorento and make sure that all of the TSB's have been taken care of. If they even apply to your vehicle.
Would any LX owner check this for me ? When any door is open, does the MAP lights turn on ?
For my LX, only the light int the middle and the one in the trunk turn on when I open the door.
Thanks.
Benjamin
Anyone hear a squeaking noise from the front end when hitting the speed bump? At least it was on my Sorento. But it was gone when I have the tires rotated and balanced yesterday. No other major problem at 10500 miles except they will look at the sunroof rattle issue.
-mike
The new unit is smoother than the old but at best it is a clunky action, and you can beat the synchro, especially going from first to second.
Overall I am quite happy with the Kia warranty srevice, and my dealer scored well in arranging the warranty claim efficiently, supplying a loan car, etc.
Cheers
Have your techs check the shafts of the drive train for concentrations of UNDERSEAL.
It happened on several European Sorentos that liquid underseal ran to the bottom of the shafts where it then got hard. That caused vibrations at certain speeds, independent of the gear engaged or engine rpm.
Removal of the excess underseal from the shafts cured it.
If you went through mud, another possibility might be clusters of mud and stones on the inside of your rims.
Cheers
Indeed, I noticed the engine temparture gauge is usually high... above the mid-level for normal driving condition and something as high as nearly the "H" mark on the gauge. I suspect a faulty thermometer. I saw no sign of engine overheat with working radiator fan.
Also, for the A/C condensation, I have to bring back this issue because the water dripping isn't only occur after the use of A/C, even without the use of A/C. I have bring a list of the problems to my dealer.
hciaffa - Remember I was talking about the air conditioner condensation? The unusal water dripping turned out an anti-freezing coolant. But I still question about that because it was clear like water and it was only after the engine was shut off. I first thought it was a faulty thermostats.
As of today, I too have a question regarding the A/C condensation.
I have had my Sorento (LX, manual A/C) for three weeks now and it has been running just fine. However, this weekend for the first time, I noticed the water dripping and puddling underneath the passenger side. At first, I attributed it to water draining from washing the vehicle, which had been the last thing done just before heading home and seeing this for the first time. Subsequent driving around on the weekend, I continued to notice the dripping and puddling after parking wherever I stopped to shop. So I investigated further, and my non-technical findings were:
The dripping liquid is absolutley water, not coolant of any kind. It is clear and cool, exactly what you would expect to be condensing off of the a/c compressor. Looking in the engine compartment, the water runs out of a small tube on the passenger side firewall and drips on the ground from the engine compartment/firewall base.
I expect this would be a normal result with the air conditoner on and this is in fact stated in my Sorento manual. However, I am noticing this occurring without using the a/c in the vehicle! So I am not using the air conditioning and the a/c compressor appears to be on or running all of the time. This I find to be unusual because my previous vehicle (Nissan Pathfinder) had manual a/c and the condensation only occurred after using the air conditioner.
Also with my Pathfinder, I could immediately hear the compressor kick in when I turned on the air conditioning. In testing for this with the Sorento, I cannot detect any sound difference in engine or compressor when turning the a/c on. But .... there is something else with my Sorento that may be tied into this. From day-one of picking up my Sorento I immediately noted that everytime I start the engine and start driving, there is a 'kick' or slight tug accompanied by a bit of noise after I've moved about 15 feet. I have always thought this a bit odd but normal since it happens everytime. I also thought it was a power steering lag of some kind since you can feel it through the steering wheel and I usually back up a bit and make a full left turn to exit my driveway. I'm now convinced that this is the a/c compressor kicking in, even though my a/c is off. I'm still a bit perplexed though, because with the fan on and temperature knob turned to full cold, fairly cold air will come out but when I do turn on the a/c via the button, the air coming out the vents does become cooler but not significantly so. This was tested on the highway at 65mph so I'm not totally sure the cool air from the vents without the a/c on is being cooled at least partially by passing thru the compressor, but that is what I think.
I'm now questioning whether this is normal operating for Kia vehicles and/or the Sorento. Does anyone else notice this or know if the a/c compressor should be operating at least nominally all the time the engine is on?? Or is it occurring and noticeable because it is a brand new vehicle with fresh refrigerant in the compressor.
My manual also has a few driving tips, one of which says to help on fuel economy and engine load, is not to use the a/c if it not required, so I'm thinking the compressor should be off when the a/c is not on.
Other than this, mechanically this vehicle has been running like a Swiss watch! It is so quiet at idle, I almost forget the engine is running. And it runs extremely well at highway speeds too.
I guess I'm going to call my dealer and ask about this. It will be winter soon where I am with temperatures below zero (0 C) all day/every day (northern Alberta) and this condensation could start to freeze in and around the compressor area and cause other problems.
With respect to the a/c compressor being on and the resulting water dripping/puddling even when the a/c button is not on, I was told that this is normal and as you have stated above, that if any of the defrost vent settings are on, then the a/c compressor will turn on. Apparently other customers have questioned this and in order not to confuse people with automatically turning the a/c light on if the compressor is running when it has not been technically engaged by the driver, Kia doesn't have the a/c button light up as indicating 'on' unless it is actualy depressed. If so, this could be clarified with a proper explanation in the manual.
As far as the 'kick' or slight tug that I mentioned feels like the compressor engaging, I was informed that this is also normal and it is part of the antilock brake (ABS) system self diagnostic test which occurs every time the vehicle is started. I am aware of the 'thump' associated with the differential/driveline that others have mentioned here and what I experience is not that. This little kick only occurs upon engine startup and after moving no more than 15 ft, then disappears immediately. It does not re-occur at anytime while driving in any conditions after that until the engine is shut down and restarted again. So for now, this explanation seems reasonable to me when I think about it though it too is also not mentioned in my manual. However, I will check that TSB warning on the power steering just to make sure it could not be that.
Everytime that I test drove a Sorento at my dealership, the salesperson always started the vehicle and brought it up to the showroom doors, and they also had a policy of driving the vehicle off the lot and down the road for a bit, to explain some features and get away from a heavy traffic area. So I never experienced this ABS system check until I drove mine off the lot and it was never explained to me that it occurs. I will be informing the dealership further on this and Kia Canada through customer surveys that I have just received.
I have not owned a vehicle with full ABS before or a new one for that matter, so I guess there has been a lot of technological advances with vehicle systems, including air conditioning!
I will report back if I hear of anything further. Thanks for your opinions.
When I drove the dealer's rental while my Sorento was in service, the A/C was also turn on (A/C light was on) when I had the defrost vent on this 03 Spectra. So this is probably a common thing on cars with A/C these days. Also, all Kia (maybe Hyundai as well) vehicles that I drove have no seat belt reminder light or tone.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I reviewed the TSB warnings and for those items listed, including power steering, they all apply to earlier production Sorento's manufactured back in 2002.
About the kick sound, it happens only once everytime I start the engine, engage the drive mode and when the car first move within the first few feet.
TBS - I only found few TBSs from NHTSA website including the anti-corrison wax application on the hood, power steering (light at highway speed) and rattle from the tools compartment. Few Sorentos involved with manufacture date prior to October, 2002.
BTW, IIRC, the Sorento service schedule makes no mention of a regular brake fluid change- something that I consider essential given the propensity of fluid to absorb moisture. Any speck of rust on those ABS valves could cause expensive problems. Due to the nature of the Sorento ABS system, it appears that you must use the Kia/Hyundai scan tool to cycle the ABS for a complete fluid flush and replacement. I guess I will have to see the dealer for this one (in about a year).
Dealer said not to loose the colored master key cause that can't reproduce other keys without the master key so be careful !
IF you loose the master keys looks like the dealer will need to replace the whole lock assembly to give out a new keys & code. These keys apparently contain a chip which reacts to a transponder scan to start the engine!
Also, the book says you can start the car with a manual override if the key chip codes or transponder fails. The dash display always flashes the word IMMO 6 times when starting. IF it stays lit you must override it by turning the starter key according to a sequenced 4 digit password only the dealer knows for each car's VIN number. If you don't have that secret code and you have key problems it will be tow truck time !
I guess IMMO mean IMMO...bilize!
When I called my dealer the maintanance manager had to read the book because nobody ever asked him for the secret code! I hope to have an answer tomorrow !
Better read you instruction manual just in case.
So far.... gas milage sucks... sucks gas a lot
everything else is purrrrrrfect ! :-)