Photo: Kia
On June 23 last year, Kia North America received a warranty claim alleging a fuel tank leak in a 2022 model year Sorento Plug-In Hybrid. The next month, another warranty claim was filed, prompting a full-on investigation.
Kia North America sourced the warranty-returned fuel tanks, but rather than investigating them in the United States, the safety boffins preferred to send them to Kia Corporation in South Korea. The reason for that is pretty simple, namely the supplier of said fuel tank operates a facility in South Korea.
The supplier in question is TI Automotive, better known as TI Fluid Systems. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the supplier is present in South Korea where it supplies the Hyundai Motor Group (Kia and Genesis brands inclusive).
On January 17, the mothership in South Korea informed Kia North America of the investigation’s results. TI Automotive was blamed for the leakage, caused by the supplier’s improper molding of the fuel tank. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s tank is referred to as P/N 31150-P4800.
Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that the leakage is caused by improper molding at the seam. The issue occurred from April 7, 2022, to April 9, 2022, at the supplier’s South Korean facility.
The potentially defective fuel tanks may have been installed in Sorento Plug-In Hybrid crossovers produced from April 12, 2022, through April 26, 2022. That very same day, Kia started using properly molded fuel tanks without being aware of the aforementioned concern. Both the defective and properly molded fuel tank feature the same part number.
For the U.S. market, only 34 vehicles are believed to have been produced with defective tanks. The vehicles in question were sold for the 2022 model year. Dealers will be informed of this problem on March 16, whereas affected owners can expect Kia-branded notifications to arrive by March 22.
Slotted between the compact Sportage and family-sized Carnival and Telluride, the Sorento is a three-row crossover that currently kicks off at $30,090 for the ICE-only LX. A hybrid powertrain is available at $36,690 sans destination.
The plug-in hybrid subject to this recall is the most expensive powertrain available in the Sorento nowadays, for it comes in one well-equipped trim level. SX Prestige is what it’s called, and customers are presented with no fewer than seven choices for the exterior color and two interior colors.
Rather than a naturally-aspirated engine, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid rocks a 1.6-liter turbo. The four-cylinder lump is joined by a small electric motor and a 13.8-kWh battery, which offer up to 32 miles (51 kilometers) of driving range in all-electric mode.
Good for 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm) at full chatter, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t feature a continuously variable transmission but a torque-converter automatic with six forward ratios. Given its $49,990 starting price, all-wheel drive is standard.
The supplier in question is TI Automotive, better known as TI Fluid Systems. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the supplier is present in South Korea where it supplies the Hyundai Motor Group (Kia and Genesis brands inclusive).
On January 17, the mothership in South Korea informed Kia North America of the investigation’s results. TI Automotive was blamed for the leakage, caused by the supplier’s improper molding of the fuel tank. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s tank is referred to as P/N 31150-P4800.
Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that the leakage is caused by improper molding at the seam. The issue occurred from April 7, 2022, to April 9, 2022, at the supplier’s South Korean facility.
The potentially defective fuel tanks may have been installed in Sorento Plug-In Hybrid crossovers produced from April 12, 2022, through April 26, 2022. That very same day, Kia started using properly molded fuel tanks without being aware of the aforementioned concern. Both the defective and properly molded fuel tank feature the same part number.
For the U.S. market, only 34 vehicles are believed to have been produced with defective tanks. The vehicles in question were sold for the 2022 model year. Dealers will be informed of this problem on March 16, whereas affected owners can expect Kia-branded notifications to arrive by March 22.
Slotted between the compact Sportage and family-sized Carnival and Telluride, the Sorento is a three-row crossover that currently kicks off at $30,090 for the ICE-only LX. A hybrid powertrain is available at $36,690 sans destination.
The plug-in hybrid subject to this recall is the most expensive powertrain available in the Sorento nowadays, for it comes in one well-equipped trim level. SX Prestige is what it’s called, and customers are presented with no fewer than seven choices for the exterior color and two interior colors.
Rather than a naturally-aspirated engine, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid rocks a 1.6-liter turbo. The four-cylinder lump is joined by a small electric motor and a 13.8-kWh battery, which offer up to 32 miles (51 kilometers) of driving range in all-electric mode.
Good for 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm) at full chatter, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t feature a continuously variable transmission but a torque-converter automatic with six forward ratios. Given its $49,990 starting price, all-wheel drive is standard.
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