general problems of the 2003 Kia Motor Sorento

Driving at night when all of a sudden interior lights started blinking off & on like strobe lights at a disco. I tried turning them off, nothing. It seemed related to the dimmer switch because if I kept pressure on it to the lowest degree, the flashing stopped. For awhile I wedged a pin in the switch & that worked. Eventually, though that stopped working & the light show would begin. It happened day & night, just more noticeable at night. I finally removed the fuse for the cabin lights & as a result, have no dash lights either while driving in the dark. I've not gone to kia as I am sure it will cost way more than I can afford. I'm reduced to using a flashlight when on long road trips to check gas gauge & speedometer.

The check engine light keeps coming on and it has been checked by a dealership and they don't know the problem, the front headlamps keep burning out.

I own a 2003 kia Sorento lx. I used it mainly to go from home to work. This happened 2 days ago, March 16, 2006, at 32247 miles. While making a right turn from a stoplight, I had complete loss of vehicle control, it would not let me stop it and I could not control the steering wheel, it kept turning sharply to the right, and I landed on the sidewalk. Luckily, it happened when I was just entering my neighborhood, going at moderate speed, and there were no cars besides or behind me. To think if I were driving 65-70 mph on the highway and have this happened and lose control, I would have been dead. But it is the second time it happens in 3 1/2 years. The first time was about 1 1/2 year ago, but I did not pay attention to it since I thought it was due to wet conditions. I was entering the multi-level parking lot where I work. I was going up to the 4th floor where I park, and when I turned left on the 3rd floor, the car went out of control, kept going round, and I could not stop. Luckily again, it was so early in the morning that there were no cars in that floor. Surely, a safety-related defect exists. What happened Friday almost got me killed. It has happened only twice in all these years, but, no matter what happens, I will never feel safe on this car again. I cannot take any other chance of being killed because of a car's defect. I will be now using my husband's car to travel back and forth to work. Besides that big problem, I have encountered other problem with my Sorento. The front and back bulbs blow quite often. I have taken the car to the dealership every time it has needed replacement, and I have all the invoice sheets. I would prefer to have someone contact me in spanish. Thank you kindly.