2009 Kia Sorento Power Train

THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES SHIFT HARD. WHEN IT DOES THIS AND I PUT IT INTO DRIVE, THE TACH WILL GO UP AND THE ENGINE REVS, BUT THE CAR MOVES AT A SNAILS PACE. EVEN IF THE PEDAL IS TO THE FLOOR. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT THAT POINT AS I COULD NOT SAFELY MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN TO CROSS TRAFFIC. I WOULD LIKELY GET HIT BEFORE I COULD CLEAR THE INTERSECTION. I HAVE TO SHUT THE CAR ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES REMOVING THE KEY WHILE DOING THIS TO GET THE CAR TO RUN NORMAL AGAIN. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO KIA 3 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE NOT FIXED IT. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AND I SHOULD BRING IT IN WHEN THE CAR IS ACTING UP. BUT I LIVE ABOUT 50 MILES FROM THE NEAREST KIA DEALER, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DRIVE A CAR THAT WON'T GO OVER 5 MPH AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE? WHEN I TOOK IT IN LAST WEEK I WAS BASICALLY TOLD THEY HAD NOTHING TO GO ON SINCE THEY COULDN'T PULL A CODE FROM THE CAR AND I WAS OUT OF LUCK BECAUSE WHILE HE SUSPECTED HE KNEW WHAT SYSTEM WAS CAUSING THE ISSUE THEY WERE NOT GOING TO FIX IT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CODE. AND MY WARRANTY WILL BE UP AT THE END OF THE MONTH. I HAVE RESEARCHED KIA REVIEWS AND HAVE SEEN A FEW PEOPLE WITH THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL HAVE THE SAME ISSUES WITH THEIR CARS, AND SOME PEOPLE INDICATED IT WAS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I SHARED THIS WITH THE KIA SERVICEMAN AND HE DISMISSED THE INFORMATION SAYING THAT WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY AS KIA MAKES SUPERIOR TRANSMISSIONS. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT I EVEN HAVE A FRIEND WHO HAD THIS SAME ISSUE WITH HER KIA AND ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. SO IT ACTUALLY KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE A COMMON PROBLEM TO ME. AS A SIDE NOTE, IT DID THIS WHILE IN PA ON VACATION. THE KIA DEALER LOOKED AT IT THERE, THEY SAID IT WAS A SENSOR UNDER THE PEDAL AND THEY REPLACED IT. BUT IT HAS DONE IT AGAIN SINCE THEY FIXED THAT PROBLEM. THE PART THAT WAS REPLACED IS PART OF THAT SYSTEM THE SERVICEMAN WAS REFERRING TO. *TR

WHEN SHIFTING MY 2009 KIA SORENTO FROM P TO R, IT VIOLENTLY JOLTS INTO R AND THEN WHEN SHIFTING INTO D, IT HAS ALMOST NO POWER, AS IF I WERE DRIVING IN FIRST GEAR WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION (VEHICLE IS AUTOMATIC). AFTER A FEW MINUTES, IT WILL DRIVE NORMALLY UNTIL I STOP, THEN IT AGAIN IS VERY SLUGGISH WITH ALMOST NO POWER UNTIL IT "CATCHES". SOMETIMES IF I STOP THE CAR, PUT IT IN PARK AND SHUT IT OFF, THEN RESTART, IT WORKS FINE. THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY DAY, IT'S RANDOM BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT IS VERY SCARY AND I AM NOW AFRAID OF DRIVING IT. EVERY TIME I START THE CAR, I GINGERLY SHIFT TO D OR R, WAITING FOR THE JOLT. I AM AFRAID IT'S GOING TO JERK BACKWARDS OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT SOMEONE/SOMETHING. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR TWO YEARS NOW, OFF AND ON. DEALER SAID THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND "THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNTIL IT BREAKS". IN WHICH CASE MY WARRANTY WILL BE OVER AND THEY'LL CHARGE ME FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. CALLED KIA AND THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING BUT THEY OPENED A TICKET FOR MY PROBLEM. I KNOW BOTH KIA AND THE DEALERSHIP KNOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS BUT THEY ARE IGNORING IT. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF INTERNET RESEARCH REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AND SEE COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT (INCLUDING THREE ON THIS SITE JUST FOR THE 2009 MODEL ALONE). I KNOW THE 2011 MODELS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS ALSO. IT'S VERY SAD BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE THE CAR BUT I'M TOO NERVOUS DRIVING IT NOW SO I'LL BE TRADING IT IN AND GOING BACK TO A CHEVY. *TR

RECENTLY BROUGHT MY 2009 KIA SORENTO TO THE DEALER ON 9/9/13. THE VEHICLE WAS BANGING INTO GEAR (WHETHER REVERSE OR DRIVE) AND IT WAS SLUGGISH WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE. IT WAS VERY SCARY TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHILE CROSSING OVER ONCOMING TRAFFIC AS THE CAR WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE WHEN TRYING TO DRIVE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SOMEHOW WAS NOT ON WHEN THEY TOOK POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE.THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEN SENT ME ON MY WAY WITH NO RECOMMENDATIONS. NOW A WEEK LATER, 9/17/13, I CALLED THE DEALER AND REPORTED THE SAME INCIDENT AS BEFORE. THEY TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT TO THEM AND KEEP THE CAR RUNNING. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN. AS THE TECH AT THE DEALER TOOK POSSESSION OF MY VEHICLE, YOU CAN HEAR IT BANG INTO GEAR AND HEAR THE RPM'S RACING AS THEY DROVE FORWARD. THE TECH ADVISED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE CODES WERE STORED HISTORY CODES. THEY ARE TO DO WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THIS TIME KIA ADVISES TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. MEANWHILE, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED DECEMBER OF 2011. KIA STILL HAS MY TRUCK AS I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. I HAVE A CALL INTO KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE REGIONAL OFFICE. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FROM EARLY ON. I HAD BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND THE DEALERSHIP WOULD TELL ME THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE MY PROBLEM. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR INTO GEAR, THERE IS A LOUD BANGING SOUND (SOUNDS LIKE YOU WERE REAR ENDED). THEN WHEN YOU APPLY THE GAS PEDAL TO GO FORWARD, THE CAR GOES NOWHERE. THE RPMS RACE AND YOU ARE BARELY MOVING. AT OTHER TIMES, WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN IN TRAFFIC OR ARE STOPPED AT A LIGHT, AND ATTEMPT TO DRIVE, YOU BARELY MOVE AS THE RPM'S ARE RACING. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED! IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE!! *JS

WHILE DECENDING A MOUNTIAN PASS IN COLORADO WITH THE VEHICLE IN 4WD-LOW RANGE AND THE SHIFT SELECTOR IN THE SPORT MODE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD UP-SHIFT AT ABOUT 3200 RPM CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GAIN SPEED VERY QUICKLY AND REQUIRING THE CONSTANT APPLICATION OF BRAKES WHICH CAUSES THE BRAKES TO OVER HEAT. THE OWNERS MANUAL CLEARLY STATES THAT THIS IS AN APPROVED USE OF THE VEHICLE AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT SHIFT UNTIL THE RED-ZONE (APPROX 6000 RPM). I CONTACTED KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE IN NOVEMBER OF 2009 AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH KIA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AND MR RICHARD PULRIDIA WHITH KIA SERVICE HAS EVALUATED THE VEHICLE AND FILED A REPORT WITH KIA ENGINEERING IN MAY 2011. I TALKED TO MR PULRIDA THIS WEEK AND HE HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION TO DATE AND HAS NO IDEA WHEN OR IF ANY ACTION WILL BE TAKEN TO CORRECT THIS UNSAFE CONDITION. I BELIEVE THIS OPERATION IS UNSAVE BECAUSE IT CAUSES QUICK ACCELLERATION TO UNSAFE SPEEDS WHIN IN A STEEP DECENT. *TR

2009 KIA SORENTO WITH TRANSMISSION/DRIVELINE ISSUES. DEALERSHIP HAS HAD NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT AND STATES "NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE." VEHICLE CLUNKS, POPS, JOLTS, AND JERKS WHEN IN OPERATION REGARDLESS OF TIME OF DAY, TEMP, ETC. STARTED IN MAY 2010 AND CONTINUES PRESENTLY WHICH IS JUNE 2011. *TR

2011 KIA SORENTO; RENTAL VEHICLE FROM NATIONAL RENTAL. CRUISING AT 65 MPH AND CAR BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY JERK CAUSING PARTIAL LOSS OF CONTROL. MADE POPPING SOUNDS, AND SMOKE CAME OUT REAR OF VEHICLE. CAR BARELY MOVED AND HAD TO BE TOWED FROM SCENE. DURING INCIDENT, VEHICLE WAS VERY HARD TO KEEP UNDER CONTROL AND IN DESIGNATED TRAFFIC LANE. NATIONAL RENTAL SENT A TOW TRUCK AND A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE. THIS KIA HAD 62 MILES ON IT AT TIME OF FAILURE. TOW DRIVER THOUGHT IT WAS A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THIS INCIDENT NEARLY CAUSED ME TO TOTALLY LOOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND CRASH. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY TO GET CAR STOPPED BEFORE HAVING AN ACCIDENT. ALL I HAVE IS LAST DIGITS OF VIN TAKEN FROM RENTAL PAPERWORK. *TR