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Software update for 2016-18 Sorento

68K views 229 replies 51 participants last post by  SorentoMan2016 
#1 ·
Has anyone completed this update? Has your MIL started blinking?
 
#3 ·
Probably talking about the "Product Improvement Campaign" letter I got in the mail a couple days ago.

"Kia Motors America, Inc. is conducting an important Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on all 2016-2018 MY Sorento vehicles equipped with 2.4L GDI and 2.0L Turbocharged GDI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update will be done free of charge and will only involve the addition of newly developed computer software for the ECU."

I get mine done next week.
 
#8 ·
I got mine done last week. It is an ecu update to detect rod bearing knock and will put the car into limp mode if detected and turn on your check engine light. They have also extended the warranty for life on the long block.
 
#9 ·
I had my update completed 3 days ago. Today the engine light came on and the vehicle went into limp mode.

2017 with 30,000 miles and it has been running perfectly prior to the software update.

Dealer is closed today, Sunday. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I’m supposed to drive my son to College next week, 1000+ miles one way.

I’m leasing this vehicle and I have had the oil changed every 5,000 miles. I’m hoping the problem is with the software update. I also hope they can diagnose the problem without tearing into the engine.
 
#10 ·
Sorry to hear about your troubles with the update. I was very leery that something like this would happen. I am going to wait and see if this problem continues.

I also take meticulous care of my vehicle I have the 2.0 turbo and change the oil every 3000 miles with factory filter and Pennzoil fullsynthetic. Let’s hope they get this issue corrected soon. Please leave some feedback as to what the dealer says regarding the update and your vehicle. Thanks.
 
#13 ·
Thank you for posting this. I got my car about 2.5 months ago from an Acura dealer. I have yet to receive a notice. I called my local Kia, told them about the notice and they confirmed the TSB by vin. I was in and out in about an hour.
 
#16 ·
Had my 17 Sorento done on 12/24. Not only did they update the software, they also replaced the inhibitor switch on the transmission aka (neutral safety switch).. knock on wood the vehicle runs ok.....on a side note.......even though the letter reads "long block" the service advisor believes its just the short block..for those that dont know the difference....Short block = engine block, crankshaft, rods ,and pistons. A Long block is a short block with the addition of the cylinder head, valves, & cams. Believe you me.....It will be a lifetime longblock for all in possession of the letter....just file it with the completion receipt.
 
#22 ·
Status Update

Good news is the engine appears to be fine. If I understood the tech correctly, he said they believe the problem is in the small wiring harness that leads to the sensor. A faulty wire activated the sensor.

They are going to replace that wiring harness and run some tests to be sure.

They had problems ordering the new harness today and were delayed so, hopefully they’ll finish up tomorrow.

I had a terrible phone connection when talking to the tech. I’ll get a better explanation when I pick it up.
 
#32 ·
... If I understood the tech correctly, he said they believe the problem is in the small wiring harness that leads to the sensor. A faulty wire activated the sensor. .... I had a terrible phone connection when talking to the tech. I’ll get a better explanation when I pick it up.
You posted previously that your vehicle was running perfectly before the update, with no check engine light on. This update did not involve any physical engine work, only ECM reprogramming, which means that the wire to the knock sensor was 'faulty' prior to the update. So I would be really interested to know why this 'faulty wire' to the knock sensor never affected performance or set a DTC, prior to the update being done. It's difficult to understand how any wiring problem could get past the validity checking algorithms that the ECM continuously runs on all of the input that it receives.

And even more interesting to me is how a 'faulty wire' can cause a knock sensor to 'activate'. A knock sensor functions by directing vibrations from the cylinder block to pressure a piezoelectric element, which in turn produces a voltage, which is sent to the ECM. So how does a 'faulty wire' cause physical events such as vibration and pressure to occur? And I'm also curious exactly how a 2 year old wire that's in a bundle becomes 'faulty'. Perhaps rats are running wild, chewing up wiring in your vehicle?

If it sounds like I'm more than a bit skeptical about what they're telling you, I have to fess up that I am indeed. This is, after all, the same automaker that produced the 'manufacturing debris' fable, which which has since been blown to pieces by their defacto admission of continuing issues with their Theta engines all the way up through 2017. Frankly, at this point I don't believe anything Kia/Hyundai says relative to these engine failures, and I suspect the real and full truth would only become available from testimony in a criminal case, although it's highly unlikely it will ever come to that.

However I'm eagerly awaiting to read what they tell you about this 'faulty wire', because I always enjoy a good science fiction story, and I'm sure this one will be very entertaining ;)
 
#23 ·
I am impressed with KIA doing a lifetime warranty on the issue!

My experience with Audi is despite the cars having MANY known issues, it takes a lawsuit before they will extend the warranty.... and when I say extend it is still shorter than a KIA's factory warranty! Glad to see KIA doing right by their customers!
 
#25 ·
I am impressed with KIA doing a lifetime warranty on the issue!

My experience with Audi is despite the cars having MANY known issues, it takes a lawsuit before they will extend the warranty.... and when I say extend it is still shorter than a KIA's factory warranty! E] I completely agree. When first getting the letter I questioned my decision to buy KIA....after thinking it over..the way the company takes a pro active approach makes me feel like I made the right choice with KIA.
 
#29 ·
One word of caution on this update. While not a newer Sorento, I have been having oil consumption issues on my 2012 2.4L GDI and had the vehicle in the shop to be inspected again since it had consumed over 3.5 qts of oil between changes. Sorento had just hit 100k miles.

My Kia dealership in the past said that they didn’t have any issues replacing engines with oil consumption issues since it had been a precursor to failure in some engines in the 11-14 range. They had built the case to give to Kia corporate (including picture of burnt white plugs) and were expecting to replace the engine. They also did the sensor update at the same time.

Kia corporate came back and said that since the knock sensor update was applied all previous recalls were void and oil consumption would no longer be an acceptable replacement reason. The update did put in place the lifetime warranty on the engine, but now failure or multiple sensor trips had to take place.

My dealership immediately backed off and said that they couldn’t do anything. I’m sure they received the line from corporate. They encouraged me to actually create a ticket with corporate affairs since they felt engine replacement was needed. So while there is no clarification that the update is required, there could be unintended consequences.

So far, I have not noticed any performance issues with the update.
 
#29 ·
... The update did put in place the lifetime warranty on the engine, but now failure or multiple sensor trips had to take place. ....
This whole thing gets weirder every day. Curious to know exactly what the 'multiple' in multiple sensor trips means. Is it 2, 3, 10? Or perhaps they do something cool like rolling dice to get the number.

For the owner, it goes like this. Vehicle goes into limp mode and gets towed to the stealership. They clear the limp mode, and hand the keys back to the owner because 'multiple' has not yet been reached. This process continues until number of limp modes set = 'multiple'. Anyone up for taking a cross-country trip in one of these time bombs?
 
#30 ·
I suspect the sensor update is KIA’s solution to all the car fires that have occurred due to engine failure.

Basically it acts as an early warning system for engine failure allowing KIA to replace the engine before it fails and potentially catches fire.

I’m still waiting on the new wiring harness to arrive on Wednesday. Meanwhile the dealer gave me a Sedona van, which works to my benefit. I’m traveling to Idaho tomorrow.

That’s about 2700 miles I won’t be putting on my leased Sorento. Before anyone asks, yes the dealer knows I’m traveling to Idaho and no he did not seem to care about the excessive miles on the loaner.

I asked the dealer today if they have replaced any engines after this software update.

He said they have replaced the wiring harness on a few, but no engines on 17 models. That may be due to low mileage 2017 models.
 
#33 ·
I am not hot on this update either. From what I understand 2015+ models have revised engines and not even included in CAS's complaint or NHSTA investigation. Therefore I think this update is probably useless for 2015+ models but could possibly raise false alarm/limp mode. Weird to hear that some cars went limp mode due to bad wire after the update?

That's my 2 cents.
Happy new Year everyone!
 
#34 ·
Why do you say 2015+ models have revised engines? I have looked for info regarding this, but haven’t found anything.

Are you just assuming they are revised because they aren’t included in the recall?

I have not found any articles regarding engine revisions or changes in manufacturing.

I’m interested in learning more about this. It would make me feel a lot better about my 2017, to know something was done to address the problem with previous years.

I was planning to buy it at the end of my lease, but the engine issue with the 2.4L is making me think twice.
 
#36 ·
Karl -
Last year I did some research on this, and I clearly remember seeing pic of side by side comparison of old vs revised engine block. The revised one had reinforced(Pillar?) side wall and such. I just tried search for the pic, but couldn't find. If I find it, I'll post here.
 
#35 ·
Getting the update done next week
the service department told me they have been doing a lot of these and have seen no issues. I'm also having a problem with the hands-free hatch opening option which is intermittent. So, can get both of these things done.
 
#83 ·
Pertaining to lift gate, I had same issue where it would activate but not pop open and raise. Here what I did and have not had the issue since. I got aerospace 303 protectant and put it on all rubber seals/gaskets (whole car, specifically tailgate lower. Then I got (more importantly) Maxima SC1 and sprayed that on a cloth and covered all metal areas where the rubber weatherstrip/gasket/seal would touch, especially the lower part of the gate where mechanical advantage over the strut opening force would be highest. Make sure you get good coverage. This should get rid of most if not all striction that could be reducing that initial pop effort on opening.
 
#39 ·
I don't understand Korean and I don't trust google translate. What specifically did they update?

This is what the OP deduced from the Korean article:

"When Hyundai had a massive recall for engine failures in 2011-2014, they initially claimed that it was due to metal shavings not being removed properly during the manufacturing process. This article suggests that the real reason for the failures is the design flaw of the GDI engine.

They have pictures to show the damage that happens to the cylinders over time. This damage will lead to knocking, excessive oil consumption, decreased power output, engine stalls and eventually engine failure. Hyundai has tried to remedy the problem by making some adjustments. However, the article suggests that the adjustments are only a band-aid fix and will only delay the inevitable problem.
"

Hardly confidence inspiring information IMHO.
 
#46 ·
YES!!!
I had the KSDS software update done on 12/27/18. Drove 90 miles and on 1/1/19 my 2016 Sorento, with less than 15,000 miles, went into limp mode and had to be towed to the dealership. So far no one knows what to do, not even KIA service headquarters. Called KIA customer service today. They have not heard of this problem and are looking into it.
 
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