Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | ||||||||||||||||
| 11V473000 | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | from 06/15/2006 to 11/27/2007 | V (Vehicle) | 10631 | ODI | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | 09/07/2011 | 09/14/2011 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Kia is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 sorento passenger cars manufactured from june 15, 2006 through november 27, 2007. the front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat or the seat is not occupied. the vehicle's occupant classification system (ocs), which classifies the occupant in the front passenger seat, may misclassify an adult passenger as a child or child seat and improperly turn off the passenger side air bag. when the air bag is deactivated the passenger air bag off light will illuminate on the center instrument panel. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The passenger side air bag is turned off when the ocs misclassifies an adult passenger. with the front passenger airbag off, the front passenger will not have the protection of the passenger air bags in some frontal collisions, thus increasing the risk of occupant injury. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Kia will update the programming in the sorento ocs control module at no charge. the recall remedy is currently available under service campaign sc076. owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Kia's recall campaign number is sc076a.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||||
| KT-2009050801 | 05/08/2009 | 10030366 | Kia motors: these vehicles may experience a problem with the occupant classification system (ocs). the ocs is an integral part of the passengers seat cushion, and may misclassify the presence of certain adult passengers based on a comibina | 09/25/2009 | |
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||||
| KT-2009050801 | 05/08/2009 | 10030366 | Kia motors: these vehicles may experience a problem with the occupant classification system (ocs). the ocs is an integral part of the passengers seat cushion, and may misclassify the presence of certain adult passengers based on a comibina | 09/25/2009 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | ||||||
| EA09017 | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | 11/19/2009 | 09/26/2011 | Air Bag Occupant Classification System | 11V473000 | |
| The sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.but the sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.this causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the passenger air bag off light to illuminate. on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin campaign (sc076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (ocs) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. odi and kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this ocs issue.kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.testing of sorento vehicles built prior to december 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.as of april 2011, kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.on september 6, 2011, kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.owner notification is scheduled to start in late-september 2011.the recall will upgrade the ocs software.accordingly the investigation is closed. | ||||||
| PE09034 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 07/17/2009 | 11/30/2009 | AIR BAG OCS | ||
| Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that intermittent occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.905 of the 947 complaints and 1,014 of the 1,107 warranty claims were associated with the 57,228 vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.there was one frontal passenger airbag non-deployment crash that resulted in one minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant.this preliminary evolution is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-017) to further assess this issue for all my2007-2008 sorento vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. | ||||||
| EA09017 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 11/19/2009 | AIR BAG OCS FAILURE | |||
| Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software updateof 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as achild restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag offwarning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.there was one frontal passenger air bag non-deployment crash that resulted in 1 minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant as a result of the airbag off warning light being illuminated and thus suppressing the passenger air bag.this engineering analysis is opened to further examine this issue. | ||||||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | ||||||
| EA09017 | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | 11/19/2009 | 09/26/2011 | Air Bag Occupant Classification System | 11V473000 | |
| The sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.but the sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.this causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the passenger air bag off light to illuminate. on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin campaign (sc076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (ocs) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. odi and kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this ocs issue.kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.testing of sorento vehicles built prior to december 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.as of april 2011, kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.on september 6, 2011, kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.owner notification is scheduled to start in late-september 2011.the recall will upgrade the ocs software.accordingly the investigation is closed. | ||||||
| PE09034 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 07/17/2009 | 11/30/2009 | AIR BAG OCS | ||
| Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that intermittent occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.905 of the 947 complaints and 1,014 of the 1,107 warranty claims were associated with the 57,228 vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.there was one frontal passenger airbag non-deployment crash that resulted in one minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant.this preliminary evolution is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-017) to further assess this issue for all my2007-2008 sorento vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. | ||||||
| EA09017 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 11/19/2009 | AIR BAG OCS FAILURE | |||
| Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software updateof 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as achild restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag offwarning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.there was one frontal passenger air bag non-deployment crash that resulted in 1 minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant as a result of the airbag off warning light being illuminated and thus suppressing the passenger air bag.this engineering analysis is opened to further examine this issue. | ||||||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | ||||||
| EA09017 | KIA MOTORS CORPORATION | 11/19/2009 | 09/26/2011 | Air Bag Occupant Classification System | 11V473000 | |
| The sorento's front passenger air bag may be turned off when an adult is seated in the passenger seat. the front passenger air bag is designed to be turned off in limited circumstances including when children and small adults are seated in the front passenger seat, there is a child restraint in that seat, or the seat is not occupied.but the sorento has misclassified adults sitting in the passenger seat.this causes the passenger side frontal air bag to deactivate and the passenger air bag off light to illuminate. on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin campaign (sc076) to address this problem, installing upgraded occupant classification system (ocs) software in vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. odi and kia identified 908 owner reports and 927 warranty claims related to this ocs issue.kia also reported one crash where the passenger frontal air bag did not deploy in a frontal crash due to misclassification.testing of sorento vehicles built prior to december 2007 shows that misclassification can occur.as of april 2011, kia reports that approx. 46,000 of the 57,228 vehicles have been upgraded with the revised software.on september 6, 2011, kia submitted a defect notice and will recall the affected vehicles that have not been upgraded.owner notification is scheduled to start in late-september 2011.the recall will upgrade the ocs software.accordingly the investigation is closed. | ||||||
| EA09017 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 11/19/2009 | AIR BAG OCS FAILURE | |||
| Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software updateof 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as achild restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag offwarning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.there was one frontal passenger air bag non-deployment crash that resulted in 1 minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant as a result of the airbag off warning light being illuminated and thus suppressing the passenger air bag.this engineering analysis is opened to further examine this issue. | ||||||
| PE09034 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 07/17/2009 | 11/30/2009 | AIR BAG OCS | ||
| Kia reports that for vehicles built prior to the software update of 11/27/2007, the vehicles can improperly classify an adult as a child restraint seat and thus illuminate the airbag off warning light and suppress the frontal passenger airbag.on may 12, 2009, kia launched a technical service bulletin (sb076) campaign to re-flash all vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.kia also believes that intermittent occupant movement and out of position seating contributed to the high number of complaints.905 of the 947 complaints and 1,014 of the 1,107 warranty claims were associated with the 57,228 vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date.there was one frontal passenger airbag non-deployment crash that resulted in one minor injury of a belted adult passenger occupant.this preliminary evolution is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-017) to further assess this issue for all my2007-2008 sorento vehicles built prior to the 11/27/2007 production date. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, her vision became blurred and she lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle was then driven off into a ditch and the contact crashed into a concrete block. the air bags did not deploy. the vehicle was towed back to the contact | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento . the contact state that while driving at 50 mph , when the contacts vision became blur causing her to lose control of the vehicle. the vehicle then went off into a ditch and crashed into a concrete block when the airbags did not deploy. the vehicle was towed back to the contacts residence. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance to the contact. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact suffered major injuries to her back and a fractured rib. the vehicle had major damages to the front end. the failure and the current mileage was 120,000.cv | |||
| 04/19/2010 | 39325 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the contact stated that the passenger air bag occupancy classification system could not determine when the passenger seat was occupied and would erroneously deactivate the air bag. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 11v473000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module) but was advised by an authorized dealer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was also contacted and confirmed to the contact that the vehicle was not recalled. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 55,736 and the failure mileage was 39,325. kmj | |||
| 04/19/2010 | 39325 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the contact stated the occupancy classification system misclassified children with adults and as a result deactivated the passenger air bag. the dealer advised the contact that his vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 11v473000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module). the manufacturer confirmed what the dealer informed the contact. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 55,736 and the failure mileage was 39,325. bw | |||
| 08/03/2009 | 25000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2008 | 7634 | 1 | 04/11/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminates while the passenger seat is occupied. the vehicle has been taken to the dealer approximately four times; however, the contact believes that the failure has not been repaired. the dealer stated that they needed to order a part for the third time. the failure mileage was 7,634 and current mileage was 9,654. updated 01/09/09. *lj updated 01/09/09*jb | |||
| 09/22/2008 | 14013 | 1 | |
| Attempt to fix airbag system module and seatbelt assy failed three times by authorized kia dealerships (03/08/08, 09/22/08, 10/01/08). vehicle was sold to me by authorized kia dealer as a precertified used car with manufacturer warranty with 12000 miles on 09/05/08. kia manufacturer notified of failed attempts on 10/02/08 & have been asked to purchase or replace the vehicle under ca civil code(s) 1792, 1794. *tr | |||
| 07/23/2007 | 300 | 10 | 07/09/2007 |
| 2007 kia optima passenger air bag will not in gage win in set . does not happen all the time . air bag light tells you when it is not on. kia has replaced set did not fix the problem . been told by kia that not sitting in the seat right. it happens with all types of passengers, but dose not happen all the time . kia has said that we need to have seeting lessens. we have video tapes and pictures of this, plus wittness of this happing . i feel i am driving a unsafe car . please help me . *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 04/24/2008 | |||
| Kia sorrento-2007-front passenger-air bag idiot light. for 2 yrs. trips back and forth regarding this light to dealer. unable to assure that air bag system is really working. light is on when someone is sitting in seat and indicates the air bag is off. seats and sensors have been replaced to no avail. they just told me today 8-23-2010 that there is no more they can do. light is still on and their computer still says that it is working. you have many complaints of the same thing-is anything being done? either the light,sensor,air bag or computer is not right. this has been a problem since i bought the car new. this is an intermittent occurence-doesn't matter when or who is sitting in the seat, if the car is warm or cold. the seat(sensor) has been changed,computer has diagnosed and kia has talked to the techs. their machines are not telling them that something is wrong but the service managers and sales people have witnessed it. are you investigating this? | |||
| 09/15/2007 | 1 | ||
| Our 2007 kia sorento, purchased new, and now with 20,000 miles, has, since purchase, had the passenger airbag not on signal go on, almost every time we use it. the dealership said they must see it happen, and cannot replicate it. when we made our way to the dealership, while the signal was lit, they saw it, visually it, and made a note, however, the computer did not recognize it as a problem, so they will not correct the problem. we have been told that if that is lit up and someone is in the seat during an accident, the airbag will not deploy. i am told that kia and their dealerships are aware of this problem, and could replace the seat bottom to fix this problem, yet none of the dealerships we have taken it too, will replace it, unless the main office makes it a recall. our second complaint that they are not willing to do anything about is the strong odor of antifreeze, which literally makes me sick on my stomach when it happens, which is not all of the time. i am afraid these fumes could be harmful. *tr | |||
| 02/03/2009 | 500 | 1 | |
| The passenger air bag sensor in the vehicle is poorly designed and will frequently disable the front passenger airbag while an adult passenger is riding in the proper manner, as displayed by the vehicles owner manual. moreover, the air bag sensor does not continuously monitor the passenger after it has determined that the air bag should be off - the only way to reset the airbag is to have the passenger lift themselves off of the seat (while remaining buckled) for over 2 seconds. even turning the vehicle off, removing the key, and turning the vehicle back on does not work very reliably - resetting the sensor ~35% of the time. the airbag sensor on this vehicle is a known issue (tsb# kt2008022001), and repeated calls to service centers re-enforce that the manufacturer has no intentions of issuing a recall or even a simple software update to remedy the problem. instead, they instruct that the service members find a 'sufficiently large' mechanic, instruct them to sit in the seat to ensure that the device works correctly. obviously, if you significantly exceed the minimum weight, the sensor works correctly. however, i've had the problem with adult passengers with weights ranging from 120-170 lbs and consider it to be a significant safety flaw with the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 04/20/2007 | 25000 | 1 | |
| The sensor for the passenger air bag is nor working reliably. most of the time it either does not detect my wife at all, or, while i am driving, it suddenly signals that the passenger air bag is off, even though she is still seated. when it does not detect her, the sign | |||
| 11/20/2007 | 5 | 1 | |
| I lease a 07 kia sorento with 8700 miles on it. the problem that i can't get resolved through the dealer or with kia's customer service is the passenger airbag doesn't always work. they say we like to complain, but i don't want to take a chance of being in an accident and hope the airbag will deploy. this is a very big safety issue! the 1st time my husband (who has worked as a mechanic for 15 years) took it to the dealer he was told we weren't the only one complaining but as soon as the seat softened up it would start to work. 10 months later it still isn't working. the second time we took it back they said there wasn't anything wrong with it. the service report says the switch is fickle but they don't call that a malfunction. how do i know the airbag will deploy if the light says it is turned off? they said we need to move around in the seat by bouncing on it, sitting back in the seat more, move the seat forward or backwards to find the right spot for the airbag to work. i shouldn't have to and it doesn't make a difference anyhow! the 3rd time was to a different dealer because the car became inoperable due to a major electronic problem and had to be towed. they had my car for almost 2 weeks and said they found some codes and replaced the switch. it still isn't working. i was going down interstate with my 160 lb son and an hour into the trip we noticed the airbag switch said airbag turned off. i had to pull over turn the car off, have him get out, turn the car back on, have him get back in, before the airbag would turn on. i was in the city for an appt. this week and before i left the hospital parking lot, the airbag switch turned to off. we had to shut the car off, and restart it. the switch would say airbag turned on, drive 15 feet, and now says off. turn car off, get out, restart car, get in airbag on, drive 20 ft, airbag off. we do this 3 or 4 times before switch says airbag on and stays on. can you put pressure on them to help us out? *tr | |||
| 01/11/2007 | 600 | 2 | 01/08/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. three days after purchasing the vehicle, the air bag light illuminated, which indicated that the passenger side air bag was deactivated. while driving between 40-45 mph, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. when the vehicle is stopped at a stop sign or a red light, the exterior lights shut off. the contact has had to strike the dashboard in order to get the air conditioning to work. in addition, none of the windows will roll down. the blinkers, turn signal, and cruise control do not work. after owning the vehicle for ten months, the alternator had to be replaced and it currently needs to be replaced again. the rails to step up into the vehicle had to be replaced twice. during a crash with a deer, both the driver's and passenger side air bags failed to deployed and the seat belts did not work. as a result, the passenger sustained a broken arm. on two occasions, when the vehicle was taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the tires needed to be rotated and aligned. on the third occasion, she was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. since owning the vehicle, she has been to the dealer several times with many complaints, but they have never made any repairs. a hyundai inspector stated that the entire vehicle was out of specifications. the failure mileage was 600. updated 09/23/08. *lj the consumer hit a deer and the air bags did not deploy and the seat belts did not perform as they were designed. the transmission would delay in shifting and would not shift in the correct gear. updated 09/24/08. *jb | |||
| 08/24/2007 | 3285 | 1 | |
| The passenger side airbag sensor malfunctions intermittently on my 2007 kia sorento. there are times when a normal sized person is seated properly, but the airbag sensor indicates the airbag is not activated. previously, if i restarted the car with the passenger seated the issue was corrected, but i have since encountered times when restarting the car does not fix the problem. i have brought my vehicle to two kia dealerships and contacted kia corporate, but was told that there was nothing they could do to help me. *tr | |||
| 06/02/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2007 kia sorento passenger side air bag indicates off with adult in front seat. *tr | |||
| 09/19/2007 | 10000 | 1 | 09/19/2007 |
| While traveling about 35 mph, hit brakes but was unable to avoid frontal collision in kia spectra rented from alamo. the crash was head on. the kia's airbags did not deploy. i was wearing a seatbelt. alamo has been completely unresponsive, so nothing further can be learned about the car. i have pictures taken at the scene with a cell phone camera clearly depicting the failure. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2007 | 1000 | 5 | 09/01/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. when the passenger is in the passenger side front seat, the air bag light remains illuminated and the system indicates that the air bag is off. the dealer reprogrammed the air bag sensor; however, the failure was not corrected. the vehicle is currently at the dealer and they will replace the bottom of the passenger seat. the contact was given a 2008 sorento as a loaner vehicle and it has the same failure. the manufacturer stated that the law required them to install a new air bag system for children. they are having problems with the program and have received numerous complaints. the current mileage was 5,000 and failure mileage was 1,000. updated 01/29/08 *bf the consumer stated there were 2 other vehicles with the same defect. updated 01/29/08 tr | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 60 | 10/01/2007 | |
| When driving vehicle the passengers airbag remains in the off position when my wife is seated as a passenger, but when i ride as passenger the air bag is on. (some time it works and others it does not). *tr | |||
| 07/19/2007 | 20 | 07/16/2007 | |
| Our 2007 kia sorento has a problem with the passenger air bag system. this is my wife's car and i ride as a passenger. when i ride 75% of the time the air bag light will not go off, this tells us that the passenger airbag system is not on. we have noticed many things that will correct this and also make it happen. one thing is it normally happens after the car has been left off for awhile. the air bag light may go off are you start the car but when you shift it into gear it pops on. you can also get it to come on sometimes when you remove your seat belt. you can sometimes correct the problems by shutting off and resarting the car. now this is a very annoying problem and a erratic issue. being a automotive tech and a electronic tech i can see how the kia dealer will not be able to help with out seeing the problem. the kia dealer here is really no help as when we took it in the service manager said show me the problem but of course we could not reproduce it at that time. we have since had the car for a few months and have taken notice of how the problem is showing up. we have not taken it in as we have lost confidence in the kia technical staff as to there capabilities of repair. i should say we first bought a 06 sorento and had it in the dealership for 5 weeks out of the 7 weeks, we owned it and traded it in for the 07 trying to give kia a chance to redeem for all the problems before. *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 03/27/2008 | 6600 | 1 | 08/31/2007 |
| Air bag sensor light on passenger side of 07 kia rio was on after repairs from an accident. took to kia of conyers for diagnosis. almost a month later, my car is still at the dealership. it was determined that it was a warranty issue which i am reporting in case more people have this same problem. safety is my main concern. *tr | |||
| 02/27/2008 | 7400 | 1 | 12/01/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. while driving 30 mph, the air bag light would not dim. the contact switched places with the person in the passenger seat, but the light still would not dim. the dealer stated that he had to wait for a technician who specialized in air bags. the contact went back to the dealer and was informed that the repair was still not completed. when the repair was finished, the contact test drove the vehicle and the failure still continued. the technician then stated that it could not be repaired and the contact was provided a rental vehicle. the sales dealer informed the contact to return the rental because they could not repair his vehicle, and would no longer pay for the rental. he called kia and they issued case number 1421419. the representative stated that he would investigate the situation and then notify the contact. the kia representative called back and stated that they could not repair the vehicle because they did not have the proper tools. the case was escalated to the supervisor. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 7,500 and failure mileage was approximately 7,400. updated 03-19-08 *bf updated 03/19/08 *tr | |||
| 11/17/2007 | 2568 | 1 | 11/17/2007 |
| On november 17, 2007 i purchased a kia sorento suv. since that date, the passenger seat airbag is disabled all of the time when my wife is sitting in the passenger seat. other adults who weigh more will allow the light to go out, but never for my wife. i returned the car to the dealer for service who informed me that there is nothing that they can do. i contacted kia customer service and they indicated that a regional warranty rep will look at in january, but if he sits in the seat and the light goes out, there is nothing that they will do. my wife is an average adult who weighs enough that the airbag disabling feature should turn off when she sits in the seat. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 1 | 11/01/2007 | |
| I bought a new 2007 kia sorento on 11-1-07 from banner kia in mandeville, la. with my wife in the passenger seat (125 lbs.) the air bag light remains illuminated indicating that the air bag in inoperable. the vehicle was returned to the dealer and the technicians supposedly fixed the problem. enroute home the light came on again. the dealer then supposedly recalibrated a sensor and the light stayed out. now my daughter who weighs 117 lbs will not put the light out to put the air bag in service. have you had similar complaints on kia vehicles? i am beginning to think that the dealership technicians are not capable in making my vehicle safe. any suggestions? *tr | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 25 | 20 | 08/14/2007 |
| Passenger side airbag off light illuminates even when a grown adult is sitting in the seat. the owners manual states, and the service dept at the dealership agree that if a 150 lb adult is in the passenger seat and the off light is illuminated, the airbags will not deploy. the adult can be sitting straight up in the seat with feet in the floor in front of them and the off light is on. the service manager said they cannot fix this, it is a problem. the corp. office should issue a recall because obviously the sensors are not properly located. what good is the airbag if it won't deploy when needed? *tr | |||
| 02/13/2007 | 20 | 5 | 02/13/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the passenger side air bag light illuminated intermittently when an occupant was in the seat. the dealer stated that the ocs occupancy classification system malfunctioned. the dealer replaced the seats and sensors; however, the failure still occurred. the failure mileage was 20 and current mileage was 5,600. | |||
| 09/24/2007 | 117 | 5 | 09/03/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag light was illuminated on the front passenger side, which indicated the air bag was off. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the sensory module and the entire passenger seat. ten days later, the air bag light illuminated again. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. they stated that ten percent of their vehicles were having the same failures. the manufacturer was unable to provide any assistance. the current and failure mileages were 117. | |||
| 10/27/2007 | 1 | 09/12/2007 | |
| The airbag actuation system is design defective, at least from my point of view, in that it does not always become active , when a passenger is sitting in it. i have had passengers from 105# to 315#, and sometimes the system is active and sometimes not. i have been advised by kia service that the 8 bladder in the seat, which activates the system for deployment in the event of an accident, is sensitive to where and how the passenger sits in the seat. if they don't sit in jus a certain manner, the system does not activate. this is a major safety item and has an immediate urgency to have kia remedy this. in the event of an accident and the bag does not deploy for the passenger due to this problem, i most definitely will be in court with kia. *tr | |||
| 04/05/2007 | 100 | 75 | 03/14/2007 |
| I have a 2007 kia sorrento that was purchased partly because of the 5 star safety rating. however, in my particular vehicle the passenger side airbag deactivation sensor designed to deactivate the passenger side airbag when the seat is occupied by a child also deactivates the airbag more than 50% of the time when an adult occupies the seat. i have reported this issue to my dealer 3 times and the service manager tells me that there is nothing they can do because there is no fix from the factory. he also told me that he is not aware of anyone else having this problem ( i doubt that) and that kia was not particularly concerned about this problem because the passenger side airbag was a secondary protection device which was not really necessary to protect the occupant if the occupant was wearing his/her seat belt. i called kia customer service and they basically blew me off saying that kia would fix the problem in due time. how can kia advertise a 5 star safety rating when in fact they are aware of this sensor issue and are not willing or able to fix it? appears to me that there is some false advertising going on and really we have about a 2 star safety rating! *jb | |||
| 03/30/2007 | 75 | 1 | 03/30/2007 |
| Purchased a new 2007 kia sorrento on 3/30/07. left the dealership with the passenger side airback disconnect light on with an adult sitting in the seat. have taken the car into two different dealer service departments and they have refused to address this safety issue. reported problem to kia usa consumer affairs and no action has been taken other than refer us to another dealer for service. a service manager i spoke with said this was a known problem with the 06 and 07 sorrento but that the company could not reproduce a hard error. the service manager went on to tell me that there are sensors in the seat cushion and seat back and that a passenger has to sit in the seat in a particular way in order for contact to be made properly. the manager went on to say that he had seen a lot of 06 and 07 sorrento's with this problem and was waiting on kia to take action. other than pursue the lemon law process, what other recourse does a consumer have with a clear engineering defect of a key safety feature? *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 50 | 12 | 05/15/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag sensor for the front passenger seat works intermittently. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. the current mileage is 900 and failure mileage was 50. | |||
| 04/26/2007 | 18 | 10 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 kia sorento. the failure mileage was 18 and the current mileage was 1000. the passenger airbag light will stay off when there is an adult in passenger seat. the dealer is unable to diagnose the problem. | |||
| 04/21/2007 | 0 | 30 | 03/22/2007 |
| I bought a 2007 kia sorento a month ago. it has a passenger sensor in the seat that activates the air bag on the front passenger side. if a child or passenger who doesn't meet the weight requirement sits in the seat it will deactivate the air bag. problem is that the sensor isn't working for passengers who meet the weight requirement . the air bag is deactivated and therefore the safety feature that is the air bag is no longer there to protect the front passenger and there is no way to override that feature. i asked the service guy at the kia dealership and he said there's nothing they could do. the front passenger air bag hasn't been working since i bought it. *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 09/04/2007 | 200 | 25 | 09/04/2006 |
| Passenger side air bag light does not go off every time a passenger is sitting in seat.which will not let air bag deploy.*cn | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 03/27/2008 | 6600 | 1 | 08/31/2007 |
| Air bag sensor light on passenger side of 07 kia rio was on after repairs from an accident. took to kia of conyers for diagnosis. almost a month later, my car is still at the dealership. it was determined that it was a warranty issue which i am reporting in case more people have this same problem. safety is my main concern. *tr | |||