Other suspension problem on the 2004 Kia Sorento
When other suspension problem gets reported
Owners of the 2004 Kia Sorento report other suspension problem at a median of 90,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 85,000 miles and a quarter after 140,000 miles, from 12 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 100,000 miles. It is the 8th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 60,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 150,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 87,692 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
0% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62,308 miles | 82,794 miles | 91,000 miles | 140,250 miles | 150,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $350–$2,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 10 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2017, at a median of 5,000 miles, and latest on the 2006 at 130,000 miles.
By volume the 2011 carries the most reports, with 32; the 2004 has 14. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Recent (6 mo. Ago) purchase of a 2004 kia sorrento. At time of purchase approx. 75,000 mi. Logged. Tires appear to be in very good.condition. Within a month or two of purchase, it became obvious that there was a traction problem on wet or even slightly wet roads. As of today, dec. 10, 2008, I have skidded twice and "fishtailed" once, going very slowly (20 MPH or less) today it was barely sprinkling and as I literally crept around a corner, the car unexpectedly began to swerve and fishtail. It was a little scary and I'm sure the people behind me freaked me out... Despite my surprise, I tried not to jerk the wheel . The car straightened up after a few tail end swishes back and forth. I have searched the internet recently and have seen consumer reference to "poor traction on wet surfaces" (understatement). I have mentioned it to a kia repair shop, but was told to make an appointment and bring it in. Since I do not have thousands for a major suspension (or ?) repair, I have been praying for dry weather. I have also heard and felt strange noises when the vehicle was accidentally switched to 4 wheel drive, but it is not apparent when in…
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia sorento. The contact stated when the accelerator pedal was engaged the rear end rocked back and forth. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that the hangers on the rear end were corroded. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 101,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced by the dealer when the dealer advised that the rear housing linkage was corroded. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 107,000 and the current mileage was 107,500.
Also reported on the 2004 Kia Sorento
Other engine problem
Radiator or coolant leak
Other powertrain problem
Other electrical problem
Other body or interior problem
Differential or transfer case failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 14 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other suspension problem happen on the 2004 Kia Sorento?
Across 12 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 90,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 85,000 miles and a quarter after 140,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other suspension problem on the 2004 Kia Sorento?
14 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.5 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed