general problems of the 2004 Kia Motor Sorento

I bought my 04 Sorento from my aunt who was the only owner. It had a power steering issue at that time which took several attenpts to fix. About a month later we we visiting family and had to turn around. Upon stopping we noticed smoke from the engine compartment so I grabbed my 4 y/o daughter out of the car and by boyfriend opened the hood to find a small fire on opposite side fro where battery is. Once fire was put out we drove . 5 miles on a city rd to family. The power steering was gone at that time as well. 10/13/19 - the directional worked all day and come night time when I came out from the store and started vehicle they did not work. The next day they worked finehowever, on 10/14/19 - I started the car in am and there was a squeaky belt. I hit the gas pedal quickly and noise went away. Then while driving, the battery and brake indicator lights came on the dash and stayed on so I pulled over and shut car off. Iwas driving my daughter to the park a mile away from home when the battery and brake indicator lights came on again. I turned car off for a few minutes and when I restarted it the lights were off. I went to turn around to go home and the steering completely failed so it was extremely difficult and dangerous. I have not driven it or started it since. My mechanic camt to my home 2 days in a row and was convinced it was crankshaft bolt that snapped. He got it into his shop the following week on Friday 10/26/19 and called a short while later informing me that it was in fact the crankshaft bolt that snapped deep in the shaft and the crankshaft would need to be replaced for a cost of around $3000. I called a few other places and they said the engine would need replacing which would coat around the same. My daughter and I now have no vehicle and are walking her to school which will be difficult come winter months.

The electrical system goes haywire. We will be driving along and the interior lights come on, the front doors open lights come on and starts buzzing and so does the the locking mechanism on the doors. We check to make sure the doors are closed properly but they always are. This is when the car is in motion usually but sometimes while stationary as well. Sometimes the doors unlock too. We have no idea what caused this but feel it is a safety hazard as well as a nuisance while driving. It never seems to matter if you are driving straight or turning. . We haven't taken it anywhere for repairs yet, because it seems to be electrical and know that it can be expensive.

Oct, 2016 - I am the orignal owner of the vehicle and had maintained regular maintainence on the vehicle. I had just put $700 of new tires on vehicle and had a routine oil change and fluid check before we left for our vacation. I never had any issues with the vehicle and I still own. The vehicle does not run but I wanted to know what started the fire. My daughter and I were headed out of town for a week, about 200 miles into the commute the front of the vehicle began to smoke from under the hood, we were traveling at 55-60 mph. As I was exiting the 421 highway flames began coming out from around hood and the paint on the hood began to bubble up due to heat. I immediately called the fire dept, as I was driving, pulled onto the shoulder and immediately removed my daughter and our belongings from the vehicle and distanced ourselves from the vehicle. When the fire dept arrived they put the flames out and the vehicle was transported to a local shop, I had the vehicle towed back to our home city upon departure from our vacation. Upon further observation I was able to see the fire started in the area closest to where the engine meets the dash on the drivers side and continued to spread from that point to the front of the vehicle and under on the drivers side.

The contact owns a 2004 kia Sorento. Within less than 30 days of owning the vehicle, the contact stated that the fuel gauge on the instrument cluster continued to indicate full whether the contact refueled the vehicle or not. Also, when the air conditioner was turned off, smoke emitted into the interior of the vehicle and under the hood. The contact exited the vehicle and lifted the hood to fan away the smoke. The contact drove the vehicle to her job. Another consumer called the fire department because the vehicle erupted into flames. The fire department extinguished the flames. Neither a fire nor a police report was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.

Was driving down the road at 55 power steering went car lost power lights went crazy car shut down. I almosted wrecked harmonic balancer fell into pieces all pully belts and pin have to be replaced. I just got this car I have a payment on it. Going to cost 1200 to fix. This is on top of it spittering and spotterying. Replace head lights the radio glichs the air bag light is on all the time and if u turn the interior dash lights up it turns the interior lights on. Over drive button does not work and transmission lags. . . I have read al these complaints over and over again why isn't anyone forcing a recall? these are serious isuses I almost got rear ended and the electrical problem could cause fire. . . . Someone is going to end up very hurt if kia is not forced to fix these. Could u imagine this happening on a thru way?.

My 2004 kia Sorento has an intermittent check engine light that displays error code p0446. The light comes on and off as it pleases. There is a TSB for this particular problem, but there are no details. This intermittent light is causing my vehicle to fail it's smog inspection. I have replaced the gas cap as indicated but this did not fix the problem.

The contact owns a 2004 kia Sorento. The contact noticed smoke and flames underneath the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 161,000.

Battery was low and then the air bag warning light was on. The battery was replaced and the light still on. Looking online and find out this issue is typical on all kia Sorentos. Wondering why this issue is not being recall. Called dealer and they mentioned that a $130 diagnose test needs to be paid in order to know what is the problem.

Picked up vehicle after having rear support bearings repaired driving back home at 65mph on I-35/texas 410 east started to experience strong smell of exhaust fumes in passenger compartment. During drive home started to rain, activated wipers, drivers side wiper blade fell off during rainstorm had to open driver side window to navigate! upon arrival at home noticed, smoke coming from engine compartment (passengers side) and smoke underneath vehicle from catalytic converter. Looked underneath vehicle and catalytic converter, was smoking, inside engine compartment a hose at the rear of the engine compartment (sorry not a mechanic) had a hole in it and was smoking also? vehicle has not been driven since 12/7/12, vehicle was purchased 10/4/12, has limited warranty.

February 21, 2013 – los angeles, CA – electrical I bought my kia brand new. I have had several problems: complaint 1: I am writing this complaint against Kia Motors who willingly knows of issues with its fuel systems in all 2004 kia Sorentos. Even looking online you see thousands of kia owners who have had the sensor go out on this model car after the cars 100000 warranty, and then kia claims it is past the warranty they have and there is nothing they can do. This causes the gas to always read incorrectly even with a full tank the car reads "e" I have to keep putting gas in the car in fear of running out of gas.

I bought a 2004 kia Sorento in 2006 finished paying for it in 2010,over the years I have had to change the lights so many times I cant count,I have had topaint it twice,then the driving shaft broke,the compressor was changed twice, the cd player works on and off the air bags light came on and stayed for months on end the engine light does the same and most recently there is smoke coming from the engine, I am having to stop park and let it cool off before continuing on my journey, at the moment I got scared and I now I have my vehicle parked at home because I am scared to drive it, it is a shame and I am very upset. Is there anyone out there who is trying to do something about these problems us consumers are having? I own my vehicle and has a clean title and would like to trade in or sell but with all these problems how can I pass it on to someone else? I am asking someone from kia to do the responsible thing and give us some answers before someone loses their life,that is if it hasn't happened already. Don't let this be Toyota.

Fan relay sensor is faulty. All the electrical system is is questionable, from headlights always needing replacement to dash lights that turn on or off at any given time. My newest issue is with the heater, it will only blow warmed air if the motor is being rev'd. . Temp is warm on engine but if I am driving down hill, it will feel like air conditioner instead. For a few months my driver side door would open from inside only. Magically it has resolved that one and only issue. . .

I have a 2004 kia sorrento with 57,000 miles. I have owned it for 2 years. The headlights and brake lights continuously go out. I have replaced each headlight 4 times in the past year and the brake lights have been replaced 5 times in the past year. This is a safety hazard as I never know when my brake lights are out unless someone stops and tells me.

My sister purchased this vehicle new and has had nothing but problems with it and problems with dealership/kia honoring their 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. She purchased this vehicle believing she would be driving a quality vehicle (advertising 10 year/100,000 mile warranty she assumed it must be of high quality because who would offer that kind of warranty if it was junk. . . . Wrong!) she has had nothing but stress, financial expense, lost work time, and a battle of her life trying to seek consumer justice. . . Dealership, Kia Motors, lemon law requires a part to fail four times, attorney generals office, conciliation court, writing to ruukivina, oberstar, and most recently amy klobuchar. . . All failed. No one has said that they will investigate kia and protect the consumers from this fraudulent automobile manufacturer. Why? the problems she has had with her vehicle consist of rust on the tailgate and rear doors just a few months after purchasing, all kinds of electrical problems from headlights and tail lights burning out numerous times, the digital dash for radio and heater going black, the heater not work, a relay switch for fan failed, foam between windshield and frame coming out tapping on the window, a problem with the coolant reservoir, the rear driveshaft failed, the transmission had to be replaced and most recently the transfer case. Safety issues and concerns would be with tail lights and headlights burning out prematurely and frequently and the crankshaft bolt broke causing to loose all ability to steer the vehicle. There are probably other problems she has had with the vehicle but I do not recall at this time.

I have a 2004 kia sorrento which I purchased new. It currently had 64,000 mile and I have kept up with all maintenance items and have had them performed by kia service in the dealership. While I have had some mechanical problems with the car (bad lifters, valves, radiator leaks, etc), my main issue is the electrical system. To date, I have replaced various brake light bulbs, headlight bulbs, dome light bulb and my radio unexplainable turns on/off. While I have dealt with these issues as they arise, my car has now turned of while driving on the road twice. On both occasions, all of the car lights, displays, etc, turn off completely and the car simply coasts while off. One of the occurrences I was on the interstate going 65 mph, and the car shut down. Both times I pull to the side of the road and when I turned the key, it started again. My obvious concern is that of safety as it relates to the various electrical problems (which are no longer covered under warranty) which this car has had. While I cannot speak for other kia owners, there are a host of forums which relate to similar issues. Additionally, the dealerships themselves are aware of the electrical issues, as noted to me personally by one of the technicians. I am requesting for kia to provide the level of customer service which we (as kia owners) have expected. The electrical problems are well documented and should be addressed. Furthermore, I am looking for assistance in my personal situation now that my car is only 4,000 out of warranty and has the electrical issues and more importantly the hazardous problem of shutting down. I am more that happy to provide any records which will document the problems detailed above. Also, I am available anytime to discuss further if needed. Thank you in advance for your customer service.

The contact owns a 2004 kia Sorento. While driving 65 mph she could smell something burning. The vehicle was pulled over and turned off. There was smoke coming from under the hood. The check engine warning indicator light was illuminated. There was fluid leaking under the vehicle and catching fire as it hit the ground. The vehicle burst into flames within 5 minutes. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, the cause of the failure was undetermined. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.

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. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2004 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the fan relay fuse had to be removed in order to get the fan to stop running. The contact had taken the vehicle to several mechanics for service of electrical problems however, the mechanics were never able to diagnose the exact cause of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 138,000.

The contact owns a 2004 kia Sorento. The contact stated that they had to replace the headlights on the vehicle 74 times. The contact also stated that they had to purchase a new battery every year. The contact stated that every time the vehicle hit a bump she could hear the electrical system surging and the lights began to flicker. The dealer stated that they could not find anything wrong with the headlights or the electrical system. The failure and current mileages were 12000.