Driving at night when all of a sudden interior lights started blinking off & on like strobe lights at a disco. I tried turning them off, nothing. It seemed related to the dimmer switch because if I kept pressure on it to the lowest degree, the flashing stopped. For awhile I wedged a pin in the switch & that worked. Eventually, though that stopped working & the light show would begin. It happened day & night, just more noticeable at night. I finally removed the fuse for the cabin lights & as a result, have no dash lights either while driving in the dark. I've not gone to kia as I am sure it will cost way more than I can afford. I'm reduced to using a flashlight when on long road trips to check gas gauge & speedometer.
2003 Kia Sorento: wrong fuel gauge reading
5 of the 305 complaints about the 2003 Kia Sorento describe wrong fuel gauge reading.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
Wrong fuel gauge reading by model year
- 20171
- 20142
- 20081
- 20051
- 20041
- 20035
What owners say
When fueling the vehicle fuel has been spraying back out of the fuel filler neck if the fuel is pumped at a normal rate. This has occurred since well before the 1st incident date. The only way to keep the fuel from spraying out is to pump the fuel very slowly and stop. Fuel would spray all over me, my wife and the vehicle. While traveling on the interstate and the fuel gauge registers 3/4 full and when the vehicle is going uphill the vehicle RPM's will drop, the throttle becomes unresponsive and the vehicle losses speed. The vehicle will recover after reaching level ground. The vehicle was taken to kia and no problems were found. Again while traveling for the holidays on 11/24/10 and 11/28/10 this incident occurred again when the fuel gauge registered 3/4 full and in heavy traffic on I-65 almost causing vehicles to run over me due to my speed dropping abruptly. I reached the nearest fuel station and filled the tank up. This does not happen when the vehicle is above 3/4 full. This does not happen while driving around town. The problem with fueling the vehicle is all the time.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact stated that the fuel tank was dispensing the gasoline back out towards her as she added gasoline. When the contact entered the vehicle the fuel gauge reads full when it was not completely full. The dealer was contacted and informed her that there were no recalls in reference to the fuel system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 107,500.
I bought a 2003 kia sorento about 6 years ago and I've had a lot of problems. The worst and most recent problem is the gas spews out of the tank every time I try to fill it. It runs down the side of the car and on my wheel. Sometimes it gets on me. This has been going on for several months now. If you pump very slow and stop every .80 cents it lessens the amount of times it spews out, but this is so very timely. The gas gauge periodically goes out. The horn has never worked. The power steering periodically goes out. When using cruise control it will periodically go off on it's own. The paint looks horrible and has peeled off on the side mirrors. The leather seats have not held up well. The dome light will not work when you open the door, but if you press the dome light button it will come on. Periodically the dash lights have flickered and I'm wondering if they are about to go out. I've already had to replace the AC compressor and the drive shaft, both of which have really set me back financially. I really want to get the gas tank issue fixed as it is the worst issue at hand and I fear it could be dangerous.
This is the third time this incident happened. During this last time, the gas gauge showed that the tank have less than 1/8 full. When I started to pump gasoline to the vehicle's tank, the gas pump abruptly stopped as if the vehicle's gas tank is already full and gasoline splashed back out of the tank. Gasoline sprayed all over including myself. I cautiously started to pump gas to the vehicle again and the same thing happened. I smelled like gasoline and ruined my clothes.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Certain sport utility vehicles may experience a fuel leak from fuel tubes near the fuel tank due to an interference fit with the vehicle floor panel.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace a section of the fuel line. The recall began on october 10, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1‑800‑333‑4542.
Recall number 05V353000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Kia Sorento fuel gauge
Is wrong fuel gauge reading a common problem on the 2003 Kia Sorento?
5 of 305 owner complaints about the 2003 Kia Sorento (2%) mention wrong fuel gauge reading. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Kia Sorento?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Kia Sorento
Airbag light 22Check engine light 22Headlights 20Power steering loss 20Stalling 20Loss of power 18Engine failure 17Overheating 13Won't start 8Fuel pump 7Warning lights 7Fire or smoke 5Fuel smell 5Steering lock-up 5
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