[Superfat_dad]

Hello my fellow Sorento owners.

Superfat dad here from Boca Raton, FL

Needed a 7 seater to haul the kiddos around and the sorento price point did not disappoint, Just picked up a brand new silver Seronto LX v6 leftover from 2019 and got a nice deal on it. (10k off)

The dealer did pre-delivery car wash and was ready for me when i got there. Drove it home and noticed condensation in both front headlights, the next morning i noticed some, today during in the afternoon we had temperature in the 90s and the headlights were clear, drove it a little to walgreens and back this evening and they're foggy again.. (PHOTOS ATTACHED)

I could be wrong but certainly seems to be some sort of a leak going into the headlights

Has anyone had the same problem? What are your recommendations?

Also, i notice the brakes are loud when you step on them. I asked the dealer he said its probably because the truck's been sitting for a while, give it a week and see if its better.. what do you think?

Thanks again in advance you guys, looking forward to 300k healthy miles

 

[Lou O.]

Very common complaint. It will clear up on its own, but will also come and go based on various weather conditions. Learn to ignore it....

 

[steve807]

Mine has the fancy look around the corner headlights. One had to be replaced under warranty due to moisture which expanded the desiccant bag causing it to jam the wig wag motor.

 

[Superfat_dad]

Learn to ignore it....

Thank you for your message, unfortunately my mind will not learn to ignore it, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my cars especially when its brand-spanking-new, if it had 10k miles id say maybe, but brand new? really? this is not a problem I ever had to deal with driving a honda or a toyota, and Im sure KIA will not fight this if indeed leaking, I am afraid if I don't say anything about it it'll fall under wear and tear, its best I take it back before anymore days pass. I just can NOT learn to ignore these issues, why would I?

 

[scosgt]

It is mentioned in the manual. Totally normal. Read the manual.

 

[Superfat_dad]

It is mentioned in the manual. Totally normal. Read the manual.

Thanks for the response. I have downloaded a digital owner's manual and went through every single page, not mentioned anywhere. Is there a specific section that perhaps my manual doesn't have?
Towards the end where it talks about headlamps, it says to always keep moisture away from any electrical components including headlamps, how could this be written if as you say it is totally normal and in the user manual? It is not in the manual, any car manufacturer knows better than to document such mockery in their manual!

 

[twesterh]

2012 soul Headlight condensation

I just picked up my 2012 soul base auto about 2 weeks ago. After I made the deal I went out to look at the cars they had on the lot (I was waiting for a dealer trade for my vehicle) and noticed that the vehicle I test drove had a small amount of condensation on the passenger side headlight...

www.kiasoulforums.com

See TSB in the above thread. If you do a Google search you will see every manufacturer deals with this and they all consider it normal unless there is actual pooling of water. Annoying but if you turn your headlights on it should evaporate the condensation in minutes.

 

[Superfat_dad]

H

2012 soul Headlight condensation

I just picked up my 2012 soul base auto about 2 weeks ago. After I made the deal I went out to look at the cars they had on the lot (I was waiting for a dealer trade for my vehicle) and noticed that the vehicle I test drove had a small amount of condensation on the passenger side headlight...

www.kiasoulforums.com

See TSB in the above thread. If you do a Google search you will see every manufacturer deals with this and they all consider it normal unless there is actual pooling of water. Annoying but if you turn your headlights on it should evaporate the condensation in minutes.

Hi there, thank you for sharing. This seems to be a TSB for the previous generation of Sorentos not the newer ones. I wonder if they ever released an updated one for the new ones? This is very frustrating. I think I'd just take it in to have it documented. This way if they ever decide to recall them perhaps I can have records of this while the vehicle is brand new. Otherwise they'll naturally blame me for it.
Thank you again!

 

[twesterh]

If there is one thing I've learned in life is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease; good luck!

 

[Lou O.]

Okay then... good luck fighting this. Let us know how it works out for you....

And, remember, you live in Florida, a hot and humid state with large temperature fluctuations.

The head lamps are vented to the atmosphere. If they were not the seals would blow out. Hot air expands when headlights are on and air gets pushed out. When headlights are off they cool down and suck in ambient humid air which condenses on the inside lens. Sort of like when you have a glass with ice in it on a warm day.....Hope this explanation helps keep your blood pressure down a few points!

 

[ecanderson]

This is one area where I wonder about LED vs. lamps that produce more heat. How much longer does it take to dispel the moisture with the lower heat of an LED bulb? Reminds me of the surprise some cities got when they replaced their older incandescent traffic lights with LEDs, and realized that blowing snow wasn't melting.

 

[scosgt]

Thanks for the response. I have downloaded a digital owner's manual and went through every single page, not mentioned anywhere. Is there a specific section that perhaps my manual doesn't have?
Towards the end where it talks about headlamps, it says to always keep moisture away from any electrical components including headlamps, how could this be written if as you say it is totally normal and in the user manual? It is not in the manual, any car manufacturer knows better than to document such mockery in their manual!

It is in my 2019 manual. The one that comes with a new car.

 

[Superfat_dad]

Good evening everyone
My OCD forced me to email KIA corporate office last night detailing the issue including a video, photos etc. I explained that coming from other car makes to KIA the last thing i was expecting was for them to drop the ball and install foggy lights. I explained my concern and honestly wanted it documented with corporate just in case!

This afternoon I get a call from KIA corporate, she explained that this would be rectified and offered to make me an appointment with my closest KIA dealer, i explained I'd have to call them directly once I've learned my schedule for next week. She said she will send a message to the dealer to expect me there and explain the situation. She explained that she technically needs a dealer to document the cause in the system so that she can take it over from there.

Guys, not to be picky, but I am, who am I kidding. I think we all love our cars enough to be spending time in a forum dedicated to the cause. Am i right?

You guys cant believe this is normal just because the manual says it is, this isn't right, moisture should not go inside the headlight, its a shotty design that needs to be rectified.

She promised she'd follow up with an email confirming our conversation, and she did.. i have attached a copy to this post.

Will update after dealer's visit

 

[tom4416]

I understand your frustration and it's not an issue I have to deal with in the desert climate I live in. But is it really worth getting your blood pressure up over? My wife's previous Accord did exactly the same thing (we lived on the humid east coast at the time) and Honda said it was normal. If it's documented in the manual as normal then I think you either accept that or buy a different car as I really don't think they can completely seal the system and I think that is what the eventual outcome will be after many hours of frustration on your part. If there was actual leakage of water into the headlight, where it was pooling permanently in the base, then it's a whole different set of circumstances and would represent defective construction.

As to the loud brake issue that you raised in your first post - loud squeal or a rumble? Pads do have to seat themselves but I didn't notice anything "loud" on ours when braking but I may not be sensitive to the frequency range where you are hearing noises. The bedding process I follow when I change pads would stand your hair on end but those brakes always grab exceptionally well and are never noisy but no one does such a process on production line vehicles.

I hope everything gets resolved to your satisfaction and you can enjoy the vehicle.

 

[Superfat_dad]

loud squeal or a rumble?

Thank you for the great message! I can agree with and respect your viewpoint.

As for the brakes, yes more like a rumble that gets louder as you press harder.. could be temporary. Not sure to be honest.

 

[Fluffycakes]

Having the same problem with my headlights and spoke to the salesman about it. He said kia probably won't do anything about because it's normal but I don't see BMWs do this at least I hope. he said if it gets worse then to bring it in but also take pictures to show them. I also tweeted complaining to kia about it and am waiting for a call from them.

 

[scosgt]

Thank you for the great message! I can agree with and respect your viewpoint.

As for the brakes, yes more like a rumble that gets louder as you press harder.. could be temporary. Not sure to be honest.

A rumble could be an out of round rotor. That would need to be replaced.
However it could also be a wheel bearing. or something else as discussed in another thread. It is NOT normal.
Also, check your lug nuts for proper torque. I had a problem a couple of times on the 2016 SX with a rumble on acceleration.
both times it was a loose lug nut! tightened it up, problem solved.

 

[tom4416]

Yes, a rumble can be indicative of bigger problems versus a squeal which is just annoying. I've got a tiny microphone that is on a 30 foot cord that plugs into my smart phone. I can zip tie it anywhere on the car and listen/record sounds and then pinpoint them down to a very specific area. Not something you should have to be doing, that's the dealers job but sometimes the dealer doesn't always do what they are supposed to.

 

[Superfat_dad]

The car is at the dealer as we speak. They have replaced both front rotors causing the rumbling noise and I'm waiting for the service manager to get in tomorrow and let me know what corporate decides to do about the headlights. I'll keep you updated

 

[tom4416]

Any resolution to this? I notice you're happily doing maintenance on the vehicle so hopefully your issue got resolved.