Kia Sorento Maintenance and Repair

paisan · June 2003

I have had it dunked underwater and it saved me from costly engine repairs. Usually the paper ones cave-in when smacked with muddy water, so I'm a fan due to that. As for power I felt a slight extra pull at 4000+rpms.

I like to clean it out after offroading and sucking in dirt, so the re-usable ones are nice.

-mike

stever · June 2003

I'd rather just pop a new paper one in every 15,000 miles or whatever the manual recommends myself. Messing w/ reoiling a K&N style filter and worrying about the sensors seems a bit too much hassle. It's bad enough re-oiling my lawn mower filter every year (or two <g>).

About the Tornado, best not get me started....talk about snake oil!

Steve, Host

hciaffa · July 2003

I thought I had read about a Sorento owner posting about some squeeling noise coming from his engine sounding much like a fan belt noise. Curious to see what may have been done to correct the problem or if any one else has had this problem. We have had our Sorento EX with Lux pkg since Nov of 02 and have had no problems but in the last couple of weeks we have noticed a squeeling noise from the engine compartment and it sounds like a fanbelt or even more like a water pump bearing. But after running the engine for a few minutes the noise goes away. Teperature gauge tells me that it is not overheating even with AC on and in traffic, so I think it may be the fan belts. Anyone having this problem?

ivygrnsorento · July 2003

I just took my Sorento into the shop for its 15,000 mile service check-up. I was having a slight squeel from under the hood that occured from 1500-2500 rpm. It wasn't like an old car starting up in the morning with the waterpump trying to turn rust through the engine...but more like a light rubbery slipping sound, but coming from the belt for sure. The service guy told me he would check it, but if it needed adjustment, he was going to have to charge me because I was past my so called "adjustment period". In which I then challenged his understanding of a bumber to bumber warranty and what would happen if the belt was failing. Well, needless to say, Kia has a posting for their techs to check for this condition and to make the appropriate adjustments if needed...at no cost to the customer. Apparently this is happening to early production Sorentos...which I am guessing yours is too. I purchased my Sorento in November as well, and is considered an early production model.

For what its worth. I was also having a slight rattle in my steering box when doing some offroading on washboard and very rocky terrain. I had the tech check that, and as with the belt, this was an early production issues and has since been fixed with a different steering tube assembly for the newer vehicles. They can't fix the early production issues because of the way that part is installed...which i assume is permanent. Iv'e been told the slight rattleing noise is normal and that no harm is being done. We will see about that. I'll let you know if I have any more problems with that.

Hope this helps. Take care.

lok888 · July 2003

ivygrnsorneto - My service people also told me about the adjustment period which is also including the wiper inserts, light bulbs (or brake pads?) for the first year or first 10000 miles. I am not sure about the tires, but someone here mentioned the dealer replaced his/her flat tire. I doubt your fan belt noise problem is considered as adjustment period. It should be a warranty repair.

Anyway, here are some issues I have to address to my service people. (1) Anti-Corrosion wax application, (2) Poor radio reception for both AM and FM, (3) Non-working horn (4) Rattle in the center console area, (5) Adhesive tape for the body cladding is peeling off.

BTW, I bought mine in December. I don't think we have the early production Sorentos. The Korean were driving this for almost a year before we do.

lilac0422 · July 2003

I am also having poor radio reception. Please let me know if your dealer has any suggestions. I have to take mine in soon and I will ask.

lok888 · July 2003

I will take it to service tomorrow. There is almost no reception for AM and only few FM stations have OK reception no matter where I go or what nearby.

dlb14frost · July 2003

I too have poor reception especially on AM. Used to drive Subaru Outback and radio was fine in it. Now when I'm farther from the station I can't get as good of a signal.

sorentoguy · July 2003

I replaced the stock antenna with a 'European ' style (short black flexible rubber) more for the look than expecting better reception (one can hope). AM reception is still bad.

lok888 · July 2003

sorentoguy - I don't know if I broke something when I tried to unscrew the antenna mask unsuccessfully and replace it with the Euro-stlye antenna. BTW, the guy sold me this said it will be the same or better reception.

dlb14frost - Mine isn't like that. Most FM and all AM stations are very poor like without an antenna at all. I will check it out tomorrow.

dried · July 2003

Some time back, someone had mentioned that they discovered the antenna lead in the back of the radio was loose/disconnected, so they had to take apart some of the dash to fix. My recollection is that it wasn't a big deal. Just a thought - maybe pass it on to the dealer.
-- Dave

brooklyn1951 · July 2003

dried- that post was mine- I'll review the procedure for anyone who needs it-----
To remove the radio, all you have to do is open the little drawer above the ashtray. You will see the inside edges of the trim (phoney wood on EX, black plastic on LX) that surrounds the center stack and incorporates the A/C vents. Use a flat bladed screwdriver to pull the trim toward the rear of the vehicle. Once you get the bottom part of the trim free, just work your way up, but be careful not to lose the little metal clips that are mounted on trim. Once both sides of the trim are off, you can see the 4 screws that hold the radio in the dash. Just remove them and pull the radio out. The antenna lead is inserted into a socket at the rear of the radio. It should seat in the socket with a "click".

lok888 · July 2003

brooklyn1951 - Was it the solution for the poor radio reception? It seems that my situation is because I was trying to remove the stock antenna.

sorentoguy · July 2003

lok888 - I just unscrewed the mast, not the base. The replacement just screwed in.

lok888 · July 2003

Do you mean the rod? I tried to unscrew the mast (the metal base) and didn't work. It was just turning.

sorentoguy · July 2003

Yes, the rod, (piece wiht the wrapped black wire). It tool about 20 turns but it comes right out.

lok888 · July 2003

Thanks! I must broke some wire when tried to unscrew the mast instead of the rod. Do you still have the Euro-style antenna rod on? Same poor reception?

sorentoguy · July 2003

YEs, I still have the EUro style on and the reception is still crappy. I'll have the dealer checkthe cable at the radio end when I take it in for service (after I put the stock antenna back on so they cant say its 'my' antenna causing the problem).

brooklyn1951 · July 2003

Yes, seating the antenna plug made a great difference on AM reception but had only a minor affect on FM. In fact, a car radio will usually get decent FM with no antenna (at least where I live).
BTW, my Sorento SERVICE manual shows a power antenna mounted in the rear quarter panel (fender). The electrical schematics also show a power antenna connected to the radio. Seems like a good idea since the Sorento OWNERS manual says to remove the antenna mast (rod) before going through a car wash. (Kind of a pain, but I always do it.)

paisan · July 2003

Guys, just a note, a lot of cars have amplifiers in them for the antennas so when changing over to an aftermarket stereo make sure you wire up the "power" antenna lead, even if you don't have a power antenna. Had this problem on some subies and isuzus I've worked on.

-mike

lok888 · July 2003

brooklyn1951 - I am not sure about the power antenna that you are referring. I don't think Sorento has one. BTW, I still think the poor radio reception is because I was trying to unscrew the antenna mast. I went to my dealer last weekend. They didn't do anything because they suggested that I should leave my car for the day. So they can figure the poor radio reception and the non-working horn and they can order parts if necessary and fix the problem. Few months ago, I brought my Sorento to those express car wash. There wasn't any damage to the antenna or poor reception after the wash. But I still prefer those in-glass antenna or roof mounted antenna.

jha2 · July 2003

I bought my Sorento in November 2002. Two days after I purchased I took it to have the wheels balanced because of a vibration. The dealer didn't have a service dept yet. Since then I've had the drive shaft rotated , the drive shaft replaced , wheels road force variation balanced (4)times,(2) rear tires replaced yet the vibration still exists. Kia tells me its a characteristic of a "truck" ride with a rigid frame. But at 75 or 80 mph this thing will rattle your teeth. Just got back from a 1200 mile road trip and it was the most miserable driving experience I have ever had. On the trip water started dripping on my feet, lights on the dash coming on and off and now my keyless entry doesn't work. Anyone have any suggestions ?

ivan4741 · July 2003

I would get in contact with someone at Kia who is in charge of the State where you bought this Sorento and get this problem resolved.

jha2 · July 2003

The District Svc Manager is trying to tell me its the tire compound and that there is nothing they can do. I guess I'll pursue the lemon law.

luvmysorento · July 2003

jha2 ~ I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems with your Sorento. I just got back from a trip where I put almost 2300 miles on my poor Sorento and I didn't have a bit of trouble. I was traveling 80 and sometimes 85 and did not feel any vibrations.
Right now I have no complaints about my Sorento. I hope something works out for you!

ivan4741 · July 2003

Just what brand of tires are on this Sorento?

dalancroft · July 2003

Known to happen. Could cause the poor ride.

jha2 · July 2003

ivan4741- Michelin Cross Terrains. But the 2 rear tires have already been replaced because they were out of round.

ivan4741 · July 2003

Tell the KIA service manager you want the KUMHO brand tires installed on your Sorento. They are wonderful tires and were installed on mine. They ride and handle great. Now that Michelin is owned by the French I feel quality has really slipped.

suvshopper4 · July 2003

ivan4741: "Now that Michelin is owned by the French I feel quality has really slipped."

What was the nationality of the former owner?

brooklyn1951 · July 2003

paisan- my take on antenna signal amps is that they amplify as much noise as signal- but that opinion is based on the old analog amps- surely digital signal amps are more discriminating.

lok888- there are several items in the SERVICE manual that are not specific to the North American market. I guess that other markets might get a retractable antenna, but not us. FWIW, retractable antennas and New England weather don't mix all that well. I replace the one on my Saab every couple of years when the teeth on the rack take a beating from trying to retract an ice coated mast. I'm with you on in-the-glass antennas, my '71 Firebird (lapse of judgement in early 20's!) had one and reception was no worse than an externally mounted antenna.

sorentoguy · July 2003

Took my EX in for 3K oil change. Decided to have them check the antenna and radio for poor AM reception while I was there. Would you believe it? - EVERY station clear as a bell in the dealer parkling lot. Tech checked anyway and reported no problems. Ten blocks form dealer bad reception again. Now what?

lok888 · July 2003

My case is different. I was trying to unscrew the antenna mast. I probably broke some wires or something not in contact. The poor reception occurs no matter where I go. I still haven't took it to my dealer for repair yet because I need to leave my car there for another issue, non-working horn.

brooklyn1951 - I had retractable antenna (on A-pillar) on my '91 Toyota Corolla and power antenna on my '93 Honda Accord. Both had good radio reception except I replaced the power antenna mast once (not the motor). I have no experience with in-glass antenna. But my brother's '00 Civic has no problem with it. I think the fixed radio antenna (Sorento) has the best reception beside the appearance issue. The roof mounted antenna and those XM radio antenna are very good looking.

hciaffa · July 2003

On the Sorento lx the stock tires are the KUMHO which are good Korean tires and on the EX model the stock tires are the Michelin Cross Terrain which ave been rated as excellant tires by sites as Tire Rack.
Michelin has always been a French company though I think now the French gov. has a hand in owning a percentage. But the tires that they put out have been rated as very good.
I beleive that many Sorrento's were coming in to dealers with the tires over inflatted and after getting down to the proper psi most vibrations went away.

tidester · July 2003

Michelin has always been a French company...

Yes, but I believe that most of the products Michelin sells are manufactured outside the country.

tidester, host

lok888 · July 2003

The Michelin Engery MXV4 tires on my Accord were made in Japan. The Michelin Cross Terrain tires on my Sorento were made in Thailand.

hciaffa · July 2003

was still a French owned company and my answer was yes. Who cares where the tires are made. It like the cars we own,lok888 Accord's are built in Ohio, my Ranger was built in Canada, Volkswagens are assembled in Mexico, etc., etc.,who cares. Buy what you like and like what you buy.

ivygrnsorento · July 2003

Lets see, the Sorento is an SUV. Right?

So tell me this. Why would Kia make the rear compartment cover out of some sort of fiber/composite material? Turns out, it warps and sinks into the compartment very easily! I went camping this weekend and had some problems with rain. All of our tents, sleeping bags, etc were soaked. Well, we put all the wet items into the back of the vehicle...like anybody would. Well, seems that the rear compartment cover (floor) soaked up some mosture and warped. Now I have a compartment floor/lid that is sunkin about an inch! I am not very happy about this and am talking with the dealership as we speak.

Has anybody else had this problem?

tidester · July 2003

Who cares where the tires are made.

It's called discussion and people add to it. With a little luck, we all learn from the interaction and enjoy the experience.

tidester, host

sorentoguy · July 2003

Was it a lot of water that caused the warping? In any casek, it might be worth geting the cargo tray insert accessory.

hciaffa · July 2003

ivrygrnsorento...are you talking about the the lift up cover in the rear or the small bins that are under the cover. My cover is made out of formed plastic thought it is hollow. I have had wet items on it as well such as bathing clothes and towels and I mean it was wet and no problems. Just asking but was there any type of cleaner or gasoline mixed in with tents or even some kero. These items could warp the plastic. Let us know how you make out.

lok888 · July 2003

I was just responding the host's comment that Michelin has more than 70 manufacturer sites in 17 different countries, including the United States.

ivygrnsorento · July 2003

The rear cover I am referring to is the large rear compartment floor/cover that can be lifted up to reveal the hidden cargo tray beneath. The cover in my Sorento is a high-density compressed fiberious material that is colored black on the underside and then has the vehicles interior coloring on the top (beige or grey). The water was really almost insignificant. There was no puddeling of water or anything like that. And no chemicals. Just moisture that may have seeped out of the tent bag or sleeping bag compression sacks. Also, I have the plastic cargo tray, which I thought would protect the flooring carpet, etc.

My personal theory is that the wet materials in the rear of the truck and the high heat inside the vehicle (when it was sitting in the sun while we rode our bikes) caused the moisture in the materials to vaporize and seep into anything that would absorb it. With all the wieght of the camping gear, food, water, etc...I would say I had about 200-250 lbs...sitting on the floor, this caused the warpage.

When we opened the doors after our ride...I was amazed at how humid the air was...and how hot it was. I did not realize the floor had warped until we drove home that night and I removed all the camping gear.

And just for reference, I have gone camping in the Sorento with the same gear about 15 times since I bought the truck, and never had this problem before.

The plastic hidden tray beneath is not warped.

Oh, and by the way. My dealership is replacing my front Michelin tires because of out of roundness issues and a failure to balance them. I've had all 4 tires rebalanced 2 times. And it seems like each time they rebalance them, the shaking at speeds of 75mph and above gets worse. Hopefully the replacements fixes the issue. Because when the truck was new, I could drive at 90-95 mph with no problems at all.

ivan4741 · July 2003

I put a thick rubber mat on top of the rear compartment cover. Just to be sure I had no problems.

mcoyle · July 2003

Well, I've been a very happy Sorento owner, but as I near 10 months of ownership and 10K miles, I'm getting some problems.

Specifically I am now getting the vibration at around 75-80 miles an hour that didn't appear before - I have rotated tires, etc. but am concerned having read about drive shaft issues, other Michelins being out of round, etc. My car does sit at the airport for 3-4 days at a time and wonder (almost hope) it is the tires.

Seat tear - I have the leather package in the Sorento. The passenger side seat is tearing in the bottom cushion - as it has opened up, it appears there is an extremely thin layer of leather with a thicker vinyl backing. The KIA dealer is replacing, but I am concerned about how fast the seats will deteriorate over time.

Finally, my rear hatch occasionally will not open after using the keyless entry (all doors are unlocked, but it will not open.)

Has anyone else seen these issues?

lok888 · July 2003

I just brought my Sorento to my dealer (service dept) for an unexpected repair service. Here is my story.

I drove my Sorento EX 4WD with TOD (just over 7500 miles) into a parking lot yesterday afternoon. When I made a turn at low speed to a parking space, I could hear a noise and felt a variation. It sounded and felt like I was engaged the 4Lo when making turn. I checked the switch and it was on AUTO (not 4Lo). It was a first sign of trouble.

Then I went home and went out again after dinner. It was even worse. I was checking my Sorento by switching it into 4Lo. I drove some distant and stopped. Man! I couldn't switch it back to AUTO. I tried so many times by shifting it in "N" and turned the knob from "4Lo" to "AUTO". It was stuck in "4Lo".

I drove it around the blocks at very low speed. Then I stopped the car and somehow it allowed me to shift it back to "AUTO".

I drove my Sorento to the service this morning. By the way, they replaced the mast antenna (for poor radio reception) and ordered a new horn rely. The horn was not working most of the time even when pressing the PANIC button on the remote.

In the meanwhile, they offered me a rental car while my car is in service. Of course, it is a 2001 Kia Sephia. The horn rely will arrive tomorrow and they are still in the process of diagnosis what is the problem. I don't know what is wrong and I hope they will fix it by the end of the week.

Oh! This 2001 Sephia reminds me my 1992 Toyota Corolla DX. I sold it almost two years ago with 180K miles on it. This car looks like a base model with no power windows, locks or mirrors. Just 4 wheels & tires and 4 doors. My personal opinion about Kia is the 2001 was a year of change. I would say some 2001 & prior Kia vehicles are like few years behind most Japanese cars until the 2002 model came out.

I thought I read someone had a similar problem with the 4WD system. He had to call to tow his Sorento.

jha2 · July 2003

Maybe you'll get lucky and the problem will be tires. My Sorento was back in the service dept again for a vibration and various other things.Once again they did the force variation balance as well as moving the back wheels to the front and the front wheels to the back, but guess what, the vibration is still there. This proves to me that its drive train related, because I still feel the vibration in the seats and floorboard. It's a rhythmic, pulsating feeling. At this point I am just ready to give up and pursue the lemon law. The dealership is unwilling to help get me out of the vehicle. I know its a truck and it won't ride like a car but I drove another Sorento while mine was in the shop and it had a great ride. I've got 23,000 on mine. Do they fall apart after the 1st year ? HELP

mcoyle · July 2003

Does your vibration occur at any speed, or at higher speeds? Do you feel the vibration through the vehicle, or more through the steering wheel?

lilac0422 · July 2003

I don't like the sound of this board. I am having the same problems. My rear hatch would not open one day. I tried locking and unlocking and that was not the problem. I opened the glass with the remote and could see the lock go up and down. I know it was unlocked but it would not open. I drove home and turned the car off and then tried again. Nothing. Then I pounded my fist right above the mechanism and it opened. I have noticed that it is harder to open now but at least I can get it open.

Also, I have been getting the same vibration between 75-80 mph. At first I thought it was coming through the steering wheel mostly but now I am convinced that I feel it most in the floorboards.

I haven't lost my faith yet but it isn't a good feeling to hear other people experiencing the same exact thing as me. Keep us posted if you get anything solved.

I have 6200 miles and seem to be experiencing my problems a little earlier than some. Definitely not good.

lok888 · July 2003

Several Sorento owners were first started talking about this vibration problem long before I bought my Sorento back in December, maybe in November. It became a most popular topic these days. I wonder why Kia still can't figure out what is the problem. When I mentioned my bumpy ride issue (I have no vibration problem) to my service people back in May, the only and expected answer from them is the truck based SUV. Well, I don't blame my service people and so far they have been helpful and willing to solve the problem. Tonight is the night without my Sorento. She has to stay in the service for the 4WD problem.

lilac044 - I think you are not the only one with the rear hatch problem. Did you bring this to the service? It looks like something wrong with the rear hatch lock.

Kia Sorento Maintenance and Repair

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