Driver Airbag light is illuminated
2011 Kia Sorento: airbag warning light
135 of the 1,520 complaints about the 2011 Kia Sorento describe airbag warning light.
- owner complaints
- 135
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,600
- typical mileage
- 96,000
- recalls
- 0
Airbag warning light by model year
What owners say
In a letter dated August 14, 2019, KIA advised that the warranty coverage for the driver's front airbag clock spring assembly was extended to 15 years. the clock spring is an electrical connection which rotates with the steering wheel to maintain proper functioning of the airbag unit. If the airbag light stays on, and the car continues to be used without repair, the driver's airbag may eventually not deploy in a frontal impact. This is a safety issue, since the airbag may not work, KIA knew about it in 2019!! The 2011 KIA that I own is now 16 years old, and of course KIA refuses to pay for the repair. Now I am faced with an approximately $500.00 repair bill to make sure I'm safe in case of an accident. This should be investigated, and KIA should pay for the repair since it is an airbag safety issue.
1. Air bag light has been on for over a year. Was checked at dealership, and was told there is a recall on sensor. 2. Power Train, unknown of what's going on. Riding down the road all of a sudden it stalls for a minute. It's a hard jerk, like it's not getting gas, or the transmission is out of sinc. This started about two years ago. Took it to my local repairman, and he said it was a warning in the tire wheel letting me know something was wrong in the wheel. They repaired it, and I had no more problems until recently. It is doing it again. A hard jerk when I'm driving. 3. Other, passenger front and rear and drivers side rear doors locked up and I could not open them. This happen about two years ago. Took car to a certified electrical repairman and it cost me a fortune to get repaired. The clips that lock and unlock doors had to be replace. The repair was very costly.
I bought my 2011 Kia Sorento used from a dealership. The Air Bag Warning light was on & I insisted that they inspect car before I buy it, which they did. I go to pick the car up & the Air Bag Warning light is still on. When I questioned it, I learned that, for SOME REASON, a car's #1 safety feature, the Air Bags, is NOT part of PA's Safety Inspection!! A couple months go by and 1 by 1 the Bluetooth/Audio controls on the steering wheel stop working. So, after reading the Owner's Manual & finding that there is no fuse for the steering wheel controls, I go online to see if I can find the cause &/or how to fix it. That's when I run across hundreds of posts/blogs from other 2011 Sorento owner's saying the exact same thing happened to them and all the replies say that it's caused by the Clock Spring and upon replacing it, all their Bluetooth/Audio controls on steering wheel worked again. I then remember the letters regarding the Clock Spring in with the car's Owner's Manual. I have 2 letters, 1 from 2017 & 1 from 2019 saying that Kia Extended the Warranty on the Clock Spring to 15 years. To take the car to a Kia dealership and have the Air Bag Warning light diagnosed & if it's determined that the Clock Spring is reason it's illuminated, Kia will pay to fix it. What I don't understand is if Kia saw fit to issue TWO identical letters TWO years apart from each other, why didn't they just issue a recall? They obviously knew it was a problem that effected most, if not all of the 2011 Sorento's manufactured. And the real reason I'm writing? Since my research on the internet TWO EXTREMELY DANGEROUS things have happened. 1)my horn no longer works! At 1st it worked when it wanted to but now it doesn't work at all! I've almost gotten in 3 accidents because of it & my car will NO LONGER PASSES INSPECTION and 2) Now the Air Bag system cannot detect when someone is in the passenger seat, so their Air Bags never turn on!! The Extended Warranty expires in 2024 & NO RECALL!????
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the horn was inoperable and the front and rear driver's side windows did not go up and down as designed. In addition, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Airbag light on dashboard constantly on
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the front passenger's side and driver's side door handles; however, after the repair, the front passenger's side door handle fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front passenger's side door handle was replaced at the contact's expense. Additionally, the contact stated that the front and rear passenger's side doors, and the rear driver's side door failed to open from the outside while pulling the doors handles. The contact stated that the steering control buttons, and the cruise control mode had become inoperable. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact also stated that while shifting into park (P), the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound and the gear shifter moved beyond the park (P) position. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that the interior lights of the vehicle failed to turn off. The ABS, TPMS, traction control, check engine, air bag warning lights, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Airbag light is on and i need to know if that is a recall since there was a recall for many makes of cars due to air bags.
The air bag warning lamp is on caused by the malfunction of the clock spring in the steering wheel. None of the functions on the steering wheel work as well due to this malfunction. The air bag according to multiple sites may deploy at any given time
The car will not always go in park and will click into gear a few seconds afterwards. The car rolled out of my driveway in reverse and caused over 5000.00 dollars in damages. Also the seat settings will get stuck moving and not moving. The air bag light is also on and the fuel cap sticks and won't open unless forced opened
Airbag light stays on and the controls on steering wheel don't work
Part failure. Electronic control module for air bag. Air bag warning lamp illuminated and remain lit on dash. Local autopartsO’reilleys on board diagnostic tool reads two codes. B1620 internal fault- replace SRSCM and B1764 body sensor MAT defect. This Kia Sorento has had several repairs done via KIA recall and safety campaigns. 2017 clean and seal and or replace rear wheel speed sensor housing … could AND did illuminate ESC ABS and HILL Climb on dash… vehicle operated in southern Louisiana . Air Bag warning lamp. 10/10/2019, 147716 miles . Code found at Kia performing clock spring assembly warranty extension code for high resistance. Replaced clockspring and cleared code. High resistance is Key at this time. Also the cruise control began to function properly after the lamp turned off. May 28 kia letter concerning newly developed computer software for ECU, engine control unit. Repaired July 28 2021. June 2016, August 2019, Kia Sorento airbag clock spring assembly warranty extension. Air bag illumination. These letters state the warranty extension will be 15 years and subsequent air bag illumination will be diagnosed at no charge for 15 years. Yet I have two codes, return to Kia to validate and am charged for diagnostic as well, the air bag lamp still illuminated. Explained I need NEW SRS module at cost of estimated $1200. Vehicle does not communicate with SRSCM. Recommend replace the airbag control module I ask, is it ossicle with NEW updated ECu as well as prolonged Air bag illuminated due to HIGH resistance from clock spring malfunctioning, could this feedback and prolonged exposure cause the airbag co trip module to malfunction ? Airbags are a safety issue. The electronics should not falter .
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2011 Kia Sorento airbag light
Is airbag warning light a common problem on the 2011 Kia Sorento?
135 of 1,520 owner complaints about the 2011 Kia Sorento (9%) mention airbag warning light. The model year with the most reports is 2011.
How much does it cost to fix airbag warning light on the 2011 Kia Sorento?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,600 (median of 23 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2011 Kia Sorento?
There are 0 recalls and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2011 Kia Sorento
Door locks 233Check engine light 102Stalling 100Headlights 98Fire or smoke 73Jerking 66Engine failure 57Loss of power 49Knocking 46Won't shift 43ABS 40Won't start 35Transmission failure 32Adaptive cruise 31Harsh shifting 31Key fob 27Grinding brakes 26Hesitation 26Pulling 26Sunroof shattered 24Warning lights 18Sudden acceleration 16No deployment 15Whining noise 15Slipping 12Power steering loss 10Backup camera 9Ball joint 9Brake failure 8Oil consumption 8Overheating 8Seat belt 7Coil spring 6
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