2003 Kia Sorento Steering Problems
- 24
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 24 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- power steering · 13 records
- steering wheel · 9 records
- crankshaft pulley · 7 records
- crankshaft bolt · 6 records
- crank shaft · 6 records
- pulley bolt · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
| 60–100k mi | 5 |
| 30–60k mi | 4 |
| 150–400k mi | 3 |
| 1–30k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
Takata recall the crankshaft pulley bolt keeps coming lose and this causes the steering wheel to become stiff. This happened in the middle of traffic and had to get it towed to a friends house. Currently the car is not driveable for over two weeks.
ODI 11048181
Body · Steering · Suspension
While driving i heard a clunk and a the car began rolling side to side. I limped to a mechanic and was told that the frame where the suspension and all parts connect was rusted out. Frame repair said this can not be fixed as the frame is rusted out. Where the stabilizer and suspension connects. Teh car only has 149,ooo miles and is in north carolina. I have read other reports of a rusted out support frame on this…
ODI 10875587
Engine · Service Brakes · Steering
Crankshaft bolt backed out lost power steering brakes,kia is aware of this problem from 2002 to 2009 many reports have been filed,its the manufacturing of the bolt which is to small,they are not standing by this defect,there is no permenant fix for this and kia isn't warning anyone of this problem which could lead into a fatile accident with injuries and death.going at a high rate of speed there would be no control…
ODI 10810897
Body · Steering · Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. While driving at 55 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to turn the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the harmonica balance in the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. In addition, the contact noticed…
ODI 10748133
Engine · Power Train · Steering
I have service records showing i had the crankshaft pulley replaced at 55,000 miles under warranty by kia. The crankshaft pulley broke off at 105,000 miles. I was able to have the vehicle repaired cost $1500 out of my pocket. On 1/11/2015 the crankshaft pulley broke off for a 3rd time, shearing the threads to the engine, and causing the engine to no longer work. All 3 events caused loss of power and able to steer…
ODI 10672207
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
As my family and i drove down 146 towards baytown, tx from dayton, tx i heard a loud "thud". Immediately followed by a loss of a/c, power, and steering. I pulled onto the shoulder immediately and popped the hood. I saw the harmonic balance lying on the splash guard and a belt lying beside it, as well as another belt loss but still hanging on the other pulleys. I got a friend to tow me back to my studio. I began…
ODI 10608643
Engine · Power Train · Steering
The bolt on the crankshaft pulley as well as the pin broke off causing the motor to stop and overheat dumping all the antifreeze and stopping all belts. My mother could have been injured while driving but it ended up being she was just blocking traffic thankfully and not on the highway. This seems to be a very common issue with hundreds if not thousands complaining about the crankshaft pulley bolt and pin. Kia says…
ODI 10597334
Engine · Steering
I bought a 2003 kia sorento from my niece back in november 2013 for $2000 and not even two weeks into owning this vehicle, the crank shaft broke in half! The bolt broke off in half inside the crank shaft pulley and the other half of the bolt was inside the crank shaft case. To my understanding, this is the second time that the crank shaft needed repairing (my niece, husband who were the first and original owners to…
ODI 10628320
Steering · Unknown Or Other
While driving at a safe speed (35mph) with my children in the car my power steering failed and all my dash lights came on. I was able to pull over this time out of harms way. Once i got the car to the side of the i had noticed that one of my belts came off. I got it towed to the mechanic first thing the next morning and told me a bolt came off the pulley and the pulley was off. They fixed the car and i was good up…
ODI 10598036
Engine · Service Brakes · Steering
As i was leaving work, the crankshaft bolt broke,and the bottom/pulley came out and hit the road.thank god i was still in the parking lot. I had it towed to a automotive shop to have it fixed it ,has $ 768.45 plus 75.00dollars to tow it. I got my 2003-sorento back on 06/20/2013 on 07/06/2013 i was going down the hwy about 55mph. And the crankshaft/bolt broke again after only having driven 1,674miles. I am a single…
ODI 10523562
Steering
I was driving at 60 mph and my power steering was getting hard almost cause an accident in the expressway, i check power steering fuel and is fine, belt to power steering fine too, i just wonder if there is a recall parts in this problem, im very afraid to drive my kia again, please investigate. *tr
ODI 10516044
Air Bags · Service Brakes · Steering
I was coming home from work one day ,when the crankshaft bolt came out of my car .i barely made it home .but the front end was jarring my airbag light came on my breaks like same one and i did not have no control of my steering .then it cost me 1700 .then one day i was in town and the crankshaft bolt came out of my car again which this time i did not have no control of the steering it took every muscle that i had to…
ODI 10625724
Steering · Structure
My 2003 kia sorento start vibrating as i was pulling into my driveway and before i can park it i heard a load noise and my steering wheel became very heavy to steer and almost loose control. I had a mechanic look into the issue and found the pulley bolt (harmonic balancer) broke in half. I had also check if this is an unusual problem - came to find out that this could potential design defect from kia. As there are…
ODI 10487856
Service Brakes · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal noise when the battery and another unknown warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact had to pump the brake pedal several times before the vehicle would stop and the power steering stop working. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the…
ODI 10638149
Electronic Stability Control · Engine · Steering
While driving on hwy 275 at 60 mph. Engine lights came on and steering wheel locked..total system power failure..2 daughters almost lost their lives trying to maneuver this death missile to emergency lane..just in time to miss multiple tractor trailers vehicles from crushing them..not to mention multiple passenger cars in harms way from defective part replaced malfunctioning again... Kia claims no responsibility…
2 injuries
ODI 10469909
Engine · Steering
While driving my daughter to school, vehicle lost steering in a turn causing us to narrowly miss hitting a utility pole. Vehicle had to be towed to service garage where they confirmed that the crankshaft pulley bolt had become loose causing the harmonic balancer pulley to wobble, break and cause damage to all surrounding engine components. $1700.00 repair did not work and issue recurred. After a second repair…
ODI 10508347
Steering
I had just purchased my 2003 kia sorento on february 23 2013 from a local used car dealer. The car had 85,000 miles at time of purchase. It was driving fine until march 31, 2013. As i was pulling out of my drive way the car started making a loud noise and then i lost control of the steering almost going into my neighbors ditch. The car was taken to the mechanic(towed) where he found that the bolt going into the…
ODI 10507297
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia sorento. The contact was driving 5 mph and attempting a turn when the steering wheel failed and would not respond to the direction it was turned. The steering wheel would only spin in a circle during the failure. The vehicle was placed in reverse and allowed to drift into the preferred parking space. The vehicle was diagnosed by a private mechanic who advised that the u joint was…
ODI 10420967
Electrical System · Fuel System, Gasoline · Steering
I bought a 2003 kia sorento about 6 years ago and i've had a lot of problems. The worst and most recent problem is the gas spews out of the tank every time i try to fill it. It runs down the side of the car and on my wheel. Sometimes it gets on me. This has been going on for several months now. If you pump very slow and stop every .80 cents it lessens the amount of times it spews out, but this is so very timely. The…
ODI 10365305
Engine And Engine Cooling · Equipment · Steering
I have a 2003 kia sorento. As i left the garage at my office around 6 p.m. Monday 11/16, the car began making a horrible squealing noise. It immediately lost power steering, several warning lights came on, and it felt like the parking brake was on (it wasn't). I managed to get out of the garage to a space on the street. I turned the car off. When i tried to start it again, it wouldn't start. I had it towed to a…
ODI 10292997
Exterior Lighting · Steering · Vehicle Speed Control
I own a 2003 kia sorento lx. I used it mainly to go from home to work. This happened 2 days ago, march 16, 2006, at 32247 miles. While making a right turn from a stoplight, i had complete loss of vehicle control, it would not let me stop it and i could not control the steering wheel, it kept turning sharply to the right, and i landed on the sidewalk. Luckily, it happened when i was just entering my neighborhood,…
ODI 10185439
12v/24v/48v Battery · Headlights · Sensor/Control Module · Service Brakes, Air · Steering · Wiring
While driving on saturday, 7/15/06, i noticed a high pitched noise while steering. I was under the impression that the power steering fluid was low. After having an oil change and capping off my fluids, the noise continues and remains while driving. It is loud enough to hear over the radio and the air conditioner at the same time. I have placed this car in the shop for numerous repairs since its purchase in 2003 and…
ODI 10163120
Engine · Steering
I was driving the vehicle in the parking lot when i heard a loud noise and lost control of the steering because the car died and the steering wheel locked up. I looked under the hood and notice all the belts and front of the motor fell off and was laying at the bottom. I called the tow truck they towed it to the kia dealer. Where they told me its a problem the 2003 kia sorento has. They told me they will replace the…
Crash reported
ODI 10565741
Steering
I purchased the sorento 5/31/03, while making a right hand turn the power steering completely went out; i almost hit another vehicle regaining control. Contacted kia consumer affairs immediately, they have complete logs on file. 6/2/03 dealer replaced power steering rack. 6/10/03 830 miles,power steering failed again;had to fight with the steering to control vehile in parking garage.6/12/03 power steering pump was…
ODI 10070423