2005 Kia Sorento: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Jul 18, 2023 · Engine · MA

When driving there was a clunking noise and then the steering was hard to steer and the battery light came on & had to have it towed to find out that the harmonic balancer bolt broke. There are hundreds of complaints online about this same issue happening with these engines as this is a poor design. This is a safety hazard and very dangerous since you loose the steering and should be recalled.

Filed Nov 4, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 107,000 miles · FL

I was turning onto a street and heard a big clunk only to find out the bolt on the crankshaft broke off again on 10/29/15 as well as 7/30/13. The power steering went out & battery light came on. Lost power and everything after a big clunk! This happens all the time: there are a multitude of these same complaints: this engine was replaced in may 2010 and the harmonic balancer and pulley have been worked on twice since 2010. There is a defective bolt that was replaced with a new defective bolt. This is happening numerous times to many kia sorento owners and they are left stranded. Kia knows about it and refuses to do anything! My car is sitting at country kia in charleston, sc because the extended- warranty will not cover this defective bolt and I can't pay $5000.00 on a car that is now only worth $3000.00. I had to stay in charleston, sc an extra 2 days at my expense $79.00 /night, pay $75.00 for the tow bill and an additional $55 or $65 for the kia dealership to check it out. I had to rent a car to come back to fl as I was stranded in charleston without transportation. I cannot afford the $5000.00 for repairs and the $1500.00 to pay it off just to get the title to send this to a junk yard. The mileage just turned to 107,000 or 108,000. This is the 4th time that there was an issue on this part of this car having to do with the same issues related to this defective bolt, harmonic balancer and pulley as a result of this defective bolt. (this is only on one car). You will see how many times this is occurring to many other owners of these kia sorentos. Please read through the complaints on the following link: http://gotaclassaction.com/kia-named-in-class-action-over-first-generation-2002-2009-equipped-with-a-hyundai-manufactured-3-5l-24-valve-dohc-v6-engine/

Filed Apr 27, 2013 · Steering, Transmission · 106,000 miles · CA

Second failure of crank shaft pulley bolt within 2 months of it being repaired. Dealer assured me it was fixed properly according to the manufacturers tsb. Bolt sheared off again and all belts came loose. 18 year old female driver, while slowing to turn corner lost power assist steering, incredibly lucky to be alive. Loud clunk...that was the harmonic balancer falling off the vehicle. Kia fails to acknowledge design flaw in this dangerous, dangerous vehicle!

Filed Dec 30, 2011 · Suspension · NY

Brackets that hold the rear end upper control arms are completely rusted into two useless pieces. Only the lower control arms and side link or canard is holding the rear end in place, any torque applied could potentially twist the rear causing catastrophic damage, obviously the metal is bad and with no weep holes salt, water, etc. Hold in bracket. I thought the handling felt bad, and heard slight, ever so slight clunking, would never have suspected this until too late except I was checking brake pads and noticed the disconnected suspension, now must grind off old brackets, fabricate new ones and weld on after freeing up upper control arm bolts, not your normal mechanic work on a 6 year old car,,[xxx],,I fear what could happen to the unsuspecting normal person,,stay well clear of any sorento's you see on the road, and by all means inform any owners of these to check their upper control arms brackets. This should be a factory recall. Why should we (I) have to repair or junk an otherwise good car. P.s. Any and all garages that inspect this car should be failing them and if there not they aren't looking at the suspension well enough, every one I checked, three so far are in variously ill shape, not complete failure but so close, to call them unsafe again [xxx] metal brackets, other pieces of metal close by look brand new, thanks, I feel better now, time to recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr *kb updated 06/13/13

Filed Mar 31, 2011 · Engine · 66,000 miles · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 kia sorento. The contact stated that the driver was driving approximately 50 MPH in the rain, when she heard a loud clunking noise the steering wheel became very stiff and difficult to turn. During the failure, the battery light as well as various other warning lights began illuminating on the instrument panel. The vehicle was parked. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed all the engine belts were detached and a bolt was separated from the motor. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 66,000.

Filed Jun 26, 2008 · Engine · 20,200 miles · GA

Turning into the driveway from a short trip to the corner gas station, I heard a loud "clunk", lost power steering and vehicle would not restart. Contacted kia roadside assistance and had vehicle towed to dealership. Dealer indicated the crankshaft bolt broke. Dealer replaced the "short block" under warranty. Repairs took 5 days and no alternate transportation was provided.

Filed Jun 26, 2008 · Engine · 42,874 miles · GA

Driving out of my office park at lunch time, heard fan noise like loose belt, then when turning wheel to exit lot, heard a loud "clunk" and lost power steering. Engine sitting loose in compartment land loose belts everywhere. Called roadside assistance and had vehicle towed to dealer. Told 2.5 hours late, when I called to the dealer, that the crankshaft bolt was broken again. Contacted kia consumer affairs and found although there is an active campaign to recall this bolt, my VIN is not on the list (this is the second failure). Although "short block" was replaced at last failure (in 4/07 at 20,200 mi) this failure required machining the bolt out and only replacing the crankshaft sprocket, crank pulley and crankshaft bolt, then reinstalling other components. Contacted kia consumer affairs 6/18/08 and requested dist service mgr approval short block replacement. No return phone calls although messages were left for agent on 6/19 and 6/20. Agent called on 6/25/08 to ask "how is the vehicle riding?", but we had not picked up the vehicle from the dealer, since yet again no alternate transportation was provided. Safety is now a major concern with this vehicle. No confidence in replacement parts to solve this problem. Research shows many other owners reporting multiple failures of the crankshaft bolt. Repair took 6 business days (8 calendar days) and again no alternate transportation was offered or provided. Www.kia-forums.com has information from a kia technician that the crankshaft problem is due to a design flaw that cannot be fixed by replacing a bolt every 10,000 to 20,000 miles or each failure. No owner should be expected to wait for another failure that drops the bottom half of the engine. This is a serious safety concern that needs to be addressed. I have been fortunate that the failures have been out of traffic and not on the interstates. Living in metro atlanta, ga means I a far greater chance of the next failure causing injury to me or others.

Filed Jan 25, 2008 · Transmission · PA

While driving under normal circumstances, the automatic transmission in my 2005 kia sorento makes an unusual noise (klunk) while shifting between gears, then immediately loses power. I maybe able to drive at a very low speed for a short distance with no power or it will just not move (as what happened to me in the second failure). The kia dealership in which I have had it towed to has done the following. First visit = "misc found codes p0716/p0893//clear codes ok at this time" could not duplicate customers concern. Second visit = replaced throttle pos sensor". Third visit = "vehicle was low on transmission fluid". I am not accepting the last excuse as a fix to the problem, I believe there is an underlying problem. *tr the vehicle went back to the dealer for the 4th time for the clunking noise that causes it to stop and the dealer replaced the wiring harness kit.