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Problems with 2012 Kia Sorento AIR BAGS

On average, the 2012 Kia Sorento starts to “feel” problems with the AIR BAGS and its various aspects after 104 226 miles.

Recently reported AIR BAGS problems on 2012 Kia Sorento

At 97k miles, the airbag sensor light came on. after a $134 kia service visit, they determined we needed to replace our passenger side seat for an ocs sensor, at a cost of $2,550. the airbags have never been deployed in the vehicle. after reviewing many websites (and nhtsa), i see that this appears to be a common problem with this vehicle. there was a recall on the drivers side airbag clock spring, but it does not appear to be directly related to this issue with the car.

The ocs (occupant classification sensor) has failed, resulting in the passenger side airbag failing in the "off" position. the cost to replace is in excess of $2,000... a price that will leave many owners without a functioning passenger side airbag. kia has extended coverage for other failing airbag components (clock spring), it is odd they would leave their customers exposed by not covering this one.

At approximately 123k miles, the airbag sensor light came on. after a kia service diagnosis, it was determined that i need an ocs mat replacement, passenger side. the airbags have never been deployed. the cost is $2,700. after reviewing many consumer websites, i see that a great number of people are having the same problem. the light came on as i was starting the car and never went off. this appears to be a nationwide issue with a large number of people complaining. (i have a recall letter, but it is for the driver airbag clock spring.)

Vehicle with just over 88000 miles airbag light came on dealer says will be anywhere from 1500 to 2600 dollars to find and replace issue. other sorrento owners complaining online about same issue. on initial start for the day airbag light came on and wont go out

I received a recall notice from kia motors stating that i need to bring in my 2012 sorento in to have the "clock spring assembly" checked as my air bag light on the dashboard is illuminated. i brought it to have it checked and was told that it's not the "clock spring assembly" but the ocs mat that is defective ( code b1764 ) and would cost me $2640 to replace...i was told that the air bag system "might not" function properly with with the air bag light illuminated...why is the ocs mat not a recall matter as it is apparent that they are failing miserably...vehicle was in motion when light came on and remains on continually...

My suv has not encountered any incidents that involve the air bags to deploy. yesterday while leaving work the air bag warning light came on after i started the vehicle and the light still has not turned off. looking at recent complaints it appears that kia has an issue that needs to be fixed nationwide.

Air bag light on. air bag light came on while driving. no accident or anything to set it off. nothing but problems with this model and this is the icing on the cake. so unsafe!!!

My car has never been in an accident. while driving yesterday, the air bag indicator came on and stayed on all through my trip. it will not go off. i did some research on the internet and seen that this issue has been complained about by so many other users of this vehicle. this is a safety issue as the airbag system is likely faulty and may not deploy in an accident.

Electrical problem with the air bag not allowing it to deploy in an accident (at all times), will cost $2,000 to repair

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the contact scheduled an appointment with darcars kia of frederick (5826 urbana pike, frederick, md 21704, (301) 696-1200) to have the vehicle diagnosed and repaired. the failure mileage was 77,200.

The airbag light will not turn off on the dashboard. i have not been in accident or anything. i turned my car on like normally and the airbag like continued to stay on instead of turning off once you are buckled and started driving.

I too have the problem of the passenger airbag light coming on out of the blue; no accidents.

Takata recall - ocs mat passenger front seat- airbag light came on while driving down highway and no one was sitting in the seat - kia said it is not a defect however i see multiple complaints about this issue. they want to charge $1950.00 to fix it.

Door handles broke off, air bag light is turned on after replacing battery in car, and car won't pass smog because o2 sensor readiness and fuel system monitors won't show ready even though there is nothing wrong with the car and car is not pulling any error codes, both upstream and downstream o2 sensors were replaced, air filters changed, and fuel system was flushed and still did nothing to make the monitors show ready

The airbag light is on. local kia dealer closing so not taking appointments. took it to two different mechanics both recommended checking to see if there is a recall. their computer said high resistance in steering wheel airbag. light is on whether sitting in the car or not sitting in it but ignition on. as long as car is on light is on. it has about 79,000 miles.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated while driving. the contact was concerned that the air bag could deploy. the vehicle was taken to union city auto mall (4080 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291, (770) 964-3825) and the air bag sensor was replaced; however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 192,892.

I was driving the truck when i heard a loud noise like a fire gun than i saw smoke coming out from the engine, i pulled over and saw that the engine was already on fire, i got my two daughters out of the truck and five minutes later the whole truck exploted

My airbag light went off a few months ago. i originally thought is was a short because it went off anytime i moved the passenger seat around. i had my service tech check it a few times, and he reset it. he eventually said i should take it to kia. they diagnosed it and said the ocs mat was bad. it was the passenger seat occupancy sensor. i was quoted $2601.29 for just the part! they said i needed the whole cushion assembly. this is totally ridiculous. imo, they should put a backup switch to override this if they're going to put faulty parts in their seats. or, they should construct a better way to repair these without a complete seat replacement. it basically means, if i was in a head on collision, the passenger side airbag wouldn't think anyone is present in the seat. so, it wouldn't trigger the airbag on that side. i've contemplated building a bypass to force the airbag to go off even if no one is in the seat during a collision. it was so bad for the 2009 version, that you can purchase the bypass for $50. but, there's no good documentation on the 2012 model. i do have 142,000 miles on the car. but, i would bet that the passenger seat has been used about 30% of that. so, this is a case of a bad part. i have pampered this car. it still looks new. i paid it off and had planned to drive it until it blew up. now, i'm considering getting rid of it and buying a new car. i'd prefer to drive free for awhile. but, i'm certainly not paying $3000 to fix this. i knew they had a recall on previous models for this exact same thing. i'm not convinced they changed anything for the 2012 model. but, that's just my opinion. i can provide additional documentation for this as needed.

Srs, airbag module light on constantly replacing bulbs june 2018, 88kmikes airbag warning light came on and wont go out after several attempts at resetting. dealer stated it is the airbag module, not covered under warranty and would cost $750-$800 to repair and reset

The airbag ligjt came on and stayed then it cut off but it was never in a accident and nothing else has came on have you heard of malfunction

Takata recal. my kia 2012 with current millage 49,000. no accident. airbag light is on. check engine light is on. brought my vehicle to kia dealer. they said intake manifold need to be replaced and it cost around $900.

Airbag light is on. code says it is a passenger seat body sensor mat. kia has a service campaign for many airbag issues, but says this is not a problem

Hello, i am 2nd owner @51,000 k with no known accidents to this suv. from 51,073k i discovered the 2nd row seat latch was faulty and i couldn't fold the seat down. i had the latch replaced and it was fine and only used it about eight imes. then @ 68,000k found it was using/ burning oil. the repair cost quoted for this is $3,600. ever since i've had to add up to four quarts of 5w20 between oil changes. at 85,000k the same seat latch quit working again. i was quoted $110 for the replacement latch and book install calls for 3.1 hours equalling close to $340. also from 87,000k to current (116,007k) there has been a slurry of seemingly random oddities: a) the electrical system has had five glitches. moments lasting less than 40 sec. where all the warning lights flash and chimes sound, completely out of the blue. it has happened while driving, while parked but running and when starting after getting fuel. b) the ignition switch sticks occ. which sounds the 'key in' chime and prevents doors from locking. c) there is an insane amount of air flow coming in around the door hinge areas, center console/ arm rest and beneath the seats; front and back. temporary fix, in the ia winters my children and i have blankets over our laps and behind our legs...and the extra winter garm is strategically placed to try and block air flow. d)the motor makes a ping/ knock, metal on metal sound @69k. fresh to 72hr oil its fine.e) the driver airbag light came on @115,996k. i drove to town, 7.4 miles, the light was off, nothing wrong. i parked, left suv running at the gas, ran inside to grab coffee and doughnuts, came out less than five mins later and saw the light on. stayed on after i buckled. thankfully it's not flashing, just on, as of 7:36am on 3/31/18. please help. i'm one adult trying to care for two kids. my children and other drivers need better safety than this. thank you

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator was illuminated for approximately two months, which was a safety concern. the vehicle was taken to the dealer (mentor kia in mentor, ohio, 440-953-1000) where it was diagnosed that the driver's side air bag seat sensor was defective and needed replacement. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 112,000. *tt

Warning light came on stating passenger side airbag has been deactivated at around 103,000 miles and has not turned off.

Takata recall? air bag light is on for no reason!!! please investigate!! there are over 2000 complaints online for the same issue, kia wants to charge $2000 to repair seat or sensor?? i cannot get my car inspected!! furious-this is a recall- i did not beak my air bag!!! please check complaints online with same issue there are thousands!!!!!!! for 2012 kia sorento - please help!!! so tired of being ripped

Hi - today, on my way to the park - a 10 min drive, the airbag light turned on. i have not been in an accident and my car has almost 130,000 miles. readying online - i am dreading to go to the dealership. i did find a post that in february of 2016 - kia issued a service bulletin but there is no number attached, therefore, i am guessing i will have to pay for it. has there been any new developments on this issue? if so, please contact me.

98,000 miles. air bag light staying on for no reason. took to kia dealership. code 1764 ocs mat defect. has to do with mat on seat of front passenger to detect passenger and weight. price to fix $2000.00 that is ridiculous! i have seen tons of reports of this issue on kia sorentos. they advertise for their safety and that is why i purchased this vehicle new. i have never had any vehicle that had issues with the air bag systems. this is a common problem and should be recalled on these vehicles. kia should be ashamed of themselves for not fixing this recurring issue,.

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia sorento. while driving 20-25 mph and making a left turn, the vehicle was struck on the rear passenger door and rear quarter panel. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with rear passenger side curtain air bags, which failed to deploy. the contact was transported by ambulance to a hospital for a fractured collar bone, which required medical attention. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not diagnosed. jenkins kia of gainesville (3345 n main st, gainesville, fl 32609, (855) 764-9404) was contacted, but the dealer was unable to read the data from the black box in the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 86,000. the vehicle was destroyed. the vin was not available.

Airbag light sensor its on, they change the airbag sensor on 2015 but know almost 5 years and 81k are not covering it. saying its non security issue

Srs light has come on. initially took it into a dealership in 8/2017, was told they were able to reset the sensor and the light went off. it has since come back on and now i am told i have to replace the ocs mat and it will cost me $1900. this is a safety issue and should be covered under the warranty. srs light came on for no reason

Warning light came on and stayed on at 28k miles, never in an accident.

The air bag warning light came on at about 77k miles and will not go off. this appears to be a recurring problem with the vehicle in seeing postings online.

Car purchased in november 2014. driver's side airbag light came on a week ago about 81,700 miles. took to kia dealer on 5-4-17 and was told i needed a new air bag costing $1,032 as extended warranty does not cover it. warranty should cover cost of replacing airbag as it is part of the vehicle and is faulty through no fault of my own. i have read numerous complaints online about similar issues. i am not able to replace airbags at this time due to cost. please help. shouldn't there be a recall from manufacturer on this. safety is a priority.

The air bags did not come out and the car was tolled.

The air bag light on the front panel turned on when the car had about 90,000 miles with no accident or other issue. the kia dealer inspected the vehicle and let me know that the air bag module and the air bag at the driver's side has to be replaced at a cost of more than $800 in pr. they also told me that the air bags may not work properly in case of an accident while this light is on. i consider that this is a safety issue and has to be addressed by the manufacturer as it is not related to an accident or any event caused by the consumer. instead, the issue just appeared with time and now our safety is at risk.

Takata recall- i had just stopped turned a corner and then vehicle pulled to the right causing me to hit a pole.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer (fort myer kia) where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 88,478. updated 08/22/17*lj updated 8/25/2017*js

Airbag light came on and stays on. no accidents or such. checked fuses and they are fine. please have kia complete a recall. this seems to be an issue with all kia's

2012 kia sorentos are junk!! in oct i will have owned this car for 2 years, my first new car purchase or at least it was suppose to be, feel totally shafted by the dealership that sold me a more expensive older car with loads of miles but that's not the point. anyway the the car is junk, after paying $85 a door to change 3 doors i just superglued them things back on and tada no more handles popping off. driving my car today normal just like any other day, spend a couple hours in the office, come out to go home and notice the red airbag light on. this car is only 4 years old, it must be a defective airbag! so now i get to drive around and worry about my airbag going off because i can't afford to get it fixed or even looked at. how does a 4 year old car have airbag issues?? they should definitely pull a recall, especially after that one company had metal shrapnel shooting out of their airbags and killing an injuring people! i am terrified, i drive with my daughter about an hour a day at the least. this car has airbags everywhere, what if they go off while i'm driving on the freeway? and the door handles!?!? plastic!! what a joke! trying testing them in a constantly sunny state like florida!!! ridiculous junk!!

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to aloha kia of maui (89 e wakea ave, kahului, hi 96732) and repaired several times regarding the failure. the dealer stated that the weight sensor for the passenger seat was the cause of the failure. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the dealer stated that the entire seat assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 117,250.

We were told we had a 10 yr, 100000 mile warranty bumper to bumper in jan 2012 when we bought the vehicle. last week the airbag light and engine light came on. we took the car to the local kia dealership and was told the warranty didn't cover check engine or airbag problems, even though the dealership service department said they would be covered if the unit was under 5 years old. they want $1000+ to fix the engine light problem on the intake manifold and $1400 to fix the airbag problem. both units should be under warranty. we had a spare tire problem a month after getting the car. the spare tire was bad and they wanted us to buy a new tire. nothing we have is covered under warranty it seems. we were told the entire airbag system on the car would not operate unless we paid the $1400 to repair the airbag system.

Letter from kia saying airbag may be issue. when i called dealer i told them airbag light was on and they said i'd be charged if nothing was wrong with it. this was not a recall according to kia. after looking online many other kia owners have faced same issue with the sorento and other kia models. under warranty, dealers have changed out seats and resolved the airbag issue. most cases though, dealer wants to charge to correct this very important safety issue! this should be investigated and made a recall for kia owners. if your department would investigate the number of complaints on this issue, i'm sure you'd agree that a recall should be issued. thank you for your time and i hope you will address this issue asap. *tr

Have a 2012 kia sorento. took it in to have a recall repaired. dealer had it for 3 hours and when we got it back the air bag light on the control panel was on. they claim that they did nothing that would have caused the light to come on. for 67,000 miles no problem. they have it for 3 hours and now there's a problem. they said they would repair it for $700-$800. i asked if there was a possibility of the bag not deploying or deploying for no reason while i'm driving. they said there was no way of knowing until it was repaired. i did some research on the internet and found dozens and dozens of web-sites of others (sorento as well as other kia models) that have had the same problem. for a safety device to have so many problems, there has to be something wrong with the device. i think there should be an investigation into the air bag system. not just on mine but all kia vehicles.

Airbag light came on dash at approx. 71,000 miles. kia dealership service says "passengers seat cushion assembly setting code" estimated cost to fix is $2,306.00. car in excellent shape. car never in any accidents, all maintenance done at kia dealership.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sorento. the contact stated that while coming the a stop, the brakes failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed. as a result, the vehicle to crashed into a restaurant. the air bags did not deploy. a police report was filed. the contact did not sustain any injuries. the vehicle was still at the location of the crash at the time of the call. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 13,741.

The red airbag dashboard light came on. i took it in to the kia dealership and they said the clock spring needed replacing. they wanted to charge me $458 dollars to fix it. i purchased this car less than a year ago. it's a 2012 so this part should not be faulty after this length of time. the car has 65,000 miles on it, and since i purchased it used it's out of warranty as of 60,000. now i am without airbags because i can't afford this repair. i feel that kia should take care of this at no charge since this part should not fail after 3 years with no accidents or steering column issues that would escalate the part failing.

Went out from work to start my car and noticed the airbag light would not go out. i shut the car off and restarted to see if it would go out. it would not. the very next day, i went to open the front door on the passenger side to put something in the car. the handle fell off in my hand. the passenger side door is hardly used as i am the only occupant of the car. it had not been hit or damaged, the cover just broke off. i took the vehicle in to the kia dealer. the advised me that i would have to leave the vehicle, pay $85 for a diagnostic test so they could see why the light would not go out. they said it was not covered under warranty that the warranty for it ran out at 60k miles. same with the handle. i have to pay over $40 just for them to replace the handle's cover. they said once they found out why the airbag light was on, if i paid to have it repaired that they will waive the diagnostic fee. so i have to rent a vehicle out of pocket for no telling how long, and pay for what ever is wrong with the airbag light. they claim that it will not deploy if i go into an accident. i've read several other complaints about the 2012 kia sorrento airbag not deploying. another law suit in the making just like the gas mileage one they just were sued for.

Air bag light is permanently on. have been told its the clock spring, and want $400 to replace. it is just out of warranty. i have noted recalls with kia other models. obviously a weak point in this manufacturer. *tr

I just turned right on the main street in my subdivision when a motorcycle going at a high rate of speed hit the speed bump an ran right into my door on drivers side. no air bags went off an there is air bags on the door. both of us transported by ems to hospital. *tr

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