Kia Problems

Of all the technology you’re considering right now, the only one that sounds any real alarm bells is that of the double-clutch transmission. It’s not that Kia’s version of the DCT is worse than many others – nor is it the worst of the lot – but there have been complaints over the operation and lifespan of these units generally. Sometimes the fault is a software glitch, but in other DCTs – particularly the dry-clutch variety – the problems are mechanical and can lead to catastrophic failures.

With that said, it’s also true that Kia in Australia offers a fantastic factory warranty, so you should have no worries for at least the first seven years. It’s also the case that Kia Australia takes its reputation very seriously and is one of the better companies when it comes to sorting out faults and problems with its products. We’re pretty big fans here at Carsguide of the current Toyota hybrid technology, and it’s looking like the new Kluger Hybrid will be just as popular as Toyota’s other hybrid offerings. Perhaps more so as the non-hybrid Kluger can be thirsty.

As for the requirement for premium ULP, when you consider that the Kluger Hybrid will, around the city and suburbs where most of them will spend the vast majority of their lives, use about two thirds of the fuel of the V6 Kluger (maybe even a bit less than that) then the extra cost per litre is more than compensated for by the reduced cost per kilometre. And in case you were worried about Toyota’s hybrid tech, the new Kluger Hybrid comes with up to 10 years of warranty on the battery-pack provided the vehicle is serviced correctly and inspected once a year.

The other thing you might consider is the next-size-down Toyota hybrid, the RAV4. This is quite a spacious vehicle these days and offers excellent fuel efficiency and driveability. It’s cheaper than the Kluger, too. Definitely worth a look. Overall, the broader view is that a petrol hybrid vehicle is more future-proof than a conventional turbo-diesel.

The brand-new Kia SUV for Australia (due for release in October 2021) has finally brought Kia Sportage Apple CarPlay and Android connectivity to all models across the range. Previously, the base-model missed out on these fitments, but the all-new platform extends these features to every model.

All Sportages will now also get digital radio and multi-device connectivity. The base-model S variant gets an eight-inch touchscreen, while the SX and SX+ models have a 12.3-inch screen. The range-topping GT-Line model will get a curved 12.3-inch screen.

It’s really not viable to retro-fit the new Sportage’s system into an older car, and most owners have found that a more cost effective upgrade to a new aftermarket head unit will offer the features they want, including the ability to enjoy Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Kia Sportage style.

The first piece of advice would be to obtain a workshop manual for your car. Within those pages, you’ll find all sorts of valuable information and tips on performing home maintenance. Compared with even the briefest trip to a professional workshop, a good workshop manual will pay for itself over and over again.

As for the rear door panel on your Sorento, the tricky part is finding all the hidden screws and fasteners that locate things like the armrest. Sometimes the attaching screws are hidden in tiny pop-out panels under the armrest, some times the screw will be hiding under a rubber insert in the door handle’s recess. These will usually be Philips-head screws.

Once you’ve removed those screws, it comes down to a gentle game of popping each of the clips that secure the perimeter of the door panel to the actual door. You’ll gain a feel for this job, but be careful; if you’re too aggressive, you might break or snap the little plastic clips which would then need to be replaced before you could re-fit the door panel. A steady but firm force on the door panel, rather than a sudden shock is the best way to achieve this without damaging anything. Once all those clips have been freed, you should find that the whole door panel will be resting on a groove at the bottom of the window. Lift the panel clear of this and you’re done, although watch out for electrical wires that could still be attached to the power windows and courtesy lights.

The Kia Sportage sold in the US certainly did have its share of problems. In some cases, the engine failures were traced to a faulty batch of engine bearings, in others, a leaking oil sump was blamed for allowing too much oil to escape, leading to oil starvation which destroyed the whole engine. Kia’s fix for the latter condition was to fit an oil-pressure warning light with a more proactive trigger-point.

But it’s dangerous to assume that the same make and model sold in the USA (or anywhere else) will have the same problems as Australian delivered cars. Often, even though they share a brand and badge, the cars from different markets are built in different factories and use parts from different suppliers. Sometimes there are major mechanical changes to cope with local conditions and tastes which can lead to very different reliability outcomes.

That said, however, the Theta engines used in local Kias have been problematic for some owners and catastrophic engine failures are part of those. You could talk with Kia Australia’s customer service division about financial assistance with the cost of repairs, but at nine years old – even with relatively low kilometres – there would be no guarantee of that happening. 

It sounds as though there’s some slack somewhere vin the driveline that is taking up suddenly with a clunking noise as the result. This is actually pretty common in cars as they age and relates to general wear and tear on the driveline components.

What you haven’t told me is whether your car is a petrol or diesel model which will determine whether it’s a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle respectively. Why does that matter? Because, fundamentally, the all-wheel-drive version – which has a centre differential, a transfer-case and a driveshaft for each wheel – has more than double the driveline components of the front-drive Sorento. And, clearly, that means at least double the opportunity for a clunk or creak or groan to creep in as the vehicle ages.

Regardless of the driveline layout, of course, any free-play in the driveline is bad news because it means there’s wear somewhere and that needs to be identified and fixed before it wears further and, ultimately, fails, leaving you stranded or even contributing to a crash. So have it checked by a workshop familiar with that make and model and nip any problems in the bud while they’re still annoyances rather than catastrophes.

In the meantime, you can do a bit of detective work of your own: Many driveline clunks are caused by worn CV (Constant Velocity) joints which allow the wheels to turn (with the steering) as well as drive the car. Find a nice, deserted car-park and slowly drive in circles first with full left lock and then with full right lock. You’re listening for a clattering, clicking or rumbling noise as you do so. If you can hear such a noise, then you might just be well on your way to diagnosing the problem.

Mazda’s SUV range (CX-5 and CX-8) are popular with their owners and have a good reputation in the trade. Crucially, they’re also available with a turbo-diesel engine, so they fit your criteria on that basis. We’d also suggest you take a good look at the South Korean brands’ offerings (Hyundai and Kia) as these are also highly rated by the trade and those companies have been involved with small-capacity diesel engines for decades, so the technology is pretty well sorted.

It’s interesting that you’ve had a good run from your Holden Captiva as that is far from the experience of many owners and former owners of this particular vehicle. As the Captiva ages it is very likely to start giving trouble, so the best advice is to trade up to a newer vehicle sooner rather than later.

It sounds like something electronic is randomly playing up and that’s causing the intermittent problem. Modern engines like these use a raft of sensors to keep the on-board computer informed of what’s going on and keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. If just one of those sensors stops working properly, all sorts of havoc can result.

It’s a bit strange that the on-board diagnostics of the vehicle aren’t throwing up a relevant fault code when your mechanic interrogates the computer but, again, some of these modern electronic systems require some pretty specific software. Which means a trip to a Kia dealership might provide a more in-depth answer to what’s going on.

The good news is that since 2014, Kias sold new in Australia have been covered by a seven-year warranty, so your Sorento is well and truly still under that factory cover. Which means it shouldn’t cost you anything to have the problem sorted out by Kia.

This is a real problem and many road service call-outs are, in fact, caused by this very problem. It’s vastly more common for petrol to be put into a diesel vehicle than the other way around, simply because a petrol bowser nozzle will fit into the diesel car’s filler neck, but not the other way around. But should you mistakenly put petrol into a modern, common-rail diesel engine, the entire fuel system needs to be cleaned as a result. And that’s the best-case scenario, because if you drive any distance with petrol in the system, repairs can top $10,000 in some cases.

The devices you have listed usually work in the same way; they replace the car’s standard filler neck and act as a physical barrier to an unleaded petrol nozzle being inserted into the car. Unless the nozzle being presented is a diesel-sized nozzle, you won’t be able to put anything into the tank. Installed correctly, they should present no problems, but as with any part of a car’s fuel system, the installer needs to know what they’re doing. But they’re popular with fleet vehicles (which are driven by a variety of people who may or may not know the vehicle is diesel-powered) and families with a fleet that uses more than one type of fuel.

Before you do anything, take the car to a workshop with the correct diagnostic gear and have it scanned. This process will see the workshop’s computer have a deep and meaningful conversation with the computer in your car, and the result will probably be a fault code(s) that will tell the mechanic exactly what’s going wrong.

Beyond that, you’re merely stabbing in the dark, as limp-home mode can be triggered for all sorts of reasons including dud sensors, poor wiring, a computer glitch, you name it. The fact that it’s an intermittent limp-home situation makes it even harder to diagnose without a computer scan. You cans start to replace components at random to see if they fix the problem, but you’ll probably wind up replacing a whole heap of perfectly working ones before you stumble on to the one that’s playing up. In the meantime, you’ll have spent heaps and wasted weeks.