2004 Kia Sorento Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GOES HAYWIRE. WE WILL BE DRIVING ALONG AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON, THE FRONT DOORS OPEN LIGHTS COME ON AND STARTS BUZZING AND SO DOES THE THE LOCKING MECHANISM ON THE DOORS. WE CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE DOORS ARE CLOSED PROPERLY BUT THEY ALWAYS ARE. THIS IS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION USUALLY BUT SOMETIMES WHILE STATIONARY AS WELL. SOMETIMES THE DOORS UNLOCK TOO. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT CAUSED THIS BUT FEEL IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS WELL AS A NUISANCE WHILE DRIVING. IT NEVER SEEMS TO MATTER IF YOU ARE DRIVING STRAIGHT OR TURNING.. WE HAVEN'T TAKEN IT ANYWHERE FOR REPAIRS YET, BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE ELECTRICAL AND KNOW THAT IT CAN BE EXPENSIVE.
FAN RELAY SENSOR IS FAULTY. ALL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS IS QUESTIONABLE, FROM HEADLIGHTS ALWAYS NEEDING REPLACEMENT TO DASH LIGHTS THAT TURN ON OR OFF AT ANY GIVEN TIME. MY NEWEST ISSUE IS WITH THE HEATER, IT WILL ONLY BLOW WARMED AIR IF THE MOTOR IS BEING REV'D..TEMP IS WARM ON ENGINE BUT IF I AM DRIVING DOWN HILL, IT WILL FEEL LIKE AIR CONDITIONER INSTEAD. FOR A FEW MONTHS MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR WOULD OPEN FROM INSIDE ONLY. MAGICALLY IT HAS RESOLVED THAT ONE AND ONLY ISSUE... *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SORENTO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAN RELAY FUSE HAD TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER TO GET THE FAN TO STOP RUNNING. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO SEVERAL MECHANICS FOR SERVICE OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HOWEVER, THE MECHANICS WERE NEVER ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 138,000.
FEBRUARY 21, 2013 LOS ANGELES, CA ELECTRICAL I BOUGHT MY KIA BRAND NEW. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS: COMPLAINT 1: I AM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT AGAINST KIA MOTORS WHO WILLINGLY KNOWS OF ISSUES WITH ITS FUEL SYSTEMS IN ALL 2004 KIA SORENTOS. EVEN LOOKING ONLINE YOU SEE THOUSANDS OF KIA OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SENSOR GO OUT ON THIS MODEL CAR AFTER THE CARS 100000 WARRANTY, AND THEN KIA CLAIMS IT IS PAST THE WARRANTY THEY HAVE AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS CAUSES THE GAS TO ALWAYS READ INCORRECTLY EVEN WITH A FULL TANK THE CAR READS "E" I HAVE TO KEEP PUTTING GAS IN THE CAR IN FEAR OF RUNNING OUT OF GAS. *TR
WHEN SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE THE COOLING FAN STAYS RUNNING. IF THIS IS NOT NOTICED IT WILL RUN UNTIL THE BATTERY DIES AND THEN THE VEHICLE WILL NEED JUMPED. AS I WAS RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE ISSUES WITH RELAYS IN KIA'S FROM 2003 TO 2006. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH SOMETIMES MORE. THIS TIME THE BATTERY HAD TO BE DISCONNECTED TO GET THE FAN TO SHUT OFF.. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESEARCHED FARTHER IN REGARDS TO HOW OFTEN THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE NOT TAKEN MY KIA TO A MECHANIC YET DUE TO THE FACT IT IS VERY COSTLY TO TRACK AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME BUT IF YOU ARE UNAWARE OF THIS PROBLEM YOU MAY GO TO START YOUR CAR AND IT DOES NOT RUN. THERE ARE A HIGH AND LOW FAN ON THIS KIA. BOTH OF THE FANS ARE RUNNING BUT THE HIGH FAN IS ALMOST SILENT. IF THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR AT LEAST FOUR YEARS THERE SHOULD BE SOME WAY TO HOLD THE MANUFACTURER RESPONSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.. *TR
THE ORIGINAL BATTERY FAILED AT 2 1/2 YEARS AND THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY (KIA BATTERY) FAILED AFTER ONLY 1 1/2 YEARS. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS (4 TIMES), FOG LIGHTS (2 TIMES), TAIL LIGHTS (2 TIMES), AND LICENSE PLATE LIGHT. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CHECK SHOWED NO PROBLEMS THAT COULD BE CAUSING ALL OF THESE FAILURES. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SORENTO. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH SHE COULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS FLUID LEAKING UNDER THE VEHICLE AND CATCHING FIRE AS IT HIT THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES WITHIN 5 MINUTES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD, THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 60,000.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2004 Kia Sorento has 7 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.