10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,187 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Kia Sorento fuel system problems

fuel system problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2003 Kia Sorento:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2003 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #13

Jun 032010

Sorento

  • 69,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Kia Sorento. The contact stated when attempting to fill the fuel tank, there was a restriction that only allowed the fuel to enter the filler neck slowly. The fuel would also come back out (fuel expulsion). The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. The contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 70,000. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #12

Sep 292009

Sorento

  • 82,000 miles
When fueling my 2003 Kia Sorento the gas will spew back out (as if under pressure) onto me, the vehicle and the surrounding area. This is a fire hazard. This happens every time I try to put gas into the Sorento. The dealership said they could not identify the problem without a costly diagnostic test. They did 'look' at the fuel line and could not see a problem. The only way to prevent the gas from spewing is to put the gas in extremely slowly. Filling it slowly seems to prevent the pressure build up that causes the gas to spew. The spewing gas is causing the paint on my vehicle to peel.

- Simpsonville, SC, USA

problem #11

Jul 102004

Sorento

  • 25,000 miles
2003 Kia Sorento gas tank does not register correctly. After about 3/4 full, it drops to read "empty". this started happening after the car was only a year old. I was told it would be very expensive to fix it and to just try to gauge when the car was getting close to empty. I travel quite a bit for my job and have been stranded about 4-5 times at night with an empty gas tank....not the safest of situations.

- Sandwich, MA, USA

problem #10

Nov 192009

Sorento

  • 17,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2003 Kia Sorento has fuel tank that does not read gas right. It will tell you empty when it is not empty this gage has never worked right and needs to be recalled to fix this thing before some one get hurt badly.

- Newark, NJ, USA

problem #9

Nov 022009

Sorento

  • 36,495 miles
This is the third time this incident happened. During this last time, the gas gauge showed that the tank have less than 1/8 full. When I started to pump gasoline to the vehicle's tank, the gas pump abruptly stopped as if the vehicle's gas tank is already full and gasoline splashed back out of the tank. Gasoline sprayed all over including myself. I cautiously started to pump gas to the vehicle again and the same thing happened. I smelled like gasoline and ruined my clothes.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #8

Oct 122002

Sorento

  • 0 miles
My 2003 Kia Sorento, made 10/12/02, does not take gas well. When you fill it, it pressurized and blows gas back at you. This is an ongoing failure and safety issue. A mechanic says this needs a different fuel tank assembly and valve to correct the problem.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #7

Jan 152009

Sorento

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When I attempt to fill the gas tank in my 2003 Kia Sorento, the gasoline blows back at me. This happens every time I add gas. If I am not careful it gets on my clothing, shoes, outside of my vehicle and on the ground. The dealership has quoted that a repair would cost between $650 and $850 to fix it although they cannot tell me for sure what the problem is. I cannot afford to have this repaired.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #6

Aug 072009

Sorento

  • 60,980 miles
My 2003 Kia Sorento kept losing antifreeze and to find out the reservoir had a crack in it. Also, after I purchase Bridgestone fire destination tires a year later they were worn after spending $600 I had to have two of them replaced within a year. P245/70R16. Also 2 defects recalls when my car was put in the shop one from 2007 SC073 and SC072 when my check engine light came on. It was still on after the car was supposedly fixed by quirk Kia in braintree. When I was driving out of the parking lot the check engine light was still on. I was told the car was fine and it was just a sensor and to fix it the cost would be over $200. A year later, I brought it to get a sticker, they rejected my for another recall that should have been fixed when I brought it in last year. The recall was from 2005. Now I am trying to contact the dealership because of the inconvenience of me going to get this fixed when it should have been taken care of last year. I will never buy a Kia again, the dealership does not care about their cars or customers.

- Dedham, MA, USA

problem #5

Mar 092009

Sorento

  • 78,000 miles
Gas spews out while trying to refuel, doesn't matter if it's almost empty or half full, gets all over car, ground and me. Have to dribble fuel in tank and takes 15 min. Just to put a 1\4 tank in. I don't like smelling of gas and being a walking fire hazard.

- Marshfield, MO, USA

problem #4

Mar 172009

Sorento

  • 63,000 miles
Purchased vehicle used in November 2008 - Kia Sorento 2003. I noticed a gasoline smell shortly after the purchase, but didn't think it was from my vehicle. Last week noticed a damp spot under my car, checked it, found gasoline leaking from my tank. Took the car in to the dealership for service. They found a crack along a seam in the gas tank and replaced it.

- Hellertown, PA, USA

problem #3

Jun 102008

Sorento 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Kia Sorento. While placing fuel into the vehicle, the fuel spewed back out from the gas pump. The contact stated that it would take ten minutes to place $20 worth of gas into the vehicle. He had to place small quantities of fuel into the vehicle at a time to prevent it from spewing back out. An independent mechanic replaced the fuel tank pressure relief valve at the cost of $191; however, the failure persists. The manufacturer was unable to provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 82,000 and current mileage was 85,000. Updated 10/16/08 updated 10/20/08.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #2

Jul 052005

Sorento 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 13,315 miles
Consumer stated there was a gas leak in vehicle. She first noticed gas coming out of the vehicle on July 5, 2005. She took the vehicle to the dealership and it was fixed, but they did not tell her why it was leaking. Dealership stated it was their fault, and it was the third one in the shop to fix. She has been smelling gas for a couple of days.

- Mattapan, MA, USA

problem #1

Feb 202003

Sorento 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150 miles
I purchased a 2003 Kia Sorento in Feb 2003, vehicle spins over for quite sometime and then slowly finally turns over, I have taken it into the dealer 2 times now and they have said it was the fuel relay switch and vehicle still has the problem so I am taking it into the dealer for the 3rd time and they swear it is a fuel problem so we'll see if it's going to get fixed.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

Not what you are looking for?