Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 2005 Kia Motor Sorento - part 1

The harmonic balancer mounting bolt sheared and stripped the threads in the crankshaft of my 2005 kia serento. The mechanic had my car for 3 months trying to fix this problem. This is evidently a design issue and should have a recall issued. This problem cost me a lot of money to fix. (the car was in motion when the harmonic balancer fell off) my wife struggle to get the car home due to lost of belts.

Have experienced repeated failure of cam sensor, cam shaft pulley bolt, failure of engine cooling system, failure of clutch assembly and transmission, failure of air conditioning, failure of electrical system for exterior lights. . All issues are as documented by the hundreds and hundreds of complaints by other owners who are waiting for an investigation, a recall, or enough deaths and injuries to receive any assistance of any kind from this organization or the manufacturer. I can not justify spending one more dollar ( $16,000 in the 3 years since purchased for $4,000). To repair this vehicle and it is once again inoperable for the same issues. . No car dealer wants it as a trade in, the standard offer is $300. I cannot sell it to anyone and then face myself in mirror. Perhaps a public sake. . . $1 per minute to anyone who wants to bash a kia (sledgehammer provided). Proceeds will be applied to purchase of replacement vehicle, which will not be a kia.

My vehicle was in motion on a highway driving 60 miles per hr to work (30 miles from home) in pouring rain when engine, brake and battery light came on. Thank god that I made it to work safely but then only to realize that power steering had locked up. Looked under the hood, power steering fluid and brake fluid fine but one belt had came off and the other belt just barely hanging on from the alternator and pulley. Thought pulley had locked up but took to a mechanic just 1/2 mile down from my job and he said that my problem is that the crankshaft bolt had broken off inside of the crankshaft. I go online and find that there were a lot more complaints of the same issue with my make and year as well as others. The previous recall by kia was only for 2003-2004 (certain models) not including mine but this seems to be a definite issue so the recall should be extended to other years and models such as mine. Thank god that I made it to work safely and now have to find another means to get around since this is my only transportation.

Driving on highway rte 24 when crankshaft pulley broke off causing engine and brake lights to come on. It was impossible to control and to steer the vehicle causing me to nearly get into an accident. Subsequently, my vehicle got towed from the highway to a mechanic shop who informed me that my 2005 kia Sorento's crankshaft pulley bolt broke off - therefore to buy an engine or junk it. Unfortunately, I owned this vehicle for only 1 year 3 months and with these problems. I don't have any money to replace it right now and I don't know what to do to get to work going forward.

In November of 2015, I was on my way home from work and just picking my one year old up from daycare, when I heard a loud screeching noise from a belt. My gauges went wild and I my power steering was in and out. By the time I hit the main highway to get home as I was exiting my power steering went completely out and the car could not be driven any further, so I had to coast to the side of the road. This was during rush hour traffic, I am soooo lucky that I hadn't quiet entered the highway yet. Had to get towed home. Got home and noticed the crankshaft bold was broken and the belts were thrown. We fixed it and now it has just done it again on July 1st as I was backing out of the driveway to go out of town. I didn't drive it because I knew the bolt was about to break because the harmonic balancer pulley was wobbling really bad, the air wouldn't work and the gauges started going crazy. Also the pulley's were struggling to spin. Is it going to take someone to loose their life before something is done about it?.

Driving across a 4 lane expressway, barely made it across, the vehicle sputters and comes to a stop after fighting with the power steering losing all control. Crankshaft pulley has damaged the engine so severe, that a new engine was put in at our expense ($5,000), gas tank was discovered to have a hole and leaking gas. Air bag light comes on and off just depends on it's mood, the display on the radio, etc. Goes away in cold weather, and now have a constant thump thump when driving as if the tire is flat. Driving for 5 months with new engine, I pressed on the accelerator quickly to pass a truck when a loud noise (sounding like the engine blew) from the engine was heard then something comes loose and hits the undercarriage so hard I can feel it through the floorboard. No smoke, no elevation in temperature. Pull over, there is now a vibration when idling but cannot see anything obvious missing. Whatever it was took chunks out of the right front tire. Brakes seemed to lock up at times and you could feel something like a pump losing air and the car slides just before the complete stop with a low groaning noise. Haven't took to the mechanic yet, but will be soon.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, it was not able to fully accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the harmonic balancer pulley bolt fractured from the crankshaft. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

I was turning onto a street and heard a big clunk only to find out the bolt on the crankshaft broke off again on 10/29/15 as well as 7/30/13. The power steering went out & battery light came on. Lost power and everything after a big clunk! this happens all the time: there are a multitude of these same complaints: this engine was replaced in may 2010 and the harmonic balancer and pulley have been worked on twice since 2010. There is a defective bolt that was replaced with a new defective bolt. This is happening numerous times to many kia Sorento owners and they are left stranded. Kia knows about it and refuses to do anything! my car is sitting at country kia in charleston, SC because the extended- warranty will not cover this defective bolt and I can't pay $5000. 00 on a car that is now only worth $3000. 00. I had to stay in charleston, SC an extra 2 days at my expense $79. 00 /night, pay $75. 00 for the tow bill and an additional $55 or $65 for the kia dealership to check it out. I had to rent a car to come back to FL as I was stranded in charleston without transportation. I cannot afford the $5000. 00 for repairs and the $1500. 00 to pay it off just to get the title to send this to a junk yard. The mileage just turned to 107,000 or 108,000. This is the 4th time that there was an issue on this part of this car having to do with the same issues related to this defective bolt, harmonic balancer and pulley as a result of this defective bolt. (this is only on one car). You will see how many times this is occurring to many other owners of these kia Sorentos. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer. The vehicle remained at the dealer for three consecutive months to locate the failure. The cam sensor, crank sensor, and timing belt were replaced. In addition, the ecm computer was replaced. One month later, after the repair was performed, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,300.

The vehicle's power steering didn't work, and it was rarely driven after transmission repair at a kia dealer. Looking under the hood showed that the belts weren't moving. The crankshaft pulley was attached but not straight; offset. I called the dealer and they said the crankshaft bolt breaking is a common problem in these vehicles. Is/was there a recall for this? this is a potentially dangerous situation. Luckily the vehicle wasn't driven far when the problem was noticed.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. While driving approximately 60 mph, the crank pulley bolt fractured without warning. The failure disabled the steering wheel, which made it difficult to control the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle to a stop. A certified mechanic stated that the crank pulley bolt fractured and detached from the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer for repairs. After the repair, the vehicle stalled without warning and lost all steering power. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer under warranty for repair. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

I was driving though a parking lot on late Friday afternoon and heard a rattling noise coming from under the hood so after I parked I popped the hood and also started to here a squeaking noise (belts rubbing), so I drove home and parked it until Monday when I took it to a local shop and they said it sounded like a pulley for the timing belt, they got it in on Wednesday and called to have me come take a look at what was causing the noises when I got there they explained that it was the crankshaft bolt that held the fly wheel on and there where two options (1)I could drive it until the bolt snapped or (2) they could try and break the bolt loose and replace it, so we went with option number 2 and after about 5 hours I got a call telling me that the bolt had snapped and they had tried welding a new bolt on to try and break the rest of it loose, and they had tried to drill out the bolt but with no luck, they then gave me an estimate to replace the engine with a re-manufactured engine the estimate was $6,900. 00 before tax, so I called kia corporate and they took a week to come back and tell me due to the age, the millage, and not the original owner they would not pay to replace the engine so now I'm going to join the class action law suit. Very bad engineering design to think 1 seer pin could hold that bolt plus it sounds like they are using a deep thread skinny shaft bolt witch means the threads are holding a 15-20lbs fly wheel when that seer pin snaps, very disappointed in kia, will never buy there cars again.

Vehicle died while driving, then would not crank over. Had towed to dealer. Vehicle was no longer covered by warranty. Dealer replaced cam and crank sensors, timing belt, crank bolt and badly fraying accessory drive belt.

Driving apporox 55mph, my lights seemed to dim then my battery and brake light came on. I immediately turned my heater, radio, dashboeard lights and lights to low. I continued driving for nothing else seemed to be wrong and was going to pulll over when I noticed my power steering also was not working. I was able to get myself to a safe place to stop and put the car in park, it began making an odd sound (thinking a possible belt) it then made a popping sound thinking I broke a serpentine belt, I then turned the engine off and had my mechanic look at it. He said the crankshaft bolt had broken off and was an estimated $3000+ repair. I have also had issues with crankshaft sensor which caused my car to not turn over without a jump. After that was repaired I had to buy a new battery that prior to the winter season tested out to be good. Ihave also been told I need to replace a spark plug which could cost hundreds to replace because of the location. I have to replace headlights/taillights more than normal. I have seem to have issues with allignment and have put 2 sets of tires on after noticing abnormal wear on the insides, ive had it alligned twice. I still owe $6100 on a car that I would have to put $3000 into and now have nothing to drive!.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from under the hood. The power steering seized. The contact had discovered that none of the belts in the vehicle were moving. This was a recurring issue. The dealer was made aware of the failure where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft damper/harmonic balancer and the gear had to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000. Mc.

First incident-on August 16, 2014 while on vacation and driving from virginia to chicago ill, the vehicle start making a rattling noise coming from the front of the vehicle and warning lights came on the dash (battery, brake) and the power steering went out making the vehicle very hard to maneuver, I immediately pulled over into a fast food parking lot to check the noise and found that the harmonic balancer was loose and belts were not turning, I had the vehicle towed to a mechanic after inspection I was informed that the crank shaft gear pin had broke off to the harmonic balancer. I purchase the parts (harmonic balancer, bolt and crank shaft gear) and had the mechanic repair the vehicle and drove back to virginia. Second incident-October 2014 while my wife was driving the vehicle, she encountered the same problems the warning lights, rattling in the front of vehicle, power steering locked unable to turn vehicle, I inspected the vehicle and saw that the harmonic balancer was loose and belts were not turning, the pin in the crank shaft gear has broken again, I had the vehicle towed to the kia dealership in richmond, and they stated that I needed a new motor. After investigating complaints about this vehicle on line I found out that this problem is well documented with this make and year vehicle. If I or my wife had been on the highway at the time of this fault it could have been catastrophic. I also found that their is a class action suit against Kia Motors addressing the exact same fault. (civil action no. 13-006 united states district court, district of new jersey) essentially, plaintiffs claimed their vehicles were designed with a “defective crankshaft pulley bold and balancer,” which could result in “breaking off the spring guide pin,” causing “catastrophic engine failure. ” this vehicle is unsafe, a recall is warranted and Kia Motors needs to correct the defect.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, there was a sudden loss of steering power and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft pulley needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 90,000. The VIN was not available.

I was driving on the way to work and the car lost power and shut off. . . . Lost all ability to steer, luckily no other cars were close by. Or else there would have been a crash between us. Had it towed to a local shop. Before looking at the vehicle they immediately told me it sounded like the infamous crank shaft pulley bolt. I was at a loss for word as it sounded like its been an on going issue that needs to be address. Too many peoples lives are and can be in trouble because of it. After the local shop looked at it and confirmed it was the crank shaft pulley bolt. I was advised to talk to the local dealership because there has been a recall of the bolt. When I spoke to the parts rep a kia, I was told there is no recalls on the bolt or anything else 2003-2006 kia serento. They could get me a new/used motor for $4k. . . . Seems that kia is only in the business of putting money in their pockets while other peoples lives are at stake. For a part/piece they know is faulty. After further investigation there is a countless amount of people with the same issue. Even people covered under the 100,000 mile warranty was told its not apart of the drive drain so its not covered. I would not recommend a kia to anyone. . .

Kia Sorento 2005, similar crank bolt main pulley assembly break that many, many of the others have all been complaining about and unfortunately been experiencing. This is the third time I had this very same issue repaired for substantial dollars and now my mechanic stated there is not enough thread left into the crankshaft to fix and it needs a completely rebuild or engine replacement - which in all likelihood be less expensive. There should definitely be a recall for this - as so many have the same issue. Thank god my incidents were all at slow speed because this would easily cause a crash because you loose all power steering and control.

Driving approximately 55mph 22 Nov 2013, heard a thump from engine compartment, and lost all power to vehicle, ending up in a ditch. Engine stopped, no steering, no brakes. Dash lights illuminated. Vehicle would not re-start. Crank pulley bolt broke off. Over 5 hours to extract remainder of bolt to repair engine. $1359 in repairs. Now, 22 sept 2014, 10 months later, had same happen on highway at 70mph in heavy traffic. Thankful I was in a lane at the edge of the roadway. Current mileage slightly under 114,000. Yeah. 10 months and 13000 miles and another huge repair bill. No recall, kia claims no liability. Other issue: interior lighting turns itself off and on at whim. Headlights burn out every 45-90 days.

The crankshaft sprocket key (pin) got loose and the sprocket displaced which chewed the timing belt and short-circuited the crankshaft sensor and fuel pump, causing $1946. 03 of repair, $213. 67 car rental during repair, loss of working time and stress to me with health damage. The total loss is estimated to be $3,000. 00 at least.

Was driving down road with my son when my car started to vibrate and make a horrible noise. The warning lights on the dash turned on and I lost my power steering just as I was turning onto our street. I had the vehicle towed to an auto shop and before they looked at it, the owner told me that it was the crank pulley bolt that sheered off. He said its common in kia SUV's of that time period! I was lucky to be on a side street and not a highway going faster because there was no warning to this happening and I could've easily lost control. This defect will eventually cause someone to lose control and become injured or killed.

I own a 2005 kia Sorento 4wd lx. After a schedule oil change, the check engine light came on and the computer showed a po300 code. While driving vehicle the vehicle became sluggish and would not accelerate past 50 mph. The next day while driving, a loud noise started in the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the crank shaft pulley, ball bearing and cylinders had to be replaced. The tech also saw metal in the oil. The tech basically told me that the engine had to be replace at a cost of $4700. 00. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 63,400.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the crank shaft pulley had to be replaced. After the part was replaced on the crank shaft pulley, the contact heard a grinding noise in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

I bought my 2005 kia Sorento October 2011. The cost of the vehicle was $8664. 00 and financed for $13,399. 48 or 36 months. This vehicle was purchased at brick city motors, 316 broadway Ave, newark, NJ 07104. A warranty for 6 months or 7500 miles was issued with it. The warranty did not cover the defect in the engine. On February 7 2012, I was driving on interstate 280 in the 3rd lane going west when the vehicle shut off. The power steering went out and I was unable to turn the hazard lights on. Thank god people were not flying or there would have been a tragic accident. I had the vehicle towed to a kia dealership in nutley NJ. I did that because I figured it was a kia product let their dealership repair it. The result for the problem was replaced timing belt/crankshaft gear/tensioner/pulley/idler/balancer-note: cr damaged- jeweled key way to crank slot limited warranty on rep. The labor cost was 826. 00 with no guarantee on parts or labor. Brick city paid for the parts and I paid for the labor. On July 15th 2012 my kia Sorento had to be towed to kia in nutley NJ. The rep advisor told me that I need to get rid of the vehicle while I can. I paid 50 some dollars for an oil cap to be replaced. The vehicle had shut off again like it did in Feb 2012. The rep also told me that I need a transmission. On July 26 the vehicle would not start up and a friend of mine took me to her brothers mechanic shop. The end result was that they found the crankshaft needs replacing and was bent again. On July 26, 2012, I, then went back to kia in nutley NJ and the manager told me the work they did was not warranted and that brick city motors screwed me. I called Kia Motors in woodbridge NJ and they told me the worst case scenario is that I have to pay maybe 2000. 00 for a replacement. I am a disabled veteran permanently and totally disabled. I have to have a SUV due to daily chronic pain.

Harmonic balancer bolt broke causing failure of all belt driven components. Loss of power steering while driving at highway speeds being the worst of which. It was extremely difficult for a small framed older woman to control while pulling over. Harmonic balancer fell from vehicle representing substantial risk to other vehicles on roadway. Vehicle had been to dealership for previous repairs but they neglected to adhere to the manufacturers TSB and replace the bolt. I have since found that many many other owners of this vehicle have had the same issue spanning many model years. I don't believe the defect to be in the bolt but rather in the design of the harmonic balancer, the crank shaft and the mating of the two. When this failure occurs the vehicle becomes inoperable and leaves it occupants stranded. Loss of power assisted control and the high probability of a large and heavy piece of steel being dropped in the midst of oncoming traffic represent a substantial risk to the public. This issue has not been properly addressed by the manufacturer as no notice that this bolt should be replaced has been given to consumers. Kia motors is aware of the problem and sent a TSB to dealers directing them to change the bolt in question upon the vehicles next dealer service. However this practice is not properly adhered to and with the customer being unaware of any possible problem it becomes easily overlooked. I have also noticed that many people have more frequent failures after the bolt has been replaced. After having the vehicle towed to kia I was informed that the engine would have to be replaced and that kia would not cover this under it's power train warranty.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 40 mph the brake lamp, battery warning lamp illuminated and the vehicle lost power steering without any warnings. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the drive belts, and crank bolt sheered off and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 80,000.

While driving my vehicle, it began making a "knocking" noise. The power steering then began to fail and then I was unable to accelerate. The car died (on a busy 4 lane hwy with my 7 mos old daughter in the car). Once stopped, I looked under my hood to find a large bolt laying on the floor of the interior of the bumper. The vehicle was towed to a local auto repair shop where, after 2 days and $1300 in repairs, I was told that the "large bolt" I found was half of the crank pulley bolt. It had snapped clean in half leaving the other half inside the pulley. Extensive labor to remove this piece and then reset all the pulleys and belts (timing belt) attributed to the excessive cost. I was told that there was no reason why that bolt should have simply broke in half and that it was a faulty part. Kia refuses to take responsibility and I have read several posts that make it clear that this is not the first time it has happened. Electrically, I have had to change my headlight bulbs several times over the last 3 years and the accuator for the automatic door locks is faulty. The car randomly locks itself at any given time (while driving, when sitting in the driveway during the night, parked and running). I stopped in a parking lot to get my daughter's toy that she had dropped. When I got out of the car to walk around to the other side, the car lock defect locked my daughter inside the car while it was running.

2005 kia sorrento ex with 80,000 miles; crankshaft pulley bolt failed may of 2011, resulting in being stranded. Towed to nearest repair facility, cost approx. $1200. 00 for repair. The 2003 and 2004 kia models had a recall for this very problem, but kia refuses to extend the recall to 2005, even though many kia owners have experienced this problem. Some have had their crankshaft bolts fail multiple times. I have contacted kia several times to try to get them to pay for the repair but they have refused.

Bolt for the crankshaft pulley has sheared off twice since I bought the vehicle 5 months ago.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the driver was driving approximately 50 mph in the rain, when she heard a loud clunking noise the steering wheel became very stiff and difficult to turn. During the failure, the battery light as well as various other warning lights began illuminating on the instrument panel. The vehicle was parked. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed all the engine belts were detached and a bolt was separated from the motor. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 66,000.

2005 kia Sorento +/- 77,000 miles. . . While driving at a low speed the brake and battery light flashed on, lost power steering, after researching online it appears it's the dreaded crank shaft pulley/bolt defect luckily I was able to safely get off the road. . . . . . 1yr to payoff vehicle. Not to mention the numerous front and taillight bulb replacements. I will never buy a kia again!!! kia is aware of this issue and has done little to nothing about it. Are they waiting for a death to occur?.

Car power steering began to fail. Power steering fluid was checked but adding fluid did not solve the problem. Vehicle failed to start, needed to be towed to mechanic. After inspection by mechanic, it was determined that the crank shaft bolt broke off from the car. Consequently this broke the timing belt and may have bent the valve rods (mechanic is in the process of taking the vehicle apart and assessing any other subsequent damage caused by the broken crank shaft bolt). The vehicle needs thousands of dollars of repairs (still being determined as to the entire scope). The bolt, timing belt and most likely valve rods will need to be replaced, along with numerous hours of labor due to the fact the engine needs to be taken apart and put back together. The old crank shaft bolt is available.

05 kia Sorento. The harmonic balancer bolt doesn't adequately secure the balancer or pulley. Thru normal use, the bolt becomes loose causing damage to the balancer. The damaged balancer causes the pulley to become damaged, and all of the accessory belts run by the crankshaft pulley are damaged. The "fix" offered by kia does nothing to permanently fix the problem. I have now taken my vehicle to an ase certified mechanic twice in the last year and the problem still exists. Costs have now reached over $2100 and counting!!!!!.

Timing belt service performed by kia dealer on 3/1/2010 @ 77105 miles. On 5/22/2010, noticed brake warning and battery warning lights on while on highway. Pulled onto next off-ramp, and noticed no power steering. I then pulled into a gas station, opened the hood, and noticed that the alternator, a/c, and main drive belt appeared to have come off of the pulleys. I was able to drive the vehicle home, and checked the next morning to see if I was able to replace the belts. I found the crankshaft pulley lying at the bottom of the engine bay. Upon further inspection, I found that the crankshaft pulley bolt had sheared off at the threads inside the crankshaft sprocket.