This vehicle has a problem with the passenger side air bag indicator and auto shut off feature. The vehicles of the same make and model manufactured only 6 months prior to mind have a recall. The problem lies that the passenger side seat has a sensor to turn on the air bag. The feature will only turn on if the passenger is 130 lbs or more. So my wife that weighs 120lbs will not activate the air bag, and the passenger side air bag off remains on. I was told of this by my local kia technician that said this is a problem on all the sorento of this year. So there is nothing he can do. My vehicle is still under warranty. Kia said they are unwilling to fix. So they may have a lawsuit on their hands later. This needs to be resolved are there are many adults that weigh less than 130lbs.
2008 Kia Sorento airbags complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 66 of 66, newest first, as owners wrote them.
1. A whining noise developed around 40k and progressively got worse. Was told the differential needed to be replaced. Come to find out it was a faulty bearing. 2. Passenger side seat airbag lights come on for no reason stating that airbags are off even when there is an adult passenger in the seat 3. Sudden loss of power and car is literally not able to accelerate, due to sensor that controls accelerator, happened twice before being replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag off warning light illuminated intermittently. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The contact was also advised to take the vehicle to another dealer for a second opinion. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 31,700.
Since we purchased our 2008 kia sorento in march 2009, there has been a problem with the passenger seat where when I am sitting there and the "passenger airbag off" light is illuminated. I am 150 pounds, and moved myself around in the seat, weight centered, sitting properly. At the same time we have been fighting the issue of the ESC off and check engine light as well, so the 3 times the vehicle has been to service for the ESC off problem, we also told them about the passenger airbag off. My husband is the one who took the vehicle and the first time they told him that I was not positioned in the seat properly. The second time the vehicle went to the service dept, it was after I basically yelled at them on the phone and told them to rip out the seat if they had to in order to fix it. Again, my husband took it, they said that "the airbag will deploy, but it might be slow." I knew this was incorrect. I know the way it works and if the sensor is not working properly and it says the airbag is off, it will not deploy. The third time it went to service for the ESC off light problem, my father went and had a stern conversation with the service manager and advised him that he was a service manager and that he knows that it is his responsibility to find out the cause of the problem and fix it, especially being the car is under warranty and that this is a safety issue. They supposedly fixed the issue, I'm not sure what they did, but we have only had the problem again once in the past 6 months, as opposed to twice a week for over a year. I have filed a separate complaint regarding the ESC off and check engine light.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag light illuminated even when someone was seated in the passenger seat. The dealer replaced the seat cushion three times but the failure continued. The dealer scanned the sensor but the failure continued. The contact also stated that the tire pressure monitoring system light also illuminated. The dealer cleared the memory and the light turned off for two months but illuminated again. The failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 45,000. Updated 5/2/11 *cn the consumer stated he has been to the dealer numerous times, but the air bag light continues to illuminate. Updated 05/11/11
2008 kia sorento airbag deployment while the vehicle was parked. 38 y w/f sitting in driver's seat, vehicle not running and no one was around vehicle. Airbag deployed striking female on left side causing injury to abdomen, arm, shoulder and face. According to kia computer malfunction caused problem. Glad she was waiting on other son to leave church. Kia's solution is to replaced airbag system. Vehicle still under warranty. Events female sat in driver's seat. Consequences moderate injury, disoriented unable to remember which child was in the back seat she was talking to at the time. Official medical visit at urgent care the next morning. X-rays and cat scan. Severe consequences could have been death if it happened 5-10 minutes later going down road. What has been done? I have been informed kia does not deal with hypothetical situations. Family could have been just another number.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The contact stated the passenger's frontal air bag warning light indicating the air bag was inoperable, continuously illuminates on the dashboard . The dealer and manufacturer were both contacted and advised they were aware of the failure but would not provide a remedy for the failure. The contact was concerned that in the event of a crash, the passenger's frontal air bag would not deploy. The failure and current mileages were 10,000. The consumer stated the air bag off light would stay on when the passenger seat was occupied. Updated evoq 12/03/10.
Tl*the contact owns 2008 kia sorento. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light occasionally failed to indicate that a passenger was seated in the front seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the manufacturer would not replace the computer because it was a smarts system. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Intermittent display on dash "passenger air bag off'" while passenger is seated and belted into passenger seat. Several documented service appointments with dealer have failed to eliminate problem.
We purchased a 2008 kia sorento from kia of bradley, illinois, last november. The front passenger air bag light signals that the air bag is off, even though somebody is sitting in the seat. As I understand it, then, that if you were in a front end accident and the light is stating the air bag is off, it will not deploy. We have complained numerous times to kia of bradley, talked with the regional manger, and his boss and their stand is that my wife is sitting wrong in the seat. I don't buy this. There was a recall, we took it in to be fixed, that did not help. Also, the front passenger seat was replaced and that did not help either. They did all this work but continue to maintain that my wife is sitting in the seat incorrectly.
Passenger airbag light comes on with a passenger in the seat and says that air bag is turned off. Wife weights 160 and is a full size adult. Kia says she is not sitting in the seat right, I have had it in to the deal twice now for this same problem. They know they have a problem and are avoiding it. It ia a kia sorento.
"passenger airbag off" light remains on when adult passengers over 108 lb sit in seat. No airbag failure light indicated. Had dealer rep inspect and do calibration to ocs in late aug. However, the fault still happens about 1out of 10 times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The ocs misclassifies the presence of certain adult passengers based on a combination of their weight, stature, body shape and position on the seat cushion. As consequence the air bags may fail to deploy in a situation that warrants. The vehicle was taken to the dealership three times for the failure. The vehicle was repaired once according to service bulletin #10030366 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module). The repair did not remedy the failure. The current mileage was 7,321. The failure mileage was approximately 30.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The passenger front air bag misclassified a small adult as a child. As a consequence in a situation that warrants, the air bags may fail to deploy. The dealer was contacted and a technician could not identify the cause of the failure. However he speculated that the seats would have to be positioned far away from the air bag in order to be operative. The failure mileage was 3,000. The current mileage was 6,900.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The passenger front air bag sensor misclassified a small stature adult as a child. The contact is aware of the safety risk in the event of a crash, the air bag may fail to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician concluded that since the passenger weighed only 130 lbs, she was not large enough for the sensor to detect her weight. The failure mileage was 380 and the current mileage was 3,200.
The passenger air bag light will not go off. I have taken it into the dealership 2 times and they said they have fixed the sensor. It still is not fixed. I have seen on a few forums (ie. Edmunds.com) that it has been an issue and it is not getting resolved. I am concerned for my passengers safety.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. Whenever an occupant is seated in the passenger seat, the air bag light illuminates, which indicates that it is not engaged nor working properly. The failure was noticed while driving at any speed. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer on two occasions. The first time, the mechanic stated that other consumers were experiencing the same failure. The contact was informed that movement in the seat will usually engage the air bags. The dealer did not offer a remedy at that time. A week later, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they stated that it was unsafe to sit in the vehicle. The air bag light will dim once the vehicle has been restarted a few times. The service manager called and stated that a recall was issued for this failure. The federal safety agency campaign id number was unable to be located. The current and failure mileages were 150. Updated 06/10/09.
Passenger airbag light will not turn off when passenger sits in seat. Meaning the airbags will not deploy if an accident occurs. This has been happening intermittently since december 2008, the first documented time was january 2009, and has been documented five times. The only attempt to repair was to update the computer chip, which did not work. We have been told by the dealer that they will not repair this problem, which to me is a major safety issue.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The contact started the ignition and suddenly the air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The failure occurred whenever an occupant was seated in the front passenger seat. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the air bag sensor. The air bag sensor and pad were replaced and the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures; however, there were no resolutions. The manufacturer is aware of the failure and an engineer conducted an inspection on the vehicle. The air bag sensor was reprogrammed; however, the failure continued. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 200 and current mileage was 4,400.
I have 2008 kia sorento. On the evening I bought the car, I was sitting in the passenger side and the airbag light came on stating that the airbag was off. I have taken it to the dealership and they said there is a nationwide backorder for the part and not to allow anyone to sit in the front seat. This was a month ago they still cannot get the part. I will be taking it to the dealership this friday to see if they can reset the computer. They said they have had alot of complaints on this problem.
Just purchased a brand new 2008 kia sorento. The passenger side air bag only activates 50% of the time when a passenger is in the seat. Took vehicle to dealer and dealer could not replicate the problem. Returned vehicle to dealer a 2nd time with a passenger seated in the seat and the air bag was not activated. The service manager actually witnessed a 150lb passenger properly seated in the seat and the air bag was not activated. They kept the vehicle 5 additional days. They ran diagnostics and contacted kia. Kia would not authorize a repair since all the diagnostics passed even though the service manager personally witnessed it not working. The dealer states that kia refuses to acknowledge a known problem with the passenger seat air bag sensor.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. While driving at any speed, the passenger side air bag light would remain illuminated regardless if a passenger was seating in the seat. The vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer on three different occasions, but the failure still occurs. The current mileage was 871 and failure mileage was 200.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. The contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument control panel, which indicated that the passenger side air bag was inoperative. A representative from the dealer stated that they could not remedy the failure because the parts were unavailable for the software. They would also have to wait for a subject matter expert to repair the vehicle. The contact called the manufacturer and they stated that they were waiting for a response. The failure and current mileages were 15,557. Updated 06/25/08 *bf the consumer stated the passenger side air bag sensor was repaired. Updated 06/25/08.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. While driving 35 MPH, the contact experienced automatic transmission failure and took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer offered no assistance, so the contact took the vehicle to another dealer on january 21, 2008. Two mechanics test drove the vehicle and acknowledged the failure; however, they needed to order the codes to make the repair. As of february 22, 2008, the dealer has yet to call the contact to schedule the repair work. The dealer informed her that the vehicle had to get used to the way she drove and that there was no failure. The contact also stated that there was an issue with the passenger side air bag. The dealer informed her that she had to sit in the vehicle a certain way. The contact stated that no matter how she sits, the light remains illuminated. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage was 4,020 and failure mileage was 100.
2008 kia sorento faulty passenger airbag. Consumer states that the airbag works intermittently. Consumer states that it does not work when his father is in the vehicle. *kb the wiring connection was loose and the sensor was reset on the first visit. The second time, the dealer stated they would have to order a cushion to replace the passenger side seat because the sensor was in the cushion.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 kia sorento. While driving 45 MPH, the passenger side air bag light remained illuminated, which indicated that the air bag would not deploy. The dealer stated that the air bag sensor failed. As of november 7, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 600. Updated 01/09/08. *lj the consumer stated the incident has happened several times even on the way home from church recently. Updated 12/12/07
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Kia Sorento?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history