Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||||
| TSB-044 | 11/01/2009 | 10033464 | Kia: ecm upgrade with tp sensor replacement-mil on with dtc p2135/p0638. information related to ecm software and tp sensor upgrade on some vehicles with 2.7l engines which may experience a malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated with | 08/18/2010 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 09/03/2012 | 100100 | ||
| February 21, 2013 | |||
| 12/07/2012 | 138057 | ||
| Picked up vehicle after having rear support bearings repaired driving back home at 65mph on i-35/texas 410 east started to experience strong smell of exhaust fumes in passenger compartment. during drive home started to rain, activated wipers, drivers side wiper blade fell off during rainstorm had to open driver side window to navigate! upon arrival at home noticed, smoke coming from engine compartment (passengers side) and smoke underneath vehicle from catalytic converter. looked underneath vehicle and catalytic converter, was smoking, inside engine compartment a hose at the rear of the engine compartment (sorry not a mechanic) had a hole in it and was smoking also? vehicle has not been driven since 12/7/12, vehicle was purchased 10/4/12, has limited warranty. | |||
| 10/09/2006 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 kia sorento. the contact stated that the fan relay fuse had to be removed in order to get the fan to stop running. the contact had taken the vehicle to several mechanics for service of electrical problems however, the mechanics were never able to diagnose the exact cause of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 138,000. kmj | |||
| 10/09/2006 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 kia sorento. the contact stated that the fans relay fuse had to be removed in order to get the fan to stop running. the contact had taken the vehicle to several mechanics for electrical problems, but was that they could not find the cause. the vehicle had not been to the dealer. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 138,000.rl | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 77567 | 1 | |
| When shutting off the engine the cooling fan stays running. if this is not noticed it will run until the battery dies and then the vehicle will need jumped. as i was researching on the internet it looks like there are issues with relays in kia's from 2003 to 2006. this problem happens at least once a month sometimes more. this time the battery had to be disconnected to get the fan to shut off.. this is a safety issue that needs to be researched farther in regards to how often this happens. i have not taken my kia to a mechanic yet due to the fact it is very costly to track an electrical problem. this problem does not happen all the time but if you are unaware of this problem you may go to start your car and it does not run. there are a high and low fan on this kia. both of the fans are running but the high fan is almost silent. if this problem has been going on for at least four years there should be some way to hold the manufacturer responsible. thank you for your time.. *tr | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 77567 | ||
| When shutting off the engine the cooling fan stays running. if this is not noticed it will run until the battery dies and then the vehicle will need jumped. as i was researching on the internet it looks like there are issues with relays in kia's from 2003 to 2006. this problem happens at least once a month sometimes more. this time the battery had to be disconnected to get the fan to shut off.. this is a safety issue that needs to be researched farther in regards to how often this happens. i have not taken my kia to a mechanic yet due to the fact it is very costly to track an electrical problem. this problem does not happen all the time but if you are unaware of this problem you may go to start your car and it does not run. there are a high and low fan on this kia. both of the fans are running but the high fan is almost silent. if this problem has been going on for at least four years there should be some way to hold the manufacturer responsible. thank you for your time.. | |||
| 07/07/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Repeated problems with check engine light, keep giving evap code, replaced evap canister selenoid with kit, headlights, taillights, clock loses time, . | |||
| 03/21/2011 | |||
| I bought a 2004 kia sorento in 2006 finished paying for it in 2010,over the years ihave had to change the lights so many times i cant count,i have had topaint it twice,then the driving shaft broke,the compressor was changed twice, the cd player works on and off the air bags light came on and stayed for months on end the engine light does the same and most recently there is smoke coming from the engine, i am having to stop park and let it cool off before continuining on my journey, at the moment i got scared and i now i have my vehicle parked at home because i am scared to drive it, it is a shame and i am very upset. is there anyone out there who is trying to do something about these problems us consumers are having? i own my vehicle and has a clean title and would like to trade in or sell but with all these problems how can i pass it on to someone else? i am asking someone from kia to do the responsible thing and give us some answers before someone loses their life,that is if it hasnot happened already. dont let this be toyota. | |||
| 10/21/2008 | 57000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2004 kia sorrento with 57,000 miles. i have owned it for 2 years. the headlights and brake lights continuously go out. i have replaced each headlight 4 times in the past year and the brake lights have been replaced 5 times in the past year. this is a safety hazard as i never know when my brake lights are out unless someone stops and tells me. *tr | |||
| 07/06/2008 | 1 | ||
| My sister purchased this vehicle new and has had nothing but problems with it and problems with dealership/kia honoring their 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. she purchased this vehicle believing she would be driving a quality vehicle (advertising 10 year/100,000 mile warranty she assumed it must be of high quality because who would offer that kind of warranty if it was junk....wrong!) she has had nothing but stress, financial expense, lost work time, and a battle of her life trying to seek consumer justice...dealership, kia motors, lemon law requires a part to fail four times, attorney generals office, conciliation court, writing to ruukivina, oberstar, and most recently amy klobuchar...all failed. no one has said that they will investigate kia and protect the consumers from this fraudulent automobile manufacturer. why? the problems she has had with her vehicle consist of rust on the tailgate and rear doors just a few months after purchasing, all kinds of electrical problems from headlights and tail lights burning out numerous times, the digital dash for radio and heater going black, the heater not work, a relay switch for fan failed, foam between windshield and frame coming out tapping on the window, a problem with the coolant reservoir, the rear driveshaft failed, the transmission had to be replaced and most recently the transfer case. safety issues and concerns would be with tail lights and headlights burning out prematurely and frequently and the crankshaft bolt broke causing to loose all ability to steer the vehicle. there are probably other problems she has had with the vehicle but i do not recall at this time. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2007 | 60000 | 1 | 03/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 kia sorento. while driving 65 mph she could smell something burning. the vehicle was pulled over and turned off. there was smoke coming from under the hood. the check engine warning indicator light was illuminated. there was fluid leaking under the vehicle and catching fire as it hit the ground. the vehicle burst into flames within 5 minutes. the fire department extinguished the fire. the vehicle was towed to a tow yard, the cause of the failure was undetermined. the current and failure mileages were 60,000. | |||
| 02/03/2007 | 65000 | 1 | 12/31/2004 |
| I purchased a 2004 kia sorento two years ago. it was not long before i began to experience numerous problems with my vehicle. tail lights/brake lights burning out frequently which is a major safety issue since i deliver rural usda mail. now my transmission is broken!! kia-duluth asked if i had had the transmission flushed at the specified mileage and that they will need verification of this. (i knew immediately their objective was to not honor their warranty (10 years/100,000 mile warranty if i had not flushed the transmission). i faxed them the receipt indicating the transmission had been flushed. i contacted kia-duluth the following day because i had not heard from them. he said he had not heard back from kia yet to authorize the repair. this vehicle has caused me so much lost work time, stress and has been emotionally draining for the past two years. kia's deceptive advertising - i believed that since kia was offering a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty, their vehicle must be really good. boy was i wrong! kia is building vehicles with defective parts and materials and has set-up their warranty plan to be able to void them from having to honor their warranty plan and having any responsibility. for further complaints on kia vehicles, please contact the better business bureau and attorney general offices across the country and you will find numerous complaints. numerous complaints by consumers are also located at the following websites: www.my3cents.com and www.consumeraffairs.com. kia needs to be investigated and put a stop to their scamming and defrauding the consumer and before someone gets seriously hurt or killed due to numerous defective parts in their vehicles. *nm | |||
| 09/13/2005 | 50175 | 11 | 10/13/2003 |
| In less than a year consumer headlight went out and the back hatch window was leaking inside the vehicle every time it rained. *ts the headlight assembly was replaced on november 30, 2004 and five minutes after the new bulb was installed it shattered. on that same date the consumer experienced problem with the clock and hvac indicators. updated 03/30/07. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 06/30/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| On monday, 06-30-08, at about 1400 hours, i parked my vehicle a 2004 kia sorrento 4x4 ex with approx. 80,000 plus miles. shortly after parking this vehicle i entered a baskin and robins to have an ice cream cone. i was informed by frantic passerby's that a vehicle was on fire. i took a look outside and was shocked to see that my vehicle mentioned above was smoking and flaming up. this fire appeared to start on the passenger side of my vehicle near the power steering pump and alternator. my vehicle had been operating fine until this incident occurred and only went to the dealership for routine servicing under warranty. the honolulu police and fire departments were notified and reports documented under honolulu police department report #08-242969 and the honolulu fire department report #24891. fire and police officials informed me that a possible fuel line malfunction is a possibility but cause of this incident is unknown at this time. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 04/18/2008 | 46800 | 2 | 04/15/2004 |
| The original battery failed at 2 1/2 years and the replacement battery (kia battery) failed after only 1 1/2 years. i have replaced the headlights (4 times), fog lights (2 times), tail lights (2 times), and license plate light. electrical system check showed no problems that could be causing all of these failures. *tr | |||
| 05/30/2006 | 43773 | 3 | 03/01/2004 |
| 2004 kia sorento - loss of power, brake and battery lights illuminated, vehicle stalled. crank bolt failure. happened 3 times; replaced/fixed 3 times. a letter to kia being sent at the time this was being written.*ak | |||