Problems with 2003 Kia Sorento POWER TRAIN

My 2003 kia sorento drives for 15 minutes and stalls out. i wait 5 min and it'll start and drive for a block or 2and continues to that until i get it towed home

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. while driving at an unknown speed, the gear shifted independently into four wheel drive. the contact was unable to get it back into drive. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure . the approximate failure mileage was 237,361. the vin was not provided.

When go to shift truck in drive it makes a clank sound and when driving at a speed between 65-70 the truck starts vibrating, and when in reverse it squeaks when back up,at first my wife it was the u joints so we had it replaced but it all started happing again. next our battery die had it replaced with a new one now the air bag indicator light stays on all the best time and at times it feels like the accelerator peddle gets stuck at times.

I have service records showing i had the crankshaft pulley replaced at 55,000 miles under warranty by kia. the crankshaft pulley broke off at 105,000 miles. i was able to have the vehicle repaired cost $1500 out of my pocket. on 1/11/2015 the crankshaft pulley broke off for a 3rd time, shearing the threads to the engine, and causing the engine to no longer work. all 3 events caused loss of power and able to steer the vehicle. *tr

The bolt on the crankshaft pulley as well as the pin broke off causing the motor to stop and overheat dumping all the antifreeze and stopping all belts. my mother could have been injured while driving but it ended up being she was just blocking traffic thankfully and not on the highway. this seems to be a very common issue with hundreds if not thousands complaining about the crankshaft pulley bolt and pin. kia says they won't do anything as it is out of warranty and i am not the original owner. this may have been fixed once before on the vehicle due to failure and i am very worried this may happen again with worse consequences. my mechanic was able to provide a temporary/permanent fix but we really dodged a bullet and it could have caused immediate catastrophic damage. i'm disappointed with all of the serious complaints that kia still has not recalled it for 2002-2009 sorento models. *tr

Vehicle broke down in traffic. froze up,stalled. loss of steering. had it towed to shop & was told the crank shaft sensor & related parts to the crank shaft had to be replaced. cost for towing & repairs were over $700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the contact moved the vehicle off the roadway and the engine rpms increased as the vehicle began to perform normally. the contact also stated that once the fuel tank was below 3/4 full, the engine would lose power and began to idle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was inspected but was neither diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue but provided no assistance. the approximate failure mileage was 26,000.

I brought the kia sorento used in 2/2011 with 108,00 miles and replaced all belts,transmission change,front brakes,driveshaft assembly, radiator. now has 127,000 miles and every month i have been replacing parts. *tr

Vehicle model: kia sorento ex; the transmission keeps failing and the airbag module keeps breaking and displaying red light even after fixing at a dealer shop "bill dodge kia , westbrook, me. the symptoms are as follows: you put the car in drive and the vehicle does not move and only a grinding sound occurs, then you move the transmission shift up and down and after a few moments it generally goes into gear.we almost had several accidents and the car is back in the shop. this car is a nightmare car -- please do notify manufacturer. *tr

Crankshaft bolt recalled 2007 they break off recall done crankshaft bolt broke on 2011crankshaft broke kia will not fix recalled part. *tr

My car had a horrible noise & i was told that it was the drive shaft. i got a friend to drive it to a kia kendall and they were to warranty the part that was defective. in the process of driving car to dealer it came apart hit the bottom of car deployed air bags, cracked windshield, gas tank also cracked. this was a defective dealer part and was supposed to be warrantied. now it has been reported to insurance and in the process of fixing this item they broke a plastic hose from the radiator and then clamped it & put a screw in my radiator. they know that this was going to cause a problem & did not even care. *tr

1. engine started knocking ( mileage 68,000 ) 2. engine shut down and would not restart 3. a mechanic checked and found the harmonic balancer was loose on the crankshaft. in the attempt to remove the harmonic balancer, the mounting bolt broke off flush with the crank shaft and appears to have been cross threaded from the factory. the harmonic balancer was not pulled all the way up causing the failure. due to the hardness of the mounting bolt and the crank shaft, removal of the broken bolt is impossible. the engine will need an overhaul to repair the problem and of course the warranty has just expired. ( please advise ). *tr

2003 kia sorrento-there has been no crash==the drive line from the rear makes a noisy thump almost every time i step on the brakes and release them--kia service in middletown, ny service manager and kia zone rep state that is normal operation of vehicle--i disagree and informed them i will be taking vehicle to another mechanic,i have been driving for 34 years and never encountered this situation in a vehicle. *jb

I drive a 2003 kia/sorento/4d. on or about dec 15 2006 i notice a loud noise an server vibration coming under vehicle. i took suv to family mechanic. he could not find problem and recommended that i take vehicle to kia dealer. on dec 27 2006 kia dealer tech initial diag reads 4x4 is staying engaged all the time. suspected switch failure. therefore front diff staying engaged all the time. this has caused internal damage to front diff and front propeller shaft. estimate cost to repair/2,775.00 i am at a lost cause vehicle is no longer under warranty, but i feel because 4x4 release/engage switch failure that i should not have to endure the financial burden. repairing this manufactures defect. *jb

Comments: i would like to inform you of what i think is a potential safety hazard. several weeks ago my wife and i were returning from a vacation in our car and it caught fire. luckily there were no injuries or serious damage. at the end of this letter will be all the particulars. we were coming from santa cruz on highway 1, in california and at what is called the summit, of i started seeing smoke in back of our vehicle. we stopped, turned off the car ,opened the hood and there was a small fire down on the driver side near the exhaust manifold. i closed the hood and tried to locate a fire extinguisher. the fire extinguished itself and we had the car towed to the dealership. after a day of testing the only thing they found was that the transmission was slightly overfilled, which was my error. while i realize that can cause the problem here is my concern. the technician who worked on my car said that transmissions are designed to blow out or through overflow the transmission filler tube. he also showed me that on top of the dipstick was slot which would allow the fluid to escape. however it is located right over the exhaust manifold. it would seem that it should be located where the fluid would not come in contact with such hot engine parts. i am not sure if this affects other vehicles but it does concern me. my vehicle is 2004 kia sorento 6 cyc, automatic we were not towing anything nor where we loaded down. i thank you for you time. steve elijah 225 merrill ave fremont, ca 945 [email protected] 510.623.8211. *nm

I have consistently had problems with my car from the 1st month of purchase. the major problems have been: check engine light kept coming on and a problem with the drive shaft. the check engine light problem was resolved approximately 2 attempts after it first appeared. it was diagnosed as a problem with the tsp. the problem with the drive shaft has not yet been resolved as it still continue to vibrate at speeds higher than 65 mph. these problems concern me as it may interfere or hinder with my driving abilities and cause an accident. *jb

While driving at highway speed consumer smelled a burning odor. then, smoke came from the rear of the vehicle. as a result, transmission failed and flames emanated from the under carriage. *ak

While driving, the engine blew out the first time on 10-04-04. it was replaced and it blew again on 01-21-05. the vehicle is on its third engine. *ak the key became stuck in the ignition, the vehicle shifted out of park. the consumer stated he has had transmissions and engine problems since he purchased the vehicle. the front wheel bearings were damaged. the fog light was inoperative. *jb

Bought 2003 sorento july 1, 2003. soon after the back brakes or something after braking would "clunk". whether is was after releasing brakes or seconds later it would "clunk" (dealer keeps saying it 'pops', it clunks). first time in they didnt feel it they said. second time they felt it and then said they didnt know what it was and would contact kia about it-----this third time---they say its normal for the vehicle. fter the first time in the shop for the 'clunking' the serious vibration on the highway began to be felt starting at 68 mph and worsening at 70 mph.....took it in and the dealership said it was the tires and they balanced them-----now the vibration is worse and you feel it at 60 mph and at 68 mph it is really noticable. took in into the shop 02/19/04....dealship drove it and then just told us it was normal on the vehicle---some guy last fall had the vibration worse---and said kia cant fix it. well, we didnt take that answer and is now being investigate. two field kia investigators just drove it before my husband arrived at the dealership. they told my husband they didnt feel really anything. he told them to get in the vehicle and now drive with him---the investigators all of a sudden said they felt something.....now they are going to look at seeing what it is. both kia and the dealership are dragging this out......call kia's consumer affairs office (or whatever it is called) and they say they have no reports of these problems. the dealership tells us they kia tells them it is normal. i am afraid to drive the vehicle and left it all weekend at the dealership! my daughters life is at stake driving it like that if something falls off or something. i am afraid that kia or the dealership will have more experience and able to cover things so that we can not file for the lemon law........... help!!!*ak

I have a 2003 kia sorento that i purchased in september of 2003. i bought the sorento with 5000 miles on it and from the time i got it home, it developed problems. everytime i start my sorento and put it in drive or reverse and back-up or drive forward, i hear this awful hum noise from the front of the car that the dealership says is normal that it's the abs resetting itself and that it's sometimes noisier in some sorento's than in other's (no other sorento owner that i know has this noise) i felt a vibration when i was driving on the highway and it would happen between 68 and 72 mph. it would not vibrate if i was driving above or below this speed. so i called the dealership and they told me to rotate and balance my tires and i told them that i already did that. well come to find out after i had to put it into the shop, they replaced the whole drive shaft, it was bent (manufacturer defect they said.) second, my console broke and the lights went out inside my car, still waiting on that to be fixed, have had to replace the headlight lights twice thus far. rear windshield wiper keeps getting stuck even after having the dealership adjust it. *ak

The sorento suv was bought in june 2003. with less than 1000 miles in june 2003 the sorento was brought to the dealer's service to check an oil leak on the front axle. the dealer cited an overfilled gear oil and the gear oil level was corrected. after few weeks, in july 2003, the sorento was brought back again to the same dealer because the gear oil leak was still there. the dealer kept the sorento, cited non-drivable and have to order the part. the gasket was replaced and sorento was test driven. the gear oil leak still showed up. now the dealer said that they got hold of kia and cited that they have to replace the bleeder tube. the bleeder tube was replaced and the gear oil leak did not go away. at this time, the whole unit of the front drive axle was ordered and replaced the originally installed unit of the sorento. after the dealer test drove the newly installed front axle, the gear oil was still leaking. at this time, for almost a month, the sorento is still in the repair bay of the dealer awaiting direction from kia. *ak