2003 Kia Sorento ex review from North America
"Do not buy a KIA"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The head lights need replacing every 4 to 6 months. I've replaced the tail lights every year. The coolant reservoir cracked at 70,000 miles and in doing so the engine overheated. I pulled off the highway and had the car towed home. I took the car to my local service station and they told me the head gasket had blown. I then had the car towed to dealership where the I bought the car. They wanted $800 to investigate and they would not honor the warranty since I had my car serviced there only once. I preferred to use the local service station for the oil and lube since I had been charged for my first 2 oil changes when the dealership had given me free oil change coupons for 1 year. Go figure???
I filed a complaint with the BB and with the KIA regional office only to get a the run around. After 3 weeks of getting no where, I purchased a used engine and had it installed. I drove the car another 18,000 miles when the car overheated again and the head gasket blew.
I do not recommend that anyone purchase a KIA.
General comments?
I do not recommend purchasing any KIA automobiles.
Recommended reviews
  | Very nice. When I started looking at SUVs, it was my first choice |
| 2003 - Sorento LX 3.5L V6 gasoline Outstanding car for the value. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model Year | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.5 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 0/10 |
| Reliability marks | 0/10 |
| Comfort marks | 4/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 10 miles |
| Most recent distance | 93000 miles |
| Previous car | mercury sable |
| Date of Entry | 8th April, 2008 |