2004 Kia Sorento

I PURCHASED A 2004 KIA SORENTO TWO YEARS AGO. IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE. TAIL LIGHTS/BRAKE LIGHTS BURNING OUT FREQUENTLY WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE I DELIVER RURAL USDA MAIL. NOW MY TRANSMISSION IS BROKEN!! KIA-DULUTH ASKED IF I HAD HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED AT THE SPECIFIED MILEAGE AND THAT THEY WILL NEED VERIFICATION OF THIS. (I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THEIR OBJECTIVE WAS TO NOT HONOR THEIR WARRANTY (10 YEARS/100,000 MILE WARRANTY IF I HAD NOT FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION). I FAXED THEM THE RECEIPT INDICATING THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN FLUSHED. I CONTACTED KIA-DULUTH THE FOLLOWING DAY BECAUSE I HAD NOT HEARD FROM THEM. HE SAID HE HAD NOT HEARD BACK FROM KIA YET TO AUTHORIZE THE REPAIR. THIS VEHICLE HAS CAUSED ME SO MUCH LOST WORK TIME, STRESS AND HAS BEEN EMOTIONALLY DRAINING FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS. KIA'S DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING - I BELIEVED THAT SINCE KIA WAS OFFERING A 10 YEAR/100,000 MILE WARRANTY, THEIR VEHICLE MUST BE REALLY GOOD. BOY WAS I WRONG! KIA IS BUILDING VEHICLES WITH DEFECTIVE PARTS AND MATERIALS AND HAS SET-UP THEIR WARRANTY PLAN TO BE ABLE TO VOID THEM FROM HAVING TO HONOR THEIR WARRANTY PLAN AND HAVING ANY RESPONSIBILITY. FOR FURTHER COMPLAINTS ON KIA VEHICLES, PLEASE CONTACT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND YOU WILL FIND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY CONSUMERS ARE ALSO LOCATED AT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES: WWW.MY3CENTS.COM AND WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM. KIA NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND PUT A STOP TO THEIR SCAMMING AND DEFRAUDING THE CONSUMER AND BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED DUE TO NUMEROUS DEFECTIVE PARTS IN THEIR VEHICLES. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SORENTO, WHEN THE CONTACT LIFTS THE FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL THE THROTTLE CABLE STICKS. THERE WAS A COLLISION WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, AND THE PASSENGER WAS INJURED RESULTING IN A 2 DAY HOSPITAL STAY. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED ON TWO OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT HAS REFERENCED RECALL#05V329000 AS THE EXACT FAILURE IN HIS VEHICLE. THE RECALL STATED THAT ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, FREEZING CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE WATER ON THE THROTTLE CABLE TO FREEZE DURING NORMAL OPERATION. RESISTANCE TO MOVEMENT OF THE THROTTLE CABLE CAN OCCUR WHEN THE DRIVER LIFTS THEIR FOOT OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19585 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 19591.*AK UPDATED 2/21/2007 - *NM

AIRBAGS NOT WORKING PROPERLY DURING ACCIDENTS. THIS HAS CAUSED ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES TO REMOVE THE DISCOUNTS FOR AIRBAGS. THIS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED DUE TO THE FACT SEVERAL INJURIES HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. IF THE AIRBAGS FAIL DURING THE TIME WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED MOST THEN THE MANUFACTURER HAS A DUTY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *JB

THE ENGINE COOLANT RESERVOIR FAILED CAN'T BE REPAIRED. IT MUST BE REPLACED. THERE ARE NO SUCH PARTS ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. PARTS ARE ON A BOAT FROM KOREA. DUE TO THE SUSPECTED NUMBER OF SUCH FAILURES, AND TO THE BASIC LACK OF ADEQUATE DESIGN OF THE PART, WE SUSPECT THAT THERE HAS BEEN A MAJOR DRAW-DOWN ON THE PART, RESULTING IN A STOCK OUTAGE. OPERATING THE VEHICLE W/O THIS MAJOR COMPONENT WOULD RESULT IN ENGINE FAILURE. SUCH ENGINE FAILURE, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT, AND POTENTIAL INJURY. *NM *AK

IN LESS THAN A YEAR CONSUMER HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AND THE BACK HATCH WINDOW WAS LEAKING INSIDE THE VEHICLE EVERY TIME IT RAINED. *TS THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED ON NOVEMBER 30, 2004 AND FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE NEW BULB WAS INSTALLED IT SHATTERED. ON THAT SAME DATE THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEM WITH THE CLOCK AND HVAC INDICATORS. UPDATED 03/30/07. *JB

A FEW WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING MY 2004 KIA SORENTO, I NOTICED THE DRIVERS SEAT ROCKING BACK AND FORTH WHEN ACCELERATING AND BRAKING. DEALER REPLACED SEAT RAIL. THAT FAILED TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. SINCE THEN THE DEALER HAS AGAIN REPLACE THE SEAT RAIL AND THE WHOLE SEAT WITHOUT RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. KIA REP SAYS THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR ELECTRIC SEATS IN KIAS TO ROCK LIKE MINE DOES. I BELIEVE THE SEAT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL DURING AN ACCIDENT RENDERING IT AND THE SEAT BELT USELESS.*AK

THE VEHICLE HAS A HESITATION ON ACCELERATION. IT VIBRATES WHILE ON THE EXPRESSWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS. MOST RECENTLY, THE TRANSFER CASE SEIZED UP AND THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP WHILE I WAS TURNING AND I ALMOST CRASHED. IT IS NOW IN THE SHOP GETTING THE TRANSFER CASE REPLACED AND I'M TOLD THERE ARE EVEN MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. PLEASE ADVISE ME ON WHAT TO DO SO THE COMPANY CAN POSSIBLY BUY THIS VEHICLE BACK FROM ME. *JB

SINCE BUYING MY SORENTO IN FEBRUARY 2004, I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE CAR SOMETIMES HAS TO "THINK" BEFORE GOING INTO GEAR AND THERE IS NO PREDICTABILITY AS TO WHEN THIS WILL HAPPEN. IN EXAMPLE I WAS IN THE CENTER LANE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR JUST WOULD NOT GET GOING IT HESITATES AND THEN DROPS INTO GEAR. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT HE HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS LIKE MINE BUT THERE IS NOTHING HE COULD DO TO HELP. HE SAID THAT IT SEEMS TO BE THE COMBINATION OF THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION AND THAT SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE JUST A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR, THERE WOULD BE NOTHING THAT KIA WOULD DO. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS VEHICLE CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. SINCE IT IS A 6 CYLINDER, I WOULD BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD GET UP AND GO WHEN YOU NEED IT. I ALWAYS NEED TO BE AWARE THAT I CANNOT RELY ON THE CAR TO GET IN GEAR QUICKLY. THIS IS UNSATISFACTORY, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE REACT IN SUCH A WAY.*AK