Front Air Bag Sensor Control Problems of Kia Motor Sorento - part 2

The passenger air bag sensor in the vehicle is poorly designed and will frequently disable the front passenger airbag while an adult passenger is riding in the proper manner, as displayed by the vehicles owner manual. Moreover, the air bag sensor does not continuously monitor the passenger after it has determined that the air bag should be off - the only way to reset the airbag is to have the passenger lift themselves off of the seat (while remaining buckled) for over 2 seconds. Even turning the vehicle off, removing the key, and turning the vehicle back on does not work very reliably - resetting the sensor ~35% of the time. The airbag sensor on this vehicle is a known issue (TSB# kt2008022001), and repeated calls to service centers re-enforce that the manufacturer has no intentions of issuing a recall or even a simple software update to remedy the problem. Instead, they instruct that the service members find a 'sufficiently large' mechanic, instruct them to sit in the seat to ensure that the device works correctly. Obviously, if you significantly exceed the minimum weight, the sensor works correctly. However, I've had the problem with adult passengers with weights ranging from 120-170 lbs and consider it to be a significant safety flaw with the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2007 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2008 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

Kia Sorento-2007-front passenger-air bag "idiot light". For 2 yrs. Trips back and forth regarding this light to dealer. Unable to assure that air bag system is really working. Light is on when someone is sitting in seat and indicates the air bag is off. Seats and sensors have been replaced to no avail. They just told me today 8-23-2010 that there is no more they can do. Light is still on and their computer still says that it is working. You have many complaints of the same thing-is anything being done? either the light,sensor,air bag or computer is not right. This has been a problem since I bought the car new. This is an intermittent occurrence-doesn't matter when or who is sitting in the seat, if the car is warm or cold. The seat(sensor) has been changed,computer has diagnosed and kia has talked to the tech's. Their machines are not telling them that something is wrong but the service managers and sales people have witnessed it. Are you investigating this?.

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.

Air bag sensor light on passenger side of 07 kia rio was on after repairs from an accident. Took to kia of conyers for diagnosis. Almost a month later, my car is still at the dealership. It was determined that it was a warranty issue which I am reporting in case more people have this same problem. Safety is my main concern.

( passenger side ) airbag is not activated when a passenger is in seat. Kia replaced the the sensor and after returning home it still was not working. Kla told me that sense it has been already replaced there is nothing else they would do.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Sorento. While driving 30 mph, the air bag light would not dim. The contact switched places with the person in the passenger seat, but the light still would not dim. The dealer stated that he had to wait for a technician who specialized in air bags. The contact went back to the dealer and was informed that the repair was still not completed. When the repair was finished, the contact test drove the vehicle and the failure still continued. The technician then stated that it could not be repaired and the contact was provided a rental vehicle. The sales dealer informed the contact to return the rental because they could not repair his vehicle, and would no longer pay for the rental. He called kia and they issued case number 1421419. The representative stated that he would investigate the situation and then notify the contact. The kia representative called back and stated that they could not repair the vehicle because they did not have the proper tools. The case was escalated to the supervisor. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 7,500 and failure mileage was approximately 7,400. Updated 03-19-08 updated 03/19/08.

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.

On November 17, 2007 I purchased a kia Sorento SUV. Since that date, the passenger seat airbag is disabled all of the time when my wife is sitting in the passenger seat. Other adults who weigh more will allow the light to go out, but never for my wife. I returned the car to the dealer for service who informed me that there is nothing that they can do. I contacted kia customer service and they indicated that a regional warranty rep will look at in January, but if he sits in the seat and the light goes out, there is nothing that they will do. My wife is an average adult who weighs enough that the airbag disabling feature should turn off when she sits in the seat.

Passenger side airbag off light illuminates even when a grown adult is sitting in the seat. The owners manual states, and the service dept at the dealership agree that if a 150 lb adult is in the passenger seat and the off light is illuminated, the airbags will not deploy. The adult can be sitting straight up in the seat with feet in the floor in front of them and the off light is on. The service manager said they cannot fix this, it is a problem. The corp. Office should issue a recall because obviously the sensors are not properly located. What good is the airbag if it won't deploy when needed?.

I bought a new 2007 kia Sorento on 11-1-07 from banner kia in mandeville, la. With my wife in the passenger seat (125 lbs. ) the air bag light remains illuminated indicating that the air bag in inoperable. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and the technicians supposedly fixed the problem. Enroute home the light came on again. The dealer then supposedly recalibrated a sensor and the light stayed out. Now my daughter who weighs 117 lbs will not put the light out to put the air bag in service. Have you had similar complaints on kia vehicles? I am beginning to think that the dealership technicians are not capable in making my vehicle safe. Any suggestions?.

The airbag actuation system is design defective, at least from my point of view, in that it does not always become active , when a passenger is sitting in it. I have had passengers from 105# to 315#, and sometimes the system is active and sometimes not. I have been advised by kia service that the 8" bladder in the seat, which activates the system for deployment in the event of an accident, is sensitive to where and how the passenger sits in the seat. If they don't sit in jus a certain manner, the system does not activate. This is a major safety item and has an immediate urgency to have kia remedy this. In the event of an accident and the bag does not deploy for the passenger due to this problem, I most definitely will be in court with kia.

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.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the air bag light was illuminated on the front passenger side, which indicated the air bag was off. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the sensory module and the entire passenger seat. Ten days later, the air bag light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. They stated that ten percent of their vehicles were having the same failures. The manufacturer was unable to provide any assistance. The current and failure mileages were 117.

Front passenger air bag light does not work properly. It senses passenger less than 50% of the time. Even getting out and restarting the car will not fix this. Took car to dealer and couldn't find anything wrong. I asked about recall/bulletin and they said there wasn't one but I had received something in the mail about a year ago. This is for 2005 kia Sorento sport.

See all problems of the 2005 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the air bag sensor for the front passenger seat works intermittently. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. The current mileage is 900 and failure mileage was 50.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Sorento. The failure mileage was 18 and the current mileage was 1000. The passenger airbag light will stay off when there is an adult in passenger seat. The dealer is unable to diagnose the problem.

I bought a 2007 kia Sorento a month ago. It has a passenger sensor in the seat that activates the air bag on the front passenger side. If a child or passenger who doesn't meet the weight requirement sits in the seat it will deactivate the air bag. Problem is that the sensor isn't working for passengers who meet the weight requirement . The air bag is deactivated and therefore the safety feature that is the air bag is no longer there to protect the front passenger and there is no way to override that feature. I asked the service guy at the kia dealership and he said there's nothing they could do. The front passenger air bag hasn't been working since I bought it.

The sensor for the passenger air bag is nor working reliably. Most of the time it either does not detect my wife at all, or, while I am driving, it suddenly signals that the passenger air bag is off, even though she is still seated. When it does not detect her, the sign ¿passenger air bag off¿ is lit. There is no problem when I (210 pounds) sit on the passenger side, only for my 148 pound wife. I am afraid that our 2007 Sorento will not be capable of performing a possibly lifesaving act in the case of an accident. As a passenger, she is unprotected. A friend of ours has a 2008 sportage that also has a sensor for the air bag in the passenger seat cushion and there it works every time my wife gets in the car. We have visited our local dealership several times; having the program reflashed three times and even the seat cushion was replaced with a new one with a new sensor. Unfortunately, the problem was never resolved. Our dealership informed us after our last visit that they have done all they can do.

I have a 2007 kia sorrento that was purchased partly because of the 5 star safety rating. However, in my particular vehicle the passenger side airbag deactivation sensor designed to deactivate the passenger side airbag when the seat is occupied by a child also deactivates the airbag more than 50% of the time when an adult occupies the seat. I have reported this issue to my dealer 3 times and the service manager tells me that there is nothing they can do because there is no "fix" from the factory. He also told me that he is not aware of anyone else having this problem ( I doubt that) and that kia was not particularly concerned about this problem because the passenger side airbag was a "secondary protection device" which was not really necessary to protect the occupant if the occupant was wearing his/her seat belt. I called kia customer service and they basically "blew me off" saying that kia would fix the problem in "due time". How can kia advertise a 5 star safety rating when in fact they are aware of this sensor issue and are not willing or able to fix it? appears to me that there is some false advertising going on and really we have about a 2 star safety rating!.

Purchased a new 2007 kia sorrento on 3/30/07. Left the dealership with the passenger side airback disconnect light on with an adult sitting in the seat. Have taken the car into two different dealer service departments and they have refused to address this safety issue. Reported problem to kia USA consumer affairs and no action has been taken other than refer us to another dealer for service. A service manager I spoke with said this was a "known problem" with the 06 and 07 sorrento but that the company could not "reproduce a hard error". The service manager went on to tell me that there are sensors in the seat cushion and seat back and that a passenger has to sit in the seat in a particular way in order for contact to be made properly. The manager went on to say that he had seen a lot of 06 and 07 sorrento's with this problem and was waiting on kia to take action. Other than pursue the lemon law process, what other recourse does a consumer have with a clear engineering defect of a key safety feature?.

The contact owns a 2007 kia Sorento. The passenger side air bag light illuminated intermittently when an occupant was in the seat. The dealer stated that the OCS "occupancy classification system" malfunctioned. The dealer replaced the seats and sensors; however, the failure still occurred. The failure mileage was 20 and current mileage was 5,600.

I had a 1 year old battery replaced, which was defective (non-kia dealer). Afterwards, I noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. Kia dealer said it was due to a bad sensor ($300 part, $300 labor). It was too expensive for me to pursue correcting. I told the dealer to forget the repair.

See all problems of the 2003 Kia Motor Sorento 🔎.

While driving on Saturday, 7/15/06, I noticed a high pitched noise while steering. I was under the impression that the power steering fluid was low. After having an oil change and capping off my fluids, the noise continues and remains while driving. It is loud enough to hear over the radio and the air conditioner at the same time. I have placed this car in the shop for numerous repairs since its purchase in 2003 and have spent countless amounts of money on various problems, including replacing the bulbs, repairing the braks, the check engine light coming on immediately after purchase, the air bag sensor remains on and the list goes on and on. I have placed numerous complains to kia directly as well as filed a compliant with the better business bureau to no avail. It would be my assumption that kia will only be concerned about fixing these issues or recalling these vehicles only after some serious incidents have occurred.

The contact owns a 2005 kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle has been in and out of the shop since the time of purchase. The entire passenger seat was removed and worked on six times for the air bag sensor. The mechanic could not duplicate the failure. Gm stated that they cannot help unless they witness the failure for themselves. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage is 19,500 and failure mileage was 5,500.

: the contact stated the air bag indicator displayed air bag - off for the passenger's seat, although a passenger was sitting in the seat. Several people at various weights have sat in the seat as an attempt for the indicator light to go off, without success.

Air bag light keeps coming on. Kia fixed this issue at least 5 times now the light is back on and they will not repair because I am out of warranty. If air bag light is on air bags will not deploy at time of impact I have 3 small children. They have not been able to resolve the issue.

I purchased a new 2005 kia Sorento in July. While sitting in the passenger seat I would notice that the passenger airbag sensor was not detecting me thus leaving the airbag off. I made an appointment with the dealer to find the problem. I was told it is a manufacturing problem and the seat must be removed, sent back to the manufacturer and be reprogrammed. It does not sense larger size people as the people of korea are smaller and the sensors are designed for them. I was not notified of this defect until I brought the car to them. They did not feel it was a safety issue.

The passenger airbag light is on. When I am in the passenger seat the airbag indicator says "passenger airbag off". I weigh about 120 lbs. When my fiance is in the passenger seat the airbag is on. He weighs about 150 lbs. We took the car to the dealership for an oil change and told them about this problem. They said that I am probably sitting wrong. I cannot accept this.

I just bought a brand new 2005 kia Sorento last week (March 18, 2005. ) I love the car, but it has an automatic shut off on the passenger air bag that continues to malfunction. It is supposed to stay off unless a passenger weiging more than 40 pounds is sitting in the seat. My husband (200 lbs. +) and my father in law (180 lbs. +) have sat in the seat while I am driving and the air bag will not turn on. I mentioned it to my local dealership and they told me that they have had several complaints of the same thing. They have supposidly checked the sensor system and it is "functioning properly. " I have never been in a wreck, but if I am ever in one where my passenger is seriously injured because the air bag malfunctions, I will never forgive myself. Please look into this. Thank you.

- the contact stated that the 2005 kia Sorento lx, had problems with the passenger air bag sensor light malfunctioning. On occasion when in the passenger was seated in the front seatthe airbag sensor light did not turn off. The contact took the vehicle to the dealership on 3 occasions. The dealership changed the seat sensor three times ,and took the seat out to have it shipped to California to reprogram the seat sensor. The contact stated that the dealership informed her that sometimes she may have to get out of the vehicle and get back into the vehicle in order for the sensor light to work properly. She had an arbitration case dated for 03/01/07, with case # kia 0732574, for the complaint filed with the better business bureau regarding the passenger air bag. The contact has pictures and repair orders available, will submit them to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 4500, and the current mileage was 13000.

The air bag sensor located in the front passenger seat did not engaged when a passenger sat in the, seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they were unable to resolve the problem.

The air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on while driving. Driver took vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the sensor needed to be replaced. The consumer was told by the dealer that he can not lean back in the seat or lean against the window. The consumer stated that the passenger air bag light comes on when someone over 50 pounds is in the seat. The consumer concerned about safety.

2005 kia Sorento ex developed problems with the power steering. ** answer required***. Within a few days of owning the vehicle, the consumer noticed the clock was not working properly, there was a noise while the vehicle was cold, while turning right or backing and pulling forward, a shudder in the brake pedal, a cut in the leather passenger seat. On 4 occasions the passenger air bag sensor light dash light did not engage properly with 3 different people of different weights/heights were sitting in the seat. The power steering failed 3 times. The consumer was told the shudder in the brake pedal was normal and was a part of the abs.