Kia Sorento Complaints

10,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11440262November 12, 2021
ENGINE
I was driving 85 MPH on the interstate and my engine lights started flashing (no engine light or oil light prior to this) and started slowing down. I got to the shoulder of the interstate and my car was making a terrible knocking noise. I have owned this car for 3 months. There is a little over 87K on my car. I had the car towed to the nearest Kia dealership where I was told my engine was totaled. After paying 140.00 for a diagnostics report and being without a car for a whole month (keep in mind this is just for the report). I was quoted a total of 6,800 for them to fix my car. After further research I have found other people with the same issues with the engine. My engine is a 3.3L V6. In the previous lawsuit for Kia it only covers 2.4L engines where my engine is having the SAME issues. I should not have to pay for a new engine when this is a big issue with other consumers with the same car and engine type. Now im stuck paying on a car I CANT DRIVE until the 6800 is paid. I owe to much on my car for me to pay it off in full. This put me as well as everyone else on the interstate at risk and would have also put my children at risk if they were in the car. I am beyond irritated. As well as a given a whistleblower just coming out to state that these engines are not safe and kia and hyundai's neglect in keep their consumers safe. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440285November 12, 2021
POWER TRAIN
When coming to a parking lot stop the vehicle skips or jumps and it can be felt on the floor board. I took it to get inspected at a Kia dealer who was able to identify the problem being my transmission and not the brakes. He informed me that Kia considers this a “normal condition” and that there was nothing they could do about it. This is extremely alarming and concerning that Kia is not concerned about transmission issues in their brands. There are no warning lights that come on. I feel unsafe driving this vehicle in fear of the transmission tearing up completely or running into the back of another vehicle or object. I drive on a busy interstate everyday for work and driving this vehicle in this condition is not safe in my opinion.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439970November 10, 2021
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I just purchased my Kia Sorento in March of 2021. It doesn’t notify you when oil is LOW or OUT. Even with proper oil changes. Also the engine randomly started to overheat regardless that it’s barley got 107 miles on it. Of course there’s several recalls for this particular vehicle for the same issues but not for mine specifically. Insurance won’t cover wear and tear so now my cars in the shop for who knows how long with an extremely high bill expected.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439981November 10, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 40 mph and passing another vehicle and abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to independent mechanic and was informed the piston was needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to another independent and was also informed the piston was needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) , however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440000November 10, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
on my 2013 Kia Sorento the driving shift is giving me problems. I have to move the gear stick around more then 3-5 times for the car to actually drive. I can reverse with no problems, but when I put the car on drive, it does not drive, until I move the gear stick around a couple of times, then the drive will work. I don't know if its called the drive gear or driving shift. Sorry that I don't know the correct name for this. Hope this gives a clear description on what is going on with my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440016November 10, 2021
AIR BAGS
With or without passengers in vehicle, passenger side air bag does not come on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439850November 9, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was notified about a knocking in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439851November 9, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The contact owns a 2008 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a burning odor and smoke were present inside the cabin of the vehicle. Also, the engine had stalled while driving and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while driving on inclined roads. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The contact indicated that the failures began after the vehicle was serviced under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 20v088000 (Electrical System, service brakes) which involved a fire hazard. The local dealer was informed of the failures. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 181,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439884November 9, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY
On October 28, 2021 the hood paint suddenly started to peel in large chunks. This occurred without warning as previously there was no peeling paint. These pieces stuck to the windshield and were a driving safety hazard as they obstructed clear view. This is evidence of a clear failure of the factory paint to properly stay adherred to the body of the car. This vehicle is available for inspection and photo evidence is also available. This problem has been confirmed by a local Kia dealership. There is also abundant evidence of this being an ongoing issue online in Kia Consumer forums. When reaching out to Kia Corporation directly we were given no assistance in rectifying this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439909November 9, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 74 MPH, an abnormal knocking noise began to emit from the engine as the check engine and ABS warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle suddenly lost power as the contact began to smell smoke in his cabin. The contact immediately pulled over and once the engine was turned off, the engine became engulfed in flames. The contact exited the vehicle and called the authorities to his location. The fire was extinguished by the fire department; a police report was not filed. The contact did not sustain any injuries as a result of the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was destroyed. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439946November 9, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
It’s been losing power and suspension is horrible the steering was tight and now it’s so loose there is so much vibration in the floorboard too I know I’m going to lose control soon
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439764November 8, 2021
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have contacted the manufacturer [email protected]. I notified them first on September 8,2021. I was given a generic response of to contact a dealership about lights being on that won’t cut off, the hatch falling on its own , the windows gets stuck and the door handle not working and more recently November 3, 2021 that the car will just stop accelerating when driving and then resumes by itself. I also followed their instructions and attempted to make and appointment with Kia of Orange Park 6373 Blanding Blvd Jacksonville, Florida 32244 (904) 771-6078 and was told each item to LOOK AT it was $159. I informed them of my warranty that would cover Cost and was denied that option but payment would be needed upfront and then they would bill my warranty and apply the cost. This was for a diagnostic check. Not repair at all. Which means fees needed to paid whether I got the work done or not. My car was there in June for a recall with the engine and that was covered by Kia due to a system update. I tried again in October just for the car acceleration and have not received a response back from [XXX] GENERAL SALES MANAGER [XXX] on the cost to look at the vehicle to see what it’s accelerating on its on. I sent a follow up request again today to Kia the manufacturer and the dealership. I want it documented that I am driving a car that will stall on its own and then accelerates again. I have two kids and if we are killed due to the vehicles stopping in traffic on its own. Or the other mechanical problems it’s now having they should be sued for our deaths. To just look at my vehicle [XXX] states I must pay because his guys need to get paid too. Not for any work just to look at the vehicle and tell me the cost of repairs. Also they will not submit rose cost to my warranty company who states they will cover the repairs unless they are given money upfront. Sounds illegal to me. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439804November 8, 2021
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Engine failed while driving. No warning lights. Have to purchase a new used engine. Fan blower resister: only blows at high or not at all. Has been fixed once and is now an issue again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439608November 7, 2021
ENGINE
Car failed while driving and now has a rod know and low oil
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439568November 6, 2021
POWER TRAIN
I was driving to work on I-95 when a message appeared on the dash to “Stop Safely Immediately”. Less than a minute later, I lost the ability to accelerate and the vehicle was losing speed. I pulled over to the shoulder. Vehicle was towed to the dealer. They were unable to pinpoint the issue and stated the entire transmission needs to be replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439492November 5, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE PAINT IS COMING OFF OF THE VEHICLE. THE PAINT PEELS OFF IS NOT BONDING TO THE METAL AT ALL.. COMES OFF IN SHEETS . RESULTING IN BARE METAL THAT CAN RUST AND CAUSE VEHICLE TO DETERIOATE. VEHICLE IS PEARL WHITE IN COLOR AND THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH THIS COLOR AND THIS MANUFACTUER OF VEHICLES
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439504November 5, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic on separate occasions. The dealer and an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,459.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439354November 4, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Low beam headlights on passenger side burn out at a rate of 1 to 2 per year. I am the original owner and the vehicle has never been in an accident. Dealer replaced headlight wiring and high beam switch on steering column under warranty because plug at headlamp melted and switch seemed faulty. This repair was approximately 4 years ago. Headlights burning out has been a problem since new. Seems to happen most often when High beams are used and going back to low beams. Inspect at any time. Living in rural Texas with little to no street lights it can be unnerving to have the low beam on one side unexpectant burn out. I write all of this because it burned out again last night and it's getting frustrating.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439410November 4, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Over I’d say about the last 5-7 months my husband and I have been noticing the smell of fuel coming from what/where seems to be the gas tank area and we have on an occasion or 2 noticed very small drops on the ground also around the gas tank area. Shortly after we began noticing the smell of gas, one day after re-fueling when I went to put the gas cap back on I noticed that the cap went back on but it wouldn’t make that signature clicking sound that lets you know it’s properly in place and sealed properly so we purchased a replacement one from the dealership thinking/hoping that would fix the issue but it hasn’t. In fact just before purchasing the gas cap from the dealership we purchased a replacement from Autozone and it was the wrong one. It appeared to fit for the most part (or so we thought) but it was definitely the wrong one and because it was dark when we got the cap we couldn’t see just how poorly it fit (plus you had to look from the bottom of the cap to be able to see the white plastic of the bottom of the cap was still exposed) so we ended up having to use it until the following day when we could get to the dealership to get the right one. Well while we had the wrong gas cap in it cause the check engine light to come on (which at least we know that works, lol) but oddly enough the car was getting better fuel mileage so I’m thinking that because having the proper gas cap seals the system properly it could be causing it to leak more or worse because since putting the right cap on, while it did help the check engine light go off I’m not getting very good gas mileage at all. I’m going to take it to a shop and hopefully they can figure out what is going on with it (when we’re able to pay what I’m assuming will be a pretty heft shop bill) but I just wanted to let it be known and I will send a follow up message letting you know what came of the shop fix/inspection. Thank you for reading my lengthy message and I send well wishes to you, your friends, and family.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439411November 4, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at night at an undisclosed speed, the contact was noticed while making a slight turn, the driver’s and passenger’s side headlights stopped functioning as designed. The failure also occurred while using the turn signals. The contact had to manually activate the headlights after the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Subsequent to the initial complaint, in December 2021, the car owner, Ed Ruzicka, decided to see if replacing the turn signal/wiper control shaft would fix this problem. I did so at my own expense. The lights no longer blink off. Still this seems to be a manufacturer defect rather than mere wear. This has never happened on any vehicle which I have owned before. I am 70. The concern is that this is dangerous. I believe that it should be addressed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Kia Sorento