Kia Sorento transmission problems

I FILED THIS REPORT 6/23/11 ON KIA.COM CONSUMER CARE WEBSITE: 2011 SORENTO LX (4CYL AWD) TRANSMISSION HAS LOCKED UP MULTIPLE TIMES. AT 40 MPH DURING ACCELERATION, LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY SEVERE JERKING, (HARD DOWN-SHIFT), LOSS OF DRIVE (ENGINE CONTINUES TO RUN BUT DOES NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR), COAST TO STOP,PUT IN PARK. FIRST FEW TIMES IT DROVE OKAY AFTER A COMPLETE STOP AND FROM PARK, THIS LAST TIME IT WOULD NOT SHIFT BEYOND 40 MPH. TOWED TWICE TO DEALER BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE IN THE MILEAGE THAT THEY DROVE IT. VEHICLE PURCHASED 01/30/10 WITH 24K MILES. MILEAGE AT THE LAST SERVICE WAS 33K. FIRST EVENT 5/17, OCCURS EVERY 4-5 DAYS OR APPROX 200-250 MI. CHK ENGINE LT / TRANSMISSION LIGHT HAVE NEVER COME ON, COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC DOESNT REGISTER ANY ISSUES. THE DEALER WAS VERY NICE BUT WITHOUT KIA'S APPROVAL WOULD NOT KEEP THE CAR LONG ENOUGH TO FIND THE PROBLEM. I ASKED KIA DIRECTLY TO PROVIDE A TECH TO DRIVE THE CAR LONG ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE THE ISSUE BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO AUTHORIZE IT AND HAVE ALSO STATED THAT WITHOUT VERIFICATION THEY WILL NOT APPROVE ANY REPAIRS. I AM VERY AFRAID THAT NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS IT WILL CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I HAVE ALREADY HAD TWO CLOSE CALLS ON THE FREEWAY 6/28: THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED AGAIN 4 DAYS AGO (6/24) ON A NARROW TWO LANE ROAD WHILE ACCELLERATING AFTER A STOP SIGN (AGAIN ABOUT 40-45 MPH). THIS TIME IT LOST ALL DRIVE AND RPM'S DID NOT GO UP WHEN PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL. PUT IT INTO PARK AND TRIED TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE IT FINALLY DROVE. TODAY 6/28, AT A GAS STATION THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR, TURNED IT OFF AND ON AGAIN AND IT DROVE OKAY OUT OF THE STATION BUT 200 YDS LATER AS I WAS ACCELERATING UP THE RAMP TO ENTER I-5 (A 6 LANE FREEWAY DURING EARLY COMMUTE) IT MADE THE SAME LOUD BANG, JERK AND THEN LOST DRIVE, COASTED TO SHOULDER. TURNED ENGINE OFF, WAITED A FEW MINUTES TO RESTART, IT WAS NOT VERY RESPONSIVE BUT I WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. UPON RESTART, THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS NORMAL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE FURTHER WHEN PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. A KNOCKING NOISE WAS ALSO HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY JERK BACKWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED 6/29/2011. UPDATED 09/07/2011 *LN *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION STARTING SLIPPING WHILE SHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WAS 7,200. RETURN TO DEALER 8/10/11 TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING, TOIL LEAKING, TRANSMISSION STILL STICKS. UPDATED 09/14/2011 *LN THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, DUE TO TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING, AS WELL AS THE GETTING STUCK. UPDATED 12/05/11

PURCHASED A NEW SORENTO LX ON 5-2011, 4CYL, FWD, AUTOMATIC. ON THREE OCCASIONS DURING THE FIRST MONTH I OWNED THE VEHICLE, I HAVE EXPERIENCED UNCOMMANDED DOWNSHIFT FROM 6TH GEAR TO 4TH GEAR AT SPEED. TRANSMISSION THEN LOCKS IN 4TH GEAR UNTIL SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED. VERY VIOLENT EVENT WHEN IT OCCURS, WITH AN INSTANTANEOUS BANG AND CORRESPONDING IMMEDIATE LOSS OF SPEED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING DIFFERENT SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK FORWARD AND LOSE POWER. THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V258000 (POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT) BUT THE DEALER STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,820.

POWERTRAIN ISSUE ON MY KIA SORENTO LX 2011, 4L, THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE HIGHWAY WITH ALL MY FAMILY ON IT. THIS CAUSES ME CONCERN BECAUSE WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE I HEARD SOME UNPLEASANT, LOUD AND REPETITIVE CLICKING NOISES UNDER MY CAR WHICH EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY AFTER A MINUTE. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR 2 WEEKS AGO. I HAD TO CALL KIA AND WAS ADVISED ME TO GO TO ANY KIA AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WITHIN MY AREA TO GET IT FIX, BUT THEY DIDN'T OFFERED ME AN CAR LOAN OPTION WHILE HYPOTHETICAL REPAIR TAKES PLACE. MY MAIN CONCERN IS ABOUT THE SECURITY OF MY FAMILY AND RISK OF CRASH. ALSO I WAS SHOCKED WHEN KIA REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME MY CAR WASN'T LISTED FOR A RECALL. WHEN I HAVE ALL THE FORE-MENTIONED SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED ON NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V258000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE ROLLED TO A STOP BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. AFTER EACH FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,600 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,200.

IN OCTOBER OF 2010, I WAS DRIVING MY 9 MONTH OLD 2011 KIA SORENTO. I WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND HEARD A VERY LOUD BOOM SOUND. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK. I TRIED TO SHIFT THE GEAR INTO DRIVE AND IT MADE A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED INTO KIA AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD COMPLETELY GONE INCLUDING THE DRIVE SHAFT. THEY HAD TO TOTALLY REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND DRIVE SHAFT. TODAY IS APRIL 19, 2011 AND FOR THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS MY CAR HAS BEEN HESITATING LIKE I AM RUNNING OUT OF GAS, AT SOME POINTS THE CAR ACTUALLY JERKS. I AM TAKING THE CAR IN TO BE SERVICED TODAY. *TR