Owners' Stories

will never buy another kia. junk.

well here goes...have a kia sorrento 2011...startd giving problems back in oct..was takn to a kia place (bn nice)..they ran diagnostics couldnt find anything...came back perfect..so we conttinued to drive it....well the clickn got worse when tryn to start it ...it was all random..but they car was not drivn much..cause it would leave ya stranded...so made an appt at another kia place to get it lookd at....it was acting up really bad 4 days b4 the appt so we just took it in...it was running when i pulld into the bay at the kia place and has not ran since...been a week today since i was there...they have replaced the starter stil not runnin...replaced relay...still not runnin...now they r say its the pcm...but and i say but they r tryn to say bcause we added some components to the stereo system that our warranty may not b valid.that is crazy the problm was reported months ahead of the install..ughhhhh im tryn to deal with this and my boyfriend (his car)is in afghanastan...i truly love kia cars but this is some bull...does any one have any suggestions...according to magnuson-moss warranty act they cant do this...please help

The headlights are the only issue, so far. Can't see at all on regular beam. Almost seems like riding around with parking lights. I'm constantly using the brights until I can get this fixed.

Bought new in 2004 (2005 model) Steering rack replaced at 5k. Leaking shock replaced at 35k. Radio replaced at 45k. At 60k maint the valve covers were leaking oil and replaced along with squeaky U-joint. Immediately after timing belt replacement the crank shaft pulley fell off. The service technician reused the one time use crankshaft bolt which subsequently sheared off. Replaced crank pulley, dampener, all belts. AC has gone out twice so far. AC control died once $300. Now they need to replace the evaporator (about $1k). 9 brake light replacements. Thin paint is completely eaten up even though it has always been garage kept. The car had 82k on it now and we are giving it away to my son. Lord help him.

I purchased a 2012 Kia Sorento. I do love the car. The exception is the headlights. The dim lights are sooooooo bad!! The high beams should be the low beams. I drive to work at night and have a hard time when other cars are in the opposite lane. I guess I have to pay extra to purchase better lights. I am not happy about this!

Bought new in 04. NO big problems,46000 miles. Had to replace front tires and get wheels aligned 10/11. Replaced front rotors in November 2011, had just a little warp feeling in brake pedel.One set of brakes. Nothing else. Car doesn't even need plugs yet.And dealer I bought from Jack Miller Kia, has had it in shop at there request just to check it out. No cost to me. If I had to buy another car, it would be another Sorento!!!!!

Dont buy a KIA Sorento. I have had my car for 3 months and it has been in the shop at least 8 times already. It is a piece of garbage. I hope someone steals it and I never have to see it again.

just junk, cannot say anymore..stay away.

2005 kia sorento just replaced the gas tank and now everytime i fill up it stalls out and dies and me ???

I have an 05 sorento yea like everyone else i replace the lights every six months when i first purchased the car i was told lights were part of the huge package warrenty deal i had purchased haha! i took it to be fixed the first time and was informed it was an electrical problem? too much juice? i opted for not fixing it it wasnt covered of course! then was charged 65 dollars for labor and 35 for a lightbulb!!!!! really!!!!i am a female and know squat about cars but 110 for a light bulb WTF! i went to Oriely's a local auto store bought a double pack of lightbulbs for .99 and the FEMALE at the register showed me how to change it ! take that kia!!! 110 to .99 yea the mommymobile will ride again!

I have had my 2007 Kia Sorento for about 4 years. I never had any problems out of it until recently, I have replace the same head light 3 times; it seems they last about 6 months. I replaced a sensor that controls the traction control the car was going into the safe engine mode and I had no power just enough to move the car off the road. Now it is making a loud noise not sure what it is from; maybe power steering or water pump I'm guessing.

I have an 05 Sorento with over twenty two thousand miles and like most of the Kia owners had experienced the same issues. However, the issues with the lights seem to stop when the wiring hardness burned due to short and was replaced at that time because of my driving I was out of warranty so it cost me a bit over 1k. From time to time the brakes feel different and the gas gage goes crazy but over all everything is good. The only mayor repairs on this car were the wiring harness and recently the AC compressor other than that I’ve always used synthetic oil since the beginning, tires, breaks and Spark plugs replacement and I do not let anyone work on the engine until it is needed sometimes we follow the recommended maintenance because we want our investment to last and we end up in the hands of a butcher that can do anything right. In other words “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it”

have a 2005 sorento ..after a few years i believe,i have to constantly change the headlights every 6 months,and rear lights just as often,after that many times you forget,now when i use the remote to unlock the doors it makes a loud buzzing noise,good car ,other than those problems

i bought my sorento in december i was so happy. 4 days after buying there was a recall on the breaks which was fixed very quickly. so it was back to normal then i have that defence system on there so i would be notified if it was stolen. well christmas night i got over 32 messages to contact the state police my vehicle had been stolen of course in panic mode then i look outside my house there was my vehicle. then i calmed done because my car was not stolen. then for three weeks after the messages never stopped. called quirk kia they sad call the company of the system it had nothing to do with t hem. it was even bad while i was driving and i was getting the messages. finally after two and a half months they decided to replace the defence system. after that my drivers side window was always getting stuck so i brought it to the dealer to get it fixed they pretty much told me i was crazy they had ran every test possiable and it was fine 1month later it was stuck again and it stayed like that for 3 days so i brought it back into the dealer. still being stuck i was actually very happy so they could see it. they brought it in to work on it they told me that it was my fault they had to replace the motor in the window. that only happens from rapid movement of up and down. you are supposed to wait 5 minutes in between from putting it up and doen. that was great that they actually didnt chage me. now that was almost 2 weeks ago and i was also promised that i would be called when the touch up paint that i had ordered came in. and of course QUIRK KIA is the WORST DEALER EVER and guess what i didnt get my call yet. the car is 6 months old there is still other problems i didnt list save that for a rainy day

I have purchased mine new also in 05, also tail lights kept blowing out, now headlights are starting to do it. Bigger problem is it just stops running while driving down the road and then starting back up. Can sit at a stop light and it quits takes about 60 seconds to get it to start again. Has been in the shop. They can't seem to find it won't pull a code. Spent a $1000.00 Still doing it. This is very dangerous. Gas gauge goes crazy. I swear it is possessed. Also have had brake problems finally found a mechanic to fix it since Kia couldn't do it. Kia just told me some cars do that and to deal with it.

Have had the Sorento since new in 2005. I still have less than 50k miles but no problems, a few minor issues but everything was covered under the warranty. My local dealership is really great, never a hasssle about warranty repairs. Vehicle just dropped out of 5 year/50k bumper to bumper to bumper so we'll see how they honor the 10 year/100k powertrain but hopefully I won't ever need it! Good car though.

I bought my car brand new 3 years ago. Correction, we bought two 2008 KIA Sorento's at the same time 3 years ago. Today I have a tad over 15,000 on one and 54,000 miles on the other and I hate it (The one with 54,000 miles). I still have about 46,000 left to go on my engine warranty and now they don't want to honor that. I got stranded in Montana 2 weeks ago. Was told it was the major seal on the back of my motor that popped out. So, it was fixed under my warranty. Then I get back home to Missouri and I started having the same issue. Now I'm being told that I need to replace the whole engine. They told me I can only do that if I can produce my oil change papers. Well, every oil change I've had done has been through Anderson Ford which is who services the KIA's here. But for some reason the last oil change they have on file is for 24,000 miles which is a bunch of crap. Not only that but they only have us listed as owning 1 KIA Sorento and for the KIA with 15,000 miles on it, they don't have all the oil change papers either. So now, they want me to pay out of pocket for my engine when they have completely screwed this all up. So these people can suck on my big toe, take that KIA and shove it right up their woohoo. The only other problem I've ever had with the KIA with 54,000 miles is my headlights. They always seem to burn out. As far as the KIA with 15,000 miles, it's still in good condition. Guess that's because it sits for long periods of time and hardly gets driven (truck driver hard at working driving a big rig). As far as I'm concerned, they don't honor their warranty's, they are rude, inconsiderate people that only see dollar signs on someones forehead.

I am also a 2005 KIA Soento owner and I have also had to replace my headlights & brake lights constantly, drives me bonkers, then my A/C went out. I was also told by the dealership it was front wheel drive inturn it was not ; (

We have purchased a lemon from KIA and they do not honor their warranty. They are very rude and unconcerned about fixing our vehicle. Working with them has been extremely difficult. The BBB gave them 30 days to fix our vehicle and they did not. Now the BBB wants to give them 30 more days since they didn't fix it the first time. This is not acceptable. KIA is a very disappointing company to work with. I would not recommend them to anyone.

..Update..my sorento now has 16500 one year later..still running good no problems..Ok people my sorento now has 10495 miles on it..im still getting about 17 city and 22 highway.That trim piece along the bottom of the window on rear door drivers side is now popping off again and i have taken to the dealer again to have it replaced which is still under warrenty.I bought my sorento with 24 miles on it brand new..i now have 1800 miles on it 6 weeks later..i love the power and 4x4 living here in michigan it works extremely well..even on the coldest mornings (so far -5) this thing warms up fast..within 4-5 miles of driving its blowing hot air. im averaging 22mpg combined driving..went on a trip to ohio 680 miles total and i got 24mpg highway driving..so does better than what is expected. Ok..my kia is now 4 months old.. i have 5900 miles on it now..my milage has gone down to 18 city 22 highway..i have taken it for some molding that has popped loose..the black rain channel on the roof on the passenger side the front clip broke so it was replaced and the window molding on rear door drivers side along the bottom had a bad clip so when window was rolling up it would pop out of place...anyone out there just a warning!!!!!!!! my service manager told me all cosmetics on the kia needs to be fixed in 1 yr 12,000 miles for it to be covered under warrenty..no other problems still love my kia...

ill never buy 1 again!!!!!

Great vehicle, only issues have been: - Poor highway MPG - Paint flaking off on spoiler and both mirrors. - Frequent replacing of bulbs for headlights and brake lights.

I have a 2003 Kia Sorento EX w/ upgrades. I love the car but over the years and now with 125,000 miles there are lots of minor issues with trim, seating, carpet. The interior lights go on/off to where I lose the dashlights unless I jiggle the roller wheel on the driver's side. Kia dealership quoted me several hundred dollars to LOOK at this to tell me what was wrong and overall could be $500 or could be $1500+ of electrical repairs to fix the dashlights/interior lights. I replace headlights in my Kia about every six months. Engine is good and have had very little trouble with it. Noticed that AC this year is not working that well and does not get very cool. Have had to replace the water reservoir 3 times due to cracking. Suspension is good although I've had repairs done to the the suspension...very costly!

i have a 04 sorento and its got 60k miles. i too have changed the headlights at least 10 times and tail lights about 4 times. the clock loses power and resets all the time. my overdrive dont even work. took it to the dealer and they said its ok as long as i dont tow anything. i fill up my gas and the gauge dont work properly. just seems like everything is electrical. just so happens that the electrical warranty is 40k miles. about a month ago front drive shaft went out. luckily it was still under warranty. also heater did not work properly. would start the car up in the winter only to find out that the heater doesnt get hot until i give it gas. got it fixed about a year ago and now its still doing the same thing. i would not recommend buying a kia. this is my last one.

I love my Kia Sorrento, 2004...but am repulsed by Kia Dealerships and their service centers. On my way to work recently I noticed that my air bag warning lamp came on. In the owners manual, it states to take your vehicle directly to a Kia authorized dealership or service center when the air bag warning lamp comes on for an immediate inspection to avoid automatic airbag inflation or faulty air bag inflation in accident. I did just that and guess what....they would not inspect my airbag unless I paid them a diagnostic fee of $110. they said it is store policy that they cannot even look under the hood unless a customer pays the diagnostic fee. I asked, "So you want me to pay you $110 fee to tell me something is wrong with my airbag and SRS system, even though the light is on telling me there is.....? And theservice clerk said yes, and then he would be able to confirm the cost to fix the problem. I took my car to the Autozone by my house and the clerk there tested my starter and battery, telling me sometimes starters and faulty batteries can cause the air bag light to come on....and after 30 seconds he confirmed that my starter would probably need to be replaced. I had the starter replaced and the air bag light never came on again. Do you think Kia could have told me that a faulty starter is probably the cause and do a simple test for me? Nope, they want their $$$$ first and foremost, to heck with my safety, nor did they value me as a customer......

I purchased my Kia Sorento LX in 2004 brand new. Over the years I have replaced at least 15 headlights and multiple tail lights, the coolant reservoir busted and was replaced, Both front seat belt harnesses were also replaced while under warranty because they no longer retracted. I can't keep it in alignment and now I have transmission issues. I am skeptical of taking it to a dealer because I have never been treated with anything but disdain from KIA. When I first got my car and to this day there is a sound that engages as soon as you start to move either forward or back when starting the car. The repair facility told me it was my anti-lock brakes - but I believe it is something to do with the transmission since all the other anti-lock brakes I have ever had do not make noise! What a JOKE - a 100,000 mile warranty - KIA does NOT stand behind their product.

I had issues after issues with my lights and electrical. Gas light would come on even though I had a full tank of gas. Interior lights only worked part of the time. Worst issue was when my teenaged children were driving and involved in a rollover crash at 65 mph's and not one air bag deployed. My son was seriously hurt and air lifted to the hospital. They both had their seatbelts on as they had marks from them but neither seatbelt stayed locked. I will never own another KIA.

i brought my kia and with the 1st 30 days they had to replace my heads on i did buy this used for a good dealer now my a/c is gone and my valve cover gasket is leaking I HATE MY TRUCK

Bought a used 2004 Kia with 53K on it, during the first 30 days it had to have a new coolant tank (no heat) and a Throttle Position Sensor. Since then, the compressor on the A/C went out (covered under extended warranty thank GOD), and now tires are wearing on inside of tire and I had it aligned TWICE and it STILL pulls HARD to the right. I'm getting the two front tires replaced and taking it back in if it is still pulling to right after new tires and balancing. Just one blown light for me so far. Otherwise I really like the vehicle overall.

Do not buy a KIA. I bought this used at 40,000 miles, 2 yrs ago. Since then, here are the repairs I had to eat the cost: Engine, tires, brakes, antifreeze container, starter, battery, water hose, 2 wheel barrings, and various other little issues with the KIA still leaking antifreeze, oh and I changed the headlights, tailights. wow.

I haven't had as many electrical problems as others BUT... Bought new in 2004, 7 miles on the car. It was fine until about 6 months from when it was paid off. Since August 2009, I have had to replace the timing belt, brakes, among other things and now it's in the shop again. There was a recall on the crank shaft bolt but not including the 2004's, how convenient. FIRST AND LAST Kia. In addition it can't idle for more than 2 seconds without shaking like a leaf.

Bought my car used. I have replaced headlights and rear lights over and over. Wiper motor went out had it replaced now air conditioner has stopped blowing air. I have had it with this car and drives me crazy section Alabama

having problems with motor check engin light keeps coming on 60000 miles had to change front drive shaft not cheap motor keeps having a cold miss in it kia machnics cant even find

I bought this vehicle new in 2005. Same as noted by other owners-many headlight and brake light replacements. The vehicle developed an annoying rattle near the rear left door about six months after I bought this vehicle. The shop can fix it but the fix only lasts about 4 months. Only one mechanic in the shop can fix it. If he is not in the shop the other mechanics say they dont hear it. It is a common question by guests - what is that rattle. All said and done it has been a dependable vehicle.

2003 Kia Sorento steering problems and no dash lights other then that car runs godd headlights has benn changed at least 20 times or more.

Got my Kia new in 2008. So far i've only had one problem, which is the passenger airbag sensor. Seems to go on or off when it feels like. This wasn't anywhere near the top of my list of cars to buy, but I'm happy to say that i haven't had any problems with it. I've actually come to enjoy it. It drives really nice and smooth, AND i can fit into almost any parking space! which is a nice change from the Yukon that I had.

KIA Motors is NOT customer friendly. I have had nothing but trouble with making them honor the warranty on my vehicle. My 2004 Sorento has blown one exterior light after another since I purchased the vehicle in 2005. Kia at first refused to pay for the bulbs, saying they were not covered under warranty. Finally they did not charge for the bulbs (that went out over and over). Now, my Kia warranty has expired and I find out NOW that Kia knew all along there is a defect with the wiring harness, but they NEVER EVER replaced those on my vehicle. Are you kidding me? I have never in my 50 years had any service provider know what a problem was on a warrantied item and just flat out refuse to fix it, until KIA. They have lost my business forevermore over just that. I have to wonder how many more KIA owners are being screwed over by service personnell who really know how to fix a reoccurring problem with the Kia vehicle, but just won't FIX IT! BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE of Kia service warranties, service contracts and dealers. They are now the most dishonest people I have ever had the displeasure of having to deal with. Very unprofessional, and they will side step any issue. The dealership I deal with has been HUFFINES KIA in Denton, TX. Even KIA MOTORS will not step up and pay now to make the correct fix for my cars problems with the lights. They had every opportunity to fix the problem while my warranty was in effect, but they simply "band aided" and refused to make the correct repairs. UNBELIEVABLE! Heed my warning: STAY AWAY FROM KIA!!

I purchased my 2005 Sorento brand new in 05. This has been a great car considering, I drive 2000 miles a month to work and travel all over, when I can. The only problem are the headlights, fog lights and brake lights. I have changed them all several times. Other than that.. Buy one, just stock up on replacement bulbs.

Kia refuses to admit there is a problem with headlights on their sorentos. Amazingly, when I called a kis mechanic and said I had replaced NUMEROUS headlights, his immediate respnse was - and I quote - " you have a sorento made between 2004 and 2006, don't you" Interesting how there "is no problem" but the mechanic knew not only the model, but the year of the car without being told. He also said they fixed the problem on the 2007's...what problem? I thought there wasn't a problem! I have had the car a little over 4 years and have replaced 14 headlights and 3 tail lights!

Great car. Bought it for the Mrs. She loves it. Never breaks down. Minor issues, but not enough to change my ratings.

Bought 05 Sorento in April 2005 for my wife, great car for 1 year, good car for 3 years. We had to replace headlights and brake lights quite frequently, fuel usage was better than advertised for 1 year, but has been going down hill, still good though. Recently, the rear windshield wiper stopped working in mid swipe, with no way of getting back to its holding position. we have recently had the A/C stop blowing cold air. we are pending fixes on these.

I haven't had this car a year yet and the A/C compressor makes a loud knocking sound when switched on, the front dome light doesn't work, the tailgate shocks squeek, the ESC light comes on saying "off" when I haven't switched it off, the passenger air bag sensor works when it wants to, check engine light is on, and the brake switch under the brake petal has gone out causing me to have NO brake lights.

Absoulutely wonderful. The headlights have both been replaced, but no other issues of any kind. I love it.