10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,869 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.

2006 Kia Sorento steering problems

steering problem

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2006 Kia Sorento Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #13

Jun 102014

Sorento

  • 120,000 miles

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

I was dropping my son off at daycare. I attempted turn left and my battery, brake, and check engine light came on. My steering also went out. I turned off the car and turned back it on. Car was fine until I tried to turn, same thing happened again. I turned the car off and walked my son the rest of the way to daycare. When I returned I started the car and heard a loud screeching sound. I drove it less than a mile back home and opened the hood to see where the sound was coming from. None of my belts were moving and checked my liquids and topped everything off. Still nothing then I noticed the pulley was wobbling. While removing the radiator fan to get a closer look I realized the plastic nipple that connects to the hose had been completely disintegrated and broken off. I bought a new radiator and tightened the pulley but the problem still existed. Now I've learned the the crank pulley bolt has broken and is going to cost me 2000 some odd dollars to fix. After reading the Kia forum I see that he radiator and bolt is more than a common issue for the Kia. I'm on probation period at my job and will most likely lose my job and my vehicle. I hope enough people have reported this issue and there is something being done to resolve it.

- Gardner, KS, USA

problem #12

Apr 172012

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
The same thing has happened three times now. Driving down the road and all of a sudden the brake lights come on, check engine light comes on and now you have no power steering. When popping your hood, you find the two of the three belts have come off and the cam stabilizer pulley has either broke off and the car is no longer running or is wobbling and about to detach from the engine. What has happened is the pin has broke and the bolt has broke or is about to break. This last time that this has happened, I was 80 miles away from home and by the grace of god made it home with my mom and child riding passenger in the car with me. This is a very serious issue and will end up causing a wreck and possibly death.

- Mt. Washington, KY, USA

problem #11

May 102014

Sorento 4WD 6-cyl

  • 100,123 miles
Coming home from work about 2miles away from home, I lost power, my power steering, and electrical and I had to pull over and get towed to my home. Not happy cause Kia knows about this issue!!!!

- Pawling, NY, USA

problem #10

Jan 072014

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 65,880 miles

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

After doing preventive maintenance replacing timing belt at 60K the drive pulley bolt loosened (after three hours of driving) and the drive pulley popped off the shear pin, loosing control to the steering, breaks that are run by the serpentine belt. Mechanic was able to reconnect drive pulley, pin and bolt to crank shaft. Five months later the same happen. Kia customer service is not returning calls. Kia dealer say's needs a new engine. My vehicle was not one of the ones on the drive bolt recall. The internet is full of people with the same problems spending thousands to repair.

- Ashburn, VA, USA

problem #9

May 012014

Sorento

  • 168,000 miles
I was driving down the road doing 55mph when I heard a loud sound and all of a sudden the break and battery light came on in 2006 Kia Sorento. At that very moment, I realized that I did not have any power steering. Up until this point, my only complaint with my SUV was that I had to constantly replace the bulbs in both the front and back of the car. Also, my dome light stopped working and some of the panel lights as well. Although, that was annoying, I never complained because it did not put me in any serious danger. However the problem with the power steering could have killed me or someone else. I know my vehicle is out of warranty, but these cars should be built to last and not put my life in danger regardless of how long I keep it. Sheesh, if Kia would have told me that once my car gets at a certain age it would put my life in danger I would have had second thoughts about the purchase. I think it is sad that these big companies only care about making money than human mortality.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #8

May 162013

Sorento

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Kia sorrento. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, she heard a loud banging as the power steering and brakes failed. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and they stated that the harmonic balancer was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred a few months later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Edge Water Park, NJ, USA

problem #7

Feb 142014

Sorento

  • 99,002 miles

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

I got this car about a month ago and 3 days after the purchase I could smell the catalytic converter it was extremely strong, then a rumble sound under the car from the exhaust. A day later I was driving to work and the A/C compressor started squealing extremely loud and there was a ticking sound. Took it to the auto dealer I got it from and they said it was the compressor belt, dealer replaced belt and there is still a noise of ticking and a faint screeching noise.. they also said they fixed the exhaust but I am still having issues with the smell. This weekend I was on the highway and I was at 65 mph, there was a loud noise and the engine bogged down and sounded like it died and came back on. I made it home without anymore problems. Today I was driving 40 mph and the engine made a noise and the car bogged again. I was stopped at a light and got up to 40 mph again and the engine did the same thing. This is going to cause serious injuries to somebody. My car is going into the shop Thursday but after reading all the reviews it looks like I just wasted all this money on a piece of junk. Something needs to be done about this before somebody gets killed. I'll contact help me hank as well.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #6

Nov 232012

Sorento

  • 97,000 miles
I was merging onto a highway when all of a sudden I heard a loud thud and my battery light & E brake light came on and I lost power steering. I was able to drive the vehicle to a local mechanic who informed me that the harmonic balancer had fallen off due to the crankshaft bolt shearing off. Once it was fixed by an ase certified mechanic, approximately 8000 miles later I was driving to work and the car started shaking like I was driving on rumble strips. I took it back to a service garage and after replacing the harmonic balancer and crankbolt again they came to the conclusion that the crankshaft was bent. The garage suggested replacing the entire crankshaft and balancer and then having the engine rebalanced or a complete engine replacement both of which are greater than $3500 to repair on a vehicle that's worth about $5500..it's been approximately $2000 that I've already spent to correct this problem and the problem still exists. It's at a local Kia dealership now, where I purchased the vehicle and they told me that it's not fixable and they can only recommend to replace the engine which would cost $6,700 for a used engine with 71,000 miles on it. It seems that this same issue happens on these motors between 60K and 90K miles then from doing some research, it seems after repairs are done the same problem happens approximately 6K-10K miles later. After looking into it, it leads me to believe that the only cause of this problem would be manufacturer defects and faulty parts. This has caused me to be out of a vehicle since mid November of 2012. It's disturbing with how many other complaints I'm reading on this site about the same exact thing!

- Slippery Rock, PA, USA

problem #5

Jan 122013

Sorento 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,500 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the alternator, brake and temperature warning lights illuminated and the power steering failed. The vehicle was moved to the shoulder. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the crankshaft bolt fractured and caused the fan belt and the water pump to become inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostics. The failure mileage was 83,500. Updated 3/20/13 the consumer stated the alternator and engine lights illuminated and the power steering failed. The crank shaft bolt broke and caused the steering damper to shift sideways, which caused the two belts on the damper pulley to be thrown off.

- Lowell, OH, USA

problem #4

Nov 112011

Sorento 6-cyl

  • 43,621 miles
Driving on the highway 230 miles from home, 150 miles from my destination brake light and battery light came on. Pulled off road loss of steering power. Opened hood and found belts off. Towed to nearest town in the middle of nowhere and mechanic diagnosed the crankshaft (harmonic balancer) bolt had sheered off and broken piece still in crankshaft. Towed to nearest Kia dealership 150 miles away and was told possible crankshaft/engine damage. Could not do further diagnosis due to weekend (Saturday) and will need to stay in town until car is repaired (no other transportation). No loaner car offered. This is a dangerous common occurrence with Kia Sorento owners that the company seems to know about but does not want to address or cover cost of repairs. Recall on bolt for 2003 models does not cover later models but dangerous situation still exists with those later models. I am afraid to drive my car after it is repaired knowing that other owners have had this problem reoccur and loss of power steering at highway speed is a dangerous situation.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #3

Sep 142011

Sorento

  • miles

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

Was traveling on highway 65mph tried to change lanes but the steering had gone out, had to turn steering wheel very hard to get it to turn, once I pulled over and looked beneath hood the belts were no longer turning and could see what look like a pulley laying at bottom of engine. Matt castrucci Kia in dayton, Ohio stated that my bolt had broken off and caused my pulley to break. Have read a lot of complaints on this happening on Kia's Sorento, enough that a investigation should have taken place by now. What has to happen before this is investigated. Does someone have to die first?

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #2

Oct 142009

Sorento 4WD 6-cyl

  • 92,348 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Kia Sorento and stated the propeller shaft for the four wheel drive continued to fail on the vehicle. The dealer replaced the front drive shaft and road tested the vehicle. Within the next month, the vehicle was taken back to the shop for the same failure. The front drive shaft was replaced a second time to no avail. The failure persisted an additional two times within four months. While driving, the check engine light illuminated on the warning panel and he could smell burning oil coming from the vehicle. The dealer replaced the front drive shaft again. To date, the vehicle was making a very loud noise, when turning right, the steering wheel would become very hard and a loud noise was coming from the steering wheel. No repairs have been made to date to correct the actual failure. The failure mileage was 92,348 and the current was 99,583. Updated 02/02/10. The blower motor for the heater had to be repaired. The front door's latch was faulty it was making a buzzing sound. The consumer stated the driver shaft was replaced three times and the vehicle continued to make strange noises. Updated 02/04/10

- Anderson, CA, USA

problem #1

Mar 072008

Sorento 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 18,800 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Kia Sorento. The front window continued to develop frost in the passenger compartment. The contact noticed stress fractures on the windshield from within the vehicle. While making a right turn at 5 mph, the contact noticed additional cracks in the window. The contact is unable to see out of the front window due to the damage. The insurance company will authorize that the window be replaced. The dealer diagnosed the failure twice and charged the contact $50 per visit. They also stated that the windshield was not covered by the warranty and she should have done her research prior to purchasing the vehicle. The contact lives in a state where it snows frequently. She is currently unable to drive the vehicle when it snows due to the linkage between the steering and rear end of the vehicle, which prevents proper traction. The failure mileage was 18,800 and current mileage was 18,893. Updated 4/2/08 updated 04/02/08

- Highland , MI, USA

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