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.
I was driving on the highway when my steering wheel became really stiff like I lost power steering. I looked at my dash and had a check engine light, oil light, ABS light, and ESC off light illuminated. I pressed the gas to try to switch lanes as I was in the far left lane and needed to reach the shoulder to figure out what was going on, and the car would not accelerate. I turned my flashers on and was luckily able to make it to the shoulder without causing an accident. When I was on the shoulder I turned the key off and then back on. The check engine light and oil light went away, but the ABS light and the ESC light remained on. I started to drive back towards my house and felt the car idling roughly when at a stop. At home my husband disconnected the battery for a few minutes which solved the rough idling issue but the ABS and ESC lights are still on. I am now scared to drive my daughter to school and have the car shift off again. I have read similar reviews about this vehicle. Something needs to be done by Kia to solve this. They recalled some vehicles for this issue but mine is not listed and clearly needs to be!
NHTSA site does not yet reflect that NHTSA recall #: 20V088 affects my vehicle. Your site, which issued that recall states that there are 0 unresolved recalls for my vehicle, but my vehicle has not yet been serviced for that recall. The NHTSA site needs to be updated regarding this recall dated March 25, 2020, with dealer service responses commencing April 10, 2020. Mailed recall notice received from Kia. Thank you for your important work, and stay safe.
I just received a recall on my Kia Sorento, it says it is due to a electrical anti lock brake system. And followed by this letter my light does stay on for this part and other lights are on too do to this. I'm scared to death to drive this Kia now. I think for this kind of problem, they should recall the entire vehicle. And give me a brand new Kia sorrento. Because this is life or death, and this is the only vehicle I have to take care of my daughter. To school and doctor, or what ever her needs and mine are. I am a single mother on a fixed income and I'm very scared for mine and my child's life or who rides with us. So I think Kia dealership should take my Kia that's recalled and give me a new one for that. I travel alot everyday and I need a dependable vehicle and shouldn't have to worry about my family's safety for using my Kia.
Takata recall: Vehicle is unstable when driving, it jumps when on motion. When driving in the night the head lights goes on and off, rear wiper is working non stop even when the car is off. This electric system dysfunction also affects the radio system.
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Sorento. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle decelerated and stalled. Also, the check engine and electronic stability control indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 134,000.
- Belmont, NC, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ESC and the check engine warning lights illuminated and the massage "limp home" would display before the vehicle's speed would suddenly reduce to approximately 15 mph. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer grand Kia of denver co. And the manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 139,000.
My ESC light will come on and my car will lose all power, step on gas and nothing happens, have to pull over, stop engine and restart, then car runs normal, this seems to be very dangerous if happens on freeway
I own a 2007 Kia Sorento. Recently, my check engine and ESC off lights became illuminated on my dashboard. I noticed that my brake lights were not illuminating when I pressed the brake pedal. After looking up my car make and model on the NHTSA website, I noticed there was a recall for my model year Sorento for the exact same problems (NHTSA campaign number 13V114000/Kia service campaign SC098). I took the carto my local Kia dealership and they told me I was not eligible for the recall as my VIN was not included. As such, I have to drive around without functional brake lamps until I get this problem resolved--increasing my chances of being rear-ended. I travel constantly for work so I do not have the luxury of not driving. This needs to be investigated and resolved.
I own a 2007 Kia Sorento LX with 47,760 miles on it currently (today's date 09/10/2014). The first symptoms happened a few months ago where my car would hesitate upon acceleration and/or I would be traveling between 30-45 mph and the car would begin bucking/jerking for a few seconds. This was very intermittent and random. If I took my foot off the gas pedal, then reapplied the gas the car would be fine. Then that symptom went away and I gained a new symptom. I was driving approximately 30 mph, when all of the sudden my ecs off light and check engine light came on simultaneously, and I instantly lost power/acceleration. It appears that when this happens the car goes into "limp home" mode? it has happened twice to me in the past 3 days. This is very dangerous because the loss of power/acceleration is instant, it happens without warning, and it does not matter how fast you are going. This could cause loss of life if it happens on a highway at a high rate of speed. All of these symptoms began to appear right after I had the recalls done on my vehicle (I.e. brake switch and ECM upgrade). My car was fine before I had the recalls done.
Beginning in early August 2014, the ESC and check engine light would illuminate while driving down the road. The vehicle accelerator stops working and the vehicle goes into limp mode. We are unable to get more than 40 mph out of it and on several occasions, nearly caused an accident when other vehicles would come up from behind very suddenly. We were fortunate that we were in an area where we could get off the road quickly. Once we have come to a stop, if we turn the engine off and restart, the lights reset themselves and the vehicle functions normally until the next time it happens. The first time it happened was shortly after we bought the car new and the Kia dealership replaced a brake light switch under recall #09V130000. This helped until recently. We took the vehicle to the dealership and they replaced a throttle position sensor at the cost of $395. It helped for two weeks and the problem returned exactly the same. This time the dealer informed us that it was the accelerator pedal assy - engine control system at the tune of $250 all these items are part of the ESC system and cause the vehicle to go to limp mode. I'm concerned that there may be other sub-assemblies associated with it and every time one goes bad, we'll end up in limp mode and/or a hood ornament on a kenworth. This is ridiculous and needs to be addressed by Kia at no cost to consumers.
ESC and check engine light illuminated. Took vehicle to dealer for repairs. Dealer service dept stated that brake light switch was at fault, but that it had been previously replaced in Mar 2010 under a recall campaign. After replacing switch this time, dealer service adviser stated that switch appeared to be original, but that I would still have to pay for parts and labor ($129.86). I paid but protested. I have serious doubts that brake light switch was replaced in Mar 2010 as dealer stated, since the recently replaced switch appeared to be original equipment. Subsequently, I feel as though I should not have to pay for the most recent (Aug 2014) repair, especially if switch had not been replaced under recall campaign previously. I suspect that dealer either falsified the Mar 2010 repair, and/or replaced recalled switch with identical replacement (which is prone to failure). What good is a recall if original defect was simply reinstalled? I do have possession of defective switch replaced in Aug 2014. Not only do I want my money returned to me, but I would like some assurance that the problem is now remedied with a reliable switch. Please respond.
Part was already replaced on a mandatory recall. Now the replacements for the recall are failing. Kia will not stand behind the repair costs, this means many people will be driving with out brake lights. I am on my third switch- the part should easily out live the car! I am sure they replaced it with the same exact part thinking most people would be out of the vehicle by the time it failed again. I am sure this is not what you had in mind when you issued the other recalls on this part.
In February of 2012 I took my 2007 Kia Sorento into the local Kia dealership because my "ESC off" light kept coming on when I would make a right hand turn. The steering sounded like it was groaning as I was in these turns. When they read the code it came up as "P1739 encode fault", which on my paperwork states can signal a communication error. Further inspection showed that the transfer case motor was seizing up and causing the issue. The motor was replaced at that time. On March 11th as I was driving on the highway at 75 mph, the light came on again and the engine sort of lost power. I drove on, tried to turn the light off to no avail. When I was able to exit the interstate, I shut off the engine and waited a few minutes. I turned the engine back on and the light went off. This happened again six days later, once again at highway speed. Both times I had cruise control on. Both times the engine reacted strangely when the light came on. As before, when the car was turned off and then back on, the light went off. I took the vehicle into the dealership again on 3/21/13 and once again the transfer case motor was the issue. This time it had an internal open circuit. Transfer case motor has been replaced once again. Part has a 12 mos or 12,000 mile warranty. First incident happened at 52,870 miles and second incident at 62,173 miles. This part failed at less than 10,000 miles, but over 12 months. From what I have read, I am one of the lucky ones that has not ended up in a crash. Definitely scary when this happens at 75-80 mph.
The ESC light turns on car stalls, stops. Mechanic diagnosis shows nothing wrong with car. Car constantly stalls, or starts to begin stalling and lights on after 10 or minutes of driving. Mechanic cant find problem. This has happen since I purchase car at drive time 10-31-12. Many people have same problem not fixed class action suit is considered buy all. Please help asap. This problem should be a recall situation. This problem can cause a death while driving the vehicle!!!. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Sunday morning, I was driving my vehicle at a speed of less than 45 mph. The "check engine" light and "ESC off" light came on simultaneously. At the same time, my vehicle lost power and would not change out of 2nd gear. I pulled into a nearby parking lot, turned off the vehicle, and waited for one minute. I restarted the vehicle and it cranked just fine. I pulled out of the parking lot and went no more than 30 yards when the lights came back on and my vehicle lost power completely - no response when pressing the gas pedal. I coasted into a loading area where I was forced to call aaa to have my vehicle towed to the nearest car repair center. I communicated with them throughout the day Monday, and the end result was this: My vehicle was taken to the charlotte Kia dealership and a test was done to read and determine the error. The diagnosis was a faulty "transfer case decoder motor", something I had never even heard of. The repair is going to cost approximately $1,000 because of associated diagnostic tests and the part itself costing $570. According to what I read on the internet, there is a "service" for this component that is to be done around 45,000 miles. My vehicle has been to the same Kia dealer numerous times and this component has never been addressed. Not once was the "service" mentioned to me by the service team. This is a serious issue that could result in injury or death if it occurred on an interstate or in an intersection. Thankfully, I was in a safe area and no one was at risk of accident or injury. This problem is widespread among Kia vehicles - the service manager at aaa stated he has a 2007 Kia sedan in there right now with the same problem. I feel Kia is at fault and negligent for this malfunction.
2007 Kia Sorento...ESC light comes on, thereby disabling the cruise control function. Consequently, the vehicle goes into "limp" mode, meaning you depress the accelerator and you have no power. This has been happening repeatedly over the last year. It has occur at low speeds and highway speeds. Recently, it occurred while making a left turn, exposing the vehicle into oncoming traffic. Luckily, the other vehicles were able to slow down and stop. Every time it happens, we have to stop the vehicle, put in park and turn it off. Even then, it will happen multiple times during the same trip.
I am an owner of a 07 Kia Sorento ex. A few months ago I noticed the "ESC off" light would illuminate at random instances and would not turn off until the vehicle's engine was turned off and then restarted again. This issue is of concern to myself as well as other Kia owners I have come across. Reason being, when the "ESC off" light engages and stays on, the vehicle loses power while driving. I have had two separate occasions where this has happened on the freeway. While changing lanes and trying to accelerate, I was stuck at a speed of 50mph with traffic behind me at 65mph or faster. Assuming that I was going to accelerate the vehicles behind me had to slam on their brakes instead. When I took my Kia to the dealer to diagnose the problem I was informed that I am not the first customer experiencing this problem and that there is a service bulletin posted regarding the "ESC off" light illuminating and vehicle throttle loss. The diagnostic check read, that there is a transfer case decoder motor fault. I was told Kia was offering to cover the repairs under 60000mi warranty but that I came in at 62000 and did not comply with recommended transfer case services listed in the manual, they would not cover under any warranty. Kia believes that my lack of transfer case service to my vehicle is the reason for this problem. I can't help but to think, that based on how many Kia Sorento consumers are having this same problem there may be a defect in Kia's "ESC" system. In my experience with this issue I can say that I believe this to be a serious safety hazard while driving.
Had a recall on Kia Sorento- 2007. A year later they call me on it. I told them about recalls when I first received the vehicle. They want me to pay for it first. Then they fixed it a year later and now one of the recalls is acting up again. Now it is something with the itu control "??" so after they default on our contract about my personal info they had extra finance charge because I was sick and had a warranty. They refused on that too! so they repo my car after I told them to come and get it. Total of 4 recalls on a car I bought two years ago.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kingsport, TN, USA