2004 Kia Sorento

WHILE IN A FAST-FOOD DRIVE-THRU LINE, MY CAR SHUT DOWN. I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, IT TRIED TO TURN-OVER, BUT IT DIDN'T START. I DIDN'T WANT TO FLOOD THE ENGINE, SO I WAITED A FEW MINUTES. WHEN I TRIED AGAIN, IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND I HEADED STRAIGHT HOME THINKING I MUST HAVE SOME WATER IN MY GAS BECAUSE NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. AFTER TALKING WITH MY HUSBAND, HE AGREED WITH MY ASSESSMENT AND PUT SOME DRY GAS IN THE TANK. I DROVE THE NEXT DAY, MONDAY, JUNE 23RD, WITH NO PROBLEMS, BUT TUESDAY, THE CAR SHUT DOWN AGAIN. IT TOOK A LONGER TIME TO RESTART AND THEN FINALLY I COULDN'T RESTART IT AND HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC WHO TOLD US THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE ASSURED US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING - ACCORDING TO OUR CAR MECHANIC, THE CAM SENSOR WAS ACTUALLY BURNT WHICH LED TO A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT,POWER STEERING FAILEDBY THE GRACE OF GOD WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE INTERSTATE. LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SEEN THE CRANK SHAFT PULLEY AND BOLT LAYING ON THE TIE ROD UNDER CLOSE EXAMINATION THE SPRING PIN WAS SHEARED OFF FROM THE TIMING CHAIN PULLEY. THE FIRST TIME TOOK THE VEHICLE TO KIA OF BRANDON FLORIDA , INWHICH THEY SAID OTHER THINGS WERE WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AS WELL, THE TOTAL BILL CAME TO AROUND 800.00 DOLLARS. I THINK THEY JUST TIGHTENED DOWN THE BOLTS BECAUSE THE CRANK SHAFT PULLEY CAME OFF AGAIN, WENT BACK TO KIA OF BRANDON AND THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR IT, STATING THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE FOR FREE, THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ANOTHER 800.00 DOLLARS...SO VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC THAT REATTACHED THE PULLEY...AND THE PULLEY CAME OFF AGAIN THIS TIME THE BOLT BROKE OFF IN THE CRANK SHAFT,THE TIMING CHAIN SPROCKET ALSO CAME OFF. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE ONLY REPAIRING CERTAIN VIN NUMBERS OF THAT YEAR. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN THE CAR ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE POWER SHUT DOWN AND THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING. I HAD TROUBLE TRYING TO MERGE OVER INTO A SAFE LANE BEFORE THE CAR STOPPED ROLLING. I DID MANAGE RESTARTING THE VEHICLE TO MOVE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE IT CUT OFF ON ME AGAIN. ONCE I WAS SAFE I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND LET IT RUN A COUPLE OF MINUTES BEFORE I WAS SAFE TO PULL BACK OUT. THIS HAPPEN TO ME A COUPLE OF TIME BEFORE BUT THIS TIME IT WAS SO UNSAFE I ALMOST WAS KILLED MY A 18 WHEELER TRUCK. I CONTACT MANY DEALERSHIPS TO SEE WHAT CODE COMES UP AND NO CODE COMES UP. *TR

@ 62,894 MILES: DRIVING FROM GAS STATION TO HOME LESS THAN 1 MILE AWAY, ENGINE MADE NOISE AND STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. PARKED CAR OVERNIGHT, THEN DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES TO CLOSEST REPAIR SHOP. DIAGNOSED AS SHEERED OFF CRANKSHAFT PIN/BOLT. REPAIRED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH NEW PARTS FROM KIA, BUT ONE WEEK LATER HAD TO BE TOWED IN BECAUSE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. CRANKSHAFT WAS WARPED SO ENGINE WAS REBUILT WITH USED CRANKSHAFT AND NEW PARTS FROM KIA. @ 104,595 MILES: DRIVING ON RURAL ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD CAME ON AND LOST POWER STEERING. SPEED WAS 55 MPH. MANAGED TO STEER CAR OFF ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. CRANKSHAFT PIN/BOLT SHEERED OFF. COST TO REPAIR $895.30. @ 109,885 MILES: ENGINE BEGAN MAKING CLICKING NOISES AND LOST POWER STEERING, ETC. CRANKSHAFT PIN/BOLT SHEERED OFF. REPAIR NOT RECOMMENDED. REPLACEMENT ENGINE RECOMMENDED. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING AGAINST KIA FOR THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE SEARCH ONLINE AND YOU WILL FIND THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE WITH THIS SAME VEHICLE (2002-2009) AND MANY HAD ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF IT. WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE NEWS? KIA KNOWS THIS PART IS BAD, THEY KNOW THIS DESIGN IS BAD, AND THEY CONTINUE TO PUT BAND AIDS ON ENGINES RATHER THAN FIXING THEM. *TR

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY @ 55 MPH WITH TWO CHILDREN AGES 2 AND 1 YEAR OLD IN JANUARY 14. SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT. SCARED THE[XXX] OUT OF HER. IT TOOK ALL OF HER STRENGTH TO STEER IT TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY.THE SORENTO WAS TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT (PULLEY) BROKE THAT DRIVES ALL THE OTHER PULLEYS INCLUDING THE POWER STEERING. HALF THE BOLT WAS STILL IN THE ENGINE. IT WAS REPAIRED WITH A KIA UPDATED BOLT AND REMEMBER BEING TOLD, "THIS IS KNOWN TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL" . THANK GOODNESS NOTHING HAPPENED TO HER AND MY GRANDCHILDREN. ON 21 FEBRUARY, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AGAIN CAUSED BY THE SAME REASON AS BEFORE. WHAT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IS: 1. THE BOLT ITSELF HAS BEEN RECALLED BUT IT IS OBVIOUSLY NOT A BOLT ISSUE. IT IS A "DESIGN ISSUE" THAT KIA IS WELL AWARE OF AND THEY ARE IGNORING THIS ISSUE. 2. A CLASS ACTION SUIT IS IN PROCESS AGAINST KIA,"KIA SORENTO ENGINE DEFECT CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT" CASE IS ROBINSON ET AL V. KIA MOTORS AMERICA INC. ET AL., CASE NO. 13-CV-00006 U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY. THIS IS FOR KIA SORENTO'S 2002-2009. 3.A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED AND REPORTED TO NHTSA (SAFECAR.GOV). 4. PERFORMING A FMECA (FAILURE MODE EFFECT CRITICALITY ANALYSIS) IT WOULD SHOW THIS FAILURE COULD LEAD TO ENGINE FAILURE, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, HAZARD TO OTHER DRIVERS DUE TO ENGINE PARTS BREAKAGE, INJURY AND POTENTIAL DEATH. WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR AN AGENCY SUCH AS NHTSA TO TAKE ACTION. THE DEATH OF A CHILD. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE AS THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE BATTERY WARNING LIGHT AND THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE WAS REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 154,000.

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN I SUDDENLY STARTED HEARING RATTLING NOISES FROM THE ENGINE. THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. THANKFULLY, I WAS ON A SIDE STREET WITH NO OTHER TRAFFIC. IF I HAD BEEN IN TRAFFIC OR TRAVELING AT A HIGHER SPEED, THIS WOULD SURELY HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT IS SHEARED OFF AND MUST BE DRILLED OUT TO BE REPLACED. KIA WON'T COVER THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR, SAYS IT IS NOT COVERED BY THEIR WARRANTY. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, I SEE THAT KIA IS AWARE OF A DEFECT IN THE BOLT AND HAS ISSUED SERVICE BULLETINS AND DISCONTINUED THE BOLT, ISSUING A NEW PART TO REPLACE IT. THERE ARE ALREADY NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS AND OTHER SITES DUE TO THIS ISSUE, SPANNING SEVERAL MODEL YEARS. TO DATE, I HAVE NOT SEEN A RECALL FROM KIA. DANGEROUS DEFECT AND ALARMING LACK OF CONCERN (NOT TO MENTION CUSTOMER SERVICE) FROM KIA. I WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT THIS CAR IF I HAD KNOWN THE GAMBLE I WAS TAKING WITH MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. I HOPE OTHERS WILL NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE. *TR