There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2005 Kia Sorentoin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
When driving there was a clunking noise and then the steering was hard to steer and the battery light came on & had to have it towed to find out that the harmonic balancer bolt broke. There are hundreds of complaints online about this same issue happening with these engines as this is a poor design. This is a safety hazard and very dangerous since you loose the steering and should be recalled.
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while turning left, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact mentioned that all her strength was needed to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft bolt needed to be replace. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
THE HARMONIC BALANCER MOUNTING BOLT SHEARED AND STRIPPED THE THREADS IN THE CRANKSHAFT OF MY 2005 KIA SERENTO. THE MECHANIC HAD MY CAR FOR 3 MONTHS TRYING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS EVIDENTLY A DESIGN ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ISSUED. THIS PROBLEM COST ME A LOT OF MONEY TO FIX. (THE CAR WAS IN MOTION WHEN THE HARMONIC BALANCER FELL OFF) MY WIFE STRUGGLE TO GET THE CAR HOME DUE TO LOST OF BELTS.
KIA HAD A LAWSUIT INVOLVING THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT. THE LAWSUIT IS YVONNE ROBINSON VS KIA. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM SOMEONE WITH ONLY 25,000 MILES LAST YEAR 2017. MY CHILDREN WERE DRIVING BACK TO COLLEGE ON 11 AUGUST 2018. THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT BROKE WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LOSE STEERING. MY CHILDREN WERE ALMOST IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT WHICH COULD HAVE COST THEM THEIR LIVES. MY SONS GO TO SCHOOL IN ATLANTA AND THE CRANKSHAFT BROKE IN NORTH CAROLINA. I HAD MY CHILDREN CALL OUR INSURANCE COMPANY FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEY COULDN'T FIX IT OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT. HE GOT THEM SAFELY TO PEPBOYS AND THEY HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN NORTH CAROLINA AND THE NEXT DAY PEPBOYS CONFIRMED IT WAS THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT. I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A LAWSUIT CONCERNING THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT. PEPBOYS SAID IT WOULD BE $2000 TO FIX. I CALLED KIA ON 13 AUGUST 18 AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT AND WOULD CALL IN A COUPLE DAYS. THEY ARE STILL GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND. THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS INVOLVED IN A LAWSUIT AND IT CONCERNS SAFETY. PLEASE HELP ME HOLD KIA ACCOUNTABLE. THEY KNOW THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. THE VEHICLE IS STILL IN NORTH CAROLINA BECAUSE I'M WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM KIA. I'M A RETIRED NAVY VETERAN WHO DESERVES TO BE TREATED FAIR AND NOT HAVE MY LOVED ONES LIFE AT RISK BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE CRANKSHAFT DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A COMPETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO THE DEALER (KIA STORE CLARKSVILLE, 826 E LEWIS AND CLARK PKWY, CLARKSVILLE, IN 47129, (866) 545-2429) WHERE THE CRANKSHAFT WAS REPLACED, BUT OIL STARTED LEAKING FROM THE CAMSHAFT SEAL AFTER THE REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED AND STATED THAT FURTHER REPAIRS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000.
HARMONIC BALANCER IS FALLING OFF . HAVE READ MANY REVIEWS WHERE OTHERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE AND THEIRS ARE ACTUALLY FALLING OFF. AS WELL AS A LAWSUIT IN FEBRUARY
THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 AND TODAY MARCH 1ST
ON 07/14/16 I TRIED TO START MY VEHICLE. IT DID NOT START SO I CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO GIVE ME KICK START. THE ENGINE STARTED AND THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT HAD. TWO DRIVER TOLD ME TO TAKE IT AND GET THE BATTERY CHECKED OUT IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT TO HIM. SO I DID AND THAT IS WHEN I FOUND OUT THE I HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THEY FOUND THAT THE COOLANT GOT INTO THE ENGINE AND TWO OF THE PISTONS WERE GONE AND THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE ENGINE WAS SCORCHED BADLY. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF I LOVED IT AND MADE SURE I FOLLOWED ALL THE REQUIREMENTS BU KIA TO KEEP THIS CAR RUNNING. WITH SUCH LITTLE MILES THIS SHOULD OF NEVER HAPPENED. IN MY INVESTIGATION, I FOUND SIMILAR REPORTS REGARDING KIA SORENTO'S AND ENGINE PROBLEMS. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH KIA BUT THEY HAVE NOT MADE ANY GESTURES TO HELP ME. I DO NOT HAVE MONEY TO GET A NEW CAR AND THIS WAS MY TRANSPORTATION TO DRIVE ABOUT 2HRS TO HELP MY 93 1/2 YR OLD MOTHER. NOW I CAN'T DO THAT. I LOVED THIS CAR AND CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT KIA WILL NOT HELP. I HAVE HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR 2 DAYS, TAKE A TAXI AND DEPEND ON OTHERS IN MY TIME OF NEED.
WHILE DRIVING A NOISE COMES FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. BATTERY AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT COME ON. POWER STEERING GOES OUT. HAVE TO MAN AHNDLE SUV TO A SAFE SPOT. CRANKSHAFT BOLT THAT HOLD HARMONIC BALANCER BROKE. COMMON PROBLEM KNOWN TO KIA ENGINES THEY OFFER TO FIX IT FOR $1300.00 PLUS MORE.
I PURCHASED A 2005 KIA SORENTO IN NOVEMBER 2013 FROM DEALERSHIP. IN JUNE 2014 I HAD THE FIRST INCIDENT. WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, SUDDENLY ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, POWER STEERING WAS LOST. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. HAD TO BE TOWED. HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED: CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, WARPED PULLEY, SHEERED BOLT ON SAID PULLEY, RESULTING IN MORE DAMAGE, INCLUDING WATER PUMP AND TIMING BELTS. TWO WEEKS LATER THE SAME THING OCCURRED, AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN TOWN. MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS A DEFECT IN THE KIA DESIGN. TWO WEEKS LATER GOT IT FIXED. NOW TEN MONTHS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURS, AGAIN WHILE DRIVING. EACH TIME THIS HAS COST ME $2,000 TO FIX. I STILL OWE $4,500 ON THE VEHICLE! SINCE REPAIRING WITH KIA PARTS AND THE PROBLEM IS NEVER SOLVED DUE TO POOR DESIGN, KIA REALLY NEEDS TO STEP UP AND ISSUE RECALL. SAME PROBLEM 3 TIMES IN LESS THAN A YEAR! PLEASE HELP!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT ABLE TO FULLY ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE HARMONIC BALANCER PULLEY BOLT FRACTURED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT DETACHED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT DID NOT RESPOND TO THE REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,310.
BROKEN CRANK BOLT WITH 100,000 MILES.
THE KIA SORENTO HAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILOR DO TO A SINGLE PIN ON THE CRANK SHAT TIMING GEAR. THIS GEAR HAS BROKEN FREE TWICE AND CAUSED HEAD DAMAGE BENT VALVES AND ALSO COST BETWEEN 2 AND 4 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE 30 DOLLAR GEAR THAT WILL WITH OUT QUESTION FAIL AGAIN I'M ON MY THIRD TIME OF THIS HAPPENING THIS TIME THE TIMING GEAR PIN GROW SLOWING ONLY THE CRANK SHAT HIMONIC BALANCER TO COME FREE BRAKING A 10 DOLLAR BOLT BUT WITH OUT A DOUBT IT WILL COST ME AGAIN THOUSANDS TO FIX . EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IT HAS BEEN A DIFFERENT SITUATION ONCE WAS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGH WAY THE VECHICAL MADE A LOUD BANG AND THE VECHICAL LIST POWER AND CAME TO A HALT ONCE WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY THIS TIME THE ENGINE LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE HAD TOBE TOWED TO A SHOP ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY WOULD NOT WORK ON IT BECAUSE IT IS A KNOW DEFECT THE THIRD TIME WAS DRIVING THREW TOWN AND IT SOUND LIKE I HAD DROPPED A SAW MILLE UNDER THE HOOD IT DAMAGED THE VALVES AND BROKE THE FANS AND TORE UP THE MOST THUS TIME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE REMAINED AT THE DEALER FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS TO LOCATE THE FAILURE. THE CAM SENSOR, CRANK SENSOR, AND TIMING BELT WERE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE ECM COMPUTER WAS REPLACED. ONE MONTH LATER, AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,300. ..UPDATED 02/23/16 *BF....UPDATED 03/16/16 *BF *CN
DRIVING IN RURAL EASTERN COLORADO WHEN THE BATTERY AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. DROVE ON TO THE NEXT TOWN WITH A REPAIR SHOP (BRUSH, CO) AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD. BELTS WERE LOOSE AND THE BOTTOM PULLEY WAS LYING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED 70 MILES TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN WINDSOR, CO ($375). THEY DID THE REPAIR AND CHARGED $1303.85. HAD TO RENT A CAR WHILE THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED ($343.57). HARMONIC BALANCER HAD FAILED AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO TIMING BELT, TENSIONER, CRANK SPROCKET, ETC. UPDATED 10/9/15 *LN UPDATED 12/21/2015*JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION AND REMOVED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE BATTERY FROM THE VEHICLE, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RUN. THE CONTACT THEN REMOVED AN AIR MASK VALVE THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. MA 08/05/15 UPDATED 11/13/2015*JS
I WAS DRIVING THOUGH A PARKING LOT ON LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND HEARD A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. SO, AFTER I PARKED I POPPED THE HOOD, I ALSO STARTED TO HEAR A SQUEAKING NOISE (BELTS RUBBING), SO I DROVE HOME AND PARKED IT UNTIL MONDAY WHEN I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL SHOP AND THEY SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A PULLEY FOR THE TIMING BELT, THEY GOT IT IN ON WEDNESDAY AND CALLED TO HAVE ME COME TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WAS CAUSING THE NOISES WHEN I GOT THERE, THEY EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT THAT HELD THE FLY WHEEL ON AND THERE WHERE TWO OPTIONS (1)I COULD DRIVE IT UNTIL THE BOLT SNAPPED OR (2) THEY COULD TRY AND BREAK THE BOLT LOOSE AND REPLACE IT, SO WE WENT WITH OPTION NUMBER 2 AND AFTER ABOUT FIVE HOURS I GOT A CALL TELLING ME THAT THE BOLT HAD SNAPPED AND THEY HAD TRIED WELDING A NEW BOLT ON TO TRY AND BREAK THE REST OF IT LOOSE, AND THEY HAD TRIED TO DRILL OUT THE BOLT BUT WITH NO LUCK, THEY THEN GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE WITH A RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE THE ESTIMATE WAS $6,900.00 BEFORE TAX, SO I CALLED KIA CORPORATE AND THEY TOOK A WEEK TO COME BACK AND TELL ME DUE TO THE AGE, THE MILEAGE, AND NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER THEY WOULD NOT PAY TO REPLACE THE ENGINE SO NOW I'M GOING TO JOIN THE CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. VERY BAD ENGINEERING DESIGN TO THINK ONE SEER PIN COULD HOLD THAT BOLT PLUS IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE USING A DEEP THREAD SKINNY SHAFT BOLT WHICH MEANS THE THREADS ARE HOLDING A 15-20LBS FLY WHEEL WHEN THAT SEER PIN SNAPS, VERY DISAPPOINTED IN KIA, WILL NEVER BUY THEIR CARS AGAIN ..UPDATED 08/24/15 *BF
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE THE CAR'S ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE. MELTED EVERYTHING IN ENGINE. WHEN TOLD I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE, I SOLD THE CAR TO A JUNK YARD FOR PARTS. NOW, I HEAR THIS RECALL. SO PISSED@
I PURCHASED A 2005 KIA SORENTO FROM A DEALERSHIP ON NOV. 18, 2014. IN JANUARY 2015 THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR BROKE . IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP UNDER WARRANTY. ON APRIL 8TH I STARTED HEARING A KNOCKING SOUND SO I STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND DID SOME RESEARCH TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I FOUND OUT THAT THE CAR I HAD WAS PART OF A RECALL AND THERE WAS A LAWSUIT FOR THE SAME ISSUE I WAS HAVING WITH MY VEHICLE. I PURCHASED THE PARTS AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. MY MECHANIC HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE CAR WITHOUT SUCCESS. I HAVE HAD TO RENT A CAR AND ALSO PAY DAILY FOR RIDES TO AND FROM WORK. I CONTACTED KIA TODAY AND THEY STATED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY KIA TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC TEST BEFORE ANYTHING CAN BE DONE. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT A RECALL. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A FEW YEARS AGO, THIS IS INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO EVERY PURCHASER WHETHER NEW OR USED. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026