3/2/13 HAD TIMING BELT REPLACED @50,031 MILES ON MY 2005 KIA SORENTO TO MANUAL SPECS.DROVE FROM PHX TO NASHVILLE.5/2013 I HEARD A TERRIBLE SQUEAKING SOUND UNDER MY HOOD,FIRST THOUGHT LOOSE BELT. WENT ON TO GET IT CHECK OUT&AS I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE HOUSE,MY STEERING WHEEL WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. THOUGHT MY POWER STEERING PUMP HAD GONE OUT. I ALMOST RAN OVER 2 PEOPLE CROSSING THE STREET&ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR. I WAS TURNING MY STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT W/ALL MY MIGHT! EVERYONE WAS HONKING AT ME & THOUGHT I WAS PROBABLY DRUNK! I WAS SO UPSET. HAD IT TOWED TO KIA. MY POWER TRAIN STILL UNDER WARRANTY,AM ORIGINAL OWNER&DENIED COVERAGE 3X.THEY TRIED TO SELL ME A USED ENGINE FOR $5K.STATED THEY KNEW THEY COULD NOT GET THE BROKEN PIECE OF BOLT OUT.I DID SOME RESEARCH ON-LINE&THERE IS MANY COMPLAINTS W/ THIS PROBLEM,SOME HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN 2,3,4 X.MGR. TOLD ME MY MODEL HAD THE NEW RE-DESIGNED BOLT,&IT WAS BRAKES PLUS FAULT WHEN THEY PUT ON THE TIMING BELT. MGR. SAID THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER USED THE OLD BOLT&THAT THEY PUT ON A NEW BOLT WHEN REPLACING TIMING BELT.I HEARD A TSB WENT OUT REGARDING THE BOLTS TO ALL SERVICE SHOPS TO USE THE NEW RE-DESIGN BOLT ON 03&04 MODELS,BUT NOT 05.IF I HAD GOTTEN A COPY OF THAT NOTICE,I WOULD HAVE MADE SURE THAT WHOEVER REPLACED TIMING BELT,USED NEW BOLT. A KIA TECH WROTE:8/10/12 ITS NOT THE BOLT, IT IS THE CRANK SPROCKET&BALANCER, THE DESIGN OF THE BALANCER STICKS OUT TO FAR&WEIGHS TO MUCH BREAKING OFF THE SPRING GUIDE PIN.WHEN THERE IS A REPAIR,WE REPLACE THEM EVERYTIME WE DO A TIMING BELT ON ONE.YOU TAKE THE CRACK SPROCKET&BALANCER&U ADD 2 MORE SPRING PINS AS WELL AS DRILL&TAP THE CRANK&INSTALL A TIMESERT (HEAVIER HELICOIL) HAVE NOT HAD ONE OF THESE COME BACK,IF ANYONE IS DOING A TIMING BELT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOING THIS AT THE SAME TIME,BUT IT WILL NOT BREAK THE BOLT OR SHEER THE GUIDE PIN. *TR
2004
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
I AM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT AGAINST KIA MOTORS WHO WILLINGLY KNOWS OF ISSUES WITH ITS FUEL SYSTEMS IN ALL 2004 KIA SORENTOS. EVEN LOOKING ONLINE YOU SEE THOUSANDS OF KIA OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SENSOR GO OUT ON THIS MODEL CAR AFTER THE CARS 100000 WARRANTY, AND THEN KIA CLAIMS IT IS PAST THE WARRANTY THEY HAVE AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS CAUSES THE GAS TO ALWAYS READ INCORRECTLY EVEN WITH A FULL TANK THE CAR READS "E" AND CONTINUOUSLY EVERY DAY HAVE TO PLACE MORE GAS IN CAR FOR FEAR THAT THE "E" MAY COME ON AND LIKE SEVERAL DAYS AGO I WAS LEFT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FROM THIS. WHEN YOU REACH OUT TO KIA THEY OFFER NO HELP STATING THERE ARE NO DOCUMENTED CASES AND WHEN YOU TELL THEM TO LOOK ONLINE, THEY CLAIM THOSE COULD JUST BE ANGRY CUSTOMERS PLACING FALSE INFORMATION. THEN THEY WANT TO HANG BEHIND THE "AS IS" CLAUSE STATING THAT I SHOULD HAVE HAD A MECHANIC CHECK THE CAR OUT, WHICH UNLESS THEY ARE A KIA DEALER AND ARE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WHICH DID NOT SHOW UP TO SEVERAL DAYS LATER AFTER THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. THIS IS KNOWN DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING AS EVIDENCED ONLINE AND FEEL THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO MAKE KIA FIX THESE PROBLEMS WITHOUT CUSTOMERS HAVING TO FORK OVER MORE AND MORE MONEY OVER SOMETHING KIA ITSELF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AND WILL NOT RECTIFY. *TR