Rear wheel drive or AWD

Make sure you read the owners manual for instructions on using 4wd. If you don't have the right tires 4wd has limited value. For slippery roads make sure your tires are rated for snow and ice. What tires are spinning? All four or just the rear tires?

I doubt that you have manually locking hubs but if you do then the 4wd will not work until you get out of the car and turn the hub locks.

I did read the manual. It doesn't say anything about manually locking hubs. It does have to be stopped and in Neutral to engage which I did. I can't remember as it's been since last winter but I believe it was just the rear tires spinning. I thought it was very unusual for the tires to spin without giving it any gas. The 4wd is not my main concern though since it only has 4Low. My question is does this model have AWD that possibly isn't working right or at all. It feels like it's only rear wheel. I can spin the back tires on wet pavement without even trying. Tires are brand new. I can't afford to take it to a KIA dealer and I've had it in 2 different shops a total of 3 times and been told different things every time. I feel like nobody knows anything about this car.

I can guarantee that if your car is 4wd that is also has a 4-high range. It is possible that your front wheels are not locking in due to a defective transfer case or a problem with the actuator that locks the hubs in for you. If you have to stop and put the car in neutral then I can say for certain that you have a real 4wd, not an AWD car. Maybe this forum will help you -----http://www.kia- forums.com/2003-2010-sorento-forum/56017-4-wheel-drive-wont- engage.html

This is a more technical explanation of your cars 4wd system ----- http://www.awdwiki.com/en/kia/

If you can spin the tires on wet pavement without trying then I suspect you have summer tires, not mud and snow tires. Look for the little snow flake symbol on the side wall. What tires do you have exactly?

The knob reads 4low and auto. So you're saying when in auto the 4wd should engage automatically when a tire slips?

I don't have a copy of your owners manual to read so I suggest you re-read the section on 4wd carefully. I do suspect your car has a problem with the 4wd actuator which I believe is vacuum operated. If the knob has an "auto" function then it should lock in 4wd when the tires spin. In 4wd low it should be in 4wd all the time.

The tires are Dextero DHT2. Says they are all season. I looked at the manual again and there are 2 models. One with part-time 4wd and 1 with full-time 4wd which is what mine is.

I guess I need to find a 3rd mechanic:/

The tires are probably OK so you should have your mechanic check the actuator that locks in the front axles/4wd. Good luck.

Ok thanks for your help!

That your car drives horribly on wet roads is evidence that you need better tires. Your tires are a cheap WalMart brand so you may want to also buy some quality tires rated for good wet traction. The tires and the 4wd are two separate issues though. Good luck again!

I would not be critical of WalMart, they sell the same tires as the other dealers, they just have less markup

I have a 2006 Kia Sorento EX and it has 2H, 4H and 4L. No auto. The only selection that requires me to be at a dead stop is 4L. I can rotate the drive dial from 2H to 4H in the fly as long as I am going under 50 MPH. My Kia is true 4WD not AWD which is why I bought that brand and model. Around that year many of the SUV manfgr moved to AWD. I have a small boat and if the boat ramp in the middle of the summer is wet and or slippery (which is usually the case) the AWD drive computer won't lock the other wheels and I would be stuck trying to pull the boat, trailer and vehicle up the ramp with only 2 wheel drive. I love that I can manually put it in 4H and which puts alot less strain on the vehicle when pulling uphill. I miss the WARN hub days..................