2007 Kia Sorento Transmission Problems

MY 2007 KIA SORENTO WAS INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS IN 2009-10. BOTH WERE AS A RESULT OF A FAULTY 4-WHEEL DRIVE MECHANISM. WHEN WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2007, WE REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT WHEN THE CAR WAS IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE AND STOPPED TO TURN, IT MADE A JERKING MOVEMENT THAT WAS DANGEROUS. WE WERE TOLD IT OPERATED AS DESIGNED. ON FEBRUARY 21, 2010, I WAS TURNING INTO MY GARAGE IN CENTRAL OREGON ON ICE, THE CAR WAS IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE AND IT MADE A SERIES OF LURCHING MOVEMENTS WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO SLIDE INTO THE GARAGE WALL. I STILL HAVE THE DENT IN THE PASSENGER DOOR FROM THAT INCIDENT. ON OCTOBER 27, 2009 ON MY WAY TO WORK, I NOTICED THE TEMPERATURE WAS 31 DEGREES, AND PUT MY ("ON THE FLY" 4-WHEEL DRIVE) CAR INTO 4-WHEEL DRIVE. I IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO A 360 SPIN ON A HIGHWAY. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES AN HOUR. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE FLAT WHEN I LANDED IN THE DIRT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THIS CAR ISN'T AN "ON THE FLY" 4-WHEEL DRIVE EVEN THOUGH THE MANUAL SAYS IT IS. I REPORTED BOTH OF THESE ACCIDENTS TO KIA SAFETY HEADQUARTERS. THEY TELL ME THE CAR OPERATES AS DESIGNED, AND THEREFORE ARE NOT CONCERNED. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT SOMEONE WILL DIE IN ONE OF THESE 2007 KIA'S WHEN USING 4-WHEEL DRIVE. I KNOW THAT KIA REDESIGNED THE SORENTO IN 2008 TO BE ALL WHEEL, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE THIS DESIGN DEFECT . HOWEVER, WHAT ABOUT ALL OF US WHO DRIVE IN COLD, ICY WEATHER MANY DAYS OF THE YEAR AND NEED OUR 4-WHEEL DRIVE? DO WE JUST HOPE THE JERKING MOTION WHEN WE ARE STOPPED AND TURNING WILL NOT CAUSE US TO SLIDE INTO SOMETHING? DO WE STOP EVERY TIME WE NEED TO PUT OUR "ON THE FLY" FOUR WHEEL DRIVE IN PLAY? KIA NEEDS TO FIX OUR CARS SO THEY ARE SAFE FOR THE ENTIRE 100,000 MILE WARRANTY PERIOD! *KB

NHTSA ID

10414046

Incident

Oct 27, 2009

Mileage

30,000 mi

I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO THE PURCHASING DEALER 7 TIMES FOR MULTIPLE ISSUES INCLUDING TRANSMISSION OR TORQUE CONVERTER DIFFICULTY SWITCHING GEARS, THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS FELL DOWN INTO THE DASH, POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE. THE MAJOR ISSUE HAS BEEN THE RANDOM, BUT DAILY ESC OFF LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF. THE DEALER SEEMS EITHER UNWILLING OR INCAPABLE OF CORRECTING THIS ISSUE. I HAVE FILED A CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUEST WE KIA TWO WEEKS AGO, RANDY EXT 45295 KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSURED ME HE WOULD 'GET BACK TO ME' IN TWO BUSINESS DAYS. TODAY IS THE SEVENTH BUSINESS DAY AND NO REPLY. IT'S MY OPINION THAT THE ESC ISSUE, WIRING HARNESS, AND POOR BRAKING ARE ISSUES THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESS IN VIA RECALL SINCE KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WARRANTY COMMITMENT ARE MEANING LESS TO KIA CORPORATION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239898

Incident

Jan 16, 2008

Mileage

5,000 mi

I BOUGHT THIS 2007 SORENTO OCTOBER 10, 2007. TRANSMISSION WAS MESSED UP FROM THE START. I HAVE POSTED EARLIER ABOUT MY PROBLEMS (ODI ID NUMBER : 10222227). SOME OF MY PROBLEMS WERE FIXED. THE PROBLEM WITH THE UP-SHIFTING AND DOWN-SHIFTING AT THE SAME TIME WERE FIXED. BUT I STILL HAVE TO MUCH PLAY IN DRIVE-LINE WHEN SHIFTING FROM FORWARD TO REVERSE. AND THAT PLAY COMES IN TO EFFECT WHEN OTHER SHIFTS HAPPEN. WHEN GOING DOWN A HILL AND THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION CATCH UP WITH EACH OTHER, I CAN FEEL THE KER-KLUNK OR SHUTTER WHEN THEY DO. AND ALSO AT TIMES I FEEL THE SAME THING WHEN THE CAR GET ALMOST TO THE TOP OF A HILL AND IT'S TIME FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO UP-SHIFT, I FEEL THAT SAME SHUTTER. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THOSE PROBLEMS A WEEK OR SO AGO AND THEY HAD MY CAR FOR 9 DAYS. NOW THE CAR DOES A HARD SHIFT INTO ALMOST EVERY GEAR. STARTED WITH FEELING THE HARD SHIFT INTO THE FIRST 2 GEARS AND NOW FEEL IT EVEN IN 5TH GEAR. THESE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE OCTOBER 10, 2007. PLUS AS POSTED BEFORE, THE SPORT-A-MATIC PORTION OF THE TRANSMISSION IS STILL SCREWED UP. WHEN TRAVELING AT 65 MILES AN HOUR AND MOVING SHIFTER FROM LEFT TO RIGHT INTO SPORT-A-MATIC POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY DROPS TO 4TH GEAR. I'VE DROVE 3 OTHER MODELS OF THERE CARS AND NONE OF THEM DO THIS. THEY STAY IN THE GEAR THAT THEY WERE IN ON THE LEFT SIDE. THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION ARE REAL POPULAR NOW. I'VE CHECKED WITH ANYBODY I KNOW WITH THAT TYPE OF TRANSMISSION AND THERE'S ALL WORK PROPERLY. KIA TELLS ME SINCE THAT YEAR, THAT MODEL DOES THAT, THAT I HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. ALSO THE CAR HAS A SLIGHT VIBRATION AT TIMES AT HIGHER SPEEDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10237210

Incident

Aug 1, 2008

Mileage

111,000 mi

I PURCHASE A 2007 KIA SORENTO AT VANDEVERE KIA. IT CAME WITH THE 5-SPEED AUTO-MATIC SPORTMATIC SHIFTING. IT BANGS INTO GEAR, SLIPS INTO GEAR AND SLIDES INTO GEAR. IT HARDLY EVER SHIFTS 100%. PLUS IT PULSATES BETWEEN 40 & 50 MILES AN HOURS. NOT ALL THE TIME & NOT THE SAME WAY ALL THE TIME. ALSO WHEN IT'S IN 5TH GEAR AND I MOVE IT TO THE RIGHT IN THE SPORTAMATIC POSITION, IT DROPS TO 4TH GEAR. I'VE DROVE 2 OTHER KIA'S WITH THAT TYPE OF SHIFTER AND IF YOUR IN 5TH & MOVE IT TO THE RIGHT, YOUR IN 5TH GEAR. ALSO THERE IS PLAY EITHER IN THE TRANSMISSION OR THE DRIVE SHAFTS. YOU CAN FEEL IT WHEN YOU GO FROM FORWARD TO REVERSE. COMES INTO PLAY AS A DETRIMENT WHEN ON ICY ROADS. I TRADED MY BEAUTIFUL 2004 KIA SORENTO IN FOR THIS PIECE OF JUNK. I'VE PURCHASED 3 KIA'S NOW & FOUND OUT THAT CUSTOMER LOYALTY DOESN'T MATTER TO KIA. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY CAR FIXED FOR 6 MONTHS NOW. THEY KNOW THERE'S A PROBLEM & CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT. I DROVE ANOTHER 2007 SORENTO IN THERE LOT AND IT DOES THE SAME THING MINE DOES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10222227

Incident

Oct 11, 2007

Mileage

300 mi

I BOUGHT A 2007 KIA SORENTO IN OCTOBER, 2007. THE CAR ONLY HAS 3,000 MILES AND HAS A HORRIBLE SHIFTING PROBLEM THAT I AM TOLD ALL 2007 SORENTOS HAVE. WHEN THE CAR IS GOING BETWEEN 40 AND 50, IT SOUNDS LIKE AND SHUDDERS LIKE A 10 YEAR OLD BEAT UP CAR. IT IS LIKE IT WON'T SHIFT GEARS. THE MOTOR IS EXTREMELY LOUDER THAN THE 2003 KIA SORENTO I OWNED (WISH I HAD IT BACK). I AM TERRIBLY UNHAPPY WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND SHIFTING PROBLEMS THIS CAR HAS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10220027

Incident

Dec 3, 2007

WE PURCHASED THIS A 2007 KIA SORENTO FOR FOLGERS KIA IN FEB OF 2007. AFTER ABOUT 4 MONTHS WE NOTICED THAT WHEN ACCELERATING BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MILES PER HOUR THE CAR SHUDDER VIOLENTLY AND LOSES POWER. IN MY OPINION VERY DANGEROUS. WE FINALLY GOT THE CAR IN THE SHOP ON JAN 2, 2008 ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT KIA SAYS THEIR IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND IT CAN'T BE FIXED. ALSO TOLD IT IS NORMAL FOR THE SORENTO. IF NORMAL, WHY DIDN'T IT DO IT WHEN WE FIRST BOUGHT IT AND TEST DROVE IT? I FIND THEIR ANSWER UNACCEPTABLE. IN MY OPINION IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND IF THIS PROBLEM CAN'T BE FIXED THEN IT IS A LEMON. PLEASE ASSIST WITH HOW TO PROCEED. I'M GETTING NOWHERE WITH KIA'S VERY INADEQUATE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS. *CN

NHTSA ID

10213546

Incident

Jan 2, 2008

Mileage

20,000 mi

I HAVE A TWO WHEEL DRIVE 2007 KIA SORENTO. WHEN I DRIVE BETWEEN 35 AND 50 MPH THE CAR BEGINS TO JERK, SOMETIMES VIOLENTLY. I HAVE TAKEN IT TWICE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. THE DEALER HAS CONTACTED KIA ENGINEERS WHO SAY THAT THE JERKING IS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS AND NOTHING WILL BE DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM AS BEING CALLED A FISH BITE. THE INVOICE FOR SERVICE STATES THAT "THIS IS NORMAL TCC LOCK UP AT LOWER SPEEDS LOW RPM IN LOCKUP." *TR

NHTSA ID

10212529

Incident

Dec 19, 2007

Mileage

7,800 mi

IN JULY, 2007, I PURCHASED A 2007 KIA SORENTO. ON MY FIRST OCCASION TO DRIVE ON THE INTERSTATE, COMING HOME FROM WORK, I ENCOUNTERED A MAJOR SHUDDER OR JERKING WHEN TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. THE INTERSTATE WAS VERY SHOW TRAVELING DUE TO AN ACCIDENT. WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR SHUDDERED (OR JERKED) SEVERAL TIMES EXTREMELY HARD BUT THEN STRAIGHTENED OUT. THE HARD SHUDDERS OCCUR AT APPROXIMATELY 35 TO 45 MPH. ALSO, WHEN TRAVELING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, IF I HAVE TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL DUE TO SLOWING TRAFFIC, I PRESS THE MIDDLE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON AND TAKE OVER MANUALLY. WHEN TRAFFIC PICKS BACK UP, I PRESS THE "RESUME" BUTTON, AGAIN...THE SHUDDER. THE SHUDDER OR JERKING ALWAYS HAPPENS UPON ACCELERATION. WHEN ATTEMPTING A HILL AT 35 TO 45 MPH, THE CAR LOSES POWER ALL TOGETHER AND REALLY STRUGGLES UNTIL REACHING THE TOP. I HAD CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND TAKEN THE SORENTO IN FOR REPAIR. THE SERVICE MANAGER DROVE THE CAR, DID IN FACT EXPERIENCE THE SHUDDER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO FIX IT. HE CONTACTED HIS DISTRICT MANAGER WHO SAID HE WAS WORKING A CAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND WAS TRYING TO FIND A "CURE." I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND EVEN DROVE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER. HE ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEM BUT, AGAIN, AT THIS TIME, THERE IS NO SOLUTION AS TO HOW TO FIX IT. I CONTACTED KIA HEADQUARTERS TO SEE IF THEY WERE WORKING ON TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION TO FIX THE SHUDDER. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS PROBABLY A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR AND WOULD BE CONSIDERED "NORMAL" PERFORMANCE FOR THE SORENTO. I FIND THIS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. I HAD DRIVEN A LOANER SORENTO WHEN MINE WAS IN FOR MAINTENANCE AND IT DID NOT DO THE SHUDDER. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MY SORENTO AND AM CONSIDERING TRADING AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10207397

Incident

Jul 10, 2007

Mileage

110 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, MAINLY BETWEEN 42 AND 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKS AND VIBRATES. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON FOUR OCCASIONS. THE SECOND TIME, THE DEALER REPLACED THE DRIVESHAFT, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1,600 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 959. UPDATED 12-12-07. *KB THE DEALER WASN'T SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEY STATED THE PROBLEM MAY BE A SOFTWARE OR TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUE. UPDATED

NHTSA ID

10205099

Incident

Sep 10, 2007

Mileage

959 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KIA SORENTO LX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION SURGES AND HAS DIFFICULTY SWITCHING GEARS. SHE HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A KIA DEALERSHIP TWICE BECAUSE THE TORQUE CONVERTER CONTINUES TO LOCK UP. THE FAILURE IS NOTICEABLE AT 35 MPH. DURING THE FIRST SERVICE VISIT, A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED. ON THE SECOND VISIT, THE DEALER STATED THAT NO REPAIR WAS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 720 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

NHTSA ID

10190763

Incident

Apr 26, 2007

Mileage

100 mi

I PURCHASED A 2007 KIA SORENTO ON 1/6/07 FROM CHRIS LEITH KIA IN WAKE FOREST, NC. NOT LONG AFTER I BOUGHT IT, I NOTICED THAT IT FREQUENTLY JERKED WHEN ACCELERATING AT HIGHER RATES OF SPEED. ON 1/11/07, I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND COMPLAINED OF THE PROBLEM. AT THAT TIME THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY WHICH WAS SELF ADJUSTING ,AND WOULD FIX ITSELF AS I DROVE IT. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE, SO I TOOK IT BACK TO KIA ON 3/5/07. THEY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 3 DAYS. AFTER CORRESPONDENCE WITH KIA, I WAS TOLD TO COME PICK UP THE VEHICLE. THEY TOLD ME THAT KIA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY WERE WORKING ON A SOLUTION. IT IS BELIEVED TO BE A SOFTWARE ISSUE. AS OF TODAY, 4/5/07, I STILL HAVE NO SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE DEALER, AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY ARE STILL WORKING ON A SOLUTION. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED! A BRAND NEW VEHICLE SHOULD NOT RUN LIKE THIS!!!*AK

NHTSA ID

10187104

Incident

Jan 8, 2007

Mileage

100 mi