2004 Kia Sorento EX from North America - Comments

I purchased an 04' Sorento and loved it. I still like it, BUT since I hit the 65,000 mark on the mileage my head lights have started shooting and the interior door light won't come on. Since it is no longer under warranty and the dealership wants to charge a min. $80 an hour to look at it, I guess it will just stay out. Oh also the dealership says after market bulbs are not the same as KIA bulbs?

Bulbs have a finite life. I have lost 3 tail lights and 1 headlight after 45,000 miles and 4 years in my '03 KIA Sorento. That is reasonable, but could be improved. You might try the following:

My headlight lights used to flicker. Flickering shortens bulb life. Clean and tighten the ground wires where eye terminals on the ground wires attach to the fenders of the car. They are visible with the hood up. Driver's side is between the battery and the fender. Passenger side is between the black air cleaner box and the fender. Make sure they are clean of protective shipping wax, paint and corrosion. Mine weren't. Spray the black 6mm bolt down (use a 10mm wrench) with WD-40 and reinstall. The black coating on the bolt threads was not conducting electricity. This cured my flicker problem and improved my bulb life.

The KIA lights are easy to work on. Instructions are in the owner's manual. Check the bulbs and if burned out, replace with the recommended type which is available from any auto parts store; they are common, readily-available types. Do NOT TOUCH the bulbs with your fingers; the oil on your hands will crack the glass when the quartz bulb heats up. As a precaution, clean the bulbs with alcohol and let dry before installing.

Check the fuses; have the dealer check the charging circuit battery, dimmer and time delay capacitor on the interior lights. Use a different dealer if you don't have one that treats you fairly or you have confidence in. Good luck.

I own a 2004 KIA Sorento EX and I bought it new. I have had to replace the driver's side headlamp twice and the passenger side headlamp once. That's a headlamp every year so far. What's wrong with this picture!

We have an '04 Sorento. 3 headlights and both tail-lights have burnt out twice. This seems to be unreasonable.

Replace them with HID lights, they seem to last longer and are brighter then the cheap bulbs. NOTE they require professional installation..

I purchased a used 2006 Sorento and have replaced headlight lense twice on both sides and now the third one has shot. I have only had the car two years and they are a pain to change,