2008 Kia Sorento Electronic Stability Control Esc Problems
15 owner-reported electronic stability control esc complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Owner Complaints (15)
ALL DOOR HANDLES HAVE FALLEN OFF IT'S GOING TO BE $250.00 TO HAVE ONE FIXED. I AM NOT ABLE AT THIS TIME TO HAVE A MALFUNCTION FIXED! IT IS NOT VANDALISM OF ANY KIND! IT'S A DEFECTIVE PART! THE AUTO REPAIR PLACE SAID TO LOOK INTO RECALLS! I NEED THIS PROBLEM FIXED! NO CAR I HAVE OWNED HAS EVER HAD THIS PROBLEM BUT THIS ONE!
ESC OFF LIGHT COMES ON AND SENDS THE TRANSMISSION INTO A "LIMP" MODE. THIS CAUSES EXTREME LOSS OF ACCELERATION. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ABS CONTROL MODULE, BUT IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY THE VEHICLE IS DOING THIS.
I ALMOST KILLED EVERYONE IN MY CAR, ALONG WITH OTHERS ON THE HIGHWAY. I PULLED OUT ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND HAD NO POWER TO MY VEHICLE. I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL AND HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. I NOTICED MY ESC OFF LIGHT HAD COME ON SOMEHOW. I TURNED MY VEHICLE OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON AND THE LIGHT DISAPPEARED AND I HAD POWER AGAIN. SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN THE LIGHT WILL RANDOMLY COME ON AND I WILL LOSE POWER. I CALLED A COUPLE MECHANIC SHOPS BUT WHEN I TRY TO TAKE IT IN THE LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON. I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES THIS TO HAPPEN BUT I SEE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THE ISSUE. *JB
I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE DECELERATED QUICKLY AND THE ESC LIGHT CAME ON. I COASTED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. SAT THERE A FEW MINUTES THEN TURNED VEHICLE BACK ON AND THE POWER CAME BACK ON. I HAVE SINCE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE NOW THE SAME ISSUE HOWEVER THE LIGHT IS NOT GOING OFF.
I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 KIA SORENTO EX WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY ESC LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE, MY VEHICLE IN FACT SLOWED DOWN TERRIBLY. I HAVE NOTICED THAT IF I SHUT MY CAR OFF THEN TURN IT BACK ON SOMETIMES THIS WILL TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT TIME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING WITH MY KIDS IN THE BACKSEAT. IF MY CAR SLOWS WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY I COULD END UP CAUSING QUITE AN ACCIDENT NOT TO MENTION HURTING MYSELF OR MY FAMILY THAT IS IN THE VEHICLE. MILEAGE ON MY VEHICLE AT THE TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 65000 MILES. *TR
EVERY TIME I TURN ON MY CAR THE ESC OFF LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED. WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS I HAVE NO POWER. IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON, IT WILL USUALLY DISAPPEAR. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON LINE, AND MANY PEOPLE WITH MY SAME CAR HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THE ISSUE IN THEIR CARS HAVE PROGRESSED TO RANDOMLY TURNING ON WHILE GOING 65 MILES AND HOUR, AND LOSING SPEED WHICH HAS ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. I CURRENTLY DO NOT KNOW OF ANY ACCIDENTS, BUT THIS NOW HAS ME AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR. IF IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL TO FIX IT? *TR
I PURCHASED A 2008 KIA SORENTO LAST YEAR AS A PRE-OWNED VEHICLE. I HAVE STARTED HAVING SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. A DEER RAN INTO MY VEHICLE APRIL 2012 REALLY MESSED UP MY ENTIRE FRONT END AND SIDE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAD MY VEHICLE BOTCHED UP AND MY NOW MY AVS SYSTEM AND CLUTCH ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY THEY REFUSED TO FIX MY VEHICLE. NOW I AM HAVING PROBLEM WITH A ESC LIGHT COMING ON I COULDN'T FIND OUT WHAT THIS LIGHT MEANT BUT I CAN IMAGINE THAT IT IS NOT GOOD. THEY NEED TO RECALL THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE TRULY THEY ARE NO GOOD. *TR
I PURCHASED THIS CAR PRE OWNED. ABOUT 2 WEEK LATER, WHILE DRIVING THE ESC LIGHT SHOWS UP CAUSING THE CAR TO SLOWLY LOSE POWER. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I ALMOST GOT HIT WHEN THIS HAPPENED!! AFTER 3-4 TIMES LATER, KIA DEALERSHIP CANNOT REPAIR THE ISSUE OR EVEN SOLVE IT. THEY ACTUALLY TOLD ME YESTERDAY THAT THE CAR WAS READY, HOWEVER IT WAS NOT FIXED BC THEY CANT FIGURE IT OUT. THEY TRIED EVERYTHING. I DID PICK UP THE CAR ONLY TO BRING IT RIGHT BACK THIS MORNING. I AM SCARED FOR MY SAFETY AS WELL AS MY CHILDREN. I LOOKED ONLINE AND THEIR ARE SO MANY OTHERS WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. THIS IS INSANE. I AM NOW IN A RENTAL AS THEY ARE TRYING AGAIN FOR TIME #5 TO FIGURE IT OUT. I HAVE SPOKEN TO KIA CORPORATE. I HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS WITH THE BBB. AND NOW I AM HERE. IF ANYONE CARES ABOUT OTHERS SAFETY THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. I REFUSE TO PUT MY CHILDREN'S LIFE AT RISK. IMAGINE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS LIGHT TURNING ON RANDOMLY AND YOUR CAR JUST LOSING POWER. VERY UNSAFE!! *TR
WE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OUR 2008 KIA SORENTO. THE ESC LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, BATTERY LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND ABS LIGHTS HAVE COME ON. I HAVE CHANGED BRAKES, CHECKED THE BATTERY AND THESE LIGHTS GO OFF AND ON. MY CAR HAS EXPERIENCED REDUCING SPEED WHEN ESC LIGHT HAS COME ON AND STARTED MALFUNCTIONING AT AROUND 64,000 MILES. ABS LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE HAVE WENT OFF. ESC LIGHT IS STILL GOING OFF AND ON. THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE FAILED ON US. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY WIFE'S SAFETY TO ALL THESE DEFECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING, AND WOULD LIKE FOR YOUR HELP IN RESOLVING THESE ISSUES WITH KIA. I HAVE READ OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME ISSUES AND SAW TO REPORT THIS TO NHTSA. FURTHERMORE I TOLD KIA OF AN OIL LEAK I WAS HAVING AND ASKED IF IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY FAILED TO ANSWER, AND DID NOT FIX IT. NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE WITH THE CAR UNTIL I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AND AFTER THAT IS WHEN ALL THE PROBLEMS STARTED HAPPENING. PLEASE HELP. *TR
THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT HAS COME ON AND STAYS ON. ALSO, THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. THE CAR IS ONLY DRIVEN SHORT DISTANCES A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK, HOWEVER WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE IT AT ALL BECAUSE OF THE REPORTS OF POWER AND CONTROL FAILURE. THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ALSO NOT WORKING, WHICH COMPOUNDS THE PROBLEM. *TR
2008 KIA SORENTO TPS PROBLEM CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO HAVE NO ACCELERATION VERY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING ESC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON WHEN PROBLEM OCCURS. TOOK TO LOCAL AUTO ZONE TO SEE WHY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE CODE READER SAID I HAD 3 DIFFERENT CODES WRONG WITH THE CAR WHICH ALL WERE RELATED TO THE TPS SENSOR. THIS NEEDS TO BE A SAFETY RECALL ASAP. *TR
WE HAVE A 2008 SORENTO, PURCHASED IN MARCH 2009 (NEW). APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, ONLY APPROX 15,000MILES, WE HAD OUR FIRST INCIDENT THAT THE ESC OFF LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH, AT THE SAME TIME, POWER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED TO THE ENGINE. THANKFULLY, I WAS DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOT ON THE HIGHWAY. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND THE ESC OFF LIGHT WAS NOW OFF, BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. WE DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN, ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS LATER. THIS TIME WE TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY INSISTED THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT AND THAT THERE WAS NO RECORD IN THE "COMPUTER" OF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON. WE WERE BASICALLY DISMISSED BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT EVEN TELL THAT IT HAPPENED. THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, TURNING ONTO THE ENTRANCE RAMP OF I-95, I LOST POWER AND COULD NOT ACCELERATE TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I WAS FURIOUS AND FRIGHTENED OF THE POSSIBLE DANGER OF THE SITUATION, AND CALLED TO MAKE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT, THIS WAS THE 2ND TIME, WHICH BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO "NORMAL" AND NO RECORD IN THE COMPUTER. I HAD PRINTED OUT RESEARCH FOR MY HUSBAND TO TAKE WITH HIM TO SHOW THEM THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THE TCM WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY DISMISSED HIM AND DID SOMETHING ELSE. IT WAS FINE FOR A WHILE, THEN HAPPENED AGAIN (APPROX DEC. 2010) WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING DOWN I-95, WE LOST POWER WHILE GOING 65 MPH AND THE ESC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THIS TIME, MY DAD (WHO USED TO BE A SERVICE MANAGER) WAS AVAILABLE AND WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD A STERN CONVERSATION WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER EXPRESSING HIS CONCERN FOR OUR SAFETY. THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED THE PROBLEM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY DID, AND IT HAS BEEN FINE FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS, UNTIL THE PAST 2 WEEKS, THE SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWICE. WE ALSO HAD THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF WHEN I AM SITTING IN THE SEAT AS WELL. *TR
MY 2008 KIA SORENTO HAS 40000 MILES AND THE ESC OFF INDICATOR, AS WELL AS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. I WAS DRIVING TO CHURCH AND WHILE DRIVING THE ACCELERATION DIMINISHED. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED, BEING I JUST BLUNT THE CAR A MONTH AGO. YES IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN IT IS NOT.... FROM THE LOOKS OF IT THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED, BEFORE SOMEONE LIFE BE HARMED WHILE DRIVING. *TR
I HAVE A 2008 KIA SORENTO WITH JUST OVER 34,000 MILES ON IT AND AM ON MY SECOND EXPERIENCE WITH THE ESC OFF PROBLEM. THE FIRST TIME WAS JULY 2010, CAR WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE SENSOR AND CAR WORKED FINE UNTIL THIS PAST MONDAY. I STARTED MY CAR TO WARM IT UP AND AFTER 10 MINUTES I RETURNED TO THE CAR TO LEAVE AND NOTICED THAT THE ESC OFF LIGHT WAS ON AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN ME, THE ESC OFF LIGHT IS DANGEROUS AS THE CAR LOSES POWER. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, THEN ON, BUT THE LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. I GOT A RIDE TO WORK THAT DAY, BUT MY DAD WENT OVER TO LOOK AT THE CAR. THE ESC OFF LIGHT WENT OFF FOR HIM AND SO DID THE CHECK ENGINE, HE DROVE IT AROUND WITH NO PROBLEM. NOW THIS MORNING I STARTED IT TO WARM IT UP, NO LIGHTS CAME ON. I GOT IN TO LEAVE AND WHEN I REACHED THE END OF MY ROAD AT THE STOP SIGN, BOTH LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, THEN ON AND THE ESC OFF WENT OFF, BUT THE CHECK ENGINE IS STILL ON. THIS PROBLEM WILL STILL HAPPEN EVERY NOW AND THEN. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPEND MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES AND IT DOSN'T MATTER WHAT SPEED I'M DRIVING IT WILL HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING SLOW OR FAST. LOSS OF POWER IS DANGEROUS WHEN THERE IS NOWHERE TO PULL OVER. I HAVE BEEN ON SEVERAL WEBSITED WHERE OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT I NEED TO HAVE THE ACCELERATOR SENSOR REPLACED, NOT THE ESC SENSOR. IN JULY 2010 THE ESC SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM OCCURED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING JAN. 2011. *TT
01/25/10 WITH 22,395 MILES ON VEHICLE. THE CAR HAD NO ACCELERATION. HAD PART #35107-3C100FF TH SENSOR ASSY REPLACED. 11/12/10 WITH 30,002 MILES ON VEHICLE. THE CAR HAD NO ACCELERATION AGAIN. HAD PART #91214-3E324 WIRING ASSY-ENG REPLACED. 12/30/10 WITH 32,064 MILES ON VEHICLE. THE CAR HAD NO ACCELERATION AGAIN. HAD PART #32700-3E400 PEDAL ASSY-ACCE REPLACED. MY CONCERN IS LOSING POWER ON A FREEWAY AND GETTING INTO A ACCIDENT. ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE PASSENGER AIR BAG BEING ON AT RANDOM TIMES. MY CONCERN IS HAVING A ACCIDENT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG NOT WORKING. *TR