What 1,515 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Kia Sorento

TRUCK DOORS UNLOCK WHILE DRIVING, ALARM GOES OFF RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING OR PARKED, ALL THE FUSES BLEW, STARTER HAS BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES, DUE TO FAULTY WIRING BENEATH THE MOTOR. BATTERY HAS BEEN CHANGED DUE TO WIRING.

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TAKATA RECALL - MY 2011 KIA SORRENTO AIR BAG HAS STOPPED WORKING AND STAYS ON RED. I NOW HAVE NO AIR BAGS. ALSO THE WHOLE FRONT PANEL KEEPS FLASHING ON THEN OFF AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I'VE SEARCH FOR A RECALL ON MY VEHICLE AND NONE IS SHOWING UP.

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OUR INTERIOR LIGHTS QUIT WORKING SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE SO WE HAD IT REPAIRED. 2 WEEKS LATER WE HAD AN ELECTRICAL FIRE AND DAMAGE TO WIREING THE MECHANIC DIDN'T REPLACE. $5,000 LATER, NOW THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHILE DRIVING IF YOU USE THE TURNING SIGNAL. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!!!! ALSO WHILE DRIVING THE CAR OUT OF THE BLUE JERKS QUICK AND HARD. WE DON'T FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE ANYMORE.

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LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS ARE FAILING DUE TO WIRING HARNESS MELTING CAUSING A SHORT. THIS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT AND COULD START A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED WHEN DRIVING ON THE I-17 IN NORTH PHOENIX AND VERIFIED ONCE WE GOT HOME. THE HARNESS WAS REPLACED BY A CERTIFIED MECHANIC TWICE AND BOTH TIMES THE HARNESS MELTED. OE HEADLAMPS ARE BEING USED.CURRENTLY, WE HAVE NO DRIVER SIDE HEADLAMP DUE TO A CONCERN FOR FIRE.

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VEHICLE WAS STATIOMARY AND NOT ON. STARTED SMOKING FROM DASH AND SMOKE COMING OUT DOOR, CAUGHT ON FIRE WENT UP TO THE ROOF AND ACROSS TO THE PASSENGER SEAT. WHEN FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME THEY HAD TO CUT OPEN THE HOOD, CAR RANDOMLY STARTED WHILE ON FIRE TO UNHOOK THE BATTERY.

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HEADLIGHT HOUSING HAS BECOME OVERHEATED AND MELTED CAUSING ME TO REPLACE ONE HEADLIGHT AT $900. WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN I SPLICED THE NEW HOUSING YET THE BULB KEEPS BLOWING NEEDING REPLACED. THERE IS KNOCKING IN THE ENGINE THAT GETS WORSE WHEN MY SPEED INCREASES AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ENGINE IS NOT GETTING ENOUGH OIL. THE HEAD GASKET HAS BEEN REPLACED AND IT STILL SEEMS TO BE BURNING OR LOSING OIL. THE INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD ALL RANDOMLY COME ON AND THEN GO OFF. WHILE DRIVING THE CAR SEEMED TO LOSE POWER AT TIMES THEN WOULD DIE AT A STOP LIGHT. THIS ALL HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS OR MORE. IN THE PAST YEAR I HAVE PAID $1900 PLUS ON RANDOM REPAIRS

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THE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRBAG HAS DRAINED AND CAUSED THE BATTERY TO GO DEAD. ALSO HAS MESSED UP THE CONTROLS IN THE STEERING WHEEL.

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WE HAVE REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR.

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POWER DOOR LOCKS DO NOT LOCK, BY DOOR BUTTON, BY REMOTE KEY FOB OR MORE IMPORTANTLY WHEN THE CAR IS TAKEN OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. DOORS DO SUCCESSFULLY UNLOCK VIA REMOTE, DOOR BUTTON AND WHEN THE CAR IS PUT INTO THE PARKED POSITION. DOORS CAN ONLY BE LOCKED MANUALLY.

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LOW BEAM ASSEMBLY WIRING ON BOTH LOW BEAMS HAS MELTED. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN NUMEROUS CAR BLOGS AS A KNOWN ISSUE.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (JIM ELLIS KIA OF KENNESAW, 1221 AUTO PARK DRIVE NORTHWEST, KENNESAW, GA 30144) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLOCKSPRING NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CLOCKSPRING WAS REPLACED, BUT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAG INFLATOR WAS NOT ALSO REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO CONCERNED THAT THE VEHICLE MIGHT HAVE AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE BECAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE AND THE HEADLIGHT BULBS HAD BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. THE SAME DEALER STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED BECAUSE THERE WAS ALSO A FAILURE WITH THE AIR BAG SENSOR IN THE SEATS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR IN THE SEATS WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT SHE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR REPLACEMENT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

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BOTH LOW HEADLIGHT BULBS HAVE GONE OUT MANY TIMES. DESPITE BEING REPLACED, THEY CONTINUE NOT TO WORK. THE WIRING SEEMS TO HAVE A SHORT IN IT BECAUSE WHEN IT IS WIGGLED THE LIGHT COMES ON BUT GOES RIGHT BACK OUT. THE SOCKET IS VERY HOT TO TOUCH AND SMELLS HOT. I'M AFRAID THE WIRING WILL CAUSE A FIRE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH FRONT LOW BEAM LIGHTS. MOST RECENTLY TODAY TO THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT. I CURRENTLY HAVE TWO NON WORKABLE LOW LIGHTS

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THE PAST TWO WEEKS OR SO, THE LEFT SIDE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING PROPERLY. THE VOLUME UP BUTTON IS TURNING THE VOLUME DOWN. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND OUT THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH ALL TYPES OF KIA VEHICLES ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. FOR MOST, IT HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A DEFECTIVE OR FAULTY CLOCK-SPRING IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ACTED STUNNED. IT CAN'T BE A SECRET BECAUSE SO MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ARE OUT THERE ONLINE. IT SAYS I HAVE ZERO ACTIVE RECALLS AT THIS MOMENT, WHEN I JUST RECEIVED A RECALL IN THE MAIL THIS WEEK FOR THE DOOR LATCHES IN MY 2011 KIA SORENTO. THAT MAKES ME BELIEVE THERE IS A COMMUNICATION PROBLEM SOMEWHERE. THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT IN FOR A RECALL, THE CENTER CONSOLE PANEL DIDN'T GET PUT BACK TOGETHER PROPERLY AND IT DOESN'T FIT DOWN OVER MY CUPHOLDERS PROPERLY. IT LEFT A GAP UNDER THE RADIO PANEL BECAUSE OF IT. I WILL BRING THIS TO THE DEALERSHIPS ATTENTION AGAIN WHEN I TAKE IT IN FOR MY MOST RECENT RECALL LETTER. HOWEVER, THIS STEERING CONTROL PROBLEM IS HAPPENING FAR MORE THAN IT SHOULD, SO THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THE OWNERS. IF THE CLOCK-SPRING IS DEFECTIVE AND SOMEONE IS IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE TURNING THEIR STEERING WHEEL, THEN THE AIR BAG IS NOT GOING TO DEPLOY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF LIFE. THAT IS A SAFETY CONCERN, AND IT SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR KIA MOTORS TO ISSUE THE RECALL!!! IT HAPPENS TO ME WHEN I AM IN MOTION AND ALSO WHILE I AM PARKED.

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WAS DRIVING MY KIA AND SUDDENLY COULD NO LONGER DRIVE PULLED OVER N TRAFFIC AND COULD ONLY PUT THE E BRAKE ON. NOTHING ELSE WOULD GO IN TO GEAR DRIVE REVERSE AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. SO PUT THE E BRAKE ON AND CALLED TOW TRUCK..TOOK IT TO MADE IN AMERICA MADE IN JAPAN..AND THE SAY ITS THE INPUT SHAFT..EXACTLY DESCRIBED ON RECALL FOR MY VIN # [XXX] . MANUFACTURE CALL#SC124. NHTSA# 15V626 .THIS HAPPENED ON 225 PLACERVILLE RD FOLSOM ON FRIDAY 1/5/2017 .ITS CURRENTLY STILL AT MADE IN AMERICA MADE IN JAPAN..PLEASE CONTACT. ME A.S.A.P [XXX] . [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

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THERE HAVE BEEN 2 INSTANCES WHERE MOST OR ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. BOTH TIMES I HAVE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY AT NORMAL STEADY SPEEDS. THE FIRST TIME THEY STAYED ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE RIDE, WHICH WAS ABOUT 40 MINUTES, AND THEN WERE OFF BY THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I DROVE THE CAR AGAIN. THE SECOND TIME I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON TO SEE IF THAT WOULD RESET IT, BUT THEY WERE STILL ON, AND STAYED ON UNTIL LATER THAT EVENING. I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY PERFORMANCE ISSUES, BUT I WAS ON AN INTERSTATE ROAD IN GOOD DRY NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THESE 2 OCCURRANCES HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, AND AS RECENTLY AS A MONTH AGO.

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I HAVE OWNED THIS VECHICLE SINCE IT WAS NEW. KIA HAS REPLACED AT LEAST 3 REAR VIEW CAMERAS IN MY REAR LIFT GATE. THE LAST ONE WAS ON 2/10/2016. NOW THIS CAMERA IS MALFUNCTIONING, ALL I SEE IS INTERFERENCE. I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING PASSING ACROSS THE REAR OF MY VECHICLE LIKE A CHILD OR SHORT ADULT. KIA CAN'T DEVELOP A FUNCTIONING CAMERA SO THEYSHOULD HAVE TO KEEP REPLACING THEM UNTIL THEY DO. I WOULDN'T HAVE PURCHASED THIS VECHICLE WITHOUT A CAMERA IT'S REAR WINDOW IS VERY HIGH. THIS IS A DAILY ONGOING PROBLEM.

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FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS HAVE COME ON, USUALLY FOUR AT A TIME AS I'M DRIVING. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MOST OFTEN WHEN IT'S RAINING. I HAD THE KIA DEALER IN LAS CRUCES, NM TRY TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WHEN I HAD THE CAR IN FOR A COUPLE RECALLS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO I HAD A SHOP WITH A AAA MASTER MECHANIC TRY TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND THEY ALSO COULD NOT DETERMINE THE REASON THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE COMING ON. THEY COULD NOT FIND A SHORT IN THE WIRING THAT I THOUGHT MIGHT BE THE CAUSE. THE LIGHTS EVENTUALLY GO OFF, USUALLY AFTER THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR SEVERAL HOURS OR OVERNIGHT. I'M CONCERNED THAT, ALTHOUGH I'VE NOT EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WHEN THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS COME ON, COULD A POSSIBLE REAL SAFETY ISSUE OCCUR IF ONE OF THE SYSTEMS INDICATED BY THE LIGHTS ACTUALLY MALFUNCTION? FOR A WHILE WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON, THE CAR'S STEERING SEEMED TO BE EFFECTED--ON WINDY CURVY ROADS THE CAR WOULD DEFINITELY OVER STEER ON CURVES, AS THOUGH SOMEONE ELSE WERE IN CONTROL. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION YOU MIGHT HAVE ON SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND HOW THEY WERE CORRECTED. THANK YOU.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ABS, STABILITY CONTROL, AND DOWNHILL TRACTION WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RIVERCHASE KIA (2200 US-31, PELHAM, AL 35124 (205) 987-6518) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A DEFECTIVE MODULE THAT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RECALL EXPIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER DID NOT PROVIDE THE RECALL INFORMATION. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT IN MAY OF 2017, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHANGE, THEY CHECKED A MODULE THAT CONTROLLED THE WARNING INDICATORS, BUT THE MODULE WAS FINE AND COVERED IT IN SILICONE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT A PART IN THE REAR DRUM NEEDED REPLACEMENT ALONG WITH THE MODULE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

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WHEN DRIVING AT STABLE SPEED THE VEHICLE OFTEN "FEELS" AS IF THE GAS IS NOT GETTING TO THE MOTOR. THE SPEED OF THE CAR VARIES, REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL. THE CAR ALSO SHOWS LOW TIRE LIGHT, ALONG WITH ALL LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD AT RANDOM TIMES. THE LIGHTS WILL APPEAR WHEN YOU START THE VEHICLE AND THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT REMAINS ON AT ALL TIMES.

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BACK UP CAMERA DOE'S NOT WORK SOME TIMES CAUSES PROBLEM WHEN BACKING UP YOU CAN NOT JUDGE DISTANT BEHIND VEHICLE CAN BE DANGEROUS WHEN YOU CANT SEE IF THERE IS A PERSON WALKING BEHIND YOU. PROBLEM MAY BE IN THE CAMERA LOTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM IS TALKED ABOUT ON THE INTERNET BY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED AND DIFFERENT WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, SUCH AS THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE AND CHECK ENGINE. ALSO, THE ODOMETER FAILED AND THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD NOT DISPLAY SPEEDS PAST 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THREE DIFFERENT DEALERS (MIDTOWN KIA IN TULSA, OK, BOOMER KIA IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, AND BOB MOORE KIA IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OK). THE DEALERS WERE UNABLE TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND REPROGRAM IT BECAUSE IT WAS AGAINST STATE LAWS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 140,000.

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BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR FOUND NOT TO BE WORKING. WONDERING IF OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. NO HEAT OR A/C.

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AFTER DRIVING 8 MILES TO MY DESTINATION I PARKED THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY SAW AND SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I GOT OUT, CALLED 911, AND BEGAN TO SEE FLAMES. THE POLICE ARRIVED IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES BUT BY THEN THE HOOD OF THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND BY THE TIME THE FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY IN FLAMES. THERE WAS NEVER A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD TO INDICATE ANYTHING WAS WRONG. WE ALWAYS TAKE IT IN FOR ALL ITS ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND CHECKUPS WITH THE KIA DEALER. IT WAS JUST INTO THE DEALER 2 WEEKS AGO.

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SYMPTOMATIC OF PREVIOUS PCM/ECU FAILURE. PCM WAS REPLACED 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING 2011 KIA SORENTO NEW.

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DRIVER SIDE FRONT DOOR HANDLE WONT OPEN DOOR.

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