Problems with 2011 Kia Sorento ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving at night the headlights will go off then come back on after being off for approx 2 seconds. it also occurs sometimes when changing lanes and using the turn signals. i feel that it may be a defect in the turn signal headlight assembly switch on the steering column.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that the rear driver and rear passenger side doors failed to open from outside and inside the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the parts with plastic locks, but the failure recurred. the front passenger side door failed to lock and unlock without warning. the vehicle was to be taken back to the dealer for a third repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no recommendation. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that the rear driver side door failed to open. the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the door actuator needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 64,050.

2011 kia sorento airbag light came on out the blue. took to dealership was advised either defective passanger airbag or the sensor for passenger seat. would have to pay $$$ to put on diagnostic. car jerks forward when switching gears. also, car just accelerated by itself.. put the car in park and it jerks forward. its jerks so hard i could get whiplash.like the car doesn't want to stop.scarriest thing ever. i am really concerned how sometimes i don't even have to press the brake to put in gear. last, went to change headlight, rightside extremely jot and could hear boiling like something cooking.

On 04/16/15 pulled into parking space. car would not go into park or reverse. parking brake would not engage. warning lights on didn't make sense., accessories would not turn off. car rolled w/o hard depress to brake. brake wouldn't fully engage (wouldn't plunge all the way). put into neutral, could not fully shut off. car warning signal blasting. could not secure car, lock car or or turn car off. could only drive forward slowly with drag when able to get out of parking spot. drove forward to get out of paking lot before trapped in there again and reverse rolling occurred. went to side of road for towing. huge drag while driving slow 5mph aprox. ignition finally turned off after putting into neutral again. warning sound finally went away but accessories still were on. parking brake would now engage. car not drivable or fully functioning. car towed to dealership. .diagnosed- failure of recall part put in at time of recall to fix had failed. resolution: replaced defective recall fix part with same recall part that just failed, no accident resulted because of this failure but i could not properly, drive, secure, car. left stranded with medically fragile child with limited cellular reception. concern: driving unsafe car with known failure part that could lead to serious accident do to symptoms of failure posted by kia. kia resolution was to put same part in that is know to fail and was part of a fix for voluntary recall due to know serious results of part failure. i am driving a car that is on it's third recall which is proven to have special needs medically fragile son would not have had immediate medical emergeny services if failure happened where there was no signal. lack of brake lights could result in collision resulting in death or serious injury. summary, driving car with know safey issues by kia with no resolution. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. while traveling approximately 40 mph, there was a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle. also, the contact mentioned that smoke emitted from the engine compartment. upon pulling the vehicle over, it was further noticed that the engine compartment was on fire. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that a rod fractured into the engine affecting the other components caused a fire. also, the mechanic diagnosed that the pistons may need to be replaced but further extensive diagnosis was required to repair the vehicle. the contact was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 10v388000 (electrical system). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

Car began to act like it did not want to crank. once i got to destination, radio went off first, then everything started dimming, then it shut off. tried to jump it off, got it down the road 1/2 a mile then shut off again. took battery out and tried to charge it but it was dead. bought another fully charged battery, drove the car home. tried to crank next morning, wouldn't crank again. charged it up took it to 2 different places..it was the alternator. according to a service bulletin #sa061, there was an issue where the battery light was illuminated causing the alternators not to charge. this was the same issue mine was doing..the battery light was showing but i did not know about the alternator. this is third battery in 3 years for this car! after looking around everywhere with no alternators in stock and no one knowing how to re-build them, the kia dealership wanted to charge me $443 for an alternator and another $300 to put it in! not to mention i would have to probably tow it over there! that is crazy! this is not the only issue with this car! my sunroof, back-up camera, right front light, radio knob has fell off, passenger head rest has fell off, oil pan seal issues....list goes on and on! it is ridiculous! this service bulletin covered dates 07/12/10 - 09/18/10. my alternator was built in 10/04/10. wow,,,,it miraculously got fixed!! there was noooo way!!! the same issue is happening to mine!!! but...kia wants me to pay for it!!! it is insane!!! i have had nothing but trouble out of this vehicle from day 1. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. while driving approximately 20 mph, the engine stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the engine was able to restart. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cpu needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 64,000. the vin was unavailable.

The only way you can open any of the doors is from the inside. first it was drivers side. a couple of weeks later it was the back drivers passenger door. now it's the front passenger's door. makes no sense i have one door to get inside my car. please help.

This is the most recent and serious electric issue; i do not know the exact dates of earlier issues. i believe all these electric issues are related. issues began in 2010 after the purchase of the car. was taken to the dealer for electrical issue and they repaired lose cluster array. other electric issues from 2011-2013: when turning left the downhill brake control indicator would light would come on and prevent the car being put into park, the headlights flicker when car is at a stop, driver side low beam headlight frequently burns out. december 2013-january 2014: all dash indicator lights malfunctioned (no warning lights/gauges, including fuel, speed, turn signals, low fuel indicator, etc.). dealer found the factory cluster array to be faulty. the dealer replaced the cluster with a new one. i am reporting the following: i was traveling 65mph and turned the cruise control off, the abs warning, downhill brake control, electronic stability control indicator and 4wd auto lock lights all illuminated. the car was operating normally. today, all of these lights came, stayed on, then went off. upon driving, the electronic stability control light came on and the car downshifted as i was driving. all other of indicator lights noted came back on. i am taking my car back to the dealer tomorrow. many other kia owners are reporting almost identical issues. this most recent incident occurred when i was traveling at a high rate of speed and follows a serious of electrical issues i have had since i owned my car, new from the dealer. something is wrong at the manufacturing level that needs to be addressed before someone is killed. *tr

Went to start car with push button start and it will not start. all the lights come on in the car and the battery when tested is still functioning. the car has already had the brake light recall replacement. we tried to do the turn on that goes around that and car still does not turn on. *tr

The interior dome light quit working took to a mechanic, he looked into the wiring harness and said that all the wires had melted together. this problem could affect all the electrical parts of the truck. also of note is that the truck indicator light showing that the truck is open, even when its not. so far no fire has started. cost to fix per the mechanic is over $1000, or more.

After sitting overnight or all day, when backing up then going forward the car acts like the abs is sticking and wont move forward, pulls to the left. you have put car in park, turn it off, then turn back on for it to stop. *tr

Cpsc: i1470147a. 2011 kia sorento. consumer stated the car has turned off on the highway on three occasions. also stated all of a sudden the battery and all electrical components shut down. *ln the dealer was unable to replicate the problem. *jb

Dash indicators for traction slip, downhill assist and abs came on and have stayed on. braking is fine and pushing the assist and slip buttons have no change on braking. two weeks later the high beam and turn signal dash lights will not illuminate, but the aforementioned lights are still on. the brake light switch was recalled and repaired by the dealer under warranty. i have changed the brake light switch and aforementioned lights are still on and others still not working. *tr

I have been experiencing multiple issues with my 2011 sorento not starting at all or only starting with the fob in the charger since december 2013. more recently i have had issues where the vehicle won't lock or it locks and then won't unlock until i am able to open the rear hatch manually and then the fob will unlock the other doors. yesterday i was at a gas station and my fuel door wouldn't open (no clicking sound or anything) until i started the car with the key fob in the charger and then i was able to open the fuel door while it was running. when the vehicle won't start with the fob in the charger, i have either had to use the "unofficial" start method with my foot off the brake and holding in the start button for 15 seconds or if that doesn't work i have had to jump start the battery. my local kia dealership told me that i needed to replace the car battery but i really don't feel that is the issue because there are some days that this doesn't happen at all. i am scared that at some point i will be locked out of the vehicle with my children inside or that i will be stranded somewhere because of this issue. at this point i have only one working fob - i took my car in to the dealer and explained that one of the fobs wasn't working but they told me (after working on all of the recalls for 7+ hours) that the fob was fine. so, i don't even have a backup key. *tr

Occasionally and more than once, the remote key fob will not open the door and when it does will not start the car. sometimes you have to insert the key into the fob holder in the console for the vehicle to start. it has happened now more than 5 times to my family and i. *tr

1) the vehicle has stalled out six (6) times during my ownership. this has occurred after stopping. i was able to restart the vehicle four of the six times by stopping, putting the vehicle in park, and pressing the "start" ignition button. two of the six times the gear was locked into drive and neutral only. the vehicle would also not shut off. both times 911 was called for california highway patrol assistance was contacted as i was stranded on the freeway. this occurred on 2/20/14 and 6/03/14. on 5/17/14 the vehicle was brought into the kia car pros carson facility for the 60,000 mile maintenance and passed with no issues. 2) the backup camera flutters intermittently (about 10-15 times a month) mostly in the morning on start up and sometimes at night. kia of cerritos had replaced the navigation/radio module 3 times, but official records show it was replaced only twice. this has not rectified the issue as it still persists. 3) the radio inconsistently (about 2-5 times a month) does not start for about 20 seconds after starting the vehicle up. i am not confident that the issues are resolved and i fear for the safety of myself and all who ride in the vehicle. the kia car pros carson facility replaced the drive assist part and cleaned the electrical contacts for the first incident in feb 2014. i was told this would rectify the issue. on 6/03/14, i was told a software update to the ecu (electrical control unit) was performed, but they do not guarantee that the problem has been resolved. i want the facility to retain my vehicle and perform a full diagnostic on the vehicle until they can guarantee that it will not stall and lock up on me again. corporate kia said the vehicle can be released and the facility will not investigate any further. i do not believe kia is taking this matter seriously. *tr

Push button start not starting vehicle. brake lights do not come on upon depress of brake pedal. vehicle only starts after holding button 10-15 seconds.

The seat belt lights will flash and there is a clicking sound in the left side b-pillar going down the road with all the passengers buckled in. the headlamps will flash on and off after dark and now the passenger side air bag light will not light even if there is a passenger in the car. i returned the car to the kia dealer in chattanooga tn. and they said if they can't duplicate the action they can't fix it. i called kia corp. and they also state there is nothing they can do to fix the problem. the owners manual states if the seat belt light is flashing then the seat belts are not working properly. *tr

While driving at night on a county road, loud clicking noise came from dashboard, seat belt warning light flashed on and off, and headlights flashed off all at the same time. headlights remained off for 1-2 seconds, came back on, and went off again, and on again. this has happened at least a dozen times since then while driving at night, and also a few times during the daytime (i hear the clicking and see the seat belt indicator light). mechanics at kia dealership said they "could not duplicate" and made no attempt to correct the problem. this happens more often when driving at highway speed (60-70 mph). it has also happened twice after stopping the car and shutting off the ignition. it is a serious safety concern and makes me afraid to drive at night! *tr

Will intermittent turn on during driving and stay on. if you stop and turn off car and then restart may or may not return on. car as a bit of a shake to it some times. had cruise control not turn on. electrical seems wacky in the vehicle. also had it been stuck in park or times could not move the shifter to park or reverse. seriously needs to be reviewed. all these issues happen intermittent and never when near the kia dealership. vehicle 90% of the time has been wonderful, however there are issues that need investigated and corrected for example all the above i have listed. *tr

Problems with remote key fob,wont lock via remote key fob.vehcile won't lock via key. vehicle won't start via keyless push button start without key fob in the console receptacle. with vehicle running,if key is removed-vehicle remains running and won't sound bell or shutoff engine same problem in summer/2012 dealer replaced battery then,with 22,500 miles on vehicle. at dealership now 9/14/13 waiting for fix with 35,500 miles on kia sorento. dealership says there is also some kind of ecm reflash that is due for my vehicle,now. still waiting 2hrs now. *tr

While pulling into parking space, car became non-responsive to gas pedal input, but brakes sill worked. hill asst and etc lights lit up on dash, car would not shift past neutral. turned car off and on and was able to shift to park. car started normally after being shut off. *jb

I came to a stop, suddenly the dash lights started flashing, and the car would not accelerate. i turned the key a couple of times but nothing happened, i turned off the radio and then turned on my emergency flashers. i then put the car in park and turned the key again. this time the car started and i drove it home. two days later the sorento was taken to the shop. possible reason given on the workorder for the stalling/shutting down was that the gas tank had been overfilled. the technician also told my husband that this problem had been reported in other vehicles and should be solved by the brake switch recall, service bulletin 13v114000. he explained that the engine control system receives a signal from the brake switch for the starting process and, if the signal is not received, the vehicle will not start. because of the faulty brake switch, he stated that it could interrupt the operation of the vehicle by sending an erroneous signal to the engine control system, activating the "no start" process. even with the vehicle running, this would cause the engine to cut out. he further stated this recall replacement of the brake light signal switch should cure that problem. after running a complete diagnostic check on the vehicle, the service rep said there were no stored codes in the engine control memory indicating a fault. since shutting the motor off due to an erroneous signal that the brake was not engaged is not a set fault code, this may not have been recorded. also, the rep stated that if a fault had occurred, it may not have been in place long enough to record a fault code. though he did give these answers verbally, they were not specifically indicated on the service invoice, and this connection was not listed on the recall notice for the brake light switch. is this kias official position that the brake switch recall fixes the engine shutdown? *tr

The car had problems starting and the starter, alternator and battery was fine. the dealer claims it was a switch and it was replaced. the problem kept happening on occasion (2-3 times) in the last year and last time they replaced the battery. i believe there is a bigger problem and defect. *tr

Keyless start would not work. now this has become a regular problem. *tr

I bought my car in 2011 by 2013 the rear passenger door does not open at all, driver side wont open from out side. then 2014 abs light on, controls on steering wheel for phone, cruise and volume don't work. shifting to park or drive isn't catching all the time, and door locks click open & close randomly. i do not feel safe driving my car.

Air conditioning not cooling properly.drain and recharge system by dealership,still not cooling properly.dealer ordered a new compressor.dealer installed new compressor and recharge system. *tr

While braking to slow for a stop sign, my 2011 sorento turned off. i took it into the dealership the next day and they could find nothing wrong. we moved cross country day after the dealership released the car. in our new state, the sorento shut off multiple times, in multiple locations. in traffic, in the neighborhood, parking lots, etc. the car is always moving when it shuts off. i took it to the local dealership and they found no issues. i have now, since january 2013, taken the sorento to the dealership four times. i am taking it in today for the fifth time, after the car has shut off twice this past weekend. this issue has occurred more times than i can count. i have had a case open with kia, but they closed it after the dealership could find nothing wrong. on three occasions, i came quite close to hitting people while turning in parking lots, because power steering suddenly goes out when the car shuts off. this morning, the car shut off in a school parking lot during drop off, with kids walking through the lot. it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. *tr

Kia sorento infrequent and unpredictable loss of power during moderate acceleration. during certain conditions, which have included moderate uphill climbs, highway driving and city under 50mph and at moderate acceleration, the vehicle will suddenly loose power, fail to upshift when needed, or show no signs of power, followed by erratic shifting and a loud clunk. at other times on highway driving, the car will, for no apparent reason, downshift on flat sections when speeds are between 45-65mph. multiple trips to the dealer: 1/8/13, 95,035 miles- dealer could not replicate, inhibitor switch bracket installed, did not resolve the issue 7/26/13, 106,574 miles-electronic stability and abs light come on, similar to stop lamp switch, dealer could not replicate, did see error codes but did not provide them to customer, reset the computer. not resolved. 10/3/13, 107,842-transmission still jerking, dealer tried replacing automatic transmission fluid, did not resolve the issue. took to alternative dealer-road test with customer-advised the problem will need to become worse and more frequent to diagnose. this is leading to unsafe conditions due to unexpected loss of power. *tr

Vehicle has had repeated head light issues since purchase. last visit to the dealer they are recommending changing out headlight assembly at an excessive cost. in researching this issue it seems that many consumers are having the same issue and needs to be recalled to fix. *tr

I was driving 30 miles an hour when my car stalled out. i managed to pull over to the side of the road but was unable to get the car to start. the car was towed to the kia dealership where they replaced the main fuse panel and the fuel pump. the service manager said one shorted the other out and that it was a fluke. on 4/7/2013, the car would not start. again, car towed to dealership where the same problem has occurred. nobody, can tell me why this is happening and i am really nervous to drive the car again.. if the car stalls out while i'm driving on the highway, it could be disastrous. kia is saying they haven't heard this happening with other vehicles, however, after coming to this site, it seems to be happening with regularity. help. what are my rights?? *tr

Just when the warranty ran out the driver side rear door lock actuator quit working. the door cannot be opened from the outside. if child lock is put on, then the door cannot be opened from either the inside or the outside blocking egress for that rear passenger.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorrento. the contact stated that when the interior light switch was in the auto position, the interior lighting would not turn off. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 63,800.

Put key in ignition, all lights on dash came on as normal, radio came on as normal, engine did nothing, made no sound whatsoever. after several attempts to crank vehicle eventually started. after the 3rd time this happening i took it to all star kia of baton rouge (the only kia dealership in the baton rouge area, which is approximately 45 minutes on a good day from my home). vehicle was there only 30 minutes when i was told it was my battery, which i knew was incorrect because everyone knows a dead battery would not have allowed my radio and all the electrical components to come on, but i allowed the to give me a new battery without question. one week later the same exact problem. this time i had it towed to the dealership because i could not get it started and quite frankly am tired of wasting my time and gas money on the same issue. this time they said it was the fuse block, said all kinds of other garbage that did not make sense to the average intelligent person. did not have the car back 2 days and the same thing, wont start. i have called the dealership and will have it towed monday again. do not expect it to be fixed, the mechanics at this dealership do not seem to know anything about vehicles or what makes them crank, run, and go. *tr

Vehicle unable to start, even with key in 'holster' in glove box. vehicle brake appeared to be pressed down already and no reaction when start button was pushed. this happened multiple times over a 3 day period. after multiple attempts over two days, the vehicle started. taken to dealership who detected nothing and were unable to duplicate the situation. *tr

This car sometimes after the key is insert in the ignition and turn with the intention of of starting the car it does not start. the lights on the dash board come on but it does not start. after several trays by steping in the brake pedal turn the wheel and move the speed shift it starts. *tr

Keyless entry not working,rough starting-battery replaced by dealer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after activating the push-to-start button. the contact also stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the dealer replaced the key fob, engine module, wiring harness and brake light switch however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified and the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 18,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that all of the lights on the dashboard failed to illuminate, causing the entire dashboard to go black with the exception of the glow plug. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. an engineer was requested to further inspect the vehicle however, he was also unable to determine the cause of the failure. after inspection, the vehicle began to operate as designed. the contact also stated that the brake pedal had a spongy feel to it. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 10v599000 (service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliper) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed him that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 33,500 and the current mileage was 42,000.

Stability control and downhill assist lights illuminate while driving. then when stopped, car will not go past neutral when trying to shift into park. also, when driving, the brake lights do not work immediately when pedal is depressed. car will not shift out of park after started and stability control and downhill assist lights are illuminated. located switch at the upper part of the brake pedal and while car was in neutral, with parking brake on, was able to bump the switch box and then shift car into park. *tr

I was at car wash to wash car turned off car. could not get it to restart after several attempts with push button start. had to be towed to dealership. replaced brakelight switch.. still having issues to this day with intermittent no start.. july 3 brakelight switch replaced again second time now along with 11 campaign issues with car. still having no start issues replaced same part again! on august 8th 2013. still happening off and on . was trying to deal with kia consumer affairs they are no help. got told it had to not start again and need to be towed in to dealer before they would do anything. this is very unfair. enough attempts have been made to fix and seeing other owners having same problems. please help. *tr

I was driving to work on monday jan. 9th going approximately 60 mph, when all of a sudden the car jerked violently. then the car lost power i had to pull over it would not drive, i was pushing the accelerator but it would not respond. also the tach quit working, check engine light came on. i called my husband who called and scheduled service with our local kia dealership. on my way home it done the same exact thing i had to pull over again, luckily both times there was not a car following too closely. my husband drove the car to the dealership and they kept it for 4 days and said they could not duplicate the problem. we picked it up on sunday thinking everything was fine, we made it home and went to the store. on the way back coming across the pomeroy mason bridge it jerked again very hard and we had to come to a stop in traffic! we called to schedule another appointment for thursday jan. 19. on my way to work today jan. 16 it done the same exact thing! i don't feel safe driving this with my 2 kids in the back seat. *tr

Keyless ignition switch which is attached to break has defect. unable to start car, called aaa who could not start. called hot line and they said have been having a number of problems with this. called local dealer who verified havin a number of failures on this and need to replace. agreed probably need to send a bulletin to owners and recall. the switch sticks and will not allow you to start the car. *tr

While driving through a shopping plaza, going about 15mph,the vehicle suddenly shut off, causing the loss of all power assist functions and electrical operation. the electrical came back on-line right away, but the car had to be restarted. the second time it happened was in rush hour traffic, 4 days later. the car was coasting at about 25 mph when it shut down again. *kb

Car will not start with key or remotely control. after car sits for a time, several hours or days, it may start. car has shut off by itself and will not start ... had to be towed several times. seems to have a computer system malfunction that dealer cannot repair.

I have had problems with the "push to start" failing in oct. '10, that was fixed. dec. 12, 2011 am i could not start my car. the push to start did nothing. after trying various options for 15 min i tried again and the car started with the push button and brake applied. i called kia to report it and had the dealership check it out that morning, they found no error codes. i started many more time with no incident until the next problem. dec. 14, 2011am, again i tried to start the car and nothing happened. i could here a small "tic" as i pressed the start button. i removed my phone and ez pass from the area as suggested by the dealer, nothing. i got a different fob from inside the house, nothing. i stepped out of the car, standing next to it and the car started by itself, no one pressing the button. this is suppose to be impossible as you must press the brake and button for the car to start. no one was in the seat and the key was in my pocket by the open car door. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that the vehicle could not be started. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 24,000.

The driver side window malfunctioned in the down position. it will not roll up or down. the fuse was checked and appears to be ok. all other windows function properly. *tr