Kia Sorento Problems

The default purchase for somebody looking for a mid-sized hybrid SUV is the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. But if that’s too big, there’s the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid, C-HR Hybrid and even the Corolla Cross Hybrid which sounds like the marketplace is getting crowded but is really just a reflection of the appetite right now for cars like these. And that’s the catch; the waiting times for a brand-new example of some of these cars is out to many months and even years. So your plan to shop second-hand makes plenty of sense, but don’t expect any bargains in a market currently being dominated by lots of demand and less supply.

Beyond the Toyota brand (which has been doing hybrids longer than just about anybody else) there’s also the Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV Hybrid, Haval Jolion Hybrid, Kia Niro, Subaru Forester Hybrid, Nissan Qashqai e-Power, MG HS, Honda HR-V e and more. For something a bit bigger, try the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe hybrids. There are others out there, too, that are probably bigger or more expensive than you need, but it's very much a growing scene in the Australian marketplace.

There are two issues here. The first is that an air-conditioning compressor should not, according to your repair person, stop working at 120,000km. That’s probably debatable and would also be a function of how frequently the air-conditioning runs in your car.

The second issue is that, from the way you’ve described it, this happened within days of the factory warranty expiring. At that point, I think you’d be within your rights to contact Kia’s customer service department and have a chat about the timing of this failure. There are no guarantees here, but it’s possible that Kia might offer some pro-rata assistance with the cost of repairs or parts, given the fault occurred just outside the warranty period. Some companies will do this in some cases as an act of goodwill, but don’t go to the bank on it.

Before you do anything, take the car to a workshop with the correct diagnostic gear and have it scanned. This process will see the workshop’s computer have a deep and meaningful conversation with the computer in your car, and the result will probably be a fault code(s) that will tell the mechanic exactly what’s going wrong.

Beyond that, you’re merely stabbing in the dark, as limp-home mode can be triggered for all sorts of reasons including dud sensors, poor wiring, a computer glitch, you name it. The fact that it’s an intermittent limp-home situation makes it even harder to diagnose without a computer scan. You cans start to replace components at random to see if they fix the problem, but you’ll probably wind up replacing a whole heap of perfectly working ones before you stumble on to the one that’s playing up. In the meantime, you’ll have spent heaps and wasted weeks.

The first piece of advice would be to obtain a workshop manual for your car. Within those pages, you’ll find all sorts of valuable information and tips on performing home maintenance. Compared with even the briefest trip to a professional workshop, a good workshop manual will pay for itself over and over again.

As for the rear door panel on your Sorento, the tricky part is finding all the hidden screws and fasteners that locate things like the armrest. Sometimes the attaching screws are hidden in tiny pop-out panels under the armrest, some times the screw will be hiding under a rubber insert in the door handle’s recess. These will usually be Philips-head screws.

Once you’ve removed those screws, it comes down to a gentle game of popping each of the clips that secure the perimeter of the door panel to the actual door. You’ll gain a feel for this job, but be careful; if you’re too aggressive, you might break or snap the little plastic clips which would then need to be replaced before you could re-fit the door panel. A steady but firm force on the door panel, rather than a sudden shock is the best way to achieve this without damaging anything. Once all those clips have been freed, you should find that the whole door panel will be resting on a groove at the bottom of the window. Lift the panel clear of this and you’re done, although watch out for electrical wires that could still be attached to the power windows and courtesy lights.

Of all the technology you’re considering right now, the only one that sounds any real alarm bells is that of the double-clutch transmission. It’s not that Kia’s version of the DCT is worse than many others – nor is it the worst of the lot – but there have been complaints over the operation and lifespan of these units generally. Sometimes the fault is a software glitch, but in other DCTs – particularly the dry-clutch variety – the problems are mechanical and can lead to catastrophic failures.

With that said, it’s also true that Kia in Australia offers a fantastic factory warranty, so you should have no worries for at least the first seven years. It’s also the case that Kia Australia takes its reputation very seriously and is one of the better companies when it comes to sorting out faults and problems with its products. We’re pretty big fans here at Carsguide of the current Toyota hybrid technology, and it’s looking like the new Kluger Hybrid will be just as popular as Toyota’s other hybrid offerings. Perhaps more so as the non-hybrid Kluger can be thirsty.

As for the requirement for premium ULP, when you consider that the Kluger Hybrid will, around the city and suburbs where most of them will spend the vast majority of their lives, use about two thirds of the fuel of the V6 Kluger (maybe even a bit less than that) then the extra cost per litre is more than compensated for by the reduced cost per kilometre. And in case you were worried about Toyota’s hybrid tech, the new Kluger Hybrid comes with up to 10 years of warranty on the battery-pack provided the vehicle is serviced correctly and inspected once a year.

The other thing you might consider is the next-size-down Toyota hybrid, the RAV4. This is quite a spacious vehicle these days and offers excellent fuel efficiency and driveability. It’s cheaper than the Kluger, too. Definitely worth a look. Overall, the broader view is that a petrol hybrid vehicle is more future-proof than a conventional turbo-diesel.

This is a real problem and many road service call-outs are, in fact, caused by this very problem. It’s vastly more common for petrol to be put into a diesel vehicle than the other way around, simply because a petrol bowser nozzle will fit into the diesel car’s filler neck, but not the other way around. But should you mistakenly put petrol into a modern, common-rail diesel engine, the entire fuel system needs to be cleaned as a result. And that’s the best-case scenario, because if you drive any distance with petrol in the system, repairs can top $10,000 in some cases.

The devices you have listed usually work in the same way; they replace the car’s standard filler neck and act as a physical barrier to an unleaded petrol nozzle being inserted into the car. Unless the nozzle being presented is a diesel-sized nozzle, you won’t be able to put anything into the tank. Installed correctly, they should present no problems, but as with any part of a car’s fuel system, the installer needs to know what they’re doing. But they’re popular with fleet vehicles (which are driven by a variety of people who may or may not know the vehicle is diesel-powered) and families with a fleet that uses more than one type of fuel.

It sounds like something electronic is randomly playing up and that’s causing the intermittent problem. Modern engines like these use a raft of sensors to keep the on-board computer informed of what’s going on and keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. If just one of those sensors stops working properly, all sorts of havoc can result.

It’s a bit strange that the on-board diagnostics of the vehicle aren’t throwing up a relevant fault code when your mechanic interrogates the computer but, again, some of these modern electronic systems require some pretty specific software. Which means a trip to a Kia dealership might provide a more in-depth answer to what’s going on.

The good news is that since 2014, Kias sold new in Australia have been covered by a seven-year warranty, so your Sorento is well and truly still under that factory cover. Which means it shouldn’t cost you anything to have the problem sorted out by Kia.

It sounds as though there’s some slack somewhere vin the driveline that is taking up suddenly with a clunking noise as the result. This is actually pretty common in cars as they age and relates to general wear and tear on the driveline components.

What you haven’t told me is whether your car is a petrol or diesel model which will determine whether it’s a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle respectively. Why does that matter? Because, fundamentally, the all-wheel-drive version – which has a centre differential, a transfer-case and a driveshaft for each wheel – has more than double the driveline components of the front-drive Sorento. And, clearly, that means at least double the opportunity for a clunk or creak or groan to creep in as the vehicle ages.

Regardless of the driveline layout, of course, any free-play in the driveline is bad news because it means there’s wear somewhere and that needs to be identified and fixed before it wears further and, ultimately, fails, leaving you stranded or even contributing to a crash. So have it checked by a workshop familiar with that make and model and nip any problems in the bud while they’re still annoyances rather than catastrophes.

In the meantime, you can do a bit of detective work of your own: Many driveline clunks are caused by worn CV (Constant Velocity) joints which allow the wheels to turn (with the steering) as well as drive the car. Find a nice, deserted car-park and slowly drive in circles first with full left lock and then with full right lock. You’re listening for a clattering, clicking or rumbling noise as you do so. If you can hear such a noise, then you might just be well on your way to diagnosing the problem.

Hi Nor, the Kia Sorento is generally reliable and robust, with only a few electrical problems being the main issues, but most should have been sorted out by now. As the Sorento is closely related to the Hyundai Santa Fe, the same would apply to that SUV too.

The 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine you mention was only available in the UM model from 2009 to 2011. After that a 3.5-litre V6 took over. Both engines are known to be robust and dependable. We'd go for the V6 because it does not have to work as hard as the 2.4L hauling such a big and heavy vehicle around. Note, though, that the V6 is thirsty. 

The diesel is the best choice out of all of the engines available, as it is strong and hard-wearing as well as much more economical. 

In our opinion, the Sorento is a better buy than the Santa Fe, since it has more glass area and so is easier to see out of. The interior is pleasant, comfortable and easy to use. And, from the XM model launched in 2015, it is a nicer and quieter car to drive.

Finally, the Kia has offered a seven-year warranty as opposed to the Hyundai's five-year warranty since October 1, 2014, meaning it is possible to buy an older Sorento and still be covered by the factory warranty. 

The Sorento seems like a pretty good choice. But don’t forget its cousin, the Hyundai Santa Fe which is also a great vehicle. On balance, though, the Kia seems a little better value and has a superior warranty. In fact, the Kia factory warranty of seven years/unlimited kilometres is an industry leader and makes for great long-term peace of mind.

If you’re happy with the way the Kia drives and works for your family, then there’s no reason not to make that your first choice.