Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | |||
| 03/14/2013 | 87000 | ||
| I have researched and found that other 2008 kia sorrento owers have reported to kia, about the esc light coming on causing lost of power in the vehicle. kia is content to charge customer a diagnostic fee, fix part that do not need to be fixed when clearly there is a defect in the vehicle. when you mention to them the complaints filed about the problem, they indicate the have never heard anything about it instead of taking the time to look on safecar.gov, they continue to brush it off. not sure how being on the hwy driving at 70 mph and your vehicle suddenly dropping to 20mph is a customer problem. also not sure how when you place my car on the machine and it gives you a code to fix this life threatening problem and it happens again causing me to have to coast into the emgency lane to keep from being hit from behind with 2 children in the back seat is a customer problem sounds like a defect to me. | |||
| 01/30/2013 | 74000 | ||
| While driving the electronic stability control off (esc off) light and the check engine light came on at the same time. upon taking it to the a mechanic, he informed me that the acelerator pedal position sensor was bad. i continued reading online, and have notice this has happened on many occasions. when this occurs the vehicle looses all power to make any nessecary corrective actions which could result in a accident. it also slows the car drastically while in motion, agian with the possibilty of causing an accident. ## vin failed ## | |||
| 02/09/2013 | 99981 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2008 kia sorento last year as a pre-owned vehicle. i have started having serious issues with this vehicle. a deer ran into my vehicle april 2012 really messed up my entire front end and side. my insurance company had my vehicle botched up and my now my avs system and clutch are not working properly they refused to fix my vehicle. now i am having problem with a esc light coming on i couldn't find out what this light meant but i can imagine that it is not good. they need to recall this vehicle because truly they are no good. *tr | |||
| 02/09/2013 | 99981 | ||
| I purchased a 2008 kia sorento last year as a pre-owned vehicle. i have started having serious issues with this vehicle. a deer ran into my vehicle april 2012 really messed up my entire front end and side. my insurance company had my vehicle botched up and my now my avs system and clutch are not working properly they refused to fix my vehicle. now i am having problem with a esc light coming on i couldn't find out what this light meant but i can imagine that it is not good. they need to recall this vehicle because truly they are no good. | |||
| 03/07/2011 | 46000 | 1 | |
| I purchased this car pre owned. about 2 week later, while driving the esc light shows up causing the car to slowly lose power. this is very dangerous. i almost got hit when this happened!! after 3-4 times later, kia dealership cannot repair the issue or even solve it. they actually told me yesterday that the car was ready, however it was not fixed bc they cant figure it out. they tried everything. i did pick up the car only to bring it right back this morning. i am scared for my safety as well as my children. i looked online and their are so many others with this same issue. this is insane. i am now in a rental as they are trying again for time #5 to figure it out. i have spoken to kia corporate. i have filed complaints with the bbb. and now i am here. if anyone cares about others safety this needs to be recalled. i refuse to put my children's life at risk. imagine driving on the highway and all of a sudden this light turning on randomly and your car just losing power. very unsafe!! *tr | |||
| 03/07/2011 | 46000 | ||
| I purchased this car pre owned. about 2 week later, while driving the esc light shows up causing the car to slowly lose power. this is very dangerous. i almost got hit when this happened!! after 3-4 times later, kia dealership cannot repair the issue or even solve it. they actually told me yesterday that the car was ready, however it was not fixed bc they cant figure it out. they tried everything. i did pick up the car only to bring it right back this morning. i am scared for my safety as well as my children. i looked online and their are so many others with this same issue. this is insane. i am now in a rental as they are trying again for time #5 to figure it out. i have spoken to kia corporate. i have filed complaints with the bbb. and now i am here. if anyone cares about others safety this needs to be recalled. i refuse to put my childrens life at risk. imagine driving on the highway and all of a sudden this light turning on randomly and your car just losing power. very unsafe!! | |||
| 09/11/2012 | 60300 | ||
| 2008 kia sorento start-up stalling temperamentally for three weeks. on 9/11/2012 the check engine light and esc off light appeared, followed with a putting engine and limp mode. the car would not accelerate when foot applied to gas pedal. kia dealership confirmed tps and brake sensor failure and electronic stability control needed reprogramming. (error codes read: p2135, p0638, and p2a00 or p2a03.) kia published bulletin tsb 044: http://www.kia-forums.com/attachments/kia-carens-rondo-forum/5552d1272512047-engine-racing-stop-tsb-tps.pdf danger aspect: the car seemed drivable, however, the limp mode does not allow the car to accelerate to the speed limit or flow of traffic. researched many similar complaints -- please issue an investigation for a recall. | |||
| 04/17/2012 | 1 | ||
| We are having problems with our 2008 kia sorento. the esc light, brake light, battery light, check engine light, and abs lights have come on. i have changed brakes, checked the battery and these lights go off and on. my car has experienced reducing speed when esc light has come on and started malfunctioning at around 64,000 miles. abs light and check engine have went off. esc light is still going off and on. the brake lights have failed on us. i am concerned for my wife's safety to all these defects that are happening, and would like for your help in resolving these issues with kia. i have read of other people having complaints with the same issues and saw to report this to nhtsa. furthermore i told kia of an oil leak i was having and asked if it would be covered under warranty and they failed to answer, and did not fix it. never had any trouble with the car until i took it to the dealership to have transmission fluid changed and after that is when all the problems started happening. please help. *tr | |||
| 04/17/2012 | |||
| We are having problems with our 2008 kia sorento. the esc light, brake light, battery light, check engine light, and abs lights have come on. i have changed brakes, checked the battery and these lights go off and on. my car has experienced reducing speed when esc light has come on and started malfunctioning at around 64,000 miles. abs light and check engine have went off. esc light is still going off and on. the brake lights have failed on us. i am concerned for my wifes safety to all these defects that are happening, and would like for your help in resolving these issues with kia. i have read of other people having complaints with the same issues and saw to report this to nhtsa. furthermore i told kia of an oil leak i was having and asked if it would be covered under warranty and they failed to answer, and did not fix it. never had any trouble with the car until i took it to the dealership to have transmission fluid changed and after that is when all the problems started happening. please help. | |||
| 12/08/2011 | 59200 | ||
| I have no rear brake light. the esc off light comes on in the dash. i can turn on the cruise control but i can't set a speed for cruise control. i have a remote starter that has a safety switch when the brake is pressed turns the remote starter off that isn't working correctly cause there is no signal that the brake has been pressed. | |||
| 10/12/2010 | 42000 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento lx loses power & will not accelerate to 60mph. i fear driving my vehicle because i was almost rear ended on 2 seperate occasions by an 18-wheeler diesel due to the fact the power is lost upon acceleration attempts. in addition to the loss of power, the check engine & esc off lights stay illuminated. like many of the other complaints, i have tried turning my engine off & waiting 10 minutes before restarting the engine to see if that clears the stauts of the lights but had limited success. the vehicle has been taken to the dealership at least 3 times, while under warranty, for resolution. the dealership has advised that certain sensors have been replaced as well as the gas pedal but yet either has resolved the issue. the dealership even wanted to charge me $2800 for one trip & $1800 on the next. this was totally unacceptable & corporate was contacted immediately. i am currently waiting on a response from them. the brakes on this vehicle as well have been an issue & are another reason for why i fear for the safety of me & my passengers when this vehicle is driven. | |||
| 10/16/2011 | 36693 | ||
| The check engine light has come on and stays on. also, the esc off light comes on intermittently. the car is only driven short distances a couple of times a week, however we are afraid to drive it at all because of the reports of power and control failure. the brake lights are also not working, which compounds the problem. | |||
| 08/21/2011 | 27010 | ||
| 2008 kia sorento tps problem causing my vehicle to have no acceleration very dangerous while driving esc and check engine light come on when problem occurs. took to local auto zone to see why engine light came on and there code reader said i had 3 different codes wrong with the car which all were related to the tps sensor. this needs to be a safety recall asap. | |||
| 01/10/2010 | 15000 | ||
| We have a 2008 sorento, purchased in march 2009 (new). approximately a year and a half ago, only approx 15,000miles, we had our first incident that the esc off light and check engine light illuminated on the dash, at the same time, power was significantly decreased to the engine. thankfully, i was driving in my neighborhood and not on the highway. i turned the car off and back on and the esc off light was now off, but the check engine light remained on for the rest of the day. we didn't think much of it until it happened again, about 2-3 weeks later. this time we took it to the service department. they insisted that they didn't know what caused it and that there was no record in the computer of the check engine light being on. we were basically dismissed because they could not even tell that it happened. the third time it happened i was on my way to work, turning onto the entrance ramp of i-95, i lost power and could not accelerate to merge onto the highway. i was furious and frightened of the possible danger of the situation, and called to make a service appointment, this was the 2nd time, which by the time we got there everything was back to normal and no record in the computer. i had printed out research for my husband to take with him to show them that other people have had this problem and that the tcm was replaced, however they dismissed him and did something else. it was fine for a while, then happened again (approx dec. 2010) when my husband was driving down i-95, we lost power while going 65 mph and the esc and check engine light on. this time, my dad (who used to be a service manager) was available and went to the dealership and had a stern coversation with the service manager expressing his concern for our safety. they supposedly fixed the problem, i'm not sure what they did, and it has been fine for the past 6 months, until the past 2 weeks, the same problem has occured twice. we also had the passenger airbag off when i am sitting in the seat as well | |||
| 05/29/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Driving 75 mph on highway the esc off light luminated and check engine light came on. car lost acceleration and power (went from 75 mph to 10 mph instantly on hwy). kia replaced the tps sensor and updated ecm module. one year later same event happened repeatedly. dealer will not fix even with tech bulletin. tried to contact kia motors with no return response. at the current time the vehicle will not accelerate. fastest it will go is 45mph even with acceleration pedal pushed all the way down. when you try to pull out or accelerate the vechicle looses power. randomly the check engine and esc off light will go off and car will accelerate but once over 65mph will lose all power has almosted caused several wrecks that would have caused an accident from behind. the lack of power is dangerous but not as dangerous as the vehicle losing power on the highway or while trying to pull out from a complete stop. vehicle has lost power in intersection nearly causing side wreck. searched on internet and tps seems to be common problem | |||
| 07/24/2011 | 39859 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento has 40000 miles and the esc off indicator, as well as, the check engine light is on. i was driving to church and while driving the excelleration diminished. i am very disappointed, being i just blunt the car a month ago. yes itnis still under warranty, but what about when it is not.... from the looks of it this is a continual problem that should be investigated, before someone life be harmed while driving. | |||
| 05/29/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Driving 75 mph on highway the esc off light luminated and check engine light came on. car lost acceleration and power (went from 75 mph to 10 mph instantly on hwy). kia replaced the tps sensor and updated ecm module. one year later same event happened repeatedly. dealer will not fix even with tech bulletin. tried to contact kia motors with no return response. at the current time the vehicle will not accelerate. fastest it will go is 45mph even with acceleration pedal pushed all the way down. when you try to pull out or accelerate the vechicle looses power. randomly the check engine and esc off light will go off and car will accelerate but once over 65mph will lose all power has almosted caused several wrecks that would have caused an accident from behind. the lack of power is dangerous but not as dangerous as the vehicle losing power on the highway or while trying to pull out from a complete stop. vehicle has lost power in intersection nearly causing side wreck. searched on internet and tps seems to be common problem | |||
| 07/24/2011 | 39859 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento has 40000 miles and the esc off indicator, as well as, the check engine light is on. i was driving to church and while driving the excelleration diminished. i am very disappointed, being i just blunt the car a month ago. yes itnis still under warranty, but what about when it is not.... from the looks of it this is a continual problem that should be investigated, before someone life be harmed while driving. | |||
| 05/29/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Driving 75 mph on highway the esc off light luminated and check engine light came on. car lost acceleration and power (went from 75 mph to 10 mph instantly on hwy). kia replaced the tps sensor and updated ecm module. one year later same event happened repeatedly. dealer will not fix even with tech bulletin. tried to contact kia motors with no return response. at the current time the vehicle will not accelerate. fastest it will go is 45mph even with acceleration pedal pushed all the way down. when you try to pull out or accelerate the vechicle looses power. randomly the check engine and esc off light will go off and car will accelerate but once over 65mph will lose all power has almosted caused several wrecks that would have caused an accident from behind. the lack of power is dangerous but not as dangerous as the vehicle losing power on the highway or while trying to pull out from a complete stop. vehicle has lost power in intersection nearly causing side wreck. searched on internet and tps seems to be common problem | |||
| 07/24/2011 | 39859 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento has 40000 miles and the esc off indicator, as well as, the check engine light is on. i was driving to church and while driving the excelleration diminished. i am very disappointed, being i just blunt the car a month ago. yes itnis still under warranty, but what about when it is not.... from the looks of it this is a continual problem that should be investigated, before someone life be harmed while driving. | |||
| 05/29/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Driving 75 mph on highway the esc off light luminated and check engine light came on. car lost acceleration and power (went from 75 mph to 10 mph instantly on hwy). kia replaced the tps sensor and updated ecm module. one year later same event happened repeatedly. dealer will not fix even with tech bulletin. tried to contact kia motors with no return response. at the current time the vehicle will not accelerate. fastest it will go is 45mph even with acceleration pedal pushed all the way down. when you try to pull out or accelerate the vechicle looses power. randomly the check engine and esc off light will go off and car will accelerate but once over 65mph will lose all power has almosted caused several wrecks that would have caused an accident from behind. the lack of power is dangerous but not as dangerous as the vehicle losing power on the highway or while trying to pull out from a complete stop. vehicle has lost power in intersection nearly causing side wreck. searched on internet and tps seems to be common problem | |||
| 07/24/2011 | 39859 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento has 40000 miles and the esc off indicator, as well as, the check engine light is on. i was driving to church and while driving the excelleration diminished. i am very disappointed, being i just blunt the car a month ago. yes itnis still under warranty, but what about when it is not.... from the looks of it this is a continual problem that should be investigated, before someone life be harmed while driving. | |||
| 05/29/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Driving 75 mph on highway the esc off light luminated and check engine light came on. car lost acceleration and power (went from 75 mph to 10 mph instantly on hwy). kia replaced the tps sensor and updated ecm module. one year later same event happened repeatedly. dealer will not fix even with tech bulletin. tried to contact kia motors with no return response. at the current time the vehicle will not accelerate. fastest it will go is 45mph even with acceleration pedal pushed all the way down. when you try to pull out or accelerate the vechicle looses power. randomly the check engine and esc off light will go off and car will accelerate but once over 65mph will lose all power has almosted caused several wrecks that would have caused an accident from behind. the lack of power is dangerous but not as dangerous as the vehicle losing power on the highway or while trying to pull out from a complete stop. vehicle has lost power in intersection nearly causing side wreck. searched on internet and tps seems to be common problem | |||
| 07/24/2011 | 39859 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento has 40000 miles and the esc off indicator, as well as, the check engine light is on. i was driving to church and while driving the excelleration diminished. i am very disappointed, being i just blunt the car a month ago. yes itnis still under warranty, but what about when it is not.... from the looks of it this is a continual problem that should be investigated, before someone life be harmed while driving. | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 31000 | ||
| I have a 2008 kia sorento with just over 34,000 miles on it and am on my second experience with the esc off problem. the first time was july 2010, car was taken to a dealership and they replaced the sensor and car worked fine until this past monday. i started my car to warm it up and after 10 minutes i returned to the car to leave and noticed that the esc off light was on as well as the check engine light. as previous experience has shown me, the esc off light is dangerous as the car loses power. i turned the car off, then on, but the lights were still on. i got a ride to work that day, but my dad went over to look at the car. the esc off light went off for him and so did the check engine, he drove it around with no problem. now this morning i started it to warm it up, no lights came on. i got in to leave and when i reached the end of my road at the stop sign, both lights came on again. i turned the car off, then on and the esc off went off, but the check engine is still on. this problem will still happen every now and then. this problem has happend more than a dozen times and it dosn't matter what speed i'm driving it will happen when driving slow or fast. loss of power is dangerous when there is nowhere to pull over. i have been on several websited where others have had the same problem. i have also been told that i need to have the accelerator sensor replaced, not the esc sensor. in july 2010 the esc sensor was replaced and the problem occured again the following jan. 2011. | |||
| 12/30/2010 | 32064 | ||
| 01/25/10 with 22,395 miles on vehicle. the car had no acceleration. had part #35107-3c100ff th sensor assy replaced. 11/12/10 with 30,002 miles on vehicle. the car had no acceleration again. had part #91214-3e324 wiring assy-eng replaced. 12/30/10 with 32,064 miles on vehicle. the car had no acceleration again. had part #32700-3e400 pedal assy-acce replaced. my concern is lossing power on a freeway and getting into a accident. also have problems with the passanger air bag being on at randum times. my concern is having a accident and the passanger air bag not working. | |||
| 05/11/2008 | 10480 | ||
| My 2008 kia sorento's throttle accelerator sensor has gone out for the second time in a year. i looked this issue up online, since this is the second time, and found extensive complaints about the same problem. when it goes out the electronic stability control system quits functioning also. my car has less than 20,000 miles on it. it has a loss of power and stability control when this happens. the dealership knew exactly what had happened and ask me to bring it in. this should not happen repeatedly. | |||
| 06/06/2010 | 24000 | ||
| Esc off light comes on, sudden loss of acceleration, head lights constantly needing to be changed. middle seat belt in back malfunctions by not unlocking at times. | |||