Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11561567December 22, 2023
STEERING
The vehicle clicks when turning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561261December 21, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine light keeps coming on and off. I had a recall notice but an took the kia to kia dealership but they said they don't have the repair parts. Since recall was issued no repairs yet an it's posing a threat to me an my family using it. If I park the car without using it as kia instructed how I my going to go to job since that's the only car I have? Please can issue recall be fix immediately to avoid further harm to users? When should I take the kia to dealership for the recall to be fixed?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561269December 21, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Kia installed the theft deterrent software to the 2012 Kia Sorrento. On 12/13/2023, a car thief stole the 2012 Kia Sorrento. The apartment community shared that the car was stolen in less than 3 minutes. The thief left the car one block away from the apartment community. The thief damaged driver side key-hole and the ignition lock cylinder. I contacted Kia Corporate to file a complaint that the software failed to stop the car theft. Kia Corporate shared that this is one of the first complaints. My insurance company shared that Kia Corporate is not telling the truth as the adjuster is addressing other stolen Kia automobiles which had the theft deterrent software installed. I like NHTSA to reopen the case against Kia.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561283December 21, 2023
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 201 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact became aware of fuel burning which caused her legs to sting and itch. The lights on the instrument panel then went dark. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 210,875. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561324December 21, 2023
ENGINE
Daughter was traveling at highway speeds (60 mph) when engine loss all power and hard to merge over in lanes due to loss of speed and other traffic. Once to side of road found coolant blowing out of reservoir under hood. Towed to service station where they said head gasket blown on back cylinder bank. Replacement motor needed to make repairs as 7 of 8 head bolts found loose and 3 threads striped from aluminum block which they said is common issue with Kia engines.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561021December 20, 2023
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Consistent excessive oil consumption from about 90k until it died at 127k while on the highway going 65+mph. Oil Light flashed. Check engine light flashed. Made it onto the exit ramp and exited the vehicle very shook up. Vehicle would not start unless using two feet. One to flutter the gas while other on the break to be able to throw it into gear and chug the 2 miles home from the highway. Towed it to the Kia dealership in vestal Ny in June 2023. They had my vehicle for over 2 months before we had a plan. We called Kia with no response. No email followup no snail mail followup. Called again in October to be told my vehicle did not have any compression in 2 cylinders but it couldn’t pass or fail the test therefore they couldn’t determine the cause. Because they could not determine the cause my vehicle would not be covered at all. My Sorento had regular oil changes and maintenance done at the dealership as that’s where I purchased the Sorento new in 2017. After we rolled over 100k when the warranty was up we began shopping around for oil changes due to the dealership being outrageous. My vehicle has been sitting dead while I lay $555 a month on the existing loan. I will never buy a Kia again and will be telling everyone else the same. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561111December 20, 2023
ENGINE
On the morning of October 31st, 2022 I used my remote starter to warm the engine in my driveway for approximately 10 minutes, when I got into the car I noticed the air blowing was ice cold and when looked at the temperature gauge the needle was in the red. I allowed the engine to cool down for about an hour, checked the coolant level and found it empty. I looked all around and under the engine for signs of leaks, none were found. I purchased a gallon of coolant, topped off the system and brought the car to my local garage to check the problem. They replaced the thermostat and bled the cooling system. About a week later it started overheating again so I topped off the coolant again and took the car to the nearest Kia dealer. After keeping my car for a week they concluded that the head gaskets were leaking and the repairs would be more than the value of the car and they'd be happy to trade what's left of my car for a new Kia. I had my car towed to a reputable independent shop and ended up paying a total of $12, 274.84 for a re-manufactured engine and for labor involved in stripping down the old engine for the extended warranty who inspected the engine and denied the claim. I purchased this vehicle on 1/9/2021 with extended warranty from and authorized Kia Dealer for $20,522.78. I have since found out that this is an ongoing issue with the Kia/Huyndai V6 engines from 2016-2019. As a Mercedes-Benz employee for 30 plus years I am appalled at Kia for their unwillingness to stand by their products.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561148December 20, 2023
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My Kia Sorento uses roughly 2-4 quarts of oil every week or 2. The smell of oil is so strong in the car it’s almost unbearable. Just this week the the alert about a door being open is going off and the locks are malfunctioning. It locks and unlocks at random and it keeps sayings a door is open when it isn’t. The cruise control also stopped working.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561168December 20, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560819December 19, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
SC284XM HECU My car was exacted by the HECU fuse
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560910December 19, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Fuel pump/engine began failing before the engine locked up. I was driving down a country road and lost power. When I floored it the top speed was approx. 7 MPH. I did not have anywhere to pull over. It has been inspected by the manufacturer and they said it needs a new engine. There were no warning signs or anything. I don't know how to answer if the problem has been reproduced. Via Kia forums, this is a common issue that is usually handled with the extended warranty. I've contacted Kia and they admit I'm having issues. Quote from their email "We apologize about the issues you are having with your engine and fuel pump in your 2014 Kia Sorento."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560946December 19, 2023
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the front passenger's side and driver's side door handles; however, after the repair, the front passenger's side door handle fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front passenger's side door handle was replaced at the contact's expense. Additionally, the contact stated that the front and rear passenger's side doors, and the rear driver's side door failed to open from the outside while pulling the doors handles. The contact stated that the steering control buttons, and the cruise control mode had become inoperable. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact also stated that while shifting into park (P), the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound and the gear shifter moved beyond the park (P) position. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that the interior lights of the vehicle failed to turn off. The ABS, TPMS, traction control, check engine, air bag warning lights, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560779December 18, 2023
POWER TRAIN
We bought this vehicle on September 23, 2023 It had 72,935 miles. On October 15, 2003 After three weeks of having it, the check engine light came on. We took it a mechanic to diagnose the problem, he said it was the intake camshaft position sensor. We had it replaced o, and the engine light disappeared. We though that was the end of it but no. About a month later (mid November) the check engine light came on again, We contacted a local mechanic who said it might be the crankshaft or the time chain, he was supposed to call back with an estimate, but he didn't. We continued to drive it while trying to figure out what to do next, and two weeks later, on Dec 6 while driving home after picking my son from school, I heard a laud rattle noise, the vehicle slowed down, I though it was going to die completely, many lights on the dashboard came on, I don't remember which ones, (only the battery light) I knew it should not be the battery since we had just bought one brand new. Anyway, I pulled over to the side of road. I turned it off. After a minute or so, I turned it on again, and was able to make it home. The loud noise continued so turned on the hazard lights on and slowly drove it home. I was not that far. Next Saturday I had it towed to a mechanic we trust and he said the engine had plain failed and that it would be better to replace it. We decided to have it towed back to us. We made an appointment with a Kia dealership to have them confirm what our mechanic said, but they gave us an appointment until January 22, 2024 In the mean time it just sitting there in our garage. We know it had two previous owners. From the Carfax report we know it was serviced regularly. I don't think a vehicle with only 73,000 miles should have a failing engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560788December 18, 2023
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I just purchased this vehicle on Saturday.And now my engine light is on.It is blinking.I did my research after getting the car and the code p1326 came up at autozone.after that it showed that code with recalls for 2011 to 2017.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560803December 18, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Car when into a low power mode,could not keep it running ,took 5 times to go thru a very busy intersection and motor was making a knocking noise,smells like burnt oil-motor ,misses out..The car was towed into a KIA dealership,3 weeks later they said it was fixed,drove off and didn’t even make it a mile until it started knocking and having the same smell like burnt motor,went into a reduce power.now it’s been 3 more weeks or more and still nothing is getting resolved. Yes the dealership knows about this issue. Yes warning messages came on when it went into low power mode. This is motor number two as the motor was replaced less than 12 months ago.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560525December 17, 2023
SEATS
The heated seats were turned on high. It was cold outside. Two hours later the occupant got out of the car and discovered blisters on leg from seat heat. Several large blisters from burns. The seat should not be hot enough to burn someone and cause blisters
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11560570December 17, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
My 2022 KIA Sorrento PHEV periodically gives a "Check Hybrid System, Stop Safely" emergency warning. When this happens the vehicle will not accelerate and can only be limped to a stop. This has occurred 4 times in 18 months. In three instances the vehicle was limped to a safe stop but on the other occasion it left us stranded in an intersection. This problem creates imminent danger and potential peril. KIA maintenance looked at the vehicle after the last two events and reported that they can't do anything because there aren't any recorded fault codes. From a technical perspective, it appears that an electronic problem occurs where the hybrid control either fails to recognize the low battery status or fails to command the engine to run when needed. Once stopped I can see that the hybrid electric battery charge has depleted and the engine failed to start. Cycling power off and on a couple of times appears to reset the circuitry allowing the engine to restart and the hybrid battery to begin recharging. Unfortunately, the KIA OBD is not detecting this particular failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560576December 17, 2023
ENGINE
There is a common issue with these year model Sorentos that poses a dangerous safety hazard for those in the car as well as others on the road. This model has a manufacturers defect that causes the head bolts to strip from the block, causing overheating engine, power loss, and other symptoms. A car that overheats and has these symptoms while on the road could cause a fire, cause hot steam or coolant to burn skin, and risks lives if it happens while on a fast paced roadway. The issue is common and pretty much guaranteed to happen to these model Sorentos. There are thousands of people complaining and report the issue. KIA is aware and not concerned of the issue. The only solution offered is an engine replacement, which most people can’t afford so will more than likely keep driving the vehicle regardless of the risks. My Sorento has been at the dealership already. I’ve contacted KIA corporate as well as attorneys seeking litigation of the issue. My insurance completed a full investigation by U.S. Forensic and determined the cause to be two of my head bolts stripped the threads out of the block. I have the final report from the investigation. We had no early warnings of the issue. We first noticed something was wrong when the car started over heating. You could, then, smell coolant and there was white smoke from the exhaust. There was a loss of power and bubbling in the coolant reservoir. The car would drive without overheating as long as you kept the radiator full of coolant. In summary, this is a common issue that has been ignored by KIA. It is clearly a safety concern and could pose life threatening risks. KIA won’t care and will never do anything about this unless they are forced to.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560577December 17, 2023
ENGINE
Been dealing with oil issues for over a year. With a closely monitored oil level the car engine blew a hole and is now not drivable. There was never a low oil light or any warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560408December 16, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
After parking and turning the car off, when restarting the vehicle the shift lock would no longer release to shift out of park. In order to shift out of park it requires the shift lock clip to be removed, a screw driver placed down and pressure applied to release the shifter. The vehicle was taken to the dealership to be assessed and owner was told it was the BCM and the entire component would need to be replaced as it is not sensing that the brake is being applied. There are no service or warning lights. The BCM controls several other safety features including park assist, the heated seats, and other electrical components Serious safety concern if the computer system within the vehicle is not able to detect that the brake is being applied. It could also lead to other electrical failures throughout the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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