Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||||
| 83 | 01/01/2005 | 10015526 | Key gets stuck in the ignition lock cylinder. *tt | 07/27/2005 | |
| 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 | |||
| 08/02/2010 | 30000 | 1 | |
| 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!!!! *tr | |||
| 08/02/2010 | 30000 | ||
| 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!!!! | |||
| 05/09/2010 | 95505 | 3 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 05/09/2010 | 95505 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 07/16/2012 | 100000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 07/16/2012 | 100000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 03/27/2012 | 105800 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 06/13/2006 | |||
| 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 kias 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 serveral service managers (off the record) that i spoke with through my erriflic experience told me that it's a huge problem and they don't want to do anything because of the cost. | |||
| 03/19/2012 | |||
| All of a sudden the kia ignition want engage the starter ,the headlights want work and the speed odometer moving and the ac appears not to work | |||
| 01/11/2006 | 10000 | ||
| Headlights blowing on a regular basis. replace headlights four to five times a year possible electrical issue. | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 113000 | ||
| 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 occured 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 occuring. i'm still waiting on it to be diagnosed but there is no other explanation than for it to be an electrical issue. suggestions? | |||
| 10/11/2006 | 12000 | ||
| 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 ya a lot of people have this issue my other vehicles bulbs last on average 5 times longer - or more. | |||
| 06/17/2011 | 53000 | ||
| While driving my vehicle, it began making a knocking noise. the power steering then began to fail and then i was unable to excelorate. 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. | |||
| 08/06/2005 | 71032 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 03/16/2011 | 30000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 12/06/2010 | 85483 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 01/03/2010 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact stated that while driving approximately 65mph the lighting inside and outside the vehicle fails. the owner cannot use the air conditioner or fan because the lights go out completely. a local mechanic ran diagnostics and nothing was found. the dealer stated that there was a tsb about the wiring harness in reference to this failure. the contact has tried to call kia unsuccessfully. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000. rd | |||
| 06/10/2006 | 12000 | ||
| Tla*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. after parking, the contact noticed that the dome light was not working. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the bulb was replaced. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership four to five times because the failure continued. the contact kept replacing bulbs but the dome light still shorted out. the vin was unavailable at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 12,000. the current mileage was approximately 57,000. | |||
| 01/03/2009 | 50000 | 4 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2009 | 71000 | 1 | |
| This is concerning my 2005 kia sorento that i never got the recall letter for the icv sensor, it just so happen that my check engine light came on and i called them complaining and they made it seem as if they were doing me a favor and said bring it in, it is covered and i discovered on the computer that there was a recall. i then had two headlights blow out and the check engine light was back on and they told me to bring it in and then said that it was an electrical issue but it was covered. my car later would not pick up speed and i called them and told them i could be on the highway accelerating and could not pick up speed , the suv was returned for the throttle sensor. not more than a month later my suv is sluggish and not picking up speed again and they say bring it in and tells me it is not the same thing but this time it is a sensor in the gas tank that has to be replaced and it is not covered under warranty one person quotes me $395.00 another quotes $595.00 (i will be writing the better business bureau after this). i just feel that there has been so much going on with 2005 kias someone is going to get seriously hurt if these issues are not looked into. it should not take a life or major accident for these issues to be addressed. a truck or trailer could have hit me several times while i was on the highway trying to accelerate and could not pick up speed. i feel that right now they are preying on defects that is due to the manufacturer and passing the cost on to consumers who have purchased these vehicles. i purchased my car in 2006 with only 115 miles on it and it has given me nothing but problems. kia is being allowed to get away with these tactics because no one is looking over them because sadly those who are purchasing these vehicles with problems do not know where or who to turn to for help on them being cheated and mistreated at the dealerships. i pray that this matter get the long awaited attention it deserves before someone is seriously hurt. *tr | |||
| 03/10/2009 | 53000 | 1 | |
| I too have now had to replace my head light bulbs and tail light bulbs and have had multiple electrical issues with this car. i have had to have a fuse block replaced because the car was automatically engaging the starter while the engine was running. i have had to replace the clock due to flickering. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2006 | 35000 | 1 | |
| My kia sorento has electrical problems that cause the interior dash and doom lights to blink off and on. this has been happening for the last fourteen months. the dash lights stay off most of the time now, making it very difficult to monitor my instrument panel at night. i have also had to replace the headlights and tail light a total of six times over the last two plus years. there is also a problem with the heat. the hot air turns cold anytime the vehicle comes to a stop, making it necessary for me to rev the engine to stay warm. this makes a gas guzzler even more wasteful in cold weather. i can get no definitive answers from the dealership for these problems. i | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 05/12/2005 | 2 | 04/08/2005 | |
| Dt: the consumer owns a 2005 kia sorento. the consumer could not get the keys out of vehicle. this is not the first time this happened. the doors to his vehicle will not lock with the keys in the ignition. the key was locked in the ignition. *ak the consumer stated the problem seems to happen after driving in extreme heat. 11/15/2005 *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 03/28/2008 | 19000 | 25 | 04/05/2005 |
| Our 2005 kia sorento has been in the shop for over 185 days due to front,rear,brake and running light issue. the brake lights go out every two or three weeks and the other on a monthly basis. the throttle control along with the transmission and radio have been repaired at least five times each and good motor company of rockhill south carolina cant seem to find anything that would cause the problem. kia motors is no help and cant seem to put two and two together to see the other 20 complaints with the same problems. i'm stuck with a 10 year warranty on a lemon. *tr | |||