Rear suspension rusted from chassis. Google search shows multiple people with same issue. Issue making car unsafe to drive. Car has extreme rust problems.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

My wife drives this car primarily. She asked me last week to see what I thought about weird noises from the rear brakes when applying. I could not recognize the noises, so I took it to a local shop. The technician has found extreme rust issues with the rear axle link brackets on the axle housing being rusted out and no longer connected. I have dealt with vehicle repair most of my life, and know this is an extremely dangerous condition. My wife carries her 83 year old mother, and our 3 year old grand daughter. I will not allow her to drive it until I am able to get it on a lift and investigate for myself. I do not have a spare vehicle at this time I have found this to be a very widespread problem on these autos, and am inquiring if there is any knowledge of there being a recall for this issue.

- West Liberty, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 mph, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brackets on the rear end of the vehicle were corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000. The VIN was not available.

- Henning, IL, USA

I brought my vehicle for a coolant leak. My mechanic asked that I come over to look at underneath the vehicle. The rear drivers side control arm was no longer attached to the rear axle. He explained that the upper control arm bracket welded to the rear axle on driver side rotted right through, causing the control arm to come off. I called Kia and they won't do anything to help. This problem has been addressed in the uk and domestically for hyundia Santa Fe. So basicly I have a 2005 Kia with 93,000 miles on it that is unsafe to drive due to a design defect. Both Kia and dealer said they would do nothing.

- Burlington, CT, USA

This is a follow up to NHTSA id numbers, 10819147,10824199,10838525 and 10838531. I further researched the crossmember corrosion may cause loose control arm in the Kia Sorento's and found that in europe Kia issued the attached service bulletin to attempt to correct this issue before the brackets rusted out. Based on Kia Sorento vehicle sales in the us from 2002 to 2008 (the production range noted on the attached service bulletin) this issue could possibly affect up to approx. 266,000 vehicles.

- Melbourne, FL, USA

This is a follow up to NHTSA id numbers, 10819147,10824199 and 10838525. In researching the crossmember corrosion may cause loose control arm in the Kia Sorento's I found that there was a NHTSA campaign number: 13V354000 Hyundai motor company ( Kia's parent company) for the exact same issue. Was there an investigation into the Kia Sorento's at the time?

- Melbourne, FL, USA

This is a follow up to NHTSA id number's 10819147 & 10824199. After filing vsc 10824199, I was contacted by a Kia America representative from California. She requested a copy of my original bill of sale, the vehicle registration and the repair estimate from the dealer to repair the repair upper control arm brackets. She did not request any other documentation or pictures. She said she would review the case and speal to the dealer and depending on the cost would either have the repair completed or purchase the car to be scrapped for kbv. I received a call today and was informed that the repair would cost at least $3,000 and because the vehicle was 10 years old and not in the repair program ( I assume that was being done in the uk) Kia would offer me $1,500 for the car. I asked if the vehicle was safe to drive in it's present condition and was told I should contact the dealer. I told the representative that the dealer did not give me any warnings when the estimate was completed. I was also told that "at least I had gotten 10 years of use out of the vehicle". seeing as there is still a repair program in effect in the united kingdom for this defect is the ntsb going to require Kia yo make these repairs in the us?

- Melbourne, FL, USA

This is a follow up to complaint # 10819147. After taking the car to the dealer I was told by Kia usa it was out of warranty and would not be repaired, the repair estimate for parts only was between $1,300 and $3,000. I had informed Kia usa that they were doing the repairs I the uk, but apparently it did not matter to them. Further follow up showed that Kia in the uk program ends in April 2016. Since this is a design safety issue that is being addressed in other countries, is the NHTSA going to take any action?

- Melbourne, FL, USA

I have an 05 Kia Sorento LX. I took it to my auto repair to day to have a tire repair done. My mechanic ask me to come into the shop to see an issue once it was on the lift. The rear upper control arm bracket on the driver's side had completely rusted away and was detached from the rear axle housing. The bracket on the passenger's side was heavily rusted but had not yet broken. The repair suggested was to replace the entire rear axle and differential housing. I did some researched on the NHTSA site and the internet and found that this is a problem that has been reported several times and in fact was probably caused by how the bracket had been constructed with no drain holes. Iss the NHTSA or Kia going to issue a recall? I saw in my research that this was done by Kia in the united kingdom. The attached pictures show the damage and also a picture of the front suspension to show this is limited to the rear and not a total suspension issue.

- Melbourne, FL, USA

I have an 05 Kia Sorento LX. When I was driving I noticed that my car kept making a grinding sound when making a left, and then I also noticed that it was rattling a lot when hitting bumps and just driving down the road. I took the vehicle into my personal mechanic whom I've been using for years and trust to the highest, and he told me that the entire frame was rusted through, with multiple holes and it was unsafe to drive and the cost to repair is was extremely high. He told me to take it to Kia to see if there were any recalls or anything they could do because a barely 10 year old car shouldn't be having this issue, and it's a safety issue. I took it to the Kia dealership, they inspected the car, and upon their inspection they said, "frame is rusting and has many holes, is unsafe. Advise customer to drive at own risk since it could break at any time. Entire frame and rear end would need to be replaced. Found several areas where the fame has rotted through, and the rear axle is broken where the control arm attaches. Advise getting a new car". to me, this is a huge safety concern - and I've seen multiple complaints about this same issue. Kia isn't doing anything to help with the situation, and quoted me way more than the car is worth to fix it. I just bought this car 2 years ago used from a dealership, and if this is an issue now, then it was an issue when they sold me the time of purchase. They clearly said that the car was unsafe to drive, and yet they're going to let their customers risk their lives instead of trying to help them.

- Portage, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Kia Sorento. While driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal rattling noise and the vehicle shook. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the entire frame had excessive rust and fractures and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

- Portage, MI, USA

While examining the rear suspension prior to replacing the shocks I saw that the upper control arm brackets on the rear axle are badly rusted. The left is slightly worse. I do not live in a rust belt area. Western Washington to be specific. There is no other rust or corrosion on this car. There is a design flaw that allows water to stay in the area above the axle and corrode the bracket. When the bracket breaks the rear axle is no longer held in place. The car will be very difficult to steer and the wheels could lock up. The addition of a weep hole and an anti-corrosion coating would have prevented this. There are reports here on NHTSA where these brackets have rotted away and failed causing loss of control of the vehicle. This is a known design flaw that is just now appearing on the older cars. There are a multitude of comments on the internet worldwide. There will eventually be more of these failures and there is a potential for fatal accidents from loss of vehicle control. In the uk Kia has acknowledged the problem and has been repairing Sorentos for free since 2013. Kia usa needs to acknowledge this design flaw and issue a recall before people are killed.

- Bonney Lake, WA, USA

Driver side axle broke in June 2015 and July 9, 2015 passenger side axle cracked and passenger side hub assembly went bad. Making a rattling, metal grinding noise. When the Sorento was raised up the whole underneath is rusted out. Im lucky I didnt have a major accident. Should be recalled for safety issues.

- Marion, VA, USA

I have a 2005 Kia Sorento and last August I was coming to a stop at a very busy intersection and my car made a very loud clanking bang sound. My car died, my battery, brake and engine light came on. I turned the key and it started and I was able to get it off the road but my power steering was gone. I had it towed to a garage that said they would not fix it because it was to intense (cost $150), so I had it towed to another. An ase certified Chevrolet dealership and they told me it should be covered under my warranty because it was part of the power train and I had less than 60,000 miles on my vehicle- my crankshaft bolt was sheared completely off (no charge). They and I contacted Kia, Kia had me tow it to them (which is 50 minutes away). They then told me it was not covered, and the part was $10.97, however the work involved to fix it was a lot more extensive and gave me an estimate of $650-$750! it cost me $650 plus all my towing costs ($240). I could have saved the towing cost and had the Chevrolet dealership fix it since I had to pay for it! now, not even a year later, I bring my Sorento to the Chevrolet dealer for an oil change and the mechanic asked me to come look at my driver side trailing arm bracket. It is completely rusted and no longer attached and the other side isn't in good shape either. They tell me it will cost hundreds of dollars to fix it and I really should contact Kia because this should not have happened. I decided to research this and it appears that both of these issues are common and unsafe. I am waiting to hear back from Kia now on how to get this taken care of.

- Center Conway, NH, USA

My 2005 Kia Sorento just went in for a transmission leak at 94K and came out with needing a new tranny pan and a whole new rear end underneath due to the rear trailing arm bracket rotting completely away. This is a major safety issue in which many are having. This needs to be recalled, it's the design of the bracket which causes salt, water, etc to enter and have no way to exit. Any of these vehicles in the salt states are going to have this happen and then tragedy will happen if they don't catch it. Again the rear of the car has rotted brackets that attach the trailing arms and without them the car becomes completely unstable and a huge safely hazard.

- Cairo, NY, USA

Went to get the Kia checked out for a problem with transmission at the Kia dealership and they told me the back frame and suspension were so rotted out they could not put on a lift to see the transmission. In my finding there are tons of complaints about this problem.

- Warwick, RI, USA

Took my 2005 Kia Sorento in for a state inspection mechanic pulls me in the shop and shows me the problem left rear upper control arm bracket is completely rotted off and the right side is not far behind.I am a welder fabricator by trade so I look at the axke housing and instantly see the issue the brackets where welded on with no drain holes there is basically a cup created by the bracket that is about 3 inches deep that holds every bit of water that gets thrown in there this is a manufactures design flaw brilliant engineers that never think about the real world this should be a recall oh the rest of the axle housing is barely rusty.

- Jordan, NY, USA

To whom it may concern: On Thursday April 3, 2014, I brought my Kia in for an oil change, the entire rear axle and differential of the vehicle was rusted and rotted all the way through, to the point that the left bracket that is supposed to be welded onto the frame of the car was literally rusted off and hanging. I was told the only thing holding the left side of the car up was a shock. I was then told it would be $1700 to replace. I made a call to Kia headquarters in California and filed a complaint, because I understand mechanical breakdown, however, the fact that a very important part of the car was completely rusted through is a manufacturing defect, the car was made with cheap metal. I do not feel I should have to pay for something Kia did not manufacture properly. Kia denied fault and stated they would not help pay or take responsibility for this. We are not talking about a steering pump needing to be fixed, we are talking about an entire rear end of a car rusting and rotting away in 9 years. This vehicle ws manufactured with very inexpensive cheap metal. I should not have to pay. This morning I received a phone call from crowley Kia stating that they did replace the rear axle, however when they went to connect it to the E brake system the brackets for that were manufactured wrong by Kia and that they were put on backwards. What does that tell you? this car was made cheaply, and I think its a lemon. I would like this to be addressed because I have also seen on some Kia forums where people have had the same problem. This is a major safety issue. What if I were driving with my 7 yr twin girls on the highway and the whole rear end just fell off. We would be looking at possibly a very tragic situation. Forget the warranty, look at the manufacturing side of it. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Plainville, CT, USA

I took my 2005 Kia Sorento in for regular maintenance as I always do. Then I was brought into the garage at the Kia dealership, where my car was up on a lift and shown nothing but complete rust/rot on the rear axel. The bracket on the left side completely rusted through and had broken away from the frame of the car. Now, how does a car rust in 9 years? this is a manufacturer default with them using cheap metal. Sorry! cars should not rust out in 9 years. So, now I have to spend $1700 to replace it. That doesn't include the cost of the oil change and replacing the coolant bucket because it has a hole. Oh, and my rental car. I'm mad and upset! up until now, I have been a huge advocate for Kia, not anymore. Btw....this isn't the first time I've had to put over $1000 into this car that I have only owned for two years. Thanks Kia!!!!

- Plainville, CT, USA

I brought my vehicle in for a regular yearly inspection. Told my mechanic it had been making a weird noise in the rear, thought maybe I needed break pads. Turns out my vehicle was making noise due to as suspension issue. He explained that the upper control arm bracket welded to the rear axle on both side are rotted right through/off. Knowledgeable mechanic said he didn't feel comfortable making something to replace it. Kia does not even sell the part. I called corporate and they won't do anything to help. Told me to find a salvage yard and replace it that way. Horrible quality! passenger side let go first.

- Milton, NH, USA