NHTSA Complaint #10652640 — 2005 KIA SORENTO

WHILE LEAVING OUR HOME TO RUN ERRANDS, I LOST POWER STEERING AND SEVERAL DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON. WE PURCHASED THE KIA SORENTO IN 2005 NEW AND HAVE HAD VERY FEW PROBLEMS WITH IT UNTIL NOW. IT HAS LESS THAN 70K MILES AND HAS BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER EVERY 3K MILES. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO RATHER QUICKLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A BROKEN CRANK BOLT AND ESTIMATED REPAIRS WOULD COST ABOUT $1300. THE DEALER CHECKED WITH KIA ON WHETHER OUR 100K WARRANTY WOULD COVER THE REPAIRS. KIA SAID THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED. AT THE TIME I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE KIA SORENTO'S. CHECKING THE COMMENTS FROM OTHER SORENTO OWNERS, I HAVE CONCLUDED THIS CERTAINLY APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT. OUR CONCERN IS THAT THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC AT 70 MPH AND THE LOSS OF THE ABILITY TO STEER COULD CERTAINLY BECOME A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM, WITH POTENTIAL FATAL CONSEQUENCES. I AM ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF SITUATIONS THAT THE BOLT FAILED A SECOND AND SOMETIMES A THIRD TIME AFTER THE INITIAL REPAIR WAS MADE. REQUEST SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF KIA ISSUING A RECALL TO REMEDY THIS DESIGN DEFECT. UPDATED 01/14/15