2011 Kia Sorento Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON. TOOK IT TO A SHOP AND RAN A DIAGNOSTIC. IT STATED THAT THE DRIVERS AIRBAG RESISTANCE IS TOO HIGH AT THE FIRST STAGE. WAS TOLD TO TAKE TO DEALER. I HAVE LOOKED ON LINE AND HAVE FOUND A NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS THAT LEAD BACK TO FAULTY WIRING OR SENSOR.
AT 106,000 MILES, THE AIRBAG ALERT LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO BE LOOKED AT. CODE READER STATED THAT THE OCS MAT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS BAD. QUOTES $2,000 TO COMPLETELY REPLACE SEAT.
THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL NOT EXTINQUISH
AT 76K MILES, THE AIRBAG LIGHT BEGAN STAYING ON. DEALER INFORMED ME THE OCS MAT, A $1700 PART, NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. VEHICLE WAS NEVER IN ACCIDENT AND WAS GARAGED SINCE PURCHASE.
AT 116XXX MILES AIR BAG LIGHT HAS COME ON. WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH. CHECKED ALL CONNECTIONS AND FUSES AND THEIR IS NO REASON THE LIGHT SHOULD COME ON. PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT IS NOT ILLUMINATED WHEN THERE IS NO PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. WISH KIA WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I HAVE TO USE THIS VEHICLE TO TRANSPORT MY DAUGHTER. SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY RISK.
FOR NO REASON AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYS ON. CHECKED WITH DIAGNOSTIC TOOL- CODE B1481-DRIVER AIRBAG RESISTANCE TOO HIGH(2ND STAGE) SHOWED UP. CAR HAS 84000 MILES. READING A LOT OF COMPLAINS ABOUT AIRBAG PROBLEMS. SHOULD BE A RECALL.
AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS STAYED ON. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER WAS TOLD THAT THE CLOCK SPRING REPLACEMENT IS UNDER A RECALL AND THAT THE OCS MAT IS DEFECTIVE I CANT PAY 2000.00 FOR THIS REPAIR AND THINK THAT THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AS IT GOES HAND IN HAND WITH THE CLOCK SPRING. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS IT IS NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.
AIRBAG LIGHT STAY ON
AIRBAG LIGHT WENT ON FOR NO REASON. COIL SPRING IS UNDER RECALL, BUT MINE WAS THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. $2000 TO REPLACE THE SEAT. SHOULD BE COVERED OR BYPASS OPTION OFFERED. I DON'T NEED THE SENSOR.
KIA HAS BEEN SELLING CARS WITH FAULTY AIR BAGS. MY CLOCK SPRING WENT OUT, AND I HAD TO PAY WELL OVER $600 TO PASS INSPECTION, THAT VIRGINIA REQUIRES. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THE AIRBAG COULD HAVE WENT OFF WITHOUT EVEN HITTING ANYTHING.
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON UNEXPECTEDLY EVEN THOUGH THE AIRBAGS HAVE NEVER BEEN DEPLOYED AND THERE HAS BEEN NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE DESCRIBING A BROKEN CLOCK SPRING OR PASSENGER OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT. KIA HAS HAD THIS SAME ISSUE WITH OTHER MODELS AS WELL AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ASAP. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME SINCE I HAVE MOUNTING MEDICAL BILLS. KIA NEEDS TO ADD THIS VEHICLE TO THE RECALL LIST.
AIRBAG CLOCK SPRING IS BAD. OPEN CIRCUIT. DEALER HAS IN STOCK. BUT NOT PERMITTED SELL THE PART BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE UPDATED PART, WHICH IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. KIA OF NORTH AMERICA STATES IT HAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL OCTOBER. I CAN NOT ALLOW MY 22 YEAR DAUGHTER TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT THE AIRBAG.
AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON. KIA DEALER SAYS THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE WEIGHT SENSOR MAT ON THE PASSENGER SEAT WITH THE PART COSTING $2400. ODD THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND THE COST OF THE PART VARIES BY OVER $1000! THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY! CAR ONLY HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT.
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON BUT NO REASONS, NO ERROR CODES
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER (TONITO AUTO KIA IN RIO PIEDRAS, PUERTO RICO) AND WAS INFORMED TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED BACK IN MARCH OF 2012 AND WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY BY TONITO AUTO KIA. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.
STARTED CAR, AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. LIGHT STAYED ON FOR ABOUT AWEEK NOW NO REASON FOR IT TO BE ON. GOING TO TAKE IT IN AND SEE WHAT I'M TOLD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT DRIFTED TO SLEEP AND REAR ENDED AN 18 WHEELER TRUCK. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BRUISES TO HER STERNUM, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER TO BE REPAIRED FOR COSMETIC DAMAGES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
AIR BAG ALARM APPEAR ON DASHBOARD ISN'T GOING AWAY
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95,766.
STARTED CAR AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON STAYED ON. NO REASON FOR TO BE ON.
THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON IN MY VEHICLE AND DISABLED THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. I TOOK IT TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT, AND FOUND OUT IT WAS DISABLED DUE TO AN ELECTRIC FIELD SENSOR THAT IS SENSITIVE TO ALL KINDS OF ELECTRONICS. THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IS TSB: BOD 072. IT HAS IN THERE THAT "IF CERTAIN ELECTRONIC DEVICES SUCH AS CELLULAR PHONES, LAPTOP COMPUTERS, INVERTERS, DVD PLAYERS, RADIO TRANSMITTERS, GPS NAVIGATION SYSTEMS, SATELLITE RADIO SYSTEMS, VIDEO GAMES, AND MP3 PLAYERS ARE PUT ON/AROUND A PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION (INCLUDING IN THE SEATBACK POCKET) OR IF LIQUID IS SPILLED ON THE SEAT CUSHION, THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP MAY ILLUMINATE WITH DTC B1447, B1448, B1764, OR B1767" TO ME, THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY RISK, AS SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE A CELL PHONE ON THEM OR TOO CLOSE, AND IT DISABLES THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. THIS IS FOR KIA SORENTO (XM) 2011 TO CURRENT, KIA OPTIMA (MG) 2009, 2010, AND KIA RIO (JB) 2010 TO CURRENT.
WHILE DRIVING ONE EVENING, MY AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON, THEN IT TURNED OFF, AND THIS HAPPENED FOR ABOUT A WEEK. NOW IT IS ON 100% OF THE TIME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SORENTO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 96,000.
DRIVER AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AND WON'T TURN OFF
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2011 Kia Sorento has 123 Air Bags complaints on file. 12 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.