Problems with 2011 Kia Sorento ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is my wife's vehicle, but given the issue she is afraid to drive it..... driving up hill with my foot on the gas pedal at 50 mph. my vehicle lost power ( as if i slammed on the brake ) my body went forward and was stopped by the seatbelt. my head whipped downward. then the vehicle surged forward. my head and body slapped back into the seat. it was so abrupt and violently. it will scare you to death. this has happened to many times over the last year to count. i have tried to document the events in a journal because the dealer has been able to duplicate it only once. some days it can happen up to 3 times a day for weeks on end. some times i can duplicate it driving up hill and sometimes nothing. the worst times are when merging into traffic or when someone is following to close behind me. my fear is that i will hurt another motorist or a passenger in my vehicle. a term called " limp mode " has been said to me. where the transmission shifts to a hi gear to protect it from damage. my vehicle still does this at least once every other day. i have been to the dealer 14 times. the tranny was replaced a year ago and a backfire code was found recently. a computer software update that didn't help was the last thing done in over a year, unless you count paying for rental vehicles doing something. there is also a suspension/steering issue. a hard pulling left/right and bump steer. the vehicle will pull the steering wheel out of your hand in turns and veers as it hits bumps. *tr

I have a 2011 kia sorento. on several occasions the "push button start" would not start. once, it started i took the car into the service department. but, they could not find any problems. the problem seems to be happening more often. today after several hours it still will not start. i will have to have it towed in the morning and deal with the same issue again. also on several occasionsi was unable to take my car out of drive and put it in park. i had to put my emergency brake on and shut off the car and restart it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that the fuse box panel under the driver seat detached completely, exposing the wires. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer three different times for the same failure and the fuse box panel was replaced each time. the technician advised that the front driver seat would need to be replaced because the defect was a manufacturing flaw. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 1,000.

My 2011 kia sorento downshifts while at a high rate of speed. it also gets stuck and while the rpms are racing, it will not shift up. the bluetooth does not work properly and am only able to make a call 30% of the time. backup cameras and sensors are intermittent. window will not work. back drivers side door fell off hinges while i was driving with my child in the backseat. my passenger side seat overheated and would not turn off. causing my car to fill with smoke on the expressway. many issues with this lemon! shifter will not go from drive into park leaving me stranded in my car. vehicle has no power....poor engine. paint and chrome of handles are coming off. pulls to the left and esc light comes on all the time. *tr

While coming to a stop, the vehicle down-shifted hard and the engine started to sputter like it was going to cut off. took to dealer and they found p0748- pressure control solenoid "a" electrical fault. they performed a reprogram of tsm per tsb# tra038. drove off lot and it shifted hard three times on way home. dealer said it would take 100 miles for the computer to re-learn my driving for best fuel mileage. drove to work (shifted hard 5 times) and drove to run errands. while on errands the vehicle shifted down hard and engine sputtered while slowing down in traffic. then, when releasing the brake and pressing the accelerator, the vehicle rpm/ tach went up but the vehicle wouldn't go. after stepping back on the brake and waiting 2-3 seconds i tried to move again and it did. i took the car back to dealer directly and while stopping to turn into dealer it shifted hard, engine sputtered and it again would not move ( only engine rpm's turned up). it did finally move and i was able to pull into the parking lot. now the manufacturer is replacing the transmission because to their admission they do not know what is wrong with the vehicle. nearly stranded on a five lane 35 mph road could be physically dangerous but a highway could be fatal. an evasive maneuver with this vehicle, requiring stopping and starting quickly is not an option if you can't drive during normal conditions stopping and starting.

Bought new 2011 kia sorento in february and have 11,000 miles on it. i have taken it in several times for the push to start taking a bit to start. it seems as if sometimes it is not going to start. took it in at 8000 miles and they said it was a brake sensor and the part was on back order. just got that fixed with 11,000 miles on it. took kia in this week for a noise in the front wheel because it sounds like the wheel is going to fall off. problem was not fixed. said kia was working to resolve issue with brake pad but that it was safe for me to drive and that nothing would happen. not to happy about my service not getting taking care of when i take it in. apparently they need to just replace our cars if they can't fix it. i don't appreciate buying a $27,000 car and being told that they are working on a solution. very disappointed in my new kia already having all these problems and only 11,000 miles on it. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 5 mph. the vehicle was jump started the following day and taken to an authorized dealer. the throttle was replaced. the failure had since recurred on an intermittent basis while driving at various speeds. the contact also stated that the alarm system would inadvertently sound. in addition, the contact stated that the vehicle would experience difficulty starting. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they were unable to diagnose a failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 8,990.

We purchased/leased a new 2011 sorento v6 and almost immediately started experiencing the occasional hesitation problem when pulling into traffic from a stop. on a couple occasions it put us in a very dangerous situation as we were crossing 2 lanes of traffic. took the vehicle to courtesy kia in brandon fl. 4 times, they could not duplicate the problem. finally they got us a 2012 near identical sorento v6, and on the 3rd day had the same experience w/50 miles on the vehicle. we now have 500+ on it and have had a total of 7 similar situations. the dealership says i'm the only one experiencing this and that they aren't aware of the problem, although i talked w/a customer of theirs w/a 2011 sorento and he said he and his wife have the same issues w/theirs. we are very disappointed with this situation, but other than that we like the vehicle & get lots of compliments on it, but i am also letting others know of our experiences. its our first venture from gm, and it will likely be our last. additionally, the 2011 was getting the advertised fuel mileage, the 2012 has not gotten any better than 17.5 on the highway or in town. when we turned in the 2011 they charged me $2,500 (money that we were to get back from kia in the deal) which i thought was really out of line. i admit we put 5,000 miles on it but $.50 per mile is a bit much, plus i had added heat & lumbar in the seats and tinted windows. this is truly a serious safety issue and very disappointing. i can't help but wonder what kia & the dealerships will do when some is seriously hurt or killed as a result of this problem that they can't find or even admit is happening.!? jj (note: the vin provided is for the 2012 kia sorento). *tr

02/23/2011 vehicle would not start; dealer replaced brake switch. 10/14/2011 vehicle would not start; dealer replaced battery. 11/14/2011 vehicle would not start; dealer replaced transmission shifter. 01/05/2012 vehicle would not start; dealer could not find problem, started after battery jump. 01/29/2012 vehicle would not start; called for tow; vehicle started after 40 minutes of numerous attempts. 02/07/2012 vehicle would not start; vehicle started after 30 minutes of numerous attempts. 02/09/2012 vehicle would not start; towed to dealer. something is obviously wrong with these push-button starters! 5 tows within one year plus other non-start times?! kia needs to recognize they have a problem! *tr

1st problem: i bought the car, drove it off the lot, dealership did not get it inspected so i had to take it at 10 miles to get an inspection sticker on it! 2nd problem: immediately after buying the car, i noticed all the windows and doors rattled. took it to kia in kingwood 5 times and they could never hear the sound and/or fixed other things on the car that did not need to be fixed. problem still exists. 3rd problem: engine light kept coming on, 3 visits later, i needed a new transmission, at 13,000 miles..something wrong with sensor that measures fluids?? 4th problem: taking back at 14,500 miles on monday(3/18/12) to get doors checked out now electronics are messed up and loud noise everytime i lock or roll down windows. also, cant get key to turn in ignition alot!! what a piece of crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *tr

Car wouldn't start when i pushed it to start, the next day it started. on 1/4/2012 driving the car at approximately 30 mph and the car shut off. the car did restart but shut off again while driving. restarted and had it towed to kia. they had the car until 1/9/12. i was told there was a problem with the fuse block. they replaced ems block control harness. on january 30,2012, the car wouldn't start again. had it towed to kia. they kept the car and on 2/1/12 and 2/2/12 the car didn't start for them. i was told they moved around the computer and then the car started. i was also told that there was no fuel pressure that time. they replaced pcm. i took it to the kia garage on 4/26/13 for a routine oil change. that day got the car back and had oil leaking all over my driveway. i have had problems ever since. took the car back 2 times for oil leak. during the time it was in the garage i was told the oxygen sensor needed replaced, after being replaced i was told there was to much voltage going to the sensor and they didn't know why. currently i am told the cars computer needs to be replaced. we still haven't gotten the car back. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorrento. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the engine stalled without warning. upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normal operation. the failure occurred numerous times. in addition, the push start ignition failed to operate on four separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer three times for both defects. the dealer was unable to locate the problem. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 900. updated 04/02/13*lj the consumer stated the vehicle would stall when approaching a stop sing, turning to slow down, or driving slowly through a parking lot.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact stated that she attempted to reverse however, the shifter could not be moved for over 30 minutes. in addition, the radio would sporadically power on independently and drain the battery. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorrento. while driving at an unknown speed in sunny weather, the contact stated he as unable to read the speedometer due to the glare from the sun reflecting off the instrument panel. the contact stated the failure would occur whenever there was sunny weather. the manufacturer advised that the failure was a factory defect but did not provide any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 150 and the current mileage was 1,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the contact started the vehicle and there was a loud, unusual clunking sound coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the computer was not completing the diagnostic test before the starter would engage. as a result, the dealer was unable to properly diagnose the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated she had noticed the failure since the date of purchase. the current is 6,983 and the failure mileage was 725. the consumer stated the noise seems to come from the computer and the drive train. updated 091/16/10 updated 09/15/10. *lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia sorrento. the contact stated when driving in very sunny weather conditions, the sun would reflect off of the chrome around the instrument cluster and blind the drivers view of the roadway. the dealer informed the contact that a repair did not exist for the instrument cluster. the contact was concerned with the possibility of a crash due to his vision being obstructed by the blinding chrome. the failure mileage was 0. updated 11/03/10. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2011 kia sorento. the vehicle was equipped with a push button start/smart key. upon exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the vehicle began to drift forward. the vehicle was never shifted into park but due to the push button/smart keys, the vehicle shut off. the contact was able to get back into the vehicle to use the smart key and shift into park in order to stop the vehicle from moving. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was designed to behave that way and that there was no other type of key available as an alternative. the vin was unavailable when the complaint was filed. the failure mileage was approximately 1,500. the current mileage was approximately 3,000.

Took possession of 2011 kia sorrento on 2-18-2010. since that time there have been 14 instances when the car hesitated almost dying out and then surging forward. at one time it died completely out and had to be restarted while being in the lane of oncoming traffic. twice it hesitated and surged ahead 4 - 5 consecutive times before settling down, once while crossing over a 4 lane highway. it has been back to the kia dealership 3 times and they cannot duplicate the problem, so they claim we do not have a problem. we are very concerned about this and believe it is a safety issue and my wife will not drive the car until this is resolved. updated 03/16/10 *bf *tr updated ivoq 07/16/10*jb