Hi from a worried newbie :(

merlinsmum · 07-04-2008, 01:18 PM

Hi everyone....

I wonder if there is anyone who can help me???

In march this year I bought a Kia Sorento 56 plate 2.5 XE..... I love it..... till I put a horse trailer on the back and then I hate it

It is sooooo jerky that it makes anyone in it feel sick.

Every road bump that the car goes over makes the trailer kind of jerk back and the car kind of wallows and pitches.

On a smooth road its ok, but on a normal A road it is at times dreadful

I have had Kia drive the combination and they said it was the trailer, so I took the trailer back to where it was fully serviced in April.... and they have said that there still isnt anything wrong with the brakes or the damper.

So I am back at square one with a nasty jerky trailer and an expensive run around for a car.

Can anyone shed any light on this problem as I have really lost confidence in towing the combination. The trailer man actually felt sick by the time we had finished.

Oh and to add, I used to tow it with a Landrover discovery and it was fine..... we towed it today with a disco and it was fine, and then we towed another trailer with the kia and it was just as bad as mine!!!

Huge slice of choccy cake for anyone thats not asleep yet

pistnbroke · 07-04-2008, 05:19 PM

Well first this is an american based site so a 56 plate is the second half of 2006...Usually the kia suspension is thought to be stiff which does not go with wollowing and pitching ...make sure you have the tyres at 35 psi as I have had reports on land rovers of flexible side walls due to under inflation causing funny towing problems .
My first reaction is that its the rear shocks that are buggered/weak I would fit some after market heavy duty ones ....or is the ball height the same as the disco you tried ....I assume its one of those double wheel jobs....must be level or it rocks on one pair of wheels.....tell the horse to stand still...
these vehicles must be used in the UK for this job so why not try a post on UK Kia Sorento Forum - Home as they are more diesel orientated

gee6 · 07-05-2008, 01:49 AM

Question might be if it is a late pre-facelift it would have self-levelling suspension and shocks would have to be replaced like for like or an early facelift model without self-levelling in which case Koni FSD's are available as an alternative a/market fitment. In either case, this is not a problem I have heard reported. As it was apparently bought used has it been damaged by a previous owner, maybe.

rj7hills · 07-05-2008, 02:38 PM

In the US we call this a problem with the trailer driving the truck. It would seem that the earlier responses would be correct. You may be exceeding the gross towing weight with the trailer and horse - try the trailer alone and see if you get the same reaction. If the drop in weight helps, you will need stiffer shocks (dampers?) and possibly a stronger set of springs for the rear of your Sorento.

I know you had the trailer checked, so this might not apply - If you have trailer brakes, make sure they are adjusted properly and not grabbing on the rough road surface.