Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems of the 2008 Kia Motor Sorento

Air bag sensor light stays on. Computer code indicates that there is a defect with the sensor. Air bags will not be engaged due to the sensor malfunction.

The contact owns a 2008 kia Sorento. The passenger front air bag sensor misclassified a small stature adult as a child. The contact is aware of the safety risk in the event of a crash, the air bag may fail to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician concluded that since the passenger weighed only 130 lbs, she was not large enough for the sensor to detect her weight. The failure mileage was 380 and the current mileage was 3,200.

Since we purchased our 2008 kia Sorento in March 2009, there has been a problem with the passenger seat where when I am sitting there and the "passenger airbag off" light is illuminated. I am 150 pounds, and moved myself around in the seat, weight centered, sitting properly. At the same time we have been fighting the issue of the esc off and check engine light as well, so the 3 times the vehicle has been to service for the esc off problem, we also told them about the passenger airbag off. My husband is the one who took the vehicle and the first time they told him that I was not positioned in the seat properly. The second time the vehicle went to the service dept, it was after I basically yelled at them on the phone and told them to rip out the seat if they had to in order to fix it. Again, my husband took it, they said that "the airbag will deploy, but it might be slow. " I knew this was incorrect. I know the way it works and if the sensor is not working properly and it says the airbag is off, it will not deploy. The third time it went to service for the esc off light problem, my father went and had a stern conversation with the service manager and advised him that he was a service manager and that he knows that it is his responsibility to find out the cause of the problem and fix it, especially being the car is under warranty and that this is a safety issue. They supposedly fixed the issue, I'm not sure what they did, but we have only had the problem again once in the past 6 months, as opposed to twice a week for over a year. I have filed a separate complaint regarding the esc off and check engine light.

The contact owns 2008 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light occasionally failed to indicate that a passenger was seated in the front seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the manufacturer would not replace the computer because it was a smarts system. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 62,000.

The contact owns a 2008 kia Sorento. The contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument control panel, which indicated that the passenger side air bag was inoperative. A representative from the dealer stated that they could not remedy the failure because the parts were unavailable for the software. They would also have to wait for a subject matter expert to repair the vehicle. The contact called the manufacturer and they stated that they were waiting for a response. The failure and current mileages were 15,557. Updated 06/25/08 the consumer stated the passenger side air bag sensor was repaired. Updated 06/25/08.

The contact owns a 2008 kia Sorento. The OCS misclassifies the presence of certain adult passengers based on a combination of their weight, stature, body shape and position on the seat cushion. As consequence the air bags may fail to deploy in a situation that warrants. The vehicle was taken to the dealership three times for the failure. The vehicle was repaired once according to service bulletin #10030366 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module). The repair did not remedy the failure. The current mileage was 7,321. The failure mileage was approximately 30.

2008 kia Sorento faulty passenger airbag. Consumer states that the airbag works intermittently. Consumer states that it does not work when his father is in the vehicle. The wiring connection was loose and the sensor was reset on the first visit. The second time, the dealer stated they would have to order a cushion to replace the passenger side seat because the sensor was in the cushion.

The contact owns a 2008 kia Sorento. While driving 45 mph, the passenger side air bag light remained illuminated, which indicated that the air bag would not deploy. The dealer stated that the air bag sensor failed. As of November 7, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 600. Updated 01/09/08. The consumer stated the incident has happened several times even on the way home from church recently. Updated 12/12/07.