NHTSA Complaint #11609424 — 2011 KIA SORENTO

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM issue reported to NHTSA

Check any vehicle history by VIN - Free vehicle history report

Complaint Details

ODI Number 11609424
Vehicle 2011 KIA SORENTO
Component ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage N/A miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State PA

Consumer Description

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!????

Related Complaints for the 2011 KIA SORENTO

Other ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Complaints

#11716993 My 2011 Kia Sorrento caught fire while parked in my garage. Kia is saying it's not due to any recall they have and th...
#11713565 I was driving my car, while at a stop light I noticed some smoke coming from under my hood. I thought it might have b...
#11690083 I was driving and my Kia started over heating and smoking and smelled like plastic burning I got it towed to the Hend...
#11689607 The engine light comes on and then the wheel lock light will come on and the car will disengage from 4 wheel drive to...
#11681986 there are eight recalls on my car I do not trust dealerships I do not trust mechanics I work on my own car I have ver...

Recent Complaints for the 2011 KIA SORENTO

#11718095 SUSPENSION Subframe, in the rear, where lateral arms are connected completely rusted off from the rest of the subframe. The cont...
#11713565 ENGINE I was driving my car, while at a stop light I noticed some smoke coming from under my hood. I thought it might have b...
#11713565 UNKNOWN OR OTHER I was driving my car, while at a stop light I noticed some smoke coming from under my hood. I thought it might have b...
#11712727 AIR BAGS In a letter dated August 14, 2019, KIA advised that the warranty coverage for the driver's front airbag clock spring ...
#11709211 ENGINE The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly ...
Check any vehicle history by VIN - Free vehicle history report