Kia Sorento Maintenance and Repair

jd97

Don't open them!

nutin2it

Sounds like you have a great service dept. at your dealership. Who/where is it?

lok888

Hey Dick! I am glad that you are not my service people.

hciaffa

nutin2it my dealer is located in central CT. I don't know if I can give you his name. but very good on service and always polite.

lok888 on the rear door guides that are made out of a heavy plastic. They really are not the hindges as there are two hindges per door. Its some type of door guide and stop. Ours also moans and groans once in a while. I usually spray lithium grease or a moly ( moly something or other grease that I can't spell). Clean off the old grease and apply new stuff to the top and bottom side of the guide and wipe away excess. Spray some inside the door receptacle and then open and close to work it in. I do this about once every six months. I have the same problem on my truck and our old Forester we had.

lok888

I knew that I am not the only one and thanks for your productive suggestion. I believe they called door checker assembly. Someone from another Sorento discussion group suggestion the removal of the assembly and add lubrication They mentioned something about some roller inside the assembly (or plastic door hinge). Yeah! The spray and grease already making a mess at the door jam area. You know... I am no mechanic.

jhs1

I just had the same problem fixed - it was an upgrade for the computer. The service advisor told me I was the second person they had seen with the complaint. For the first one, the computer would not take the upgrade and had to be replaced altogether. Work was done last week and car has started great ever since. Mine happened every morning.

viv508

I have a Sportage and have been very pleased with the little SUV. However, the service department where I purchased it was terrible. I am considering buying Sorento, at another dealership. My question is: If you were buying would you buy a 2005 Sorento or should I look at something else? Please be honest.

lok888

Have you looked at the Kia website about the 2005 Sportage? It looks great. Sorento will give you more towing capacity and off-road ability.

viv508

No, I have not, but I am going there now, thanks. I am assuming you have a Sorento and like it?

lok888

I have a 2003 Sorento EX (4WD, ABS, spoiler, luxury package and self-levelizer). I bought it new in 12/02. It has almost 24000 miles now. There were several warranty repairs but my dealer took care of it. I have no off-road experience but it runs great on snow. This will be the third winter.

soreintoe

You work for a body shop and can't figure out how to stop a squeek? Shoot I am a chick of a certified A-Tech for Heart Kia of Wappingers Falls NY where I bought my 2004 Kia Sorento EX! EXCELLENT Service, Parts, Mechanics... only ONE good dealer! But ummmm... one word WD-40! I own a Mitsubishi GST Spyder Conv. (13 sec on 1/4 mile) a Ford Mustang (gutted and rebuilt, 8 sec on 1/4 mile) a Dodge Stratus, Lincoln Navigator and a Honda Accord... they ALL squeek... WD-40, works like a charm ;-)

lok888

I don't work for a body shop. But I drove and owned several cars and minivans for the past 13 years, some domestic brand and some Japanese brand. I have never heard any squeak. I also own an '03 Camry. I check the door checker assembly which is also made of plastic like the Sorento. Absolutely no squeak! WD-40 means "Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try".

paisan

White Lithium Grease, just spray some in there and it'll be fine.

-mike

jhs1

Travis,

Mine is manual, not automatic - I didn't even think about that. As I mentioned, the service manager said they saw the problem on one other car, but didn't say whether it was manual or automatic. That one wouldn't take the upgrade, so the computer was replaced. I am waiting on a new transmission (different issue) and will ask when I go in about whether the other car with the idle problem was auto. Let you know.

Jen

mike120877

Hello, how are you doing? It seems all of a sudden the illuminated ignition switch doesn't light up anymore. Has anyone else had this problem? How can I fix it?

Thanks for your time

big_guy

Be glad you don't have a VW Passat. I have a 4 year lease on a 2001.5 Passat and the front and rear rotors warped at around 18k miles and had to be replaced. The rear rotors have warped again at around 32k miles. I don't drive like it is a rally car and have been extremely disappointed having to replace the rotors this frequently .... I would rather have them turned 3 or 4 times than have to replace them all together!!

suvshopper1

I live in the Phoenix area and I am planning on buying an 05' Sorento what dealership have you dealed with or do you deal with, was your temp gauge problem ever resolved ??? and overall what do you think of the car
THX

johnschleifer

No. I am just residing with the fact that it will be what it is. Everything else about the car (other than the 14 mpg) I love so I haven't worried too much about it. I admit that each morning I look at it and every afternoon drive home I compare the temperature listed with that of the bank near my home. This has been the only problem so I would give it a great review, otherwise. Hope this helps.

rhiannon

i have an 03 sorento and love it and have experienced the same problem after i first got it. try AMSOIL HD metal protector on them, it dries to a waxy film so it wont wash off. By the way its not just kia that uses plastic door check straps alot of manufactures do. i work at a chrysler, dodge, jeep dealer and chrysler uses them too. a $45,000 grand cherokee ltd. hemi uses plastic straps.

rhiannon

i purchased a kia bug sheild and went to install it, and you have to remove the grille. its pretty easy and looks good. when i removed my grille i found rust under the grille around the edges of the hood. i cleaned all the rust of and sprayed AMSOIL HD metal protector on all the edges and inside the hood. that was 4 months ago and i checked it the other day and there was no rust. you may want to check this. its far better to stop the rust then to wait for it to perforation. i know the warranty covers it but you never want to break the factory finish unless you absolutely have too.

pao

I have an 03 Sorento EX fully loaded....I have been using the KIA OEM oil filters since I bought the vehicle.....did i read somewhere the filter must have a back flow valve to prevent oil from running back into the filter due to the location of the mount in the sorento...if you dont use the OEM filters.....what is the forum using here?

BTW 25K on the vehicle and no one problem to note

lok888

Well, my other car ('03 Camry) also has plastic door checker assembly. I own it for 16 months now... absolute no squeaking and no lubrication needed. I remember my last two cars (Japanese brand) without these problem during my 10+ years of ownership. It looks like the door checkers were made of metal back then.

My dealer sprayed them about month ago on my '03 Sorento. No noise yet. But I will see. There is a good chance the noise may come back during winter months... the sand and dust from the roads.

hciaffa

I have an 03 EX loaded as well. Did you ever get the recall that was issued on the front hood. They remove the grill and spray a waxy protectant around the opening and all around the inside of teh front grill area. Apparently rust areas can develope. If you haven't gotten the recall notification check with your dealer.

sb11703

I purchased a KIA Sorento in July of 2004 and we recently took it on a long trip. I found that it also is making the same loud noise and vibration as described in Johnny 's post. My car is fine until you hit 70mph its quiet at 69 and under and its quiet over 70mph. But at 70 it really vibrates and makes noise. I took it to the dealer and they balanced the tires. This did not fix the problem. (not a surprise) After seeing that another car is doing the same thing, I am really worried that this is a bigger problem than I originally thought. This is more than a coincidence. I am taking the car back to the dealer and I am hoping for a resolution to this issue. If anyone out there has any info or help, I would really appreciate it. I love my KIA and would hate to stop feeling that way about it! Thanks Sharon

lok888

There were many discussion many months ago about the drive shaft. Have your dealer to look at this area.

pao

there was also a discussion on tire pressures....being too high would cause the vibration as well.....seems to think I saw that in another kia forum as well

lok888

It is possible, especially when dealers delivered the car to customers. But it is most likely the drive shaft when travels 60 and 70 mph. Also look for improper wheel alignment.

iluvmysephia1

but I always keep up with this thread and it would seem that that problem would be related to the driveshaft issues of several months ago. Take it back and mention to them to check the driveshaft of the Sorento. Also if any Technical Service Bulletins exist on this issue.

pao

pao "Kia Sorento" Oct 21, 2004 3:08pm

just posted this in the other forum for general discussion....

alamid69

I believe you read my previous message about my conversation with a Kia service advisor. He was the one who told me that Kia OEM oil filters have back flow valves.

pao

but do other commmerical filters have the backflow valves is the question....or will I need to always use the KIA OEM filter...and if I use a filter that doesnt have a backflow valve..does that void a warranty

alamid69

"but do other commmercial filters have the back flow valves is the question...."

sorry, but i have no idea.

"and if I use a filter that doesnt have a backflow valve..does that void a warranty"

I don't think so 'cause when i asked him if i need to replace the non-Kia OEM oil filter with a Kia OEM he said to just replace it on my next oil change.

pao

yes..but replace it with another non-oem filter or replace it with the KIA filter?....I wonder if you continue to use a non oem filter that doesnt have a back flow valve and develop problems will the dealer balk......???

goldsuv

Any major oil filter manufacturer that lists an oil filter for the Sorento will meet Kia's specs.I know Purolator has a filter for the Sorento and it has an anti-drain back valve.

hciaffa

if they sate that they meet or exceed OEM specs then they are built to meet the specs, with the valve built into it. Purolater makes a filter for the Sorento. I prefer the Puro model over the Fram as for the last few years Fram has had some bad press about the material and assembly of its filters.

dscott

Also purchased Sorento in July and have noticed vibration at 70 mph. Love the KIA too except for the high engine rpms at highway speed. Needs a 6th gear (overdrive)for better mileage.

sedonasorento

First it needs a fifth gear, like the Sedona.

lok888

I have a 2003 EX. I just noticed that I suddenly have one-touch power window for front passenger. When I press the switch (on driver's door panel) once real hard like I do for the driver's window, the window rolls all the way down. Oh... yes!!! However, I have to lift the switch up like two times to close the window. The window doesn't roll up on first attempt. Is this new or something wrong? A fault power window motor? I don't mind if I have one-touch feature. And I think Sorento should get this like Amanti. But I am concerning the window won't roll up again. I will bring this to my service.

vickie

my new 2005 EX 4x4 has the 5 speed auto tranny.

hciaffa

lok888 I had this problem this past spring. From the drivers side I could lower the passenger side window like the drivers side. Power down but for up it worked like it should. I thought that this was cool so I let it go but as you fear it stopped working or it worked intermitantly. Dealer replaced the swicth console on the drivers door. No problem since. Repalce yours

lok888

Thanks. I just read your message in other Sorento board. So it is a new switch console on the driver's door panel, not just the switch. Did they take long for the repair? I probably leave the car for the day for other issues: new body cladding on both rear passenger's doors and fuzzy image on LCD for climate control.

adam6

I have a 2004 kia sorrento EX and experience vibration at 50mph up to about 70mph. It feels like the drive shaft is out of balance because this vibration is a higher frequency than an out of balance tire. I have taken it in for service and they have balanced the tires which had no effect.
The service dept. says they cannot fix it.
Dave.

jak1

I also have a 2004 Kia Sorento that vibrates between 68 and 75 MPH. Dealer has not been able to do anything with it. Any suggestions?

alamid69

To all owners who are experiencing vibration - how long did you own your Sorentos before experiencing this? I have an '04 which i bought in March and frequently drive over 80 mph and not once i noticed any vibration. Did you experience the vibration after owning the truck for a while? Or is it acting this way ever since owning it?

sb11703

I purchased my 2004 Sorento in April of this year and it started to vibrate in may when we took it for a long trip to Virginia. It still does it whenever I hit 70mph. After taking it to the dealer once they balanced the tires. I did not get any satisfaction. I took it to a friend who is a very experienced mechanic, he told me to have them check the drive shaft. I am very concerned about this considering that this is a brand new car and this should not be an issue. It especially worries me that there seems to be alot of people out there with the same problem, not a good sign! I will bring it back to the dealer again and see if they can resolve the problem. Let me know if you have any success with your car or get any info. Thanks
Sharon

goldsuv

I have a 2004 LX 2WD with the Michelin tires. No
vibration at all. Those with problems should list your model, drive type and tires to see if anything in common.

sb11703

My car is presently at the dealer, they have replaced the rear end (think that's how you spell it) and the car stil vibrates, they then replaced the drive shaft,and the car still vibrates, now they are replacing the transmission!
I will know tommorow if that worked. The car has been in the shop for six days. I have already gotten copies of the lemon law for my state and I will be ready to use it if the problem is not resolved within the required time. (4 visits for the same problem or 30 days out of serivc). I hope that this is not necessary, because I really love the car. I told the service manager that this problem seems to be happening to other people, he told me it was the first time they had encounted this problem.

dannyherm

FYI - I bought my 2004 EX (fully loaded: leather, sunroof, 6 changer CD, etc.) for $21,950. I did my homework on Edmunds, then asked for internet sales quotes. Even the sales people were surprised at the deal I got!

Danny H

pcarr

I have a 2003 Sorento EX, I have had to have the front and rear differentials replaced 2x each. This car has 20,000 miles. At 15,000 miles I had a front end alignment and replaced 2 front tires. I have also had the 4x4 switch replaced and abs sensor replaced. According to the Kia rep that came to diagnose my problem, he says that the problem started when I bought 2 tires and not 4 because that caused the tire ratio to be off and the 4x want to stay engaged all the time. He says the lemon law does not apply to me because the problem was the tires not the differentials. So to fix the problem, I need to buy 2 more tires, which I did, and that would fix it. The tires I put on at 15,000 miles have some wear on them, because of all the differential problems. Some how this doesn't make sense to me. I am not a happy camper and want to pursue this further.

hciaffa

You mention that you have the EX but do you have the Luxury Package? This one comes with the all wheel drive system. If you have this the rep is right. On this model the tires must be rotated every six months to allow for an even wear. If either the front or rear set wears and you only repace the front set lets say, it can throw off the sensor and screw up the differentials and even damage them. I learned this with the Subaru Forester we had. I noticed one set in the front was wearing and I replaced them and not the rear and it started some problems with the rear diff. Luckily it was caught in time and a set was thrown on the rear. Usually it is recommended to replace an all wheel drive system when the diameter if the tire is down by half an inch. Like take a string and start at one point on the outside of the tire and go around it. Then measure it. Try to compare it to a new tire such as your spare if you haven't used it that would be your base to start. I don't know what KIA's recommended loss is. You may want to ask the service rep. By the way I didn't come across any information on this in the manual. Now if you have the regular 4X4 system that you have to engage with the switch then the rep is pulling your chain. Truck owners have been changing one set for years and never had this type of problem. This may sound confusing but thats the nature of the beast. If you need more of an explainaton write to me at hciaffalione@canberra.com