Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS
SC-091 REV 206/01/201110041266Ready09/26/2011
SC-091 REV 206/01/201110041266Kia: the coil springs may collect rocks in the front strut and cause damage. there may also be a squeaking noise. 2011 sorento. *rm09/26/2011

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SUSPENSION
02/13/201326112
 Single clunking noise whenever decelerating, which was verified by kia service advisor at ny kia dealership
04/12/2012225311
 Bought car on 4-12-12 had 22531 miles on it. from time of purchase it would pull to the right severely. we had kia dealership check out steering problem. they couldn't find anything wrong. they charged us for an alignment and said car should stir fine. alignment do nothing to fix steering problem,still pulls severely to the right at any speed. *tr
11/04/2012240001
 Wheel assembly appears to have completely given out. vehicle traveling at ~35mph when it rose slightly then gave out. vehicle hit side of parked car and flipped on to side and into retaining wall - full side curtain airbag deployment. entire front passenger wheel well completely vacant. everything laying on street including suspension springs. witness to support events. vehicle under 25k miles (2011 model, incident 2012). vehicle totaled by insurance. *tr
11/04/201224000
 Wheel assembly appears to have completely given out. vehicle traveling at ~35mph when it rose slightly then gave out. vehicle hit side of parked car and flipped on to side and into retaining wall - full side curtain airbag deployment. entire front passenger wheel well completely vacant. everything laying on street including suspension springs. witness to support events. vehicle under 25k miles (2011 model, incident 2012). vehicle totaled by insurance.
08/14/2011220001
 This is my wife's vehicle, but given the issue she is afraid to drive it..... driving up hill with my foot on the gas pedal at 50 mph. my vehicle lost power ( as if i slammed on the brake ) my body went forward and was stopped by the seatbelt. my head whipped downward. then the vehicle surged forward. my head and body slapped back into the seat. it was so abrupt and violently. it will scare you to death. this has happened to many times over the last year to count. i have tried to document the events in a journal because the dealer has been able to duplicate it only once. some days it can happen up to 3 times a day for weeks on end. some times i can duplicate it driving up hill and sometimes nothing. the worst times are when merging into traffic or when someone is following to close behind me. my fear is that i will hurt another motorist or a passenger in my vehicle. a term called limp mode has been said to me. where the transmission shifts to a hi gear to protect it from damage. my vehicle still does this at least once every other day. i have been to the dealer 14 times. the tranny was replaced a year ago and a backfire code was found recently. a computer software update that didn't help was the last thing done in over a year, unless you count paying for rental vehicles doing something. there is also a suspension/steering issue. a hard pulling left/right and bump steer. the vehicle will pull the steering wheel out of your hand in turns and veers as it hits bumps. *tr
08/14/201122000
 This is my wifes vehicle, but given the issue she is afraid to drive it..... driving up hill with my foot on the gas pedal at 50 mph. my vehicle lost power ( as if i slammed on the brake ) my body went forward and was stopped by the seatbelt. my head whipped downward. then the vehicle surged forward. my head and body slapped back into the seat. it was so abrupt and violently. it will scare you to death. this has happened to many times over the last year to count. i have tried to document the events in a journal because the dealer has been able to duplicate it only once. some days it can happen up to 3 times a day for weeks on end. some times i can duplicate it driving up hill and sometimes nothing. the worst times are when merging into traffic or when someone is following to close behind me. my fear is that i will hurt another motorist or a passenger in my vehicle. a term called limp mode has been said to me. where the transmission shifts to a hi gear to protect it from damage. my vehicle still does this at least once every other day. i have been to the dealer 14 times. the tranny was replaced a year ago and a backfire code was found recently. a computer software update that didn't help was the last thing done in over a year, unless you count paying for rental vehicles doing something. there is also a suspension/steering issue. a hard pulling left/right and bump steer. the vehicle will pull the steering wheel out of your hand in turns and veers as it hits bumps.
04/02/201213225
 When trying to step on gas veichle seems to strain. example, when needing to get in lane, my car seems not to get much gas which i feel especially on highway, may cause an accident. my vechle tend to ride quite rough as far as wheel suspecian. i have had a wheel aligment and have had the veicle checked. i was told nothing seemed to be wrong with it. i had the 189.00 service did on my car as well. i called the recall center and i was told nothing showed for my veicle. my veicle is not performing as it should.
05/02/20117000
 I have taken my 2011 kia sorento in 3 or 4 times to see if they can find out what is wrong with the suspension. they did a visual inspection and said all looks good. they have refused to do anything to my vehicle. the mechanic agreed with me, on the rough ride. the vehicle bounces all over the road. kia did change the suspension in oct of 2011 on all new sorentos. which tells me they know there is a problem with the old ones. also if you look online it appears a lot of people who bought sorentos in the beginning are complaining about the rough ride. kia needs to do recall on all older models and up grade them. (this is from autoblog.com: kia noticed this ride quality issue and decided to take the costlier dfd dampers and employ them not just on the new sx model, but across the model's entire range beginning in the fourth quarter. while kia officials we spoke with at an atlanta press event this week stopped short of admitting that the sorento's ride quality has been an issue, they did note that once engineers sampled the dfd setup on the sx, they liked the ride so much they decided to institute the new units on all sorentos.)
06/02/2010
 Update to complaint of 6-2-2010: since my original filing, i have had a total of 5 alignments, 1 steering wheel straightening, 1 tightening of alignment specs, a front tire switch; also 4 new tires with spin balance were put on the suv by kia. i have given up on kia being able to correct the suv drifting to the right. the new tires did help somewhat, but mostly they gave it a better ride. took sorento in on transmission recall fix may 2011; several days later the suv wouldn't shift into gear and had to be towed back to dealer. brand new transmission was installed, and suv runs better than ever. the initial purchase of this vehicle was really a challenge, but the sorento has turned out to be a great vehicle and i am very satisfied with the driving and handling. i have hauled at least 1,000 pounds in the back at one time with no trouble; this suv is a workhorse.
03/21/2011550
 Tl-the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. while the contact was driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle began to pull into the right direction without intent. the failure was consistent. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on four separate occasions for the same failure. the technician was unable to locate the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 550. sm.
03/21/2011550
 Tl-the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. while the contact was driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle began to pull into the right direction without intent. the failure was consistent. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on four separate occasions for the similar failure. the technician was unable to locate the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 550. js
01/15/201114000
 I purchased a 2011 sorento ex in 2/2010. i was told at the time that the steering, when it pulled to the right, was normal for this type of suspension. i dealt with it for a long time. then, i noticed one day a loud clanking noise coming from the back of the vehicle. i brought it in right away, and they told me that my rear shock went out on the right side and the back leftside was almost gone as well. so, they ordered the new ones. while they had my vehicle for 5 days, i asked them to do an alignment but told me that i was past 12k miles, and wouldnt be covered uner warranty. i called kia affairs and they covered the repair under the warranty. however, the pulling (after the alignment) is still the same. i also mentioned a noise coming from the front end especially when braking. it is not normal,but dont know what it is... they told me there was nothing wrong with the brakes. but, any passenger in my vehicle hears it and says something is wrong. i am waiting for either my steering to go out or my brakes to not work on day as i know theres an isssue. there is also a clanking noise when starting the engine. what could be causing that? it sounds like someone needs to investigate and help consumers! please. i will also follow up with kia affairs, but someone needs to intervene. the same issues aer being experienced by many people. there should be a recall relating to the steering, suspension, clunking engine noise when starting...before something happens. these are just a few people who have spoken up, but all are similar in nature, and there must be many more who have not complained. ! thank you.
02/01/20117
 2011 kia sorento. consumer writes regarding problems with vehicle within the first 2 months of purchase *tgw the consumer stated the stalled while driving on the highway. it would down shift unexpectedly and then jerk and jolt. there were times when the consumer applied the accelerator and the vehicle would not respond for a short period before the vehicle revved up and accelerated. the vehicle also pulled to the right and there was a bad grinding/rubbing sound coming from the front drivers side of the vehicle, along with spongy brakes which was a problem from the start. the consumer stated when she started the vehicle, there was a knocking noise coming from the engine. the interior lights went out, the drivers side window switch was faulty and the back-up camera stopped working. *jb
12/14/2010150
 I recently purchased a 2011 kia sorento 4 cyl. and just after one day of ownership noticed that the car was pulling to the right. i immediately took it back to the dealership with only 150 miles on it. they said it was the alignment and did a test on it and after the test the car pulled to the left. the steering wheel is also off center, like many others have reported. i have taken it back once more and this time they performed a tire rotation, this did not fix the problem. after three weeks of ownership the brakes have started to make substantial noise and the suspension feels and sounds like it is coming apart. the dealer is waiting for kia technician representative to come by and take a look and report on this vehicle.
11/19/2010450
 Tl-the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento sx. while driving 25 mph the vehicle would pull to the right. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it is now being service. (service unknown) the manufacturer was contacted who informed him they are aware of the failure and a tsb was issued for this failure. a claim was also file. the failure mileage was 450....mw
SUSPENSION - FRONT
09/01/201065
 Tl-the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. while the contact started the ignition,there was a loud clunking noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the tire pressure warning indicator began to flash for forty- five to fifty seconds. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to duplicate the problem. the clunking noise continued to occur intermittently. the failure mileage was approximately 65. js
06/20/20102800
 Clunking noise coming from right front of car when going over small bumps. seems like something is loose and banging around. car is currently at the dealer with numerous problems. i will list more later.
06/26/2010200
 Bought a 2011 kia sorento 4cyl standard package. noticed at around 200 miles the front right tire was making some clunking noises and felt very wobbly. the car also pulls to the right on the highway. called the local kia dealership and they looked at it and said it was a suspension problem and they had another car with the same problem so they knew what it was. it's been 3 weeks, kia said they would call but they never did so i have called the dealer over 4 times to hear the words we don't have your part they told me one other time that one of the guys tried to order too many parts and they got rejected! lies! the rpm's also reeve up for no apparent reason. they make the car sound like the motor is going to blow up and last, the car pulls to the right while driving on the highway. very unsafe!i don't feel safe driving this car and it feels like i am driving a pile of junk. i am waiting to break down on the freeway!
SUSPENSION - REAR
11/06/201013000
 Our 2011 kia sorento has experienced two suspension failures in the last 6 or 7 weeks. kia has found it necessary to replace the right rear and left rear shock absorber assemblies.