— A Kia Sorento crankshaft bolt lawsuit will be settled after owners alleged 2003-2006 Kia Sorento SUVs have defects in the design of the crankshaft pulley bolts and balancers that can cause the front crankshaft pulley bolts to break and damage the engines.
The plaintiffs claim Kia knew about the problems but concealed that knowledge from consumers and refused to cover repair costs under warranty.
Kia says it agreed to settle the class-action lawsuit to save on the expense of additional legal costs. However, the automaker has not admitted any wrongdoing concerning the bolts.
Included in the lawsuit are 2003 to 2006 Kia Sorento SUVs with a 3.5-liter engines, manufactured from March 1, 2002, through June 12, 2006.
If you are an original owner of a Sorento:
If you spent money related to parts, towing or labor caused by the crankshaft pulley bolt failure and the failure occurred before February 16, 2017, and before 100,000 miles, you may be eligible for reimbursement up to a maximum of $4,900. If the failure occurred after the warranty expired but before 100,000 miles, Kia will reimburse you up to $175.
If after February 16, 2017, you experienced a crankshaft pulley bolt failure and the failure occurred before 100,000 miles, Kia will cover the parts and labor costs for the repair if conducted at an authorized Kia dealership.
If you are the original owner of an affected Kia Sorento but no longer own the car:
If you spent money related to parts, towing or labor caused by the crankshaft pulley bolt failure and the failure occurred before February 16, 2017, and before 100,000 miles, you may be eligible for reimbursement up to a maximum of $4,900.
If you bought a used Sorento (whether or not you still own the car):
If you spent money related to parts, towing or labor caused by the crankshaft pulley bolt failure and the failure before February 16, 2017, and during the 5-year/60,000 mile warranty, you may be eligible for reimbursement up to a maximum of $4,900.
If the failure occurred after the warranty expired but before 100,000 miles, Kia will reimburse you up to $175.
All claims for benefits under this settlement must be postmarked or submitted by May 17, 2017. To be excluded from the settlement or object to the settlement terms, you must do so by April 3, 2017. The final approval hearing will take place June 19, 2017.
The Kia Sorento crankshaft pulley bolt lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - Yvonne Robinson et. al., v. Kia Motors America, Inc. et. al.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Law Office of Shmuel Klein, PC.
To learn more about the lawsuit and claims process, visit www.CrankshaftBoltClassAction.com.
CarComplaints.com has complaints about the Kia Sorento and many other Kia vehicles.