2004 Kia Sorento

RUSTED BRACKETS RECALLED IN EUROPE, REFUSED BY KIA TO REPLACE EVEN THO THEY WERE RUSTED UNDER WARRANTY, POSE A DANGEROUS SAFETY RISK TO UNSUSPECTING OWNERS. THE ENTIRE BRACKET HOLDING THE DIFFERENTIAL RUSTED THROUGH CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD. PRESENTED WITH A SMALL SQUEAK IN REAR. I ASKED KIA TO SEND PEOPLE LETTERS WARNING AND THEY WOULD NOT ADDRESS THE REQUEST. HOW KIA IS GETTING AWAY WITH SEVERE RUST, CAUSING SAFETY HAZARDS IN ALL VEHICLES, IS BEYOND ME. I KNOW THEY ARE LESS EXPENSIVE, IS IT WORTH IT? CAN SOMEONE PLEASE ADDRESS THE ISSUE AND AT LEAST LET THE PUBLIC KNOW IT IS HAPPENING BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SEVERELY INJURED OR GOD FORBID DIES. THERE ARE THOUSANDS STILL ON THE ROAD. I PAID FOR THEIR DIAGNOSTIC WORTHLESSNESS TO MAKE SURE IT WAS DOCUMENTED.

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO NHTSA ID #10852665. I CONTACTED MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE RUSTED FRAME. SUGGESTED TOWING TO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. TOWED TO DEALER, WHO CALLED SAYING IT WAS BAD AND TO CALL KIA BACK. CALLED KIA AND A CASE WAS OPENED #K3156514. WAS TOLD I WOULD HEAR BACK BY WEDNESDAY THE 6TH OF APRIL HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RETURN CALLS, LEFT 2 VOICEMAILS CAR IS STILL AT DEALER, ITS BEEN 8 DAYS AND NO INFO..KIA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND RECALL THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED! THIS COMPLAINT STARTS AT 2003 AND SO FAR HAVE READ UP TO 2005 FOR THI ISSUE. EUROPE RECALLED IT BUT NOT HERE? MILEAGE WAS 92000 NOT 82000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STABILITY BAR/TORQUE BAR THAT SUPPORTS THE REAR SUSPENSION FOR THE TIRE WAS NOT STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND HAD EXTENSIVE RUST AND CORROSION ON THE PIPING. THE PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER NEEDED TO PROVIDE A PERMANENT REPAIR OR SOLUTION TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, AND RECOMMENDED THAT THE VEHICLE BE INSPECTED AND DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. UPDATED 10/13/16*LJ *TR

MECHANIC AT A GAS STATION TOLD MY MIL SHE NEEDED A NEW REAR AXLE. WHEN I CHECKED THE AXLE I FOUND THE TOP LEFT STABILIZER BRACKET WAS BADLY RUSTED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL KIA DEALER TO GET A RECALL REPAIR. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO A CAR WITH ONLY 60K MILES. THE DEALER HAS NOT COMPLETED THE ESTIMATE. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVE-ABLE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SORENTO. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE REAR CONTROL ARM BRACKET WAS CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000. UPDATED 02/26/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE CONTROL ARM BRACKET COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE AXLE. UPDATED 03/01/16.*JB

I BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE FOR INSPECTION AND WAS TOLD IT WILL NOT PASS BECAUSE ONE OF THE CONTROL ARMS IS DETACHED IN THE REAR END. I WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT ALL BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE. ADDITIONALLY THERE IS ROT UNDER THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THE LEFT SIDE FRAME WAS WELDED AND REPAIRED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER BUT THE RIGHT SIDE IS NOW RUSTED BADLY AND IN NEED OF REPAIR. AXLES ARE LEAKING DUE TO RUST. BRAKES ARE A PROBLEM BUT I HAVEN'T INVESTIGATED FURTHER TO KNOW IF ITS CAUSED BY ROT. I HAVE BEEN ON MULTIPLE FORUMS FOR THIS ISSUE AND IT SEEMS MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAME ISSUES ESPECIALLY THE CONTROL ARM PROBLEM. I CAN NOT RETURN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE I WAS SCAMMED AND AM NOW STUCK WITH A DANGEROUSLY ROTTED CAR. I AM TOLD ITS NOT WORTH FIXING. THIS CAR LOOKS FINE AND WITHOUT LOOKING UNDERNEATH A PERSON WOULD NOT KNOW A PROBLEM EXISTED PERHAPS UNTIL AN ACCIDENT.

ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10TH, 2015 I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 KIA SORENTO LX AND HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FISHTAIL. I WAS TRAVELING AT A LOW SPEED OF AROUND 35 MPH. I IMMEDIATELY SLOWED DOWN AND MANAGED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO A NEARBY GARAGE. AT THE GARAGE THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED ON THE LIFT AND IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE FRAME RAIL HAD COMPLETELY BROKEN IN HALF AND WAS SEVERELY CORRODED. THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS ALSO SEVERELY CORRODED BUT NOT BROKEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH. THE CROSS-MEMBER ABOVE THE REAR AXLE IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE. I NOW HAVE AN 11 YEAR OLD VEHICLE WHICH SHOULD HAVE A RETAIL VALUE OF AROUND $5K WHICH IS NOW COMPLETELY WORTHLESS. I DID SOME INTERNET RESEARCH AND FOUND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS SEVERE CORROSION PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL KIA. I AM SURPRISED THERE HAVE BEEN NO SAFETY RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM. HAD MY INCIDENT HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE STORY MAY BE A LOT DIFFERENT.

MAJOR RUST PROBLEM WITH FRAME AND SUSPENSION KIA SORENTO PURCHASED MARCH 30 2004 2 MONTHS PAST THE WARRANTY 85392 MILES HAVING JUST DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY 65MPH VEHICLE WAS ENTERING SCHOOL PARKINGLOT, AT THE ENTRANCE VEHICLE WENT OVER SPEED BUMP AT THIS POINT THERE WAS A LOUD BANG AND THE VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING AND SQUEALING. UPON INSPECTION THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR STABILIZER-TRACTION BAR BROKE COMPLETELY OFF THE FRAME RAIL JUST FORWARD OF THE WHEEL. THIS CAUSES THE REAR AXEL TO MOVE FREELY FORWARD AND BACK. FURTHER INSPECTION BY KIA DEALERSHIP SHOED MORE COMPONENTS ABOVE THE REAR AXEL BROKEN FREE. I FILED A GOOD WILL COMPLAINT WITH KIA WHO RESPONDED WITH A BIG NO REGARDING ANY HELP. FORTUNATELY THIS BREAKDOWN HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AND NO INJURIES HAPPENED BUT IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH POSSIBLE INJURIES OR DEATH IF THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER . THIS WAS VERY GOOD LOW MAINTENANCE LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE AND WE WERE HOPING FOR A FEW MORE YEARS OF USAGE, NOW WE ARE DISAPPOINTED WITH KIA THAT NO NOTICES OF MAJOR RUST ISSUES WERE MADE AVAILABLE. NOW WHAT WE HAVE IS A CAR THAT WORTHLESS AND DOESN'T LIVE UP TO THE WARRANTY LIMITS. *TR

BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR OIL/FILTER CHANGE AT 53,000 MILES. DEALER FOUND ONE OF THE TWO BRACKETS ON TOP OF REAR END WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND BROKEN OFF AND THE OTHER BRACKET WAS SEVERELY RUSTED. DEALER WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DRIVE VEHICLE AND IS NOT REPAIRABLE. THERE ARE NO NEW REPLACEMENT REAR ENDS FOR VEHICLE AND THE BRACKETS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AS A REPLACEMENT PART. I NOTICED OTHER VERY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON YOUR SITE: NHTSA ID #'S - 10452414, 10439449, 10427559, AND 10403443. THERE MAY BE OTHER ID'S THAT HAVE BEEN RETIRED (MICROFILM, ETC.). AS SUCH, THE VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS. DON'T KNOW WHY NHTSA HASN'T ISSUED A RECALL. *TR