Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||||
| KT-2008120901 | 12/09/2008 | 10028268 | Kia: head light bulb life concern. there may be concerns of short headlamp bulb life in vehicles. a new resistive wire harness has been introduced to extend the life of the low beam bulbs. *pe | 03/19/2009 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||||
| KT-2008082201 | 08/28/2008 | 10026726 | Kia: all models. article provides information relating to the improved durability of bulb life for rear combination bulb; rear stop lamp/tail lamp bulb utilized on multiple kia models. *pe | 12/09/2008 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||||
| KT-2008120901 | 12/09/2008 | 10028268 | Kia: head light bulb life concern. there may be concerns of short headlamp bulb life in vehicles. a new resistive wire harness has been introduced to extend the life of the low beam bulbs. *pe | 03/19/2009 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||||
| KT-2008082201 | 08/28/2008 | 10026726 | Kia: all models. article provides information relating to the improved durability of bulb life for rear combination bulb; rear stop lamp/tail lamp bulb utilized on multiple kia models. *pe | 12/09/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 01/11/2006 | 10000 | ||
| Headlights blowing on a regular basis. replace headlights four to five times a year possible electrical issue. | |||
| 01/01/2007 | |||
| I have had to replace the bulbs in this vehicle every few months. brake lights, head lights, fog lights, blinkers etc. this is insane. i keep getting tickets, and now 2 days ago the officer recognized me from pulling me over for the same thing 6 months ago. | |||
| 11/25/2011 | |||
| 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. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 04/11/2006 | 2000 | ||
| I have a 2005 kia sorento. the tail lights, tag lights, head lights, and running lights are constantly going up. this is a major safety issue and i am sick and tired of spending a small fortune in bulbs for this car. i bought the car new in 2005 and have had this problem since a few months after purchasing. kia will not acknowledge that there is a problem or put a recall on the vehicle. for the safety of my two kids who are passengers in this vehicle, please do something about this. | |||
| 04/11/2011 | |||
| I have a 2005 kia sorento that constantly has headlights, tail lights, fog lights & brake lights that constantly go out. i normally have to replace one of these lights at least once a month......i've started keeping my receipts because hopefully kia will stand by their vehicles and finally do a recall on this. i look online and several people are complaining about the same issue, but it looks as if kia isn't standing by their vehicle. i have no intention on purchasing a kia again. i have called their service department quite a few times to see if their has been a recall issued yet, but the servicemen seem to blow the issue off. | |||
| 12/20/2010 | 98900 | ||
| Lighting (bulbs) very short life, bulbs last 1/5 to 1/10th of the life in other vehicles. most recent both low beam bulbs failed within 5 minutes leaving us with no lighting while driving at highway speed on unlit divided highway. we have been replacing bulbs every 2-3 months. we always replace both headlights when one burns out. my other vehicles last many years, this vehicle is the only one i have ever had that headlights only last months. the vehicle is only driven 4 days per week and the headlight life is actually less than 50 hours use. we have tried sylvania (standard, silverstar and silverstar ultras, ge, hella and recently phillips bulbs all with the same lifespan (within days) something is wrong. there is a tsb but no recall. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 03/18/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. while the contact was driving approximately 45 mph the exterior light system was activated and suddenly became nonfunctional without warning. the failure was due to a burned out light bulb. the failure was a frequent occurrence. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the current and failure mileages were 110,000. | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 11000 | ||
| I have a 2005 sorento. i have replaced the headlights 15 times. they have both gone out before when driving at night and i had to drive nearly 40 miiles with brights only. i have also replaced brake lights 5 times. it started in oct the year i bought the car and has continued. i am stunned at the number of complaints about this and lack of response from kia. anybody filing a class action? i'm sure there would be plenty of takers!! | |||
| 02/26/2006 | 10000 | 1 | |
| First the headlights on driver side went out. we took the 2005 kia sorento lx to the dealer to have the headlight replaced at which time they admitted there was a defect problem with the headlights going out frequently. they said bring it in and they would fix the problem. the next time the passenger light went out and the dealer said there was no problem and would not fix it. since then the drivers side light has gone out three more times and the passengers side has gone out twice. each rear brake light has gone out twice. recently we have experienced the interior dome light intermittently malfunctioning along with both headlights and a smell of smoke near the dome light. we have been pulled over twice by police due to inoperable headlights and taillights. the dealer takes no responsibility for this obvious electrical defect which is clearly a safety hazard. *tr | |||
| 12/06/2009 | 75000 | 4 | |
| We have to change the twice headlights and the twice taillight four sets of parking lights,on our 2005 kia sorento ex this in a 18 months. *tr | |||
| 06/16/2008 | 36000 | 1 | |
| My 05 kia sorrento's head light bulbs keep consistently burning out. i have bought 8 lightbulbs within the last 6 months. this will be the very last kia that i own unless there service gets better and more reliable and they take action on there defective vehicles. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 55000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2005 kia sorento, i have changed the headlights a total of three times since i have had this car on each on both sides, now both are out and i can only use my high beams. i have also had to change my rear lights once. *tr | |||
| 12/20/2008 | 43800 | 1 | |
| I own a 2005 and a 2006 kia sorento ex. in both vehicles i must replace lightbulbs continually. on average, i replace headlights approximately once every 60 to 90 days. brake light bulb replacement is less frequent, but does occur often within the year. there is obviously a problem with the electrical system in these vehicles but kia will not acknowledge any problems. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2008 | 1 | ||
| This is my second complaint on this issue. i currently have no working headlights on my 2005 kia sorento, again. the light bulbs go out every three to six months. the right rear brake light just went out as well. i keep having to drive with my high beams on because i keep losing one or both of my headlights. this will be the 5th time i replace the bulbs in a year's time. kia tells me there is no problem and that they will charge me $48 per bulb to change them and guarantee them for a 12 month period. i see alot of similar complaints online for this same issue. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2006 | 38000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. while driving 35 mph, the front headlights suddenly shut off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the light bulbs needed to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current mileage was 58,469 and failure mileage was 38,000. | |||
| 05/06/2008 | 20000 | 1 | |
| Basically, i am constantly having to change lights. (i.e. brake lights, interior dome lights, headlights). *tr | |||
| 05/15/2008 | 5000 | 1 | |
| Headlights and taillights have been replaced at least 5 times in the 3 years i've had the sorento. i keep my headlights off during the day and it seemed to delay the bulb going out as fast as it did when i kept them on all day. i keep replacement bulbs in my vehicle at all times due to this. you can buy them for $5.00 at your local auto parts store. kia needs to recall this...way too many complaints for nothing to be wrong. *tr | |||
| 12/26/2005 | 50000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. the contact stated that she had to replace her front headlamp light bulbs approximately eleven times and the brake light bulbs twice. there were no recalls available on this year, make, and model vehicle. the current mileage was 67,869 and failure mileage was 50,000. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 03/05/2008 | 7 | 07/07/2005 | |
| Lighting problem in my 2005 kia sorento lx. in 2006, my dome light stopped working in the door position (i didn't get it fixed). since 2006, i have replaced my kia's left headlight 3 times and the right headlight 2 times. i now have my right headlight out again and the rear left brake light as well. since this has happened too many times to be normal, i called kia. the kia dealership says it requires kia lightbulbs at $50/each as well as a $75 diagnostic fee to check the electrical system. kia claims there is a problem with after manufacture light bulbs and that only kia lightbulbs will work. checking the internet, i found numerous similar complaints from 2005 sorento owners. this needs to be recalled. i lucked out that only one headlight went out at a time, otherwise, i would have had no headlights. not to mention the cost in replacement lightbulbs. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 47000 | 6 | 09/10/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. the contact noticed that the driver's side rear brake lights were not illuminating. the dealer replaced the light bulb , and, approximately three or four months later, the bulb was replaced again. the light bulb stopped working again three months later. the dealer replaced the bulb once more, but was unable to diagnose the failure. also, the driver's side headlight stopped working. the dealer replaced the light bulb for the fourth time. since the last remedy, there have been no other failures. the current and failure mileage were 47,000.*ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 02/04/2006 | 101000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns 2005 kia sorento. intermittently while driving the head-lights fail. also the interior light does not come on when the doors are open. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the technician could not identify the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 101,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable. | |||
| 03/05/2008 | 7 | 07/07/2005 | |
| Lighting problem in my 2005 kia sorento lx. in 2006, my dome light stopped working in the door position (i didn't get it fixed). since 2006, i have replaced my kia's left headlight 3 times and the right headlight 2 times. i now have my right headlight out again and the rear left brake light as well. since this has happened too many times to be normal, i called kia. the kia dealership says it requires kia lightbulbs at $50/each as well as a $75 diagnostic fee to check the electrical system. kia claims there is a problem with after manufacture light bulbs and that only kia lightbulbs will work. checking the internet, i found numerous similar complaints from 2005 sorento owners. this needs to be recalled. i lucked out that only one headlight went out at a time, otherwise, i would have had no headlights. not to mention the cost in replacement lightbulbs. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 47000 | 6 | 09/10/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. the contact noticed that the driver's side rear brake lights were not illuminating. the dealer replaced the light bulb , and, approximately three or four months later, the bulb was replaced again. the light bulb stopped working again three months later. the dealer replaced the bulb once more, but was unable to diagnose the failure. also, the driver's side headlight stopped working. the dealer replaced the light bulb for the fourth time. since the last remedy, there have been no other failures. the current and failure mileage were 47,000.*ak | |||
| 05/22/2006 | 5 | 08/31/2004 | |
| I purchased my 2005 kia sorento in the fall of 2004. it is now may of 2006. i have replaced 5 headlight bulbs in this time. they began to go bad about 6 months ago, and i have replaced one every 30-45 days. both the driver and passenger side bulbs are effected. kia dealership in lansing says they can't find anything. vehicle is still under warranty. *nm | |||
| 02/16/2006 | 29000 | 2 | 12/20/2005 |
| Headlights frequently go out. i have had to change them twice since i bought the car one year ago. they get extremely hot and almost melt. this is extremely dangerous and it seems like there are many others with a similar problem. *jb | |||
| 07/17/2005 | 26000 | 5 | 10/10/2004 |
| I have had the headlights o 2005 kia sorento replaced twice now. they both went out within a day of each other the first time. i had to pay 129.00 on the car was les than i year old. the second time they replaced under warranty. this is serious. alot of kia owners are complaining buy kia says nothing is wrong. there must be. can you help get kia to recall & fix this problem?*ak | |||
| 06/11/2005 | 0 | 4 | 05/20/2005 |
| On my 2005 kia sorento i have burned out 4 sets of low beams in 8 months. kia has no answers for me and it seems that there is a growing group of owbers, on line, that are having the same problems.*ak | |||