Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 10/27/2010 | 119000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. the contact stated that there was a recurring defect on the air bag sensor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2005 for a recall on the air bag sensor which was replaced; yet, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that she would be responsible for the repair cost. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would contact the regional manager and follow up with her. the failure mileage was 119,000. | |||
| 10/27/2010 | 119000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. the contact stated there was a reoccuring defect on the air bags sensor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2005 for a recall on the air bag sensor which they replaced the sensor and the failure has re-occurred. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated she has to pay for the repairs at this time. the manufacturer was contacted and stated they will contact the regional manager and give her a call back. the failure mileage was 119,000...mw | |||
| 01/28/2009 | 1 | ||
| While heading east during a snow storm, collided with a snow plow. the kia sorento was totaled beyond repair. impact was at drivers side door. destroyed front of vehicle, rear door and ripper part of roof open, driver hit face on side window causing bleeding on brain. was hospatized for 3 days. not one air bag was deployed. not front nor side air bags. notified kia corp. sent pictures and report. said they didnt think it was the fault of kia. *tr | |||
| 04/30/2008 | 81400 | 1 | |
| On 4/30/08 my kia sorento was hit from behind on the interstate. we were pushed into the car ahead of us who also hit the car ahead of them. we were on an extended on ramp so i estimate our speed was 35 mph. as the traffic ahead of us began to stop quickly i applied my brakes, therefore the exact rate of speed at the time of impact is unknown. however we hit car enough that my daughters lid covered soft drink hit the dash. neither of my cars front air bags deployed. my car sustained major rear and front and driver side damage. the car was totaled. our seat belts did hold us in. however i received bruising from the seat belt in the check and waist area as weak as an injury to my right knee where it hit the lower dash area. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2005 | 18300 | 2 | 09/25/2005 |
| We had issues from the beginning with a fire in the center console of our pre-owned kia. then we noticed the light for the passenger side air bags was intermittent on picking up whether there was a passenger in the seat. our clock would go in and out on the lighting especially over bumps. then we were rear ended on the highway. no air bags went off. the seat belt did not engage and hold either me or my husband back. then when i fell back against the seat the seat did not stay in place and i fell backwards. i went to the hospital for muscle spasms. the vehicle is being repaired for the physical damage and then will be brought to the dealership. *nm | |||
| 03/18/2005 | 50 | 4 | 03/14/2005 |
| Dt: 2005 kia sorento. the airbag light stayed on. they have replaced the seat, t and sent the seat off to have the sensor replaced. the dealership said there was nothing else they could do. the check engine light came on and the vehicle stalled. this happened twice in one day. the vehicle will restart after waiting a while. also, the clock had to be replaced twice. *ak | |||
| 01/03/2005 | 3 | ||
| 2005 kia sorento ex developed problems with the power steering.***no answer required***. *mr within a few days of owning the vehicle, the consumer noticed the clock was not working properly, there was a noise while the vehicle was cold, while turning right or backing and pulling forward, a shudder in the brake pedal, a cut in the leather passenger seat. on 4 occasions the passenger air bag sensor light dash light did not engage properly with 3 different people of different weights/heights were sitting in the seat. the power steering failed 3 times. the consumer was told the shudder in the brake pedal was normal and was a part of the abs. *jb | |||
| 05/07/2005 | 10000 | 1 | 01/26/2005 |
| Dt: caller states her son had an accident and none of the air bags deployed. *ak | |||
| 04/21/2005 | 250 | 3 | 04/02/2005 |
| Passenger air bag light is on indicating the air bag does not work. i took it back to kia twice. they stated kia knows of the problem, but doesn't have a fix. they said the air bag will probably deploy in an accident. | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 0 | 1 | 02/07/2005 |
| Passenger side air bags are intermitent. *ak | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 15 | ||
| The clock did not work properly, there was a noise while the vehicle was cold or starting cold while turning right or backing and pulling forward and a shudder feeling was in the brake pedal. there was a supposed service bulletin in reference to the abs/brake pedal. on four occasions, the passenger air bag sensor dash light did not engage properly with three different people with different height a weight, the power steering failed, the dash display failed to light up when the passengers did not have their seat belts on, noise in the steering had worsened since the power steering pump replacement, there was a whining and or whistling sound coming from the front brakes on the right side or in the axle as the wheel was being turned, and the power steering failed again. *sc | |||
| 02/25/2005 | 5 | ||
| The driver noticed on numerous occasions while the vehicle was moving or parked. the passenger front side air bag light would appeared on the dashboard and remain on. the driver drove to the dealer. the mechanic informed the driver that the problem can not be duplicated and the vehicle is operating as designed. the driver informed the mechanic that this problem occurs more than once and has not been resolved. please fill in additional information. *nm | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 03/13/2010 | 102000 | ||
| Front passenger airbag is de-activated when the front seat is occupied by an adult. it should only de-activate if it senses no passenger seated. | |||
| 04/30/2008 | 81400 | 1 | |
| On 4/30/08 my kia sorento was hit from behind on the interstate. we were pushed into the car ahead of us who also hit the car ahead of them. we were on an extended on ramp so i estimate our speed was 35 mph. as the traffic ahead of us began to stop quickly i applied my brakes, therefore the exact rate of speed at the time of impact is unknown. however we hit car enough that my daughters lid covered soft drink hit the dash. neither of my cars front air bags deployed. my car sustained major rear and front and driver side damage. the car was totaled. our seat belts did hold us in. however i received bruising from the seat belt in the check and waist area as weak as an injury to my right knee where it hit the lower dash area. *tr | |||
| 11/21/2005 | 12400 | 1 | |
| Dt : the contacts wife was going approximately 65 to 70 mph when vehicle collided with a deer . this was a frontal left corner and side impact. the air bags did not deploy. the vehicle was towed to a dealership. the vehicle is still under warranty.*ak | |||
| 06/04/2005 | 600 | 46 | 06/03/2005 |
| My new kia sorento has advanced airbags and the passenger side airbag off indicator is frequently illuminated even with an adult properly secured in the front passenger seat. i have had it back to the dealership twice and they have indicated both times that the problem won't happen with them. i have been unable to confirm whether the airbag will actuallywork when this light is on. | |||
| 03/01/2005 | |||
| The 2005 kia sorento added a front passenger weight detection system to automatically arm or disarm the front passenger air bag for lighter weight individuals. this detector and/or related equipment operates irradically and ineffectively, leaving the users regularly uncertain regarding the status of the air bag system. this is a systemic problem known to kia but no schedule exists for a fix. | |||
| 05/13/2005 | 1 | 04/21/2005 | |
| Dt: contact states the airbag light illuminated, the service dealer said the airbag system needed to be reprogrammed. an engineer will not be at the local service dealer to reprogram the system until about 6 weeks. *ak | |||
| 03/24/2005 | 21 | 10 | 03/18/2005 |
| I just bought a brand new 2005 kia sorento last week (march 18, 2005.) i love the car, but it has an automatic shut off on the passenger air bag that continues to malfunction. it is supposed to stay off unless a passenger weiging more than 40 pounds is sitting in the seat. my husband (200 lbs. +) and my father in law (180 lbs. +) have sat in the seat while i am driving and the air bag will not turn on. i mentioned it to my local dealership and they told me that they have had several complaints of the same thing. they have supposidly checked the sensor system and it is functioning properly. i have never been in a wreck, but if i am ever in one where my passenger is seriously injured because the air bag malfunctions, i will never forgive myself. please look into this. thank you. | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 08/14/2007 | 100 | 02/17/2005 | |
| Front passenger air bag light does not work properly. it senses passenger less than 50% of the time. even getting out and restarting the car will not fix this. took car to dealer and couldn't find anything wrong. i asked about recall/bulletin and they said there wasn't one but i had received something in the mail about a year ago. this is for 2005 kia sorento sport. *jb | |||
| 05/15/2006 | 5500 | 6 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. the contact stated that the vehicle has been in and out of the shop since the time of purchase. the entire passenger seat was removed and worked on six times for the air bag sensor. the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. gm stated that they cannot help unless they witness the failure for themselves. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage is 19,500 and failure mileage was 5,500. | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 4500 | 100 | 09/30/2004 |
| Tl*- the contact stated that the 2005 kia sorento lx, had problems with the passenger air bag sensor light malfunctioning. on occasion when in the passenger was seated in the front seatthe airbag sensor light did not turn off. the contact took the vehicle to the dealership on 3 occasions. the dealership changed the seat sensor three times ,and took the seat out to have it shipped to california to reprogram the seat sensor. the contact stated that the dealership informed her that sometimes she may have to get out of the vehicle and get back into the vehicle in order for the sensor light to work properly. she had an arbitration case dated for 03/01/07, with case # kia 0732574, for the complaint filed with the better business bureau regarding the passenger air bag. the contact has pictures and repair orders available, will submit them to nhtsa. the failure mileage was 4500, and the current mileage was 13000.*ak | |||
| 12/31/2005 | 37 | 7 | 12/31/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the air bag indicator displayed air bag - off for the passenger's seat, although a passenger was sitting in the seat. several people at various weights have sat in the seat as an attempt for the indicator light to go off, without success. *ak | |||
| 09/28/2005 | 50 | 05/28/2005 | |
| The passenger airbag light is on. when i am in the passenger seat the airbag indicator says passenger airbag off. i weigh about 120 lbs. when my fiance is in the passenger seat the airbag is on. he weighs about 150 lbs. we took the car to the dealership for an oil change and told them about this problem. they said that i am probably sitting wrong. i cannot accept this. *jb | |||
| 09/28/2005 | 40 | 07/07/2005 | |
| I purchased a new 2005 kia sorento in july. while sitting in the passenger seat i would notice that the passenger airbag sensor was not detecting me thus leaving the airbag off. i made an appointment with the dealer to find the problem. i was told it is a manufacturing problem and the seat must be removed, sent back to the manufacturer and be reprogrammed. it does not sense larger size people as the people of korea are smaller and the sensors are designed for them. i was not notified of this defect until i brought the car to them. they did not feel it was a safety issue. *nm | |||
| 12/10/2004 | 100 | 12/08/2004 | |
| Dt: the passenger seat has a sensor which turns off the air bag for passengers under a certain weight. the air bag remained off although and adult over the weight target weight was sitting in the seat. the dealer claimed that the sensor was over sensitive, the manufacturer says they do not have a problem. *nm | |||
| 03/24/2005 | 21 | 10 | 03/18/2005 |
| I just bought a brand new 2005 kia sorento last week (march 18, 2005.) i love the car, but it has an automatic shut off on the passenger air bag that continues to malfunction. it is supposed to stay off unless a passenger weiging more than 40 pounds is sitting in the seat. my husband (200 lbs. +) and my father in law (180 lbs. +) have sat in the seat while i am driving and the air bag will not turn on. i mentioned it to my local dealership and they told me that they have had several complaints of the same thing. they have supposidly checked the sensor system and it is functioning properly. i have never been in a wreck, but if i am ever in one where my passenger is seriously injured because the air bag malfunctions, i will never forgive myself. please look into this. thank you. | |||
| 01/11/2005 | 2 | 12/22/2004 | |
| The air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on while driving. driver took vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the sensor needed to be replaced. *ak the consumer was told by the dealer that he can not lean back in the seat or lean against the window. the consumer stated that the passenger air bag light comes on when someone over 50 pounds is in the seat. the consumer concerned about safety. *tc | |||
| AIR BAGS - ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 03/04/2005 | 45 | 4 | 03/04/2005 |
| The passenger airbag off light remain lit even with an adult in the passenger seat. i have only owned the 2005 kia sorento ex for 2 days and everytime a passenger is in the seat they must try to reposition themselves and then you turn off the ignition and restart the engine before light will go off. i have seen this issue posted on some kia discussion forums and so far dealers have no answer to the problem.*ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 03/14/2005 | 16 | ||
| The air bag sensor on the passenger side did not function when a someone sat in the seat. this could be unsafe if the vehicle were to be involved in an accident. consumer took vehicle to the dealer for about 15 times for repairs, but the problem recurred. *ak | |||