NHTSA Complaint #10607542 — 2011 KIA SORENTO

PURCHASED 2011 KIA SORENTO - NEW- FROM LOCAL DEALERSHIP ON 5/13/2011. IN ONE YEAR (5/17/2012) RIGHT-REAR PASSENGER DOOR STARTED STICKING. ENDED UP BEING THE DOOR PANEL STICKING ON THE WEATHER STRIPPING, BUT THIS REQUIRED TWO SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR, ON 6/6/2012 (WEATHER STRIP REPLACED) AND 9/5/2012 (DOOR PANEL REPLACED) (COVERED BY WARRANTY). THIS FINAL SOLUTION OF REPLACING THE DOOR PANEL WORKED, UNTIL 6/19/2014. SAME ISSUE, WITH THE SAME DOOR, RECURRED. THE DOOR PANEL CLIPS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. THE DEALER SHIP OPENED A CASE WITH KIA AT OUR REQUEST AND ADJUSTED THE DOOR STRIKE PLATE. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE FIXED, BUT WITHIN TWO DAYS, WE ARE READY TO TAKE IT BACK TO RE-ADDRESS THE ISSUE. AT THIS POINT THE MILEAGE HAS PLACED THE CAR OUT OF WARRANTY, THUS THE CURRENT COST OF THE PART (THE DOOR PANEL) BEING $675, PLUS LABOR, IS ON US TO BEAR AND LIKELY, BASED ON THE PREVIOUS RECORD WILL NOT BE THE FINAL REPAIR REQUIRED FOR THIS ROUND. WE FULLY EXPECT THIS SAME DOOR TO FAIL IN ANOTHER TWO YEARS. WE FEEL THAT THIS ISSUE IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO OPEN THE DOOR, FORGETTING IT IS BROKEN, AND DOES NOT PUSH HARD TO CLOSE THE DOOR, IT IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED. THERE IS AN OPEN CASE WITH KIA DIRECTLY TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM (K2738522). THEY ONLY MENTIONED ASSISTING WITH THE REPAIR, NOT REPAIRING IT AT THEIR COST, FOR WHAT IS LIKELY A QUALITY AND SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE AND DOOR. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE LIMITED TO THE 2011 MODEL YEAR AS I DID FIND ANOTHER INSTANCE OF THIS SAME PROBLEM ON A 2012 MODEL IN THE WILD: HTTP://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/KIA/SORENTO/2012/CONSUMER-REVIEWS/REAR-PASSENGER-DOOR-WON'T-OPEN.HTML?STYLE=101388024&SUB=&REVIEWID=964955855. *TR