This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Today I took our 05 Sorento in for an oil change. It came as no surprise to me that during the 20 point inspection I was told the driver's side headlight didn't work. This is beyond ridiculous at this point. I have already changed burnt out headlights a minimum of 5-7 times now. I can't even keep up with the count. Like many other owners I have tried every make and type of headlight and none of them will last more than a few months. This recent set was the top of the line and I had to pay $80 for the two lights. Still don't last. It seems that Kia knows about this issue but is unwilling or too cheap to pay have their issue fixed. I'm not the only owner with this problem. Look it up! the car has operated fine other than this but it has become a hassle and is very costly replacing headlights every few months! this will be the last Kia that I buy unless Kia steps up and fixes this issue. They have a new wiring harness that can help/fix this problem but of course owners have to pay for this out of pocket. Step up Kia or enjoy losing a client from here on out!
Headlight and dome bulbs burns out very often, I spend more money replacing bulbs than oil change, obviously there is an electrical problem on this model. Please let them fix this issue.
This car is a safety hazard. Headlights/tail lights/dashboard lights burn out within months of replacements. Just burned through 5 fuses for the dashboard in one day. Dealership will not fix as there has been no recall. Google the make and model and you will see many electrical issues and angry owners. Have a teen driver in the family and we are afraid to let her even drive this car. Please recall this model and make Kia own up to their responsibilities!!!!
Over the last 4 years I have replaced the battery 3 times. Each time, the car had been sitting for a day or 2 and when I attempted to use it, the car/battery was dead. I have seen on line that the tccu (transfer case control unit) is probably the culprit and it is almost impossible to identify because the computer will show no history of it. Evidently, on rare occasions the computer will begin running diagnostics on the tccu when the car is being shut off. The drain on the system is enough to wipe out the battery. I have contacted Kia - they do not acknowledge the problem and all they want to do is run a diagnostics test which will tell them nothing and will cost me more money. The cost of a new tccu is about $1500, probably why Kia has no interest in replacing it.
I've repeatedly had to replace the headlights in this car every couple of months. When one light is replaced, the other side goes out next. This has happened several times for the past several years. I have 189,000 miles on the car now. I don't remember exactly when it started. My driver seat also stopped working. The back goes forward and back, but the base seat doesn't move.
- Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Headlight bulbs have gone out at least once a month since I have purchased vehicle used. Have to keep spare bulbs in vehicle in case it happened again at night which I would not be able to drive with my normal headlights ig I had not carried the spare ones in Sorento. Brake lights have gone out 3 times since I have purchased Sorento in March 2012. Lighting interior does not work unless you manually push the button from the top of ceiling. Door ajar" light came on and started beeping all doors were tightly shut. Was told that the seat belt harness metal part may have caused the drivers door to bend or knock off the diode button.
Everything from interior lights, radio, clock, door locks and headlights burning out have been a problem. While driving and the interior lights just come on. Headlights burn out every 6 months. Everything else works when it wants. I took Kia to court to get a equal trade but only got $9,000. Had to give $3,500 to the lawyers. The other $5,500 was not even enough to cover a trade in because the Kia have a terrible value for trades. Ended up spending more than half trying to have it repaired, still nothing. Kia knows there is a problem but will not address it. Even the several service managers (off the record) that I spoke with through my horrific experience told me that it's a huge problem and they don't want to do anything because of the cost.
My car has broken down 3 times in the last month. I have a 2005 Kia Sorento with 115,000 miles on it. Ever since I bought my car, it has continually had electrical issues such as replacement of the headlights every few months. I have just dealt with it and learned how to replace them myself. One month ago though, my car broke down and I had it towed to my local mechanic. He said it was the alternator and went ahead and replaced it. Everything was running smooth when I drove it away but then 2 weeks later, I broke down again (same symptoms occurred from when I broke down the first time - brake & battery light blinks and then the airbag light comes on and boom, no power). Brought it to the same mechanic and this time it was the battery that needed replaced so he went ahead and replaced it. Just yesterday, 2 weeks after the battery issue, my car broke down again with the same symptoms occurring. I'm still waiting on it to be diagnosed but there is no other explanation than for it to be an electrical issue. Suggestions?
I constantly have to change tail lights and head lights on my vehicle. Every 4/5 months they are going out. Also the interior light above in the back seating area does not come on when the doors are open, only if manually pressed on and off. The light behind the panel controlling the heat/air temperatures is no longer functional. No one else seems to change their lights as frequently as I do, if at all since they've had their cars. It seems to be an issue with the electrical system.
We have a constant problem with headlight bulbs. I have tried every available brand at local automotive stores from the least expensive to the most expensive with the same results. They last about 4 months at best. There is a dealer available "fix" which includes a new wiring harness. Kia will not fix this at no cost. There has been 4 times in the last 3 years that the headlight has failed during late night driving. I replaced the blown bulb and within hours the opposite side failed. Had both failed at the same time it would be a serious problem. At the dealership (three) they said "yea a lot of people have this issue" my other vehicles bulbs last on average 5 times longer - or more.
While driving my vehicle, it began making a "knocking" noise. The power steering then began to fail and then I was unable to accelerate. The car died (on a busy 4 lane hwy with my 7 mos old daughter in the car). Once stopped, I looked under my hood to find a large bolt laying on the floor of the interior of the bumper. The vehicle was towed to a local auto repair shop where, after 2 days and $1300 in repairs, I was told that the "large bolt" I found was half of the crank pulley bolt. It had snapped clean in half leaving the other half inside the pulley. Extensive labor to remove this piece and then reset all the pulleys and belts (timing belt) attributed to the excessive cost. I was told that there was no reason why that bolt should have simply broke in half and that it was a faulty part. Kia refuses to take responsibility and I have read several posts that make it clear that this is not the first time it has happened. Electrically, I have had to change my headlight bulbs several times over the last 3 years and the accuator for the automatic door locks is faulty. The car randomly locks itself at any given time (while driving, when sitting in the driveway during the night, parked and running). I stopped in a parking lot to get my daughter's toy that she had dropped. When I got out of the car to walk around to the other side, the car lock defect locked my daughter inside the car while it was running.
We have a constant issue with the interior ligts and exterior lights are turning on and off without notice. This is happening while driving down the road and has happened on 10 separate occassions in the last two months, the las occasion being August 6, 2011 at approximately 2:00am. While driving down a major highway here in seattle driving at 50mph the interior and exterior lights both shut down at the same time causing zero visibility. After pulling over and waiting for 10 minutes the lights came back on and I was able to drive ahome without incident. Problem is unknown.
On 6-14-2011 I was driving my 2005 Kia Sorento just turning onto my street when it suddenly lost its power steering and the power brake light was on. I managed to drive it a few feet to my driveway to inspect my car and noticed a big silver bolt-like piece of metal approximately 4" long dangling beneath the radiator and took it inside and called my husband. When he came home he looked at the car and checked online to try and see what may be wrong with it and discovered it may be the crank shaft pulley bolt and called the dealership's service department. The man at the service department felt this was not the case but my husband said that he had was holding the bolt in his hand. Nonetheless I scheduled an appointment. The soonest they could get me in was 6-29-2011, 15 days later. I am employed as a physician extender am had to work the weekend (June 18th and 19th), therefore, I had to rent a car for that weekend as we have no weekend public transportation service in our location which cost me $177. My car then had to be towed on the morning of 6-28-2011 to the dealership for service on 6-29-2011 at a cost of $65. Then they were having difficulty honoring my warranty because they could not find my name but I had since married but since it was not changed on the warranty they did not repair the car. I had to contact Kia corporate and the person there told me it could take up to 2 weeks to make the change and the car would not and could not be repaired until then and they could only give me a discount on a rental car in the meantime. I had to immediately fax (not email) documentation of sale. I had paid cash for the brand new vehicle at the time. The Kia dealership in which I bought the car only keeps sales records for the past 3 years. The corporate person that I was speaking with was not able to correct the information on his end due to a "glitch". they fixed the car and charged me $170 additional for repairs not covered by warranty.
We were traveling on the freeway at 65 mph when check engine light came on within 2 seconds vehicle lost all power including power brakes and steering.
I have to every 3 -4 months replace the headlights on my 2005 Kia Sorento. Kia has told me because your organization has not issues any type of recall on this I will keep on replacing them. This is insane!!!!! I know that I am not the only owner complaining about this.
Own a 2005 Kia Sorento. We have a continuous problem with the lights burning out. This includes the headlights, brake lights, park lights, and fog lights. These lights burn out about every 3 to 4 months. Now the power seat has stopped moving forward or back. The driver's side power seat will not move forward or backward. A shorter person that my wife moved her car and she adjusted the seats. When my wife got into the car she was unable to put the seat in the original position. I have tried to jockey the switch back and forth and up and down and the seat will not move.
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 mph, the interior and exterior lighting would sporadically fail. The air conditioner and fan could not be used when the failure would occur. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility for diagnostic testing. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer advised there was an unknown technical service bulletin in relation to the failure of the wiring harness, but no recalls. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but was unsuccessful in doing so. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000 and the current was unknown.
I have a 2005 Kia Sorento that started to shut off while driving on Jan 3rd 2009. Since then it has happened 4 times. It is random and I am currently in court with Kia through the pa lemon law. I wanted to file this complaint so it is on record.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Orting, WA, USA