Learning to drive a car is not always unproblematic, and often it may seem like a good solution to select an automatic Kia Sorento, if it’s for basic comfort or ease of use, this sort of transmission is becoming more and more wide-spread. Nevertheless, while they might seem like a perfect choice, there may possibly as well be problems with the automatic gearboxes of your Kia Sorento . This is exactly the topic of our content page. First, we’ll quickly explain the different types of automatic gearboxes, then, in a second step, which problems you may possibly come across with the gearbox of your Kia Sorento , and, at last, how to resolve them.

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The different sort of automatic gearbox of a Kia Sorento

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Gearboxes have the benefit of being reputed to be solid, as you don’t need to use your clutch pedal and every thing is electronically and mechanically managed there will be no early wear of your clutch or other components that could be put to the test by misuse on your part.
Nevertheless, based on the sort of automatic transmission your Kia Sorento is equipped with you will have more or less reliability, we will introduce them to you now:

  • Classic automatic gearbox: It will use a torque converter, which will control the gear changes, it’s the oldest technology, it has evolved a lot in the last decades (more gears and a better management of the gear changes).
  • Robotized automatic gearbox: This is a manual gearbox with a robotized mechanism that will change the driver’s action. This sort of gearbox is less and less general because they are considered very slow. We as well often feel a coupling during deceleration.
  • Dual-clutch automatic transmission: This is the ultimate automatic transmission, it works on similar concept as the robotic transmission, but thanks to its dual clutch, you won’t have any more problems with slow speeds or increased fuel consumption. They are often equipped on luxury models.
  • Continuously variable automatic box: It is similar principle as on a scooter, a variator will come to control the differences between acceleration and motor speed, they are especially slow and often be unresponsive during the acceleration phases of your Kia Sorento.

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I’m having problems with the automatic transmission on my Kia Sorento

We now start the part that absolutely attracts you the most in this post, what are the problems you may face with the automatic transmission of your Kia Sorento? As revealed above, generally speaking they are more reliable than manual transmissions, however, here are the most important problems you may come across:

  • As mentioned above, no matter what sort of automatic gearbox, they are often established to be slow and have inertia when accelerating. Nevertheless, this phenomenon is supposed to happen only when the car is started, not when it is launched. If it feels like it occurs all the time, the clutch or converter is probably dead.
  • I have the impression that a gear in the automatic transmission of my Kia Sorento no longer shifts or jumps: If you have the impression that your gears no longer shift or often jump on your Kia Sorento, there is a part that is undoubtedly responsible for this failure. In truth, the solenoid that works as a “switch” to engage the gears must not be working properly, second option, a speed or engine unit speed sensor may be defective and send the wrong information to your gearbox.
  • If you experience drops originating from the automatic gearbox of your Kia Sorento: If you experience a clutch when you go up or when you slow down, it is either your oil which is too old and which does not lubricate any more adequately all the mechanisms of your gearbox, or else a sensor which gives bad info

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  • My Kia Sorento’s automatic transmission is leaking: At last, if your Kia Sorento’s automatic transmission is leaking, it’s most probably one of your spy seals is too worn.

How do I fix automatic transmission problems on a Kia Sorento?

And finally, we’re going to try to give you the techniques to resolve the automatic transmission problems on your Kia Sorento . Find them down below:

  • Oil leak on the automatic gearbox of a Kia Sorento: Discover the origin of the leak, and change the concerned gasket, get it conducted by a specialist, opening a gearbox is not easy. It will cost you a few hundred euros, especially for the labour. Do not hesitate to read our content page on gearbox oil leaks on Kia Sorento.
  • Sensor problem: No matter which sensor is concerned, a replacement is the only solution, sensors do not repair themselves, you should count from 100 to a few hundred euros according to the difficulty of access to the one that concerns you.
  • Couplings: If you have problems with the couplings on your Kia Sorento, you will only need to do a whole gearbox replace to gain comfort and preserve your gears.
  • The automatic gearbox of my Kia Sorento slips: In such a case, you most certainly have a dead clutch disc, you will have to replace the clutch, and on some models you won’t be able to replace it without doing a standard exchange of the gearbox, be prepared to spend more than a thousand euros.

There are other automatic transmission problems on Kia Sorento, such as electronic problems or pressure problems, but this list lists the most important ones, whatever the case, for such difficult mechanisms. When you feel a problem on this level, we recommend you to go quickly to your mechanic.

If you need more tutorials on the Kia Sorento, go to our Kia Sorento category.