Problems with 2008 Kia Sorento AIR BAGS

Hit a guard rail on the front; side and rear (did a 360 and 180) and none of the air bags in my vehicle deployed. i was on interstate 90 going about 65-70

Tl* the contact owned a 2008 kia sorento. while making a left turn, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. the contact's vehicle also sustained a side impact by a different vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact sustained back, neck, and shoulder injuries as well as internal bleeding from the seat belt, which required medical attention. the front and rear passengers also sustained back and neck injuries that required medical attention. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed destroyed. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 86,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle shook and stalled. additionally, there was an abnormal thumping noise and the check engine, air bag, and electronic control indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the automatic control sensor, rear sensor bearing, and rear line driveshaft needed to be replaced. the local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 128,000.

The air bag off light is still on when someone is sitting in the passengar seat

The front passenger air bag says its turned off when there is an adult in the passenger seat.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. while driving approximately 35 mph, the contact's vehicle crashed into the side of a second vehicle. the crash caused severe damage to the front end of the contact's vehicle. the air bags did not deploy. the driver sustained a head contusion, which did not require medical attention. a police report was filed and the vehicle was towed. the cause of the failure was not determined. an unknown kia dealer in cape dorodo, missouri and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 103,000. *ln

I was in a collision that was my fault, i rear ended a mini van hit a concrete/stone/ dirt barrier and my air bags did not deploy.

My check engine goes on and off whenever. passenger airbag light grout it to autozone for check and it stated sensors. my shop says they fix it and it continues i have had the car for almost 2 years now

Takata recall i was hit head on where my airbags never came out. airbag lights are on but air bags never deployed. i was at a complete stay steal when i was hit.

On occasion, "passenger air bag off" light goes on while an adult (>120lbs.) is sitting in the front passenger seat.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated while starting the vehicle and in park, the air bag deployed inadvertently. the contact sustained left arm injuries and left leg injuries due to deployment of the air bags. medical attention was not required and no police report was filed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 114,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle's passenger alert system, which informs when the seat was occupied, remained activated. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. the approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

Air bag indicator light on. dealer test showed problem is with the sensor located inside the driver side seat. they say the solution requires me to replace the drivers side seat for $2500.

Air bag light came on in dashboard after starting the car and stayed on, also light stating passenger airbag is off goes on an off. took the vehicle to the dealers back on 8/9/12 for passenger airbag light, supposedly it was repaired but still happening. took vehicle to dealer for air bag light in dash was advised b1448 ocs, passenger bottom seat would need to be replaced which would cost $2219.34. informed dealer choosing not to have repaired, feel it should be covered under recall 11v473000, they stated my vehicle is not part of recall

The airbag light is on with the trouble codes of b1511, b1513, and b1448 all at the same time. i find it hard to believe that all this goes wrong at the same time.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. while driving 60 mph, the esc, passenger side air bag, and motor light illuminated before the vehicle lost power. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 11v473000 (air bags). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the aproximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the front passenger seat occupied, the passenger air bag off warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the front passenger side air bag system failed and the front passenger seat needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 151,000. updated. 06/09/15 *ta the dealer informed the consumer the seat needed to be replaced due to the light not going off. updated 08/04/15*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. while driving at an unknown speed, the passenger air bag off was displayed across the message board. in addition, the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the sensor in the passenger seat needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the contact was aware of nhtsa campaign number: 11v473000 (air bags) but the vin was not included. the failure mileage was 90,000.

Auto has a dashboard alert when someone sits in the passenger seat. the warning light goes out and there by arming the passenger side air bag. if this light doesn't go out, the airbag system on the passenger side will not activate. i went to the kia dealer to confirm this is what would happen. he said if the light stays on, the system will not activate. he stated that it was becoming a problem in my model of kia. it is approximately $2,000.00 to repair. to me this is a safety concern worthy of further action by your agency. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the passenger air bag light continuously illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 169,720. updated 6/10/14*cn

2008 kia sorento. consumer writes in regards to front passenger seat air bag light problems. *smd the consumer stated the right front passenger seat air bag light would stay on after the passenger fastened the seat belt. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated whenever the front passenger seat was occupied. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and the contact was advised him they were unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 15,000. the current mileage was approximately 20,000. the vin was unavailable. *tr

My 18 year old son was driving my kia sorento along with his 16 year old brother in the passenger seat when the vehicle hydroplaned on a wet road. the vehicle crashed into a tree on the passengers side of the vehicle in between the front passenger wheel and the door hinge. my 18 year old managed to get out of the vehicle and get help for his brother that unfortunately had passed away on the scene. after reviewing my vehicle, i personally noticed that none of the driver's or passengers air bags were deployed. i tragically lost my 16 year old son in the mist of the situation as well as having my 18 rushed to the hospital. my concern is that when i received the report from my insurance adjuster for the loss of my vehicle... there was recall attached to the findings for these air bags for which i had never been notified of. i know this will never bring him back to me but the air bags may have prevented the injuries and the fatality!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorrento. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph in snowy weather, he attempted to avoid crashing into another vehicle and swerved off the roadway. the contact traveled over a grassy area before crashing into a tree. the air bags failed to deploy and the vehicle was destroyed. the contact struck her head on the windshield but was not transported to the hospital. the police were notified and a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 50,500.

The passenger side "air bag turned off" sign comes on intermittently even when an adult is sitting in the passenger seat at the starting the vehicle and takes several attempts to get down and get back in to turn the sign off. occasionally, this sign lights up while driving the vehicle and it is scary at that time and not possible to take any measures at the time. i have complained to kia dealership and directly to kia company. i was told to give them pictures taken of the lighted sign when the vehicle was in motion and there was passenger in the passenger seat. i provide such pictures too. however, the dealer after keeping the vehicle for over a week at a time told us they are unable to repeat the problem and that we should keep the leather seats treated with smoothing treatment. this is scary situation that kia is aware of but not willing to address it.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact's wife, who was 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighed 130 lbs, was seated in the front passenger seat. the front passenger side air bag light illuminated, indicating that the air bag system was deactivated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the seat cushion and re-flashed the software, but the failure continued. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 55,648.

This vehicle has a problem with the passenger side air bag indicator and auto shut off feature. the vehicles of the same make and model manufactured only 6 months prior to mind have a recall. the problem lies that the passenger side seat has a sensor to turn on the air bag. the feature will only turn on if the passenger is 130 lbs or more. so my wife that weighs 120lbs will not activate the air bag, and the passenger side air bag off remains on. i was told of this by my local kia technician that said this is a problem on all the sorento of this year. so there is nothing he can do. my vehicle is still under warranty. kia said they are unwilling to fix. so they may have a lawsuit on their hands later. this needs to be resolved are there are many adults that weigh less than 130lbs. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag off warning light illuminated intermittently. the dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. the contact was also advised to take the vehicle to another dealer for a second opinion. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 31,700.

1. a whining noise developed around 40k and progressively got worse. was told the differential needed to be replaced. come to find out it was a faulty bearing. 2. passenger side seat airbag lights come on for no reason stating that airbags are off even when there is an adult passenger in the seat 3. sudden loss of power and car is literally not able to accelerate, due to sensor that controls accelerator, happened twice before being replaced. *tr

2008 kia sorento airbag deployment while the vehicle was parked. 38 y w/f sitting in driver's seat, vehicle not running and no one was around vehicle. airbag deployed striking female on left side causing injury to abdomen, arm, shoulder and face. according to kia computer malfunction caused problem. glad she was waiting on other son to leave church. kia's solution is to replaced airbag system. vehicle still under warranty. events female sat in driver's seat. consequences moderate injury, disoriented unable to remember which child was in the back seat she was talking to at the time. official medical visit at urgent care the next morning. x-rays and cat scan. severe consequences could have been death if it happened 5-10 minutes later going down road. what has been done? i have been informed kia does not deal with hypothetical situations. family could have been just another number. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated the passenger's frontal air bag warning light indicating the air bag was inoperable, continuously illuminates on the dashboard . the dealer and manufacturer were both contacted and advised they were aware of the failure but would not provide a remedy for the failure. the contact was concerned that in the event of a crash, the passenger's frontal air bag would not deploy. the failure and current mileages were 10,000. the consumer stated the air bag off light would stay on when the passenger seat was occupied. updated evoq 12/03/10.*jb

Passenger airbag light comes on with a passenger in the seat and says that air bag is turned off. wife weights 160 and is a full size adult. kia says she is not sitting in the seat right, i have had it in to the deal twice now for this same problem. they know they have a problem and are avoiding it. it ia a kia sorento. *tr

Passenger airbag off light remains on when adult passengers over 108 lb sit in seat. no airbag failure light indicated. had dealer rep inspect and do calibration to ocs in late aug. however, the fault still happens about 1out of 10 times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the passenger front air bag misclassified a small adult as a child. as a consequence in a situation that warrants, the air bags may fail to deploy. the dealer was contacted and a technician could not identify the cause of the failure. however he speculated that the seats would have to be positioned far away from the air bag in order to be operative. the failure mileage was 3,000. the current mileage was 6,900.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag light illuminated even when someone was seated in the passenger seat. the dealer replaced the seat cushion three times but the failure continued. the dealer scanned the sensor but the failure continued. the contact also stated that the tire pressure monitoring system light also illuminated. the dealer cleared the memory and the light turned off for two months but illuminated again. the failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 45,000. updated 5/2/11 *cn the consumer stated he has been to the dealer numerous times, but the air bag light continues to illuminate. updated 05/11/11

The passenger air bag light will not go off. i have taken it into the dealership 2 times and they said they have fixed the sensor. it still is not fixed. i have seen on a few forums (ie. edmunds.com) that it has been an issue and it is not getting resolved. i am concerned for my passengers safety. *tr

Tl*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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. whenever an occupant is seated in the passenger seat, the air bag light illuminates, which indicates that it is not engaged nor working properly. the failure was noticed while driving at any speed. the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on two occasions. the first time, the mechanic stated that other consumers were experiencing the same failure. the contact was informed that movement in the seat will usually engage the air bags. the dealer did not offer a remedy at that time. a week later, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they stated that it was unsafe to sit in the vehicle. the air bag light will dim once the vehicle has been restarted a few times. the service manager called and stated that a recall was issued for this failure. the nhtsa campaign id number was unable to be located. the current and failure mileages were 150. updated 06/10/09. *jb

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. *tr

Intermittent display on dash "passenger air bag off'" while passenger is seated and belted into passenger seat. several documented service appointments with dealer have failed to eliminate problem. *tw

Passenger airbag light will not turn off when passenger sits in seat. meaning the airbags will not deploy if an accident occurs. this has been happening intermittently since december 2008, the first documented time was january 2009, and has been documented five times. the only attempt to repair was to update the computer chip, which did not work. we have been told by the dealer that they will not repair this problem, which to me is a major safety issue. *tr

We purchased a 2008 kia sorento from kia of bradley, illinois, last november. the front passenger air bag light signals that the air bag is off, even though somebody is sitting in the seat. as i understand it, then, that if you were in a front end accident and the light is stating the air bag is off, it will not deploy. we have complained numerous times to kia of bradley, talked with the regional manger, and his boss and their stand is that my wife is sitting wrong in the seat. i don't buy this. there was a recall, we took it in to be fixed, that did not help. also, the front passenger seat was replaced and that did not help either. they did all this work but continue to maintain that my wife is sitting in the seat incorrectly. *tr

Tl*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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. the contact started the ignition and suddenly the air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the failure occurred whenever an occupant was seated in the front passenger seat. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the air bag sensor. the air bag sensor and pad were replaced and the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures; however, there were no resolutions. the manufacturer is aware of the failure and an engineer conducted an inspection on the vehicle. the air bag sensor was reprogrammed; however, the failure continued. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 200 and current mileage was 4,400.

I have 2008 kia sorento. on the evening i bought the car, i was sitting in the passenger side and the airbag light came on stating that the airbag was off. i have taken it to the dealership and they said there is a nationwide backorder for the part and not to allow anyone to sit in the front seat. this was a month ago they still cannot get the part. i will be taking it to the dealership this friday to see if they can reset the computer. they said they have had alot of complaints on this problem. *tr

The front passenger air bag is turned off when an adult sets in the seat. the ocs miss classifies the adult in the front seat and the air bag light stays on which turns the front and the side air bag off. kia has a recall campaign for certain sorentos to be reprogrammed. however when i took my car to the kia dealer i was told that my vin number was not in the recall even though i have the same problem. they told me that i would have to pay for the reprogramming my self. this doesn't make sense to me because my sorento was manufactured within the recall dates and has the same problem. i feel this is a serious safety concern and should me paid for my kia motors. *tr

Just purchased a brand new 2008 kia sorento. the passenger side air bag only activates 50% of the time when a passenger is in the seat. took vehicle to dealer and dealer could not replicate the problem. returned vehicle to dealer a 2nd time with a passenger seated in the seat and the air bag was not activated. the service manager actually witnessed a 150lb passenger properly seated in the seat and the air bag was not activated. they kept the vehicle 5 additional days. they ran diagnostics and contacted kia. kia would not authorize a repair since all the diagnostics passed even though the service manager personally witnessed it not working. the dealer states that kia refuses to acknowledge a known problem with the passenger seat air bag sensor. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. while driving at any speed, the passenger side air bag light would remain illuminated regardless if a passenger was seating in the seat. the vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer on three different occasions, but the failure still occurs. the current mileage was 871 and failure mileage was 200.

Tl*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 *bf the consumer stated the passenger side air bag sensor was repaired. updated 06/25/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. while driving 35 mph, the contact experienced automatic transmission failure and took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer offered no assistance, so the contact took the vehicle to another dealer on january 21, 2008. two mechanics test drove the vehicle and acknowledged the failure; however, they needed to order the codes to make the repair. as of february 22, 2008, the dealer has yet to call the contact to schedule the repair work. the dealer informed her that the vehicle had to get used to the way she drove and that there was no failure. the contact also stated that there was an issue with the passenger side air bag. the dealer informed her that she had to sit in the vehicle a certain way. the contact stated that no matter how she sits, the light remains illuminated. the powertrain was unknown. the current mileage was 4,020 and failure mileage was 100.