Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 034 | 01/01/2011 | 10037693 | Ready | 06/03/2011 | |
| 034 | 01/01/2011 | 10037693 | Kia: there may be erratic shifting, shift shock, and a malfunction light on with stored trouble codes. this is caused by a problem within the transfer motor. *rm | 06/03/2011 | |
| TSB-021 | 10/01/2009 | 10032617 | Kia motors: some vehicles with a 3.8l engine may experience a bumping symptom during engagement of the damper clutch (torque converter lock up clutch), and a bucking symptom when the damper clutch is fully engaged. *pe | 04/19/2010 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| TSB-025 | 10/01/2009 | 10032792 | Kia: information related to the transmission control module (tcm) upgrade for certain models. vehicles with 3.3l engine may experience a bumping symptom during engagement of the damper clutch (torque converter lock up clutch), and a bucki | 05/24/2010 | |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||||
| TSB-021 | 10/01/2009 | 10032617 | Kia motors: some vehicles with a 3.8l engine may experience a bumping symptom during engagement of the damper clutch (torque converter lock up clutch), and a bucking symptom when the damper clutch is fully engaged. *pe | 04/19/2010 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 06/01/2011 | 46000 | ||
| Upon starting the 2009 kia sorrento one day, i shifted to reverse and noticed a violent jerk with a loud popping sound. upon putting it into drive, the car would barely accelerate but the engine would still rev when pressing down on the gas pedal. the check engine light was on but later went away. the dealership has seen the car multiple times and our service advisor gary dawson in houston, tx says they cannot reproduce the problem or find any fault codes (even though we provided the code pulled from autozone the previous day). codes said the transaxle and high/low solednoid were the problems. the car is in their possession now but after a quick talk with our service advisor i highly doubt they will be fixing anything. a quick google search shows almost all 2005+ sorrentos have transmission problems. please do something about kia and keep them in check. | |||
| 10/20/2010 | 5200 | ||
| While decending a mountian pass in colorado with the vehicle in 4wd-low range and the shift selector in the sport mode the transmission would up-shift at about 3200 rpm causing the vehicle to gain speed very quickly and requiring the constant application of brakes which causes the brakes to over heat. the owners manual clearly states that this is an approved use of the vehicle and that the transmission should not shift until the red-zone (approx 6000 rpm). i contacted kia customer service in november of 2009 and have had several conversations with kia's customer service and mr richard pulridia whith kia service has evaluated the vehicle and filed a report with kia engineering in may 2011. i talked to mr pulrida this week and he has not received any information to date and has no idea when or if any action will be taken to correct this unsafe condition. i believe this operation is unsave because it causes quick accelleration to unsafe speeds whin in a steep decent. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/05/2010 | 5200 | ||
| 2009 kia sorento with transmission/driveline issues. dealership has had numerous attempts to correct and states normal for this vehicle. vehicle clunks, pops, jolts, and jerks when in operation regardless of time of day, temp, etc. started in may 2010 and continues presently which is june 2011. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 02/17/2010 | 1200 | ||
| I have 2 complaints. 1) i have complained about the front passenger air bag not coming on when an adult is seated in it. i have taken it to 2 different kia shops 5 times since 1200 miles and was told it is operating normal. normal is when an adult sits in it, not when you place a purse on the seat or whenever it decides to work. i am following the manual and still no satifaction with repair. 2) at 1200 miles i also complained that the car would buck, stick in 3rd gear, and not shift till it red lines. this does not happen all the time and i was told by kia that unless the check engine light comes on they can not find the problem. even after the #1 repair tech in the world for kia experienced the not shifting till it red lines for himself. i was told the only thing they could do is reprogram the computer. they have reprogrammed it 4 times the problem is still there. i have 22 repair invoices for this car since i purchased it. i am fighting on a daily basis with kia to repair this car. it is a shame to say but i feel someone is going to get hurt or worst killed before kia fixes these issues! | |||