You should check the lemon law in your state. When a new vehicle has been out of service for a certain amount of time, in some states, that qualifies for a lemon buyback.

 

Yes, the process has already been started. The demand letter has been sent to Kia Corporate. I was just still hoping they could fix the car.

 

21 ex doesn't shift into second gear or 3rd for that matter it go up to 4,000 rpms . I have to let off the gas so it shifts. I'm one that also down shifts going down hills.
Anyway I put in in manual mode and instead of showing the gear it shows an " S " can't find anything in the manual.
Anyone experience this?

 

Lemon Law! Make them buy back the vehicle!

 

Mines didn’t fail but I brought it in for a leak on the first week of august. Turned out to be a transmission leak and needed a new transmission. They ordered the part a week later. After a month and a half of no update, I started making calls to Kia and the dealership and told them I’m close to calling a lemon law lawyer. Now idk if it was the phone calls that did it, but I got a call last week about my part coming in this Wednesday and that I should get it by Friday at the earliest.

their excuse was always “COVID is slowing everything down.”

but I’m in California and hearing from people I know, they have told me that my car is not a lemon even though it’s been at the dealership for two months.

 

but I’m in California and hearing from people I know, they have told me that my car is not a lemon even though it’s been at the dealership for two months.

In California, doesn't everything cause cancer? Just tell them that.

 

I heard of a 2021 Sorento that they forgot to fill with DCT fluid and is sitting waiting for a new transmission.

 

Yes it’s definitely not fun paying for a new vehicle then not being able to drive it due to it sitting on the lot waiting for parts.

 

Yes it’s definitely not fun paying for a new vehicle then not being able to drive it due to it sitting on the lot waiting for parts.

I know you are furious! I'd be asking to see the owner and do a VIN swap to get you a new car! This is ridiculous to treat you like this.
THEY can wait for the transmission and sell it as used once fixed. You should be in a new car...

 

We have a 2021 SX with less than 6000 miles sitting at the dealership with a failing transmission. Kia corporate has been completely unresponsive. This is a very dangerous vehicle. Please report all transmission issues to NHTSA, you can do this online and it only takes a couple of minutes.
If you go check out the Telluride forums you will see it’s not just a Sorento issue.


Please report this to the NHTSA. You can do it online and it’s quick. These vehicles are dangerous.

 

These vehicles are not dangerous. Most of the transmission issues are in the owners heads. They just don’t understand how the dual clutch operates, and the clunking and slight jerking terrifies people. Most dealerships don’t understand them either, and that’s why I kea continues to replace perfectly healthy transmissions. It’s not a mechanical issue, it’s an educational issue.

 

Mine has 6k miles and has been acting up since day one. I am hearing comments like, "Oh, it's just the nature of the dual clutch transmission, you'll get used to it". Bull. The jerky, erratic nature of it is unpredictable and a hazard. I will be contacting the NHTSA also.

 

Yes, please do. The more of us that reaches out then maybe a solution will be reached.

 

Only advice I can offer is to work at a Lemon Law refund, not replacement, and then go shopping again paying attention to avoid DTC and CVT transmissions.

 

Our issues have little to do with the type of transmission, it goes completely in to neutral at all speeds without any warning. Never recovers until stopped and turned off. I’ll never EVER buy another Kia, not just because of a major mechanical at less than 6000 miles but because they have the most dismal customer service I’ve ever experienced in any industry. This was our first and last.

 

Not on our vehicle, nothing happens, no sounds , no lights, no flashes. Just no transmission at all. My wife was almost rear ended on Saturday when it stopped functioning in traffic. Someone is going to get killed, but I don’t think they really care. They let customers burn to death in vehicles before they did the engine recall.

 

This sounds exactly like what mine was doing. It did show a warning light as described above but there was nothing I could do at that point considering it was just stuck in neutral. Mine did not recover after turning the ignition off and remained in neutral. It was then towed to the dealership and I was informed it needed a new transmission. This is only one of the problems I’ve ran into. All of the oil also leaked out of the car in my driveway when it only had 146 miles on it. This was a bad seal on the turbo. Definitely dangerous vehicles.

 

Yes, I'm sure others have had this problem.
Something similar happened to me years ago so when I was told it would be weeks before the needed part would arrive. I asked the service manager to provide me with a loaner. (He did) Why should a customer suffer when getting the part is not his problem? Strangely, the part miraculously arrived 2 weeks sooner than first expected. This MAY be an incentive to get your part shipped sooner so the dealer can get his loaner back.

 

and how many others had tranny problems that are not on this forum

 

True!

 

Got my car back Friday after a couple month at the dealership waiting for a new transmission. And I gotta say, I feel a difference. Before I took it in, it was leaking oil and had a delayed acceleration and a slight jerk to it. With this new transmission, it seems everything is smoother on the acceleration. So far the new tranny has been good. Hope to see no more problems with it cuz it is a good car and a nice looking one at that. Only negative about this whole experience was the wait and kias customer service was horrible.

 

@Emily106 have you gotten the car back? Did you decide to go the Lemon Law route?

I have a 2021 Sorento SX Prestige X-Line that has been at the dealer for 3 weeks for a failed transmission. The vehicle has a ton of paint issues too. In MA, we can start the Lemon Law process after 15 days out of service and 3 service visits (car is on the 4th and 20 total days in the shop). They have 7 (lawyer said realistically 9) days until by law its a lemon. Kia Corporate has not responded to any of my communications with them thus far

 

Yes I received it back after it being at Kia for 63 business days the third time. I had issues prior to this also. They didn’t attempt to start working on it until a lawyer was involved. Even though I have it back, Kia still agreed to buy it back. I feel this is this best thing for me because we had several issues besides the transmission. In my opinion these cars are definitely lemons. I would move ahead with the lemon law if you can. Spend your money on something that is dependable. The Sorento’s are definitely nice but not worth the headache.

 

No, yours is a lemon

 

I've always been leery of a new generation car due to the issues not being worked out (it's why I got the 2020 Sorento last fall instead of waiting for the 2021, which to me looks like a nicer car than my 2020). But these issues with the dual clutch transmission are worrying. I've been looking at the possibility of a Seltos that I think uses a similar transmission that seems to be having issues too. I'm seeing transmission complaints over on the Hyundai Forums too.

I wonder how widespread this is, vs a forum selection bias thing?

 

Go hybrid or plug-in. They use a traditional 6 speed auto.

 

Never again will I buy Kia. I have had several Hondas CRV, Accords, Pilots...no issues. Not even an issue out of my 1999 Honda Accord with 128,000 miles on it. I decide to forgo the new Honda Pilot 2020(big mistake)for the kia sorento 2021 bc of its slick look and some of its "good" ratings...didnt know there was an underlying issue with the transmission. If I had known so, I would have stayed cleared. Smh. So I might as well be prepared to wait 30 days as well. This can't be legal.

 

My 2021 SorentoX line prestige quit on me while driving on the highway. I got a message: Safely stop vehicle immediately. I had no acceleration. Towed to the dealership that could see an issue with the transmission in the history but were trying to replicate it. Waiting to hear. Beyond frustrated with a car under a year old, 7800 miles on it.

 

Just had to get my car towed a week ago because of transmission failure (mileage reads 9113 miles). They said I need a whole new transmissions as well, there’s no ETA for repair but they said it may take over a month to get it in. At the 30 day mark I too will begin the lemon law process(NY). Any insight on how the process works will be appreciated.

I love how this SUV drives but this unreliability and my overall experience with KIA is simply not worth the headaches that are to come.

 

I am in the same boat. Anyone here able to give us some idea of the steps we need to take?

 

A friend here bought a basic model 2019 with the 2.4L FWD. The tranny went before the 1st oil change. He lost confidence in it. He got another one via the dealer to replace it exactly the same configuration. Going strong for a lot of miles now. It was a lemon and certainly can happen. He didn't want a repaired transmission etc. as it was brand new.

 

Has your transmission issue been resolved?

 

Yes it has. We’re waiting on our buyback to be finalized though.

 

Someone posted something here about people being far more likely to post a complaint everywhere rather than a "positive review".

Although their statistical analysis seems spot-on at face value, it certainly doesn't discredit the relevance of a complaint or of the same complaint voiced by several complainants.

Here's my take on human nature involving complaints [based on being a human and observing humans for over half a century]: We [humans] feel it's a waste of time to acknowledge what should be [i.e., An unabused, low mileage vehicle (i.e., less than 12000 miles) SHOULD be free of defects; whether purchased new or used.] because it's been the norm [based on federal/state law requirements] for quite some time. As such, I expect all humans to have a head and will not mention I saw several humans with heads at any given time; however, if I run across a few headless folks at work, I'm confident I'd be inclined to mention it somewhere. Perhaps I'll post it on some forum: "Several co-workers missing their heads today at work. Thought it was odd since they had them yesterday." Same goes for vehicle issues [which I'm sure is one of the purposes of this forum: sharing functionality/performance abnormalities (good/bad)].

How am I helping anyone by telling them my vehicle operates properly? Or that it drives smoothly? Or that it accelerates quickly? Alotta of 'em do that! Providing testimony of operational experience above and beyond is another story! That's actionable intel which could reasonably be expected to influence decisions: "My XYZ vehicle has operated properly for 37 years!", "My XYZ vehicle has driven smoothly for 311,000 miles!", or "My XYZ vehicle accelerates from 0 to 60mph in 3.7 seconds!"

Maybe "positive review" should have been qualified with "actionable". Just sayin'.

Regardless, sharing a relevant and credible issue here is the first step toward resolution and I'm thankful for this resource.

Fire at will, Complainants! 😲

😉

 

Just a comment.....I worked for the big three for 36 years. A 'walk home' result of either process or design failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) was not permitted. The first year of a new vehicle or powertrain warranty was very closely monitored, by the week. Dealers were encouraged to contact engineering directly with major unknown causes and issues. Manufacturing plants were told that dealers had TOP priority to overnight ship complete new engines or transmissions to dealers who were in need. The failed units were returned to engineering HQ for complete tear down and root cause analysis.....that's how problems get solved.

Since new transmissions are not available, I get the feeling that a major design flaw has reared its ugly head, and no one knows what to do as of yet. Or, this gear box is not produced by Kia or any of its subsidies, and the tier one supplier is dragging their feet at the command of their management.... All in all a sad day for Kia! This is why Consumers Reports nicked them big time on quality in the last issue!

 

I believe Kia owns this new 8 speed DCT.

What you describe for steps to resolution makes sense still, and probably why the few people that have had it fixed waited so long. Kia is likely still guessing at what the hell is happening

 

I am getting quite lost here.

Hence I am sticking my Neck Right out and if someone feels the need to sort me out so be it.

But. What is DCT ?? In reference to the 8 speed transmission which I have in my 2019?

I believe from previous searches was the first year the 8 speed was used on the Sorento.

Thanks

 

But. What is DCT ?? In reference to the 8 speed transmission which I have in my 2019?

I don't think that your 2019 has the Dual Clutch Transmission - I think it has the standard auto trans with a torque convertor - I'm not familiar with your model, so will need to do a little more research.