Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Kia Sorento owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while turning left, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact mentioned that all her strength was needed to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft bolt needed to be replace. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
When driving there was a clunking noise and then the steering was hard to steer and the battery light came on & had to have it towed to find out that the harmonic balancer bolt broke. There are hundreds of complaints online about this same issue happening with these engines as this is a poor design. This is a safety hazard and very dangerous since you loose the steering and should be recalled.
I was stopped waiting to turn into a fast food place when I let off the brakes to turn in ,the SUV took off from 0 to 60 in a split second.when I tried to mash the brakes it wouldn't go down and I couldn't stop.I ended up hitting a tree,the air bags did come out.the SUV was totaled.I contacted Kia's office and they had the SUV towed to a lot for investigation.as of this date I haven't heard form Kia as to what they found out.this was the second time the Kia took off on it's own with me .I would like this accident off my record and info as to what went wrong with the Kia.
Driving approx 55mph, my lights seemed to dim then my battery and brake light came on. I immediately turned my heater, radio, dashboard lights and lights to low. I continued driving for nothing else seemed to be wrong and was going to pull over when I noticed my power steering also was not working. I was able to get myself to a safe place to stop and put the car in park, it began making an odd sound (thinking a possible belt) it then made a popping sound thinking I broke a serpentine belt, I then turned the engine off and had my mechanic look at it. He said the crankshaft bolt had broken off and was an estimated $3000+ repair. I have also had issues with crankshaft sensor which caused my car to not turn over without a jump. After that was repaired I had to buy a new battery that prior to the winter season tested out to be good. …
I was driving though a parking lot on late Friday afternoon and heard a rattling noise coming from under the hood. So, after I parked I popped the hood, I also started to hear a squeaking noise (belts rubbing), so I drove home and parked it until Monday when I took it to a local shop and they said it sounded like a pulley for the timing belt, they got it in on Wednesday and called to have me come take a look at what was causing the noises when I got there, they explained that it was the crankshaft bolt that held the fly wheel on and there where two options (1)I could drive it until the bolt snapped or (2) they could try and break the bolt loose and replace it, so we went with option number 2 and after about five hours I got a call telling me that the bolt had snapped and they had tried welding a new bolt on to try and break the rest of it loose, and they had tried to drill out the bolt …
Kia had a lawsuit involving the crankshaft bolt. The lawsuit is yvonne robinson vs Kia. I bought the vehicle from someone with only 25,000 miles last year 2017. My children were driving back to college on 11 August 2018. The crankshaft bolt broke which causes the vehicle to lose steering. My children were almost in a terrible accident which could have cost them their lives. My sons go to school in atlanta and the crankshaft broke in north carolina. I had my children call our insurance company for roadside assistance and they couldn't fix it obviously because it was the crankshaft bolt. He got them safely to pepboys and they had to spend the night in north carolina and the next day pepboys confirmed it was the crankshaft bolt. I found out there was a lawsuit concerning the crankshaft bolt. Pepboys said it would be $2000 to fix. …
Driving across a 4 lane expressway, barely made it across, the vehicle sputters and comes to a stop after fighting with the power steering losing all control. Crankshaft pulley has damaged the engine so severe, that a new engine was put in at our expense ($5,000), gas tank was discovered to have a hole and leaking gas. Air bag light comes on and off just depends on it's mood, the display on the radio, etc. Goes away in cold weather, and now have a constant thump thump when driving as if the tire is flat. Driving for 5 months with new engine, I pressed on the accelerator quickly to pass a truck when a loud noise (sounding like the engine blew) from the engine was heard then something comes loose and hits the undercarriage so hard I can feel it through the floorboard. No smoke, no elevation in temperature. …
On 07/14/16 I tried to start my vehicle. It did not start so I called a tow truck to give me kick start. The engine started and the battery light came on, this is the first time it had. Two driver told me to take it and get the battery checked out it just didn't seem right to him. So I did and that is when I found out the I had a blown head gasket and upon further investigation they found that the coolant got into the engine and two of the pistons were gone and the interior wall of the engine was scorched badly. This vehicle has been taken care of I loved it and made sure I followed all the requirements bu Kia to keep this car running. With such little miles this should of never happened. In my investigation, I found similar reports regarding Kia Sorento's and engine problems. I have been in contact with Kia but they have not made any gestures to help me. …
My vehicle was in motion on a highway driving 60 miles per hr to work (30 miles from home) in pouring rain when engine, brake and battery light came on. Thank god that I made it to work safely but then only to realize that power steering had locked up. Looked under the hood, power steering fluid and brake fluid fine but one belt had came off and the other belt just barely hanging on from the alternator and pulley. Thought pulley had locked up but took to a mechanic just 1/2 mile down from my job and he said that my problem is that the crankshaft bolt had broken off inside of the crankshaft. I go online and find that there were a lot more complaints of the same issue with my make and year as well as others. …
The Kia Sorento has a catastrophic failor do to a single pin on the crank shat timing gear. This gear has broken free twice and caused head damage bent valves and also cost between 2 and 4 thousand dollars to replace the 30 dollar gear that will with out question fail again I'm on my third time of this happening this time the timing gear pin grow slowing only the crank shat himonic balancer to come free braking a 10 dollar bolt but with out a doubt it will cost me again thousands to fix . Each time this has happened it has been a different situation once was while driving on the high way the vechical made a loud bang and the vechical list power and came to a halt once while pulling out of my drive way this time the engine locked up and the vehicle had tobe towed to a shop only to find out they would not work on it because it is a know defect the third time was driving threw town and it …
Engine complaints in other Sorento years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2005 Kia Sorento?
NHTSA has 106 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2005 Kia Sorento, 35% of the model year's 307 complaints. The component named most often is engine (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Kia Sorento engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2005 Kia Sorento. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Kia Sorento engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.