[electropower]

2018 Sorento 3.3 V6 EX with 32k miles. Over the past few weeks it seems that the front brakes are pulsing. My guess is the rotors are warped. Has anyone else had this issue? Thanks in advance.

 

[scosgt]

It does not say where you are located, but in places like the NYC area it is not unusual to need brakes in 20K miles or so.
Pulsing probably does indicate a rotor issue, but if that is the case I think the pads are probably very worn.

 

[ron1004]

It does not say where you are located, but in places like the NYC area it is not unusual to need brakes in 20K miles or so.
Pulsing probably does indicate a rotor issue, but if that is the case I think the pads are probably very worn.

Sounds like a warped rotor - I've not had much success getting rid of the warp by machining, and rotors have got really reasonably priced these days, so I just replace when this happens.

 

[danstub]

Sounds like a warped rotor - I've not had much success getting rid of the warp by machining, and rotors have got really reasonably priced these days, so I just replace when this happens.

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2018 SXL with 22,000 miles. Same problem. Seems very early to me. Similar driving, same locations with other vehicles usually got to 40 K or 50 K before needing pads and rotor turning.

 

[steve807]

The preferred mechanical diagnosis these days is that warped rotors are rare. Rather, the problem is brake pad deposits embedded in the rotor.

 

[scosgt]

If the rotor is actually warped, that could be a warranty issue.
wear and tear is not, but it could be a defect.

 

[electropower]

Thanks for the replies. I'll update when I get more information.

 

[rmohammed1]

2018 Sorento 3.3 V6 EX with 32k miles. Over the past few weeks it seems that the front brakes are pulsing. My guess is the rotors are warped. Has anyone else had this issue? Thanks in advance.

I also experienced the same issue...I have a 2016 SXL and noticed the warped rotors at around the 25k mark. I've since gone through three pairs of rotors with no luck on resolving the issue. I think its a defect in manufacturing.

 

[ecanderson]

This kind of rotor issue is almost always (99%+) a function of excessive heat. If you don't use them in the couple of ways that can kill them with heat, and since you say you've gone through several sets of rotors already, one would wonder if you've had some intermittent caliper sticking issues. That also tends to take out brake pads as well, though. What you haven't mentioned is what your pad condition has been doing all this time. Also, I am assuming front rotors only, but please identify if it's both fronts, and also whether the rears have posed any issues at all over this time.

 

[orrtw1]

This kind of rotor issue is almost always (99%+) a function of excessive heat. If you don't use them in the couple of ways that can kill them with heat, and since you say you've gone through several sets of rotors already, one would wonder if you've had some intermittent caliper sticking issues. That also tends to take out brake pads as well, though. What you haven't mentioned is what your pad condition has been doing all this time. Also, I am assuming front rotors only, but please identify if it's both fronts, and also whether the rears have posed any issues at all over this time.

2016 SXL 35k. I too began noticing front brake flutter a few thousand miles ago. Like other commenters have said, this is way too early to have rotors warp so it's definitely an OEM issue with the rotors. I think we've all had cars with a lot of miles and never had OEM rotor warpage issues like this. Likely zero chance we'll get any sympathy from the dealer. I think most vehicle owners, aside from ones on this forum, wouldn't think it abnormal and just to have the rotors replaced. No doubt the dealers are getting a lot of brake work out of this. Likely all the OEM rotors will be same poor quality so we'll all need to buy high quality non OEM replacement parts to get away from this problem.

 

[ron1004]

2016 SXL 35k. I too began noticing front brake flutter a few thousand miles ago. Like other commenters have said, this is way too early to have rotors warp so it's definitely an OEM issue with the rotors. I think we've all had cars with a lot of miles and never had OEM rotor warpage issues like this. Likely zero chance we'll get any sympathy from the dealer. I think most vehicle owners, aside from ones on this forum, wouldn't think it abnormal and just to have the rotors replaced. No doubt the dealers are getting a lot of brake work out of this. Likely all the OEM rotors will be same poor quality so we'll all need to buy high quality non OEM replacement parts to get away from this problem.

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[rejesterd]

2016 SXL 35k. I too began noticing front brake flutter a few thousand miles ago. Like other commenters have said, this is way too early to have rotors warp so it's definitely an OEM issue with the rotors. I think we've all had cars with a lot of miles and never had OEM rotor warpage issues like this. Likely zero chance we'll get any sympathy from the dealer. I think most vehicle owners, aside from ones on this forum, wouldn't think it abnormal and just to have the rotors replaced. No doubt the dealers are getting a lot of brake work out of this. Likely all the OEM rotors will be same poor quality so we'll all need to buy high quality non OEM replacement parts to get away from this problem.

Look at the pads. If they're wearing evenly, I would not assume a warped rotor. For reference, I've gone 80k on my original rotors, and none of them have worn even 1mm, and they all have almost immeasurable runout. I would not say Kia's rotors are defective at all.

However, I've had terrible pulsing issues within the last 7k miles or so. I had previously thought it was an unbalanced tire, but I just serviced the brakes last week and realized there were 2 issues: 1) Some rust flakes from the edge of the rotors had become lodged in between the inner rotor faces and the dust plates. And 2), the metal backing plates that Kia gives you for the inner pads were bending and bumping the tops of the rotors. I scraped all the rust off the tops of the rotors, and threw the backing pad plates away. Braking is smooth again. Not saying this is your problem, but I wouldn't immediately condemn the rotors if there's no real evidence they're warped.