Kia Sorento Complaints (2022)

228 consumer complaints on file.

#11662012May 20, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I have gotten the notice Refill Inverter Coolant and Hybrid System Failure and lost acceleration and the all power. The first time this happened was in Dec 2024 with about 60,000 miles on the car. Dealer flushed system and it worked fine until April 2025 at about 71000 miles Hybrid system failure alert again, barely able to accelerate from stop light, made to a parking space just as I lost power steering. After about 2 hours to cool off car started and could be driven home. Got Refill inverter coolant alert.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660981May 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the engine revved without the vehicle responding as needed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off, and restarted the vehicle, and was able to drive the vehicle to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a cylinder was clogged, and the engine needed to be serviced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that later while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the "Service Transmission" warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence, restarted the vehicle, and shifted into reverse(R), and the contact heard an abnormal grinding sound with the "Transmission System Error" message displayed. The contact had the vehicle towed to the same dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V760000 (Power Train); however, the VIN vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was 56,941.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659868May 9, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS
My vehicle has a breaking issue. When breaking the breaks either hard break or get sticky and grab, release, and grab. This is scary. Sometimes you are slowing down on a 55MPH road and suddenly you hard break even though you weren’t slamming down on the breaks! I have almost been rear ended multiple times. The problem has been reproduced by myself, a few friends, and family members. However, the dealership says it is normal. I know it’s not! I’ve had this vehicle for 42000 miles! This has not been checked by the police. This started after the dealership replaced my tires.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658741May 4, 2025
ENGINE
Loss of power while driving. Oil level severely low, almost two quarts of oil. No oil leakage under vehicle or in engine compartment. All scheduled maintenance was performed. Once brought to the dealership to diagnose, I was stated nothing was wrong and it was over on oil. No reason to be low on oil or recognize the loss of power.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656544April 24, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Upon normal driving the vehicle suddenly lost power and would only go around 20 to 30 mph. This has happened twice in the past week. Very slow acceleration from a stop and had to actually pull off the road into a parking lot to let traffic pass. Took it to dealer and they said there were no active codes or anything visually presenting and they could do nothing to remedy the problem. My wife uses this vehicle in her work sometimes and has to drive sometimes 30 to 40 miles on her job and if this happened suddenly on an interstate it could be catastrophic. I'm afraid to let her drive it. No check engine or other warning lights come on. The vehicle has 58xxx miles and I hope I'm not being given the run around till the warranty expires. I notice there was a recall on this type of vehicle for this exact thing happening on 2022 models manufactured before August 2022 which ours was, taking delivery on 1/31/2022. It has the 2.5L turbo GDI engine as in the recall but is AWD.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652327April 2, 2025
TIRES
I went for my regular wheel alignment last week and was told my tires need to be replaced - the tread was down to 3/32. I only have 30000 miles on the vehicle. I called Continental and was told the tires are considered a "performance" tire and therefore have no tread warranty. I bought a new set o Michelin Defender tires today. When I look on line, Tire Rack for example says the tires should be good for 65000 miles. I did not expect to have to buy new tires this soon. I am a retired safety engineer civil servant that worked for the Army Tank Automotive Command and also NASA and was involved in several tire recalls in the 1980s for Firestone so I have some knowledge about tires. I rotate the tires every 5-7k and get a wheel alignment at the same time. I do not abuse my tires. I feel that Continental came up with a term so they do not have to stand behind their product. I will never buy their tires. This set came OEM with my new Sorento
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652040April 1, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The AC condenser has failed. Kia said the condenser is damaged in the far corner of the condenser where it meets the rubber. They said the warranty would not cover the repair but could not explain the damage. I have reviewed a webpage where many Kia Sorento owners had this issue. The techs all said the same thing: the rock-damaged condenser and warranty won't cover the cost of almost 1500 dollars. Now, they are stating a rock didn't damage it, but there is unexplainable damage, and they won't cover any costs. The vehicle is a 2022 with 29,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650460March 25, 2025
ENGINE
I received a rock hit that punctured the radiator. The front of this vehicle has large holes in the grill that do not prevent rocks from hitting the radiator. This has required me to replace my radiator at my own cost. Many owners are installing metal mesh behind the front facia to protect the radiator. This vehicle needs to be recalled to install a similar protection and KIA need to reimburse owners for related repairs. A punctured radiator caused loss of coolant to the environment and can lead to catastrophic engine failure if it overheats.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648294March 14, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving down the road and the sunroof exploded. No other cars were around me so no project was thrown from another vehicle. Took the vehicle to the dealership. The service tech confirmed nothing was thrown and it appears the glass imploded from the inside. We are over 60,000 so not covered by warranty. He stated he would send through to Kia to see if they would replace and was rejected. Was told to take it some place else to get it fixed. Contacted a local auto glass, they will not even touch it. Contacted another, the entire panoramic roof must be replaced even though it was only the front moving part that shattered. I am out $1,300 and a vehicle until the glass arrives which I was told will take weeks. Searching the internet I see there have been numerous complaints of this issue. Something needs to be done. No there was no crash, but very easily could have.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11644990February 26, 2025
SUSPENSION
Strut noise
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11641051February 6, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the rearview camera failed to display a clear image, and the grid lines were not properly aligned. The contact crashed the vehicle into his mailbox. There were no injuries sustained and no police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V610000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11639500January 29, 2025
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
I took my car into Winn Kia dealership in Fremont, Ca to have my recall completed which entailed seat belts and airbags. They claimed to have completed the recall and gave me my car back a few days later. A month or so later, they called and ask me to bring my car in so they could complete. After back and forth, they couldn’t confirm if the recalls were done and advised I take it to another sister dealership which I did. I took it to Dublin Kia and they confirmed via email that Wynn Kia in fremont, Ca did not connect my seatbelts and air bags properly - they stated they missed that step when completing the recalls. I drove my car around with my 2 year old daughter niece and nephew in the car for over a month without seatbelts and airbags connected without knowing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638631January 26, 2025
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle experienced multiple critical mechanical failures, including defective injectors, transmission issues, and a malfunctioning differential. The dealer repaired some of the previous issues, such as the differential in August 2024 and the transmission in October 2024 (which required three weeks of repair). However, they refused to repair the defective injectors, even after the NHTSA issued an alert on September 1, 2024, regarding injector problems. I was never notified of this alert. On January 8, 2025, while driving with my family, the vehicle suddenly stalled without any warning, creating a dangerous situation on the road and putting our safety at significant risk. This resulted in additional expenses, including towing costs ($300) and alternative transportation by taxi ($150). I had to pay $1,851.98 out of pocket to repair the injectors with an independent mechanic after the dealer refused to cover it. There were no warning lights or messages before the sudden stalling incident. These issues have been partially inspected and addressed by the dealer and independent service centers, but the recurring failures persist, posing ongoing safety risks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638602January 26, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle jerks and goes into a neutral mode while driving. Vehicle shifter still shows it's in "Drive", but vehicle stops moving. Once I drift over to the shoulder of the road, I can shut the engine off and restart. Then it moves. Twice this has happened now. Once on December 13, 2024 and again on January 24, 2025. I reported this to my dealership, Gurley Leep Kia with the first incident and they said it was just a fluke. They did not pursue inspecting anything on the vehicle, knowing some 2022 Sorento's were involved in a transmission recall. In both incidents I was driving on an incline. My VIN currently doesn't have a recall on it, but should. This could result in a crash.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638383January 24, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Several times over the past 12 months, the car has applied emergency braking when a car approaches me from behind in the lane to my left. The dealer was not able to replicate the problem but I have captured it twice on my dash cam. I was only able to intentionally replicate the problem once on my own but it has happened 15-20 times. If I do not press the accelerator, the car will come to a stop without me pushing the brake. When the emergency brake is applied, the warning sound is heard in the car and the dash lights up with the emergency braking icon and emphasizes the left rear of the vehicle. I have been to the dealer twice for this issue. The first time they told me it was due to a faulty camera mount under recall. It was replaced but the issue continued. The second time they told me they decreased the sensitivity of some sensor. The issue continued.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635995January 14, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
My wife was driving down the highway (XXX) after dropping our daughter off at school. The closest car was approximately 10 cars ahead of her and there were no vehicles behind her. The outside temperature was about 48 degrees, the A/C was set to about 70 degrees. She was driving about 70mph. My wife described the sound to be what she thought was a shotgun blast above her head followed by wind noise like if the sunroof had opened. She looked in the rear-view mirror and observed glass flying behind the car, and what sounded like glass continuously falling on to the cloth for the retractable headliner. When she arrived home I took pictures of the sun roof and noticed that the glass appeared to be pushed upwards (away from the car) as if the glass had been over-pressurized and "popped". By the looks of the glass it appeared as though something massive had been thrown from the inside of the car through the sun roof (although not possible as my wife is small and the retractable headliner was closed). My two youngest kids were in the car with my wife and if the headliner would have been retracted they 100%, without a doubt in my mind, would have been injured by the blow back of the glass "exploding". For context I am an Aviation Electricians mate in the Navy and it looked the exact same as when we have had windows on our Aircraft fail and they have blown outwards. 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
#11630660December 13, 2024
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Engine light came on while driving . Solid light. Car started to vibrate and felt like it would stall. Engine has only 38,000 miles. Kia Greenway Certified Technicians at Hickory. They charged me $200 for the diagnosis. They later said the check engine code was due to bad fuel injectors, I paid $950 for that service. That day I took the car out and after 5 minutes of driving it I had to go back to Kia to tell them my check engine light was on again. Now they said they had to drain the gas because the tank was damaged, They charged me $900 and $350 for the spark plug replacement, but none of that worked. The car continues to have problems and they don't know what it is. There is some defect in this car model that should be investigated because I have read on internet forums and I am not the only one with this complaint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629744December 9, 2024
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I've taken my vehicle to the dealership and explained what issues I'm having. I was told that the TEC experienced the same issues. When I asked for a loaner car until they make the repairs needed I was told that they don't give loaners out unless I call customer relations which I did and filed a complaint. My complaint was escalated to corporate and the person that was handling my complaint told me due to the regulations in my state they're not able to assist me with my concerns. I explained to her that I could not go over 5miles, the truck would and has shut down on me and my family while driving on the interstate. I've had my truck towed three times. Then the transmission light comes on the dealership stated they can't find anything wrong with the truck. At this point I don't even want the truck anymore I don't feel safe driving the vehicle anymore. I explained my concerns to the dealership and corporate office customer escalated Case Representative (Tiffany) and still no one CARES is it going to take for myself or my kids to lose their life in order for them to take this seriously!!!!! Case # [XXX] is my case number.... Please assist me with this matter as I'm currently deployed. 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
#11628212December 2, 2024
TRAILER HITCHES
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called another local dealer, First Team Kia (4834A Bridge Rd, Suffolk, VA 23435, (757)260-3590). 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627399November 26, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving down the highway the EV side of my PHEV wouldn't switch to gas. The car wouldn't accelerate past 40-50 mph and drained the remaining battery till my car shut off and forced me to the side of the road. Been to the dealer multiple times (over 4) for the same issue. They claim they recreate it and no resolution has been done.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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