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.
My vehicle was in motion on a highway driving 60 miles per hr to work (30 miles from home) in pouring rain when engine, brake and battery light came on. Thank god that I made it to work safely but then only to realize that power steering had locked up. Looked under the hood, power steering fluid and brake fluid fine but one belt had came off and the other belt just barely hanging on from the alternator and pulley. Thought pulley had locked up but took to a mechanic just 1/2 mile down from my job and he said that my problem is that the crankshaft bolt had broken off inside of the crankshaft. I go online and find that there were a lot more complaints of the same issue with my make and year as well as others. The previous recall by Kia was only for 2003-2004 (certain models) not including mine but this seems to be a definite issue so the recall should be extended to other years and models such as mine. Thank god that I made it to work safely and now have to find another means to get around since this is my only transportation.
Driving on highway rte 24 when crankshaft pulley broke off causing engine and brake lights to come on. It was impossible to control and to steer the vehicle causing me to nearly get into an accident. Subsequently, my vehicle got towed from the highway to a mechanic shop who informed me that my 2005 Kia Sorento's crankshaft pulley bolt broke off - therefore to buy an engine or junk it. Unfortunately, I owned this vehicle for only 1 year 3 months and with these problems. I don't have any money to replace it right now and I don't know what to do to get to work going forward.
In November of 2015, I was on my way home from work and just picking my one year old up from daycare, when I heard a loud screeching noise from a belt. My gauges went wild and I my power steering was in and out. By the time I hit the main highway to get home as I was exiting my power steering went completely out and the car could not be driven any further, so I had to coast to the side of the road. This was during rush hour traffic, I am soooo lucky that I hadn't quiet entered the highway yet. Had to get towed home. Got home and noticed the crankshaft bold was broken and the belts were thrown. We fixed it and now it has just done it again on July 1st as I was backing out of the driveway to go out of town. I didn't drive it because I knew the bolt was about to break because the harmonic balancer pulley was wobbling really bad, the air wouldn't work and the gauges started going crazy. Also the pulley's were struggling to spin. Is it going to take someone to loose their life before something is done about it?
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 60 mph, the crank pulley bolt fractured without warning. The failure disabled the steering wheel, which made it difficult to control the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle to a stop. A certified mechanic stated that the crank pulley bolt fractured and detached from the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer for repairs. After the repair, the vehicle stalled without warning and lost all steering power. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer under warranty for repair. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 10/13/16
I was driving down the highway and all the sudden my car gave a big sound and died. The steering was really hard to steer, luckly I was in the slow lane and coasted off the edge of the road. Had it towed to mechanic the started was bad, along with the fuel line and fuel pump. After got it running once again ran fine hour later the crank shaft sensor went out. I have read many many complaints about the same issues, also was told that my fuel tank and bottom was rusting out. And my sway bar is bad. My car shakes, I have had new tires and brakes put on and a new muffler put on. I have had all my oil changes and tune ups. They say there is no recalls, how could there not be recalls here in the usa. They had a class action law suit in Canada and Kia was made to fix these same issues.
- Dayton, OH, USA
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I purchased this 2005 Kia Sorento and on my way home there was a knock before I lost my sterring and brakes. Luckily I slowed down when I heard the sound. I got the car home safelybeing only a half a mile away. Called the dealer I purchased the Kia from and he came and got it to repair it. He bought the updated so call bolt that was suppose to fix the issue with the crank shaft bolt. Then I got the car back and had the gas tank leaking from the seams. He fix and replaced that. Just the other night on my way to work and I lost my sterring and brakes again..I travel on main roads but there is a lot of amish here and thank god I wasn't going around any of there buggy and hurt those people or myself..there is no fix what so ever for this issue and someone needs to make Kia stand up and take responsibility for this faulty defect before a innocent child or woman or husband gets killed.
I was turning onto a street and heard a big clunk only to find out the bolt on the crankshaft broke off again on 10/29/15 as well as 7/30/13. The power steering went out & battery light came on. Lost power and everything after a big clunk! this happens all the time: There are a multitude of these same complaints: This engine was replaced in May 2010 and the harmonic balancer and pulley have been worked on twice since 2010. There is a defective bolt that was replaced with a new defective bolt. This is happening numerous times to many Kia Sorento owners and they are left stranded. Kia knows about it and refuses to do anything! my car is sitting at country Kia in charleston, SC because the extended- warranty will not cover this defective bolt and I can't pay $5000 on a car that is now only worth $3000. I had to stay in charleston, SC an extra 2 days at my expense $79 /night, pay $75 for the tow bill and an additional $55 or $65 for the Kia dealership to check it out. I had to rent a car to come back to fl as I was stranded in charleston without transportation. I cannot afford the $5000 for repairs and the $1500 to pay it off just to get the title to send this to a junk yard. The mileage just turned to 107,000 or 108,000. This is the 4th time that there was an issue on this part of this car having to do with the same issues related to this defective bolt, harmonic balancer and pulley as a result of this defective bolt. (this is only on one car). You will see how many times this is occurring to many other owners of these Kia Sorentos. Please read through the complaints on the following link: gotaclassaction.com/Kia-named-in-class-action-over-first-generation-2002-2009-equipped-with-A-Hyundai-manufactured-3-5L-24-valve-DOHC-V6-engine/
I went to my doctors appointment the car ran fine well about half way home the car started making a funny noise sounded like a tractor or if U turn your wheel to far the noise it makes like a grinding metal noise so I stop at a light the noise stopped all seemed normal I lightly stepped on the gas and the noise came back well ive got to get home only seconds away from home no light are coming on its not over heating I go to turn a corner and the steering was gone for a second but came but steering came back decided to take it to the shop all the way to the shop the steering and noise was all going at the same time its clear theres problems with this car that needs to be addressed before someone does get killed is that what has to happen to get a recall?
Driver side axle broke in June 2015 and July 9, 2015 passenger side axle cracked and passenger side hub assembly went bad. Making a rattling, metal grinding noise. When the Sorento was raised up the whole underneath is rusted out. Im lucky I didnt have a major accident. Should be recalled for safety issues.
At a stop light, I heard and felt a shudder throughout the vehicle. The brake and battery light came on immediately after the shudder. The engine continued to run normally. Proceeding through the intersection, I experienced the loss of power steering making the car very difficult to control. Managed to get the vehicle to a nearby parking lot where I called for a tow to the Kia dealer. Dealer confirmed a sheared crank shaft bolt. Incident occurred on a busy state highway during rush hour. Speed limit is 45 mph on this stretch of road and very busy at rush hour. Had the vehicle been in motion at the time of the part failure there would have been an accident.
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 7 mph down an icy hill, the vehicle was shifted into 4-wheel drive but it failed to engage. The driver lost control and crashed into another vehicle without warning. The driver's shoulder and left arm were injured, but did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the front pinion fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,700. Updated 03/31/15
First incident-on August 16, 2014 while on vacation and driving from Virginia to Chicago ill, the vehicle start making a rattling noise coming from the front of the vehicle and warning lights came on the dash (battery, brake) and the power steering went out making the vehicle very hard to maneuver, I immediately pulled over into a fast food parking lot to check the noise and found that the harmonic balancer was loose and belts were not turning, I had the vehicle towed to a mechanic after inspection I was informed that the crank shaft gear pin had broke off to the harmonic balancer. I purchase the parts (harmonic balancer, bolt and crank shaft gear) and had the mechanic repair the vehicle and drove back to Virginia. Second incident-October 2014 while my wife was driving the vehicle, she encountered the same problems the warning lights, rattling in the front of vehicle, power steering locked unable to turn vehicle, I inspected the vehicle and saw that the harmonic balancer was loose and belts were not turning, the pin in the crank shaft gear has broken again, I had the vehicle towed to the Kia dealership in richmond, and they stated that I needed a new motor. After investigating complaints about this vehicle on line I found out that this problem is well documented with this make and year vehicle. If I or my wife had been on the highway at the time of this fault it could have been catastrophic. I also found that their is a class action suit against Kia motors addressing the exact same fault.(civil action no. 13-006 United States district court, district of New Jersey) essentially, plaintiffs claimed their vehicles were designed with a "defective crankshaft pulley bold and balancer, ? which could result in ?breaking off the spring guide pin, ? causing ?catastrophic engine failure." This vehicle is unsafe, a recall is warranted and Kia motors needs to correct the defect.
On 8/23/2014 my family a I were in Chicago we traveled there on Friday 8/22/2014 from Virginia in the 2005 Kia Sorento that I just purchased in July 2014 from pearson Hyundai. While driving to my family reunion in the forest reserves the vehicle brake light and other warning lights came on, and a rattle could be heard coming from the engine, the vehicle became hard to steer and the noise from the engine became louder. I stopped the vehicle and had it towed to my families mechanic, after checking the vehicle it was found to have the pin on the crank gear broken off, and the crank bolt came loose, replaced the sprocket (crank gear), the harmonic balancer, and the bolt. I drove the vehicle back to Virginia with no problem, then on October 3, 2014 while my wife was driving in richmond, va the exact same thing happened again, (warning lights, no power steering and rattling from the harmonic balancer, I had the car towed to the Kia dealership on Friday, they finally got back with me wed, October 8, 2014 and told me that I needed a motor cause the crank shaft is blown, prior to having it towed, I saw that the harmonic balancer was doing the exact same thing it had did in Chicago and turning it I can tell that the same pin has came off the sprocket. The Kia dealership wants to sell me a used engine, same as the one that is in the Kia I have, I am reluctant to pay $5000 to replace the engine to have the same problem, that I and after further investigation a lot of Kia Sorento owners have suffered.
Kia Sorento 2005, similar crank bolt main pulley assembly break that many, many of the others have all been complaining about and unfortunately been experiencing. This is the third time I had this very same issue repaired for substantial dollars and now my mechanic stated there is not enough thread left into the crankshaft to fix and it needs a completely rebuild or engine replacement - which in all likelihood be less expensive. There should definitely be a recall for this - as so many have the same issue. Thank god my incidents were all at slow speed because this would easily cause a crash because you loose all power steering and control.
Driving approximately 55mph 22 Nov 2013, heard a thump from engine compartment, and lost all power to vehicle, ending up in a ditch. Engine stopped, no steering, no brakes. Dash lights illuminated. Vehicle would not re-start. Crank pulley bolt broke off. Over 5 hours to extract remainder of bolt to repair engine. $1359 in repairs. Now, 22 Sept 2014, 10 months later, had same happen on highway at 70mph in heavy traffic. Thankful I was in a lane at the edge of the roadway. Current mileage slightly under 114,000. Yeah. 10 months and 13000 miles and another huge repair bill. No recall, Kia claims no liability. Other issue: Interior lighting turns itself off and on at whim. Headlights burn out every 45-90 days.
In September 2012, traveling at 35mph my Kia came to a stop. At first glance it was determined the drive belts had unfastened and the cam shaft bolt was laying on the engine pan. After inspection at Kia service shop the specialist identified that the cam shaft bolt had sheered off due to the defective part: Cam shaft sprocket-C, part # 23120-35701 cost $60. The final suggestion was to replace the bolt set, sprocket, crank angle sensor, damper pulley, auto tensioner and all drive belts a total of $2,000 repair cost. In 2014, the cost repair is now 4,000 to replace the engine because of the same exact issue but traveling over 40mpg causing more damage. The main cause of this defect derives from the small pin attached to the sprocket that turns the harmonic balancer and grinds the steel with the force of the engine into nothing. The result of this defect causes the harmonic balancer to come lose, shearing off the crank bolt first, then if traveling at low speed will follow with the repair above, however if at high speed will result in engine damage in the valves making it necessary to replace the engine at a cost of $4,000. You may refer to the following resources for more information: The Kia Sorento engine defect class action lawsuit case is robinson el al V. Kia motors America Inc. Case no. 13-CV00006 us district court of New Jersey. For a video visual of the exact defect you may refer to youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?V=qhll55fv2Z0.
While driving at 50 mph the power steering failed on my 2005 Kia Sorento making it extremely difficult to control. When I finally pulled into a parking lot there was a loud noise coming from the engine. I turned off the engine immediately. When I tried to restart the vehicle the battery appeared to be dead. I finally had to have it towed around 11 P.M. upon further inspection by a mechanic it was determined that the cam shaft bold broke off.causing the pulleys to stop which affected everything that was driven by the pulleys. There was also damage to the radiator that needs to be replaced. Initial estimate to repair the vehicle was $1550.
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. While driving approximately 30 mph, the power steering failed without warning and the vehicle became increasingly difficult to control. The dealer stated that the camshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.
From the time I got the car head lights have repeatedly burned out after a month or two, also dash lights go off randomly and flicker and then come back on when ever they decide, my power steering went out, brake light came on and A/C went out all at once. Started to overheat, so it was determined the serpentinre belt had broke, replaced belt and vibration under hood was noticeable but could not determine the source., but somewhere under the hood. Still replacing headlights every couple months, then power steering fluid started to be consumed and constantlyt required adding fluid, then had a mechanic check for leak and he replaced some hoses and clamps but vibratiion continued and eventually power steering began loud noise when car started and only when reved up would noise stop, and when A/C was on sometimes would effect the power steering noise. Replaced the powersteering pump, still the noise continued and recently the belt came off while I was driving and brake light came on, I was able to get safely off the road and didnt cause an acciedent, but very close call, belt had come off but after minor adjustment it was put back on, vibration noise has become worse, I am affraid to drive it, mechanic looked at it and said harmonic balance seems to be off and root of problem is crank shaft bolt most likely, common problem, however during the time in Kia dealership for other recall issues, crank bolt was never brought to my attention as being a problem in my year or model car, non it turns out it is a major problem and legal action has been taken by class action suit dealing with same issue.
I recently had to have the crank shaft sensor replaced on my 2005 Kia Sorento. This morning, driving my young son to school, I lost the steering on my vehicle. Additionally, the engine light and brake light came on. As I understand it, this is an ongoing defective issue with Kia's. this is a dangerous problem for the public as well as consumers.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Easton, MD, USA