Kia Sorento Warranty Questions

bslansinger

I just purchased a 03 kia sorento ex, with 69k on it. The dealer told me the warranty does not transfer from kia to me for the 10/100. Is this true?

Also, if I did take it into a kia dealer for warranty work, how would they know whether I am the original owner or not. The car was origianlly purchased in PA. On my previous car they never asked me to show proof that I was the original owner, they just checked to see if it was still within the time frame/mileage. Does anyone know if kia tracks this or how would they know I bought it used?

Thanks

beyond_help

10/100 is not transferable, kia computer records show vehicle history and orignal owner, they will ask for your registration when you try to obtain service, you will not be id'ed as orignal owner

taomerni

Hi
I am rather new to this forum . My first post is at the end of the Kia Sorento Read ONLY forum .. Oooops

We are at the 6 month ownership of our 2003 Kia Sorento . My last post pretty much praised this as the best car we ever owned . I had the recall done at Rosemurgy Ford in Wisconsin a couple months ago and they agreed to sand down the inner rear door rivet area and fix this up for me too . (surface rust due to 2 different metals ) . So anyhow a week ago we drove it to the Upper Michigan to go bird hunting . After a few hours of driving back roads(Clay, mud, ) I noticed a hot smell . Kinda like electrical , Everything works , so we drove home that weekend and didn't bother too much with it . When we got home and stopped in the driveway I notice a HOT smell in the engine compartment . This was bothering me ( a lot). A few days past and the smell grew stronger .. I made an appointment with Rosemurgy Kia in Wausau for Monday . I explained that it just smelled like something was burning right on the engine , I took the engine cover off , Air cleaner , and every visible spot I could check showed nothing . Hmmm ... Well ,, I did have it on some muddy roads and I thought ... Maybe some mud or a stick got stuck on the Exhaust ... So I took it to the car wash Sunday and POWER CLEANED every safe spot to clean on the engine from top to bottom . Figuring .. maybe I got it I took it for a 3 mile ride and pulled into the driveway . As I stop in the driveway I noticed SMOKE now coming from the Engine .. Not a Little but a LOT .. Eeeeks .. call the wife to see this and with the hood open I notice it is coming from the passenger side valve cover area .. I shut it off right away .. let the smoke settle .. and then thought .. How am I going to drive this 80 miles to the Kia dealership without it catching on fire ... Hmmmm.... So Monday I call Kia Roadside assistance .. Explain I have an appointment but the dealership is over an hour away . If the damage is minimal now .. I don't want to create a BIG problem(Like a fire in the engine compartment ) The were as friendly as any people could be and had a tow truck sent within an hour to get my Kia to the Dealership . I worked 11 to 7 Sunday night so I went to bed after the tow truck picked the Sorento up on Monday morning . When I woke up at 1 Pm , I called Rosemurgy Kia in Wausau and was wondering how the Sorento was coming along . Now remember this year has been a DISASTER for me and vehicles . I had a Chevy Venture that blew a tranny out this spring $1500 , Then 2 weeks later a Head Gasket $1300 .. and Many other smaller issues . So we got it fixed for 3 grand and sold it for $3500 . This is how we came to buy our USED Kia .. 5 year/50 thousand warranty as a second buyer .. It had 34k miles on it this spring . Besides being the nicest vehicle we test drove , It had the BEST warranty . Well... back to my warranty story ... I'm thinking ONE THING .. CRACKED HEAD.. MOTOR BLOWN .. Thousands of dollars I don't have after the Chevy Venture drove me BROKE this year .. Will it be covered ??? I hope so ... I haven't slept for days this weekend worrying about this Monday appointment... I make the call ...
The dealership assures me I will be driving it home as they are just finishing up on it . We live in Wisconsin , We keep the Kia in a garage that also has a bag of corn in it for the deer . The MICE in my garage managed to fill the Heat Shield full of CORN.. yes CORN .. causing it to burn like a TOASTER ... I asked the dealer if they noticed the smoke .. He LOOKED at me and said R U kidding .. we had to turn our Exhaust system on when we pulled it in and everyone thought the dealorship was on fire .. I chuckled as I remember the smoky motor scene in my driveway the day before .. Would you have drove it for an hour I asked him ?? NOPE he says ... Me Either .. I thought it was going to erupt in flames .. Then the scary part .. I asked him how much the bill would be .. I told him he could put a family picture of Myself , my wife , and my son making the big L (LOSERS )sign on our foreheads .. He explained he has seen this kinda thing in the past , told us they charged the shop minimum for our NON warranty service of removing POPCORN from my exhaust shield . I looked at the 50 dollar charge and just about hugged the service rep .. Rosemurgy Motors ,, Kia ... Roadside Assistance , Could not have done a better job , or made me and my wife happier . I see the dealer is the key to happiness on a vehicle . My closest dealer is over an hour away , but It is worth the drive . So we are still happy Sorento owners . Roadside assistance in this case prevented a potential fire in the engine , and made the fix simple and inexpensive . Thanks again Kia

lok888

Funny story but it's long. I thought the warranty can't be transferred to the new owner. Am I wrong?

I tell ya. My '03 Sorento, still the original owner with 51K miles, has like a phone book sized repair paperworks. However, I haven't called/used the 24 hr roadside assistant. All I can say it's if you can find a good dealer for service and repair. Just my opinion.

taomerni

Yes
The 5 year 60 thousand bumper to bumper (Includes towing to the nearest Kia dealer) warranty goes with the vehicle no matter who owns it .. The 10 year 100,000 Powertrain warranty only stays with the original purchaser . You have the option to buy into the 10 year before the 5 year warranty expires . This is why we bought the vehicle . We still have a year or so left on ours , you would have 9 thousand miles left to the purchaser . In my opinion it really would help sell the vehicle as long as the warranty is active . The buyer has nothing to really worry about for the first 6 months .

kkia

Hi-
I'm facing a major expense to have my sorento fixed. They're tearing apart the engine block tomorrow, i'm not sure what's wrong with it yet. They are asking to see all of my service records in order to validate the warranty. Has anyone else been asked to produce records/receipts? All I have is receipts from my regular oil changes. I didn't really do anything else service-wise. Help, I have 60,500 miles on the truck. I paid $110 for tow, about $100 for diagnostic test, now $390 for them to tear apart the engine. I don't know whether this will be covered or not, but i'm guessing not if I don't have service records...I think i'm in big trouble. I loved my truck until this happened. They're saying it isn't the crank shaft pulley bolt. There was a pop, then a bunch of rattling from the engine, and then loud banging. Sounds like a pinball machine...

beyond_help

Kia has no shortages of excuses not to honor it so called great warrenty, more loop-holes then carter has little liver pills !

i have even heard of 'over serviced' to deny warrenty

pao

ask if they have heard of the surge tank butterfly bushings coming apart....the bushings on the two stage flap shaft come out causing the butterfly shaft to flex and the screws break or come loose and get sucked into the engine destroying it, with a replacement running around $5K.....

it also could have been the timing belt letting go......again....can cause some major damage.....

did you have the dealer perform all the scheduled maintenance procedures..if so....they will have a copy of it in their automated records.....if you didnt have them do it....you will indeed have to produce your maintenance records....look at your scheduled maintenance ....depending on where you live and how you use the truck, it may fall under severe category.....the timing belt must be replaced at 40 or 60K depending on your year, as well as differential flushing every 30K......KIA is very maintenance intensive for scheduled maintenance...hope this helps and good luck.....

agree with the above poster...KIA looks for every excuse to get out of warranty work.....unless you have spotless maintenance records....

kkia

hi all - just wanted to let you know that Kia is actually covering my expenses to have the engine replaced. What happened is a bolt from the air intake valve fell into the head, and into a piston. So damage to the pistons and the head occurred. They are replacing the engine block, 4 pistons and one of the heads. I did have to show them all of my maintenance records, which consisted of only oil changes b/c that's all i've ever done. My sorento has about 61K miles on it. They wouldn't give me a rental, but I am satisfied that I will not be paying for a new engine. Over all I've had a good experience, and a woman from the corporate warranty department has called me several times with updates and to check on whether I'm getting the proper service. I thought i'd be getting rid of my truck after this, but since they've been pleasant, and I have a new engine, I'm keeping my Kia.

pao

glad you had a good turn on the warranty repair....especially since you have had only oil changes done.....get the timing belt replaced while they are there!!!

beyond_help

i would certanly hope they are replacing the piston rings and on the two remaining two pistons into the new block, you can't reuse them !

hearing some of the Kia horror stories about incopitant dealer service depts and i have had experianced that myself, it makes me wonder sometimes if the next clue they find is the first one they have ever found about being real mechanics, and doing major engine work ?

as posted above, don't miss the chance to do the timing belt and related stuff at a reasonable cost

kkia

Thanks - I am having the timing belt & tensioners replaced for about $200. I was out of the country last week, and came back to find out that the engine is back ordered, and coming over in a crate from Korea. It won't be here until the end of the month. They've already had my truck for 2 weeks, so they did give me a loner today. It's a piece of crap, but at least I didn't have to get a rental car. So far i'm still impressed that they're taking care of this, given the horror stories in the forum.

huanani1978

Both my parents are retired and in their senior years. Dad drives mom to her dialysis 3x a week on Tues. Thurs. and Saturdays. They commute 102 miles to and from. Can you imagine this? They have a 2004 Kia Sorento 4x4 which have been giving them some problems lately. The engine light would stay on, and sometimes the car would not start up. The car is now in the repair shop at Kia and they estimated 1345.00 to fix. The service man told my father, the water pump is leaking on to the sensor light, so they would have to order a new water pump. Also said, when the water pump gets changed, they would have to put in a new timing belt as well. Because of the long journey to dialysis treatments, their mileage is 64,000 making it beyond the 60,000 miles to qualify for warranty. I feel so sad for my parents because they are financially impacted from the ardeous journey to dialysis, and living on a fix income. Any help or suggestions is much appreciated, please.

beyond_help

if they are the orignal owners the water pump and any damage it caused are warrenty (water pump is 10/100 not just 5/60), IF they followed the cooling system service per Kia maintance schedule (flush and fill with the PROPER type of antifreeze every 2 years or 24 months) and have reciepts to prove it

other services negelected should not effect cooling system related failures !

kia and their dealer will do anything to get out their warrenty responsibility

ffreimuth

I have a 2006 Kia sorento 12 months old 10 thousand miles on it the drivers door seems to be coming out of adjustment it drops when you open the door and does not align properly when you close it I took it to the dealer and they are telling me that the warranty for this is expired 12months old with 10 thousand miles that doesnt even sound right the vehicle is in perfect shape not a scratch or even a door ding on it has anyone else had any problems with the door on an o6 sorento

pao

I would think the 5/60 covers this....find another dealer...or challenge them to show it to you in writing about the warranty being expired.....I beleive they arent being up front with you on this one...

exdriver

Beware, KIA told me that to cover a repair under warranty, I would have to produce records to show that I serviced the vehicle EXACTLY as recommended in the owner's manual. I will never, ever buy a KIA again. :P

pao

depends on the dealer..however you are correct.....most are very insistent you follow the exact maintenance in the owners manual...most state under severe driving conditions as well......maintenance is intense and not cheap if that is the schedule that has to be followed....

stever

I wonder if waving a copy of the Magnuson-Moss Act around would help any. Perhaps followed up by a complaint to the FTC.

pao

doubt showing the Act will do any good.....the dealer is simply asking the owner to produce records indicating all scheduled maintenance as outlined in the owners manual has been preformed.....

depends on the warranty work being denied......he didnt state he has been denied warranty work ...just that he must produce records to indicate all maintenance has been performed......IAW owners manual......my experience is KIA is very scheduled maintenance intensive...especially for fluid replacements in trans and diffs, as well as oil replacement.........timing belts are another issue all together.....

again....its a matter of what needs to be repaired vice what scheduled maintenance was or was not performed......does a transmission failure relate to not changing engine oil every 3K.....not sure....Im also assuming the owner is specifically referring to the KIA drive train warranty (10 year/100k) only here....

stever

does a transmission failure relate to not changing engine oil every 3K

Changing the oil at 3,000 miles can damage catalytic converters. (link)

From various complaints about Kia's warranty over the years, you have to wonder if a dealer would deny coverage under the federal emissions warranty if an oil change hobbyist went to the quick lube every 3,000 miles. :P

If Kia is making a practice of denying warranty claims under overly strict interpretation of their warranty requirements, perhaps the FTC should be taking a look.

sdwiden

Is there a difference in the warranty if you bought the car used? Do I still get the full factory warranty 100K/60k? Thanks

pao

not sure it transfers to be honest.....you would get the remainder of the 3/36...but not sure about the 10/100 drivetrain warranty.....I honestly dont recall...but I thinking it doesnt transfer from the original owner....you would have to ask the dealer you bought it from

pigdoc

I purchased a 2003 Kia Sorento new and have owned it since (daughter drives it). I've had no problems with it, now at 50k. Regular oil changes and filter changes have been done at various shops (Sears, JiffyLube, etc) since closest dealer is 50 miles away. If I need warranty work done on the 10/100k, what records will be required to satisfy the dealer? I just got a new 2009 Borrego last night, and they were very keen on work being done at the dealer (really pissed me off). The dealer I bought the Sorento from did not dwell on this at all. Any help would be appreciated.

2003 EX 4WD Sorento
2009 EX V6 4wd Borrego
Central Iowa

pao

think you hit the nail on the head with the dealer attitude....it your new dealer would insist....you probably would be required to produce all records indicating you had all scheduled maintenance done, not just the oil changes to include dif and trans fluid changes and the infamous timing belt..which for the 03 is due at 60K.....records would include type and weight of oil and all other parts used....

I found the scheduled maintenance intervals to be rather intensive for the early model year KIAs...dont know if that has changed or not....

05sorento

I hear and feel a shuddering in my front when I make sharp turns. It almost feels like the tires are skipping, or rubbing, or like someone else said, like it is stuck in low. I bought new tires and had the balance/alignment. I have since had them rotated. This has not resolved the issue.

I have read posts of others who felt this but found no resolutions,

I left my 05 Sorento with the dealership, they replaced the front and rear bushings at my cost and said it was fixed. When I turned out of the parking lot, it was still there!

Left my car again, and they did a "transfer case service pack". It felt better for a couple days, and now it is back, along with another issue I saw posted, where there is a clunk when you take your foot off the brake.

I'm going to have the brakes done and rotors turned, as I also read that over tightening the tires can warp the rotors.

Within a week of getting my car back, the crank bolt pin broke leaving me stranded on the highway with a hotel bill and $1300 in repairs. The dealership I broke down at swallowed the parts and I paid $600 labor. I have 78K miles on the car and did the 60K timing belt a year ago with Kia. Should I have been responsible for anything? My dealership says they see "one of them a month", the dealership I was at said they see one a year. Maybe they are over tightening them and causing then to warp and break.

Things are getting worse instead of better! Did I really need the bushings? They say of course! Would it help to get a Kia Representative involved? How?

Has anyone resolved what the problems with tight turns are? That's my immediate problem.

veebdosa

What the Bo-Diddly??? Those service "requirements", oil changes, and stuff, are not really REQUI REMENTS ,by anyone, dealer or not deaqler, they are merely RECOMMENDATIONS, and all of the Warrenty Manuals supplied with the car SAY they are only recommendations. Dealre recommends 3000 miles, which is sheer fantasy today and the dealerships all know that.

Mileage is now double that amount, and any dealer Kia or otherwise who denys warrenty service based on the consumer not having the RECOMMENDED service performed when and where they specify is out of touch and hoping you will believe what he says. STICK TO YOUR GUNS, even these shop managers know when they have to back off of their claims. Document everything, have a witness with you, and every state in the union has a small claims court.

I have NEVER had a problem with Warranty Kia work, because I will not let them lie to me or intimidatge me. You do NOT have to have oil changes, and other such work done at a Kia shop. Never.

pao

I never said recommended...I stated scheduled maintenance...as outlined in the owners manual for my 03 KIA....in that manual it specifically states scheduled maintenance...to include the timing belt change at 60K.....Im not going by any dealer recommendations, but simply what is listed as SCHEDULED maintenance in the owners manual....I would bet that if that maintenance was not followed...a dealership could easily deny a warranty claim..should it be proved the lack of scheduled maintenance was the cause of the claim....I also didnt state you HAD to have it done at the dealership, but rather that you might have to provide documentation that the proper service was done at another facility....

Many dealers push their own recommended services above and beyond the scheduled maintenance intervals listed in the owners manual...I must say wow..this original message was posted over a year ago.......cheers!

iluvmysephia1

do ya still have your Pontiac Solstice?

pao

we do...just turned 5 this week.....has about 41K on it...still lovin it!!

iluvmysephia1

how very cool! I still like the look of that car a lot. Congrats and enjoy it. Low, low miles, too, great!

minong1

25,000 miles, last week, within one year, transmission out, being replaced. informed today water pump is also leaking, being replaced today same time as transmission. loaner car is dirty when picked up, but have transportation. have registered complaints with headquarters in california and also regional headquarters in chicago. lots of lip service and standard verbage. wanted an extended warranty on the mfgr. transmission. they won't put new transmission in because some of the new ones still have problems. my 2011 Sorento is for sale. will not buy another one and hopefully this note will go to thousands that won't buy kia. Their Ads look great, their talk is great.....but real problems with these cars.

mcdonald340

I had same problems. If you have time, you have right to file a complaint with Federal Govt at www.safecar.gov and then go to "Vehicle Owners" and then "file a complaint" to initiate a recall. Good luck and we finally got an attorney to fight our case with the transmission, pulling to the right, cruise control, and now sudden acceleration. :lemon:

twoblueeyes

After the stepper motor issue (see other thread) I have dealt with a couple changes of the ignition key & interlock problem.....unable to start car. Occaisionally you have to play a little to get the brake pedal, ignition key & starting. It has improved but still sometimes catches and not want to start. Other issues are the "chrome" front door handles and center console with trim needed replacing....no charge. THey were flaking of chunks of chrome-like paint. Fortunately got it to the dealerhsip before 60K. They did replace the center console piece after 60K because the first replacement started flaking off almost immediately. Those are the most memorable ones at present.