It is beyond me how kia motors can get away with telling a bunch of automobile engineers, that the problem with there vehicles spitting back gasoline onto a person and kia motors telling them it's an air filter. I took my2003 kia sorento back to the dealers thinking I was going to get a new charcoal filter when all was said and done I received a $20 air filter for the charcoal chamber which had no problem to begin with. I still have a 2003 kia sorento that spits fuel back on to me and I"m waiting for the day someone throws a cigarette butt at me and I catch fire< because I will own kia of america and a wealthy lawsuit against the national trafic safety panel. Do you know I had a short access to a kia site recently and seen over 100 service bulletins, not just 8 that are on this site I guess you people forgot who you work for the united ststes people/not kia motors and you can bet your ass I'm not done until everyone of my service bulletins is addressed so you bean counters better start figuring blame because as I said when I'm done you'll see this is bullshit if this were ford, chevy or chrysler you would have dragged they're ass across the coals well you better start with the slanty eye koreans too. I knew their was a reason my mother didn't want me going into their boston stores when I was a kid. Got help you if this thing catches fire with my kids in it, because my 2 year old is strapped right above your no problem whatsoever I made better go karts when I was 10 years old I dont know what the governments problem is but it better be taken care of or you may find it on your lawn on fire !!!
2003 Kia Sorento fuel system complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 77, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have fuel still spitting out of the fuel tank, even after the supposed tank air filter replacement by bill dodge kia, saco, me. I can only trickle fuel in the vehicle without it spitting back out on me and the ground. I have already had a bad rash due to fuel spilling on me with shorts on last summer. The vehicle is not repaired as stated. I refuse to start trying to just throw money at it and not knowing if it will fix the problem or not. I seen a lot of other complaints even after the tank air filter replacement, the evap system should not be located under the vehicle to begin with, due to moisture getting into the air filter then the charcoal canister and everything else. I have also replaced the closed valve which is located before the tank air filter to no avail this vehicle is a health and fire hazard period !
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. While refueling, fuel spewed back out of the filler neck without warning. The contact mentioned that fuel splashed all over the floor and his clothes. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,000.
When fueling, after about 45 seconds, gas sprays back up and out all over me and the car and the ground. If the fuel pump handle is barely depressed, which pumps the gas very very slowly, fuel will be accepted. Takes forever - tired of gas-soaked clothes and gas-soaked shoes; tired of spilling gas all over the car and wasting on the concrete; - tired of dangerous situation!! Need kia to issue a recall on whatever is causing the fuel rejection.
Fule is shooting back of gas tank while putting in gas.this is very dangerous. Pleas tell me a fix for this. Car is stationary.
I attempted to fill my 2003 kia soento ex and after pumpming about $2.75 worth of gas, the fuel began to spit back up through the filler hose and spurted/ gush back out on to me. It gives you a false sense that the tank is full but it's not. I attempted to re-fuel and again, the gas spurt/ gush back out. I could get no more than $5.00 dollars in the car. I spoke with the kia dealership in lithonia, georgia and they told me that they have never heard of such a matter. I was instructed to bring the vehicle back. However, I began to research this matter and it was investigated by you all. Kia did state that they would look into the matter. I'm not confident that will happen. There are thousands of complaints out there among consumers about this same vehicle between the 2003 through 2006. Please investigate! I do believe that this is a recall item. The 2003 kia sorento was the first vehicle made by kia corporation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact stated that the fuel was not going into the fuel tank properly upon refueling the vehicle and there was a clicking noise as if it were full. The contact had to take an extended period of time to ensure the fuel tank was actually full. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they did not diagnose the failure. The vehicle was to be taken to an independent mechanic to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v353000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and with the fuel tank gauge at 3/4 or below, the vehicle began to sputter and vibrate before stalling. The contact indicated that the fuel tank needed to be at least 75 percent full to prevent the failure from occurring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 209,000.
I bought my kia sorento 2003 in november 2013. In january of the following year I noticed a gas smell. I looked under the vehicle and found a few drips on the ground underneath, which was gas. I had the line under the cab along side door replaced. I am noticing a strong gas smell coming from the side toward front and can't see anything leaking. I saw that there was a recall for this year and make so I called kia and asked them is my vehicle covered under the recall and they said no after giving them my VIN number. I see that its not just the 2003 vehicles with this issue. Just because I don't have the right VIN number they should still honor my complaint. Regardless I'm still having the same fuel issues as the ones on recall.
When fueling the vehicle the gas pump automatically shuts off constantly. The tank can be empty and the pump will shut off as soon as you start filling it and continue to do so as you fill it. It will also spit gas out of the tank while you are filling it. There should be plenty of room for gas as the gas indicator shows empty but even after putting one gallon in the tank, the pump will shut off and/or gas will spill/splash out. I have to stand back when filling the tank so that I don't get it all over me. The date listed for incident is when it first started happening but it continues to do so every time I put gas in the vehicle.
We were attempting to fill the sorento up with gas when it suddenly spit gas out of the tank when we had only put $11 into to. It was close to empty when we got to the gas station. We tried a couple times with the same result. The car would not take anymore gas.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact experienced difficulty placing fuel in the vehicle. The fuel would not enter the tank and leaked out while the contact attempted to insert fuel. An independent mechanic stated that the vehicle needed a new canister filter, fuel cap, and filler pipe. The vehicle had not been repaired and the manufacturer had not been notified. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 10/8/14*cn the consumer stated the manufacturer was contacted. The manufacturer stated the vehicle was out of warranty. The consumer was not notified of any recalls due to being the second owner. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. Updated 3/24/2015
Fuel line leaking. Fixed and now leaking again someplace else.
While pumping, the fuel spits back out from the tank. It is rather annoying as I lose money fueling and it takes forever to fuel. Normally when I reach about $15.00 in gas it begins regurgitating. This happens every time I attempt to fuel.
I am single old lady, late jan.2014 , driving back from orlando,fl. To my home on I-95 car slows down, all lights go on dashboard. Get home at 40 miles an hour.next day go to tire plus, can not fix car, engine trouble..go to dealer bev smith kia, ft.pierce, fl, I am a regular there,with car problemsell me can needs new lower engine, $7000 I almost faint, , car not safe, I left anyway, they would not exactly tell me what wrong with car...coworker at walmart, tells me of mechanic,can fix it...take it there, he tells me what really is wrong with car..screw that hold harmony part, had broken off, half of it was still stuck into lowere engine ...this honest mechanic, told me leave kia over the weekend, willput put screw softener on screw still in engine, see if it comes out...it did, they put new screw, give me all new belts, I paid $1,800 of my own money, ..I go ahead and drive to miami, fll day latter I drive to orlando ,fl. ...in I 95....next day,try to get out of my driveway, same thing happened...good mechanic comes over to my house, said same screw came off...he fixes it again, $1,500, ...he tells me, get new car, do not keep this kia sorento 2003, car has flaw, can not be fixed....if keep it, just for around town drive, under 50 miles an hour, do not take turnpike or interstate highways...I contacted kia motors, bev smith kia, told them about recall screw replacement , tell me out of warranty, neither will really answer back...no money, no new car....kia motors is a crook,...tell me car out of warranty, that what do I want with old car...can not find any other prior complaints I made with car, since first year I bought it...
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the check engine light illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact also indicated that while refueling, fuel spilled from the filler neck. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 58,000.
My fuel pump was replaced in august 2013; not long after I began having fueling problems that have increased in severity. Any time I try to put gas in my tank, it explodes back out at me like a volcano erupting. I can't put gas in my car unless I let it trickle in and stop fueling in intervals...it takes about 30 minutes at least to fill my car. I'm tired of smelling like gas. This is dangerous and ridiculous and apparently a lot of other people have had this problem, yet kia has done nothing. Something needs to be done by kia to correct this issue. I took my vehicle to a kia dealership and they weren't really sure what to do (lots of help there) and wanted to charge me about $2000 to try and figure it out (the same amount they charged me to replace my fuel pump). I'm tired of being ripped off....can't anyone do anything to help all of us consumers having this issue??
The car been a problem since first year , I called district manager for kia back in 2004,told him car was skipping beat, and shaking...he told me is was my imagination...the 2nd big problem car would just start losing power in I-95 or fl.turnpike and come to stand still, no matter how much I pressed the gas pedal, no go, almost got in several accidents in I-95,florida late at nite...spend $800 at kia of kendall in florida, in miami, told me was fuel problem...way back home that same day, car did same thing slowed down in rushing traffic in I-95 floirda,almost got deadly accident from car behind me, took it to kia of ft.pierce , kept car 1 week, mechanic could not figure out problem, ...I found on line,problem was at the fueling entrance,something dissolved and particles went to fueling injectors,clogging it and causing problems, told mechanics ,replaced this part ,car got fixed....last incident,major one, back 3 years ago took car to kia dealer, due to letter from kia corporation, major recall on screw that hold harmoney blancer to lower engine case...they replaced it...1/9/2004.driving back from orlando,fl,at nite, car just slows down, shakes, battery light and brake lite come one...miracle , 1 hour I drove car slowly back home...friday I take to shop,find out same recall ,replaced screw,rusted off ,sheared off, half of it still in engine,harmoney fell off,..miracle I did not ger major fire in car,late at nite,on i95..took it fri.to ft.pierce kia,mechanic said can not be repaired, need spend$79000on new engine...nothing was mentioned same screw ,recall, they replaced back 3 years ago...car has history of my complaints to corporate kia..nothing ever done.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact moved the vehicle off the roadway and the engine rpms increased as the vehicle began to perform normally. The contact also stated that once the fuel tank was below 3/4 full, the engine would lose power and began to idle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was inspected but was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue but provided no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, fuel would spew from the filler neck when refueling and the interior lights would flicker on and off sporadically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed, who was unable to generate a failure code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000 and the current mileage was 180,000.
When pumping as into the tank, gas shoots out of the tank like opening a soda after shaking it up. Fuel projection is very forceful. No matter if I trickle gas in. I have been rejected from gas stations because truck spits out so much gas & I was told my vehicle is a fire hazard. Kia performed two recalls sc092 & sc073. The problem still persists. Kia customer care nor the mechanics at bay kia in norfolk, va have been very unhelpful and instead of investigating the problem, say that it is user error!
We have a 2003 kia sorento, and since november while pumping gas, fuel suddenly spews out -- like a soda can that had been shaken. Online we can find other 2003 kia sorentos also complaining about what's known as fuel spit-back. . The federal safety agency investigated over 100 complaints of spit-back on 2003 kia sorentos. Complaints allege that while refueling the vehicle, fuel can spill out or spit back from the fuel filler port on model year (my) 2003 kia sorento vehicles. Consumers report that the spilled fuel can splash on the person fueling the vehicle, or on the side of the vehicle and the ground. Just like ours. Then in january 2012, kia's testing found that if the canister filter becomes significantly clogged, excess pressure can build up in the fuel tank and cause fuel to spit back from the filler port during refueling. To address the issue of fuel spit back during refueling, kia conducted a service campaign of approximately 86,000 my 2003 and 2004 kia sorento vehicles. The campaign will provide a one-time replacement of the canister filter, at no cost to the owner -- this was done on our car on march 6, 2012. Before this service, there was no problem with fuel spit-back, now it happens every time we fuel up. The dealer wants to charge us to fix it, the company is of no help your agency closed its investigation, but it seems you must reopen it. Again, we did not have the fuel spit-back problem until after the service!!!!!!!!!!!
I had owned the vehicle for a year when all of a sudden one day I was filling up with gas, had pumped less than a gallon when all of a sudden, the gas came shooting back out of the tank all over me, the car, the ground, everywhere. I tried more gas as I was almost on empty, & it happened over & over. Finally, I had to pull the nozzle most of the way out of the tank, & pump as slowly as possible. I learned that if I listened carefully, I could hear the gas approaching the top of the neck & if I was quick enough, could keep the "blow back" down to a trickle & only have it on the vehicle & the ground & not on me. My son refuses to drive it if it needs to be gassed up. It makes me very nervous to pump gas like this. What if there is a random spark? I noticed in 2005 (long before I purchased) there was some sort of fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings recall from http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2003/kia/sorento/recalls/ does that recall cover this issue? I read a lot of complaints from many people having this very same issue.
Each time we go to put fuel into the gas tank it flies back out. Sometimes as much as a foot or more out of the gas tank opening. This has gone on for more than a few months now. I understand that this has been an ongoing problems with kia sorentos around this year model with around the same amount of miles as ours.
My first kia was sportage 2000 with 165000 miles when I sold that vehicle, I have no complaints this was my reason to buy kia again, I buy a sorento 2003 no complaints only the 2 recalls from kia is the only thing I have in this vehicle. But since the last year after 75000 miles I have this real problem for me with the gas spills, my situation today is not the same like its was five years ago....and spend above $500 fixing this problem who attribute at failure of design from kia motors is beyond my budget. I have not idea how to fix this from kia who I make them solely responsible of this defect. Somebody can tell me how I have to proceed to make accountable kia in this matter??
When I try to fill gasoline in my car, the pump will click off after filling about 1/2 gallon and will then spray gasoline back at me for the first 3-4 times it clicks off. I noticed a recall was done on this model for the fuel tank evaporator filter which is the issue. I had the recall performed but still have the issue.
Fuel spewed back when filling at station.
I was filling my gas tank up, and after about 2 gallons it spit back out at me going everywhere. I have taken it to many mechanics and they say they cannot find the problem, so basically I have had to continue dealing with this issue for 7 months or so. I have grown tired of it and decided to search the internet and found that many other people have been dealing with this issue also. I find that the gas spilling out everywhere is a safety hazard in many ways, but no one can seem to help me out. What should I do?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. While driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle began to decelerate independently. The contact stopped the vehicle and replaced the fuel injector fluid but the failure continued intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics. The mechanic advised that the fuel injectors needed cleaning. After the fuel injectors were cleaned, the failure continued. The vehicle was previously included and repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 05v353000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). After the recall repair, the contact experienced a fuel spill when refueling the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired the approximate failure mileage was 33,387.
When putting gas in the tank, the gas blew back out with a force like shaking a soda can and opening it. Today was the 3rd and worst time. It started about 2 weeks ago with the fuel just spilling out, but tonight it blew back out at me with such a force as to spray gas all over the front of me up to my neck. My shirt was soaked, the gas was all over my pants and shoes. By the time I was able to drive home and shower, burns from the gas on my skin started appearing on my chest.
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