Kia Sorento Complaints (2019)

435 consumer complaints on file.

#11646071March 3, 2025
ENGINE
I have a 2019 Kia Sorento which I bought new and changed the oil every 5-8k miles. I was told this was fine with newer vehicles that use synthetic oil. I started having issues with my car burning oil really fast around 60-70k miles. The oil would be dark and low without any warning light, well before my window sticker indicated I should need service. The shop where I take my car warned me this was happening with Kia engines. They also shared with my that my dashboard light was not coming on because it had not been "re set." I have always had a problem with the oil light coming on when I don't need oil and it not coming on when I do. I had my oil changed and was back after 3k miles because my engine was dry. A week later I stopped for gas on my way home from work at 1am, and its a good thing I checked my oil because it was dry. I have young children I drive around town daily. This is terrifying for me- not knowing if my engine could blow up any time, without warning. So I took my car to Kia where they started an oil consumption test. Which was time consuming and stressful to deal with. I have a maintenance gap that took place during Covid. Likely because my father in law changed my oil. I am hoping we can get receipts for this or apparently I am screwed, but this was 3 years ago! :( On top of it, the back of my white car is now grey because of all of the oil I am burning. Which explains the awful smell that fills my home when I open the garage door with my car running. That really can't be good. This has been a nightmare and its only the beginning for me. Kia needs to step up and take responsibility for their faulty engines. Stop making it so complicated for customers to get the quality service they deserve. I should not be fighting for them to fix an issue that has come highly complained about.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11645565February 28, 2025
ENGINE
We were driving home Saturday and our 2019 Kia Sorento EX V6, 3.3L engine with 24000 miles, just stopped running. We got the car pulled over and noticed smoke coming out of the hood. The tow truck towed it to the dealership: seized engine. We are the second owners of this vehicle, we purchased it from a Honda dealership 20K miles on it and have not had one moment's trouble with it until this happened. We have had regular maintenance done, etc. So now I have a vehicle that I owe several thousands of dollars on that is completely useless.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11645267February 27, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle has frequent oil consumption issues. It’s burning oil way too fast and causing a potential issue with the engine. According to the staff at the car shop, there is no way to fix it. You have to just kind of deal with it. It seems to be a defect that has not been addressed and is only for first owners. Bought my vehicle from a dealership and apparently this isn’t covered. This is a Lemon and it’s clearly unknown issue based on the workers at the car shop that have not been addressed and is causing an issue with my engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11644320February 22, 2025
ENGINE
Engine burns too much oil
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640749February 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I am reporting a recurring defect with my 2019 Kia Sorento’s front axle assembly, which has failed multiple times despite repeated replacements. The vehicle was serviced at Ron Tonkin Kia, where the front axle assembly was replaced three times due to leaks: •January 2022 – First replacement •November 2022 – Second replacement •March 2023 – Third replacement The issue is happening again, indicating a persistent defect. Each time, the axle assembly has been replaced under warranty, but the problem continues to recur, raising concerns about long-term safety and reliability. I am concerned about the potential risk of axle failure while driving, which could lead to loss of vehicle control or other safety hazards. I am requesting an investigation into whether this issue is widespread and whether Kia should be required to address it through a recall or permanent fix.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11639304January 29, 2025
ENGINE
I am the owner of the aforementioned KIA Sorento EX SUV which I leased when new from TASCA KIA then purchased at the end of my lease. It should be noted that my new address is [XXX] as I moved from the Coventry address on May 26, 2023. I religiously have my oil changed (have all receipts since 2019) at the manufacturers recommendation. At around 55,000 miles I started noticed wet spots on the driveway below the engine and was not sure if it was anti-freeze or oil. As the mileage on my vehicle increased over time I noticed the spots on the driveway getting bigger. A fellow KIA owner who incidently owned a 2019 Sorento Platinum with a V-6 like mine stated that they developed a sizeable oil leak in their vehicle at around 50K miles. My vehicle had close to 74K miles and I noticed that my oil level was dipping down. On December 9, 2024, I drove my vehicle over to KIA of Attleboro, MA and after a mechanics inspection it was determined that was engine was in fact leaking oil from both the filter housing which is plastic and also from the area where the wiring harness connects to the oil pan that indicates low oil pressure which never notified of low oil. On December 10, 2024, I brought my KIA Sorento back to the same dealership in Massachusetts where the oil leaks were repaired at a cost of $912.43. I subsequently went on the web and discovered that this was a growing problem with this year and model KIA along with other years with some owners seizing their motors. I never received a notice from KIA notifying me of this potential issue which I believe is larger than being reported and should inspired NHTSA to force KIA USA to send out a notice to all affected KIA owners and fix this problem at no cost to the consumer. Putting this money out unexpectedly just before Christmas was painful. I would like to be compensated for this expense which is a defect. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] 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
#11639258January 29, 2025
ENGINE
This Type of vehicle has a Recall for Oil Pressure Sensor Switch. I Contact Dealer prior my Warranty Covers. But they keep denying the Repairs. Saying tis types of works its not cover on this Warranty. This Vehicle its a Recall for this Oil Pressure Sensor Switch. The Dealer Kia Dont Want to work with the Client other than offering you. A Trade for a new Vehicle Not A Good Bussiness from Kia. Very Dissapointed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638328January 24, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 75-80 MPH, there was oil leaking from the vehicle. The contact also noticed that there was oil on the garage floor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V202000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the oil pan needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 101,011.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636915January 19, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The Sorento is coated with a "Snow White Pearl" paint that started delaminating rapidly. I took it to the dealership at first for a pen touch up, but it started chipping and peeling exponentially quicker lately. This is a serious issue as the paint is the only protector of the body from rust and wear.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636937January 19, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
There is delamination of the snow pearl white paint. It has been reported and noted at the Kia dealership. Starting on the hood and passenger driver side door. It is literally falling off after a bubble formed under the paint. Kia has pictures of this
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636749January 18, 2025
ENGINE
Oil consumption, car seizes,loses power and stalls when at 65 to 70 mph on highway,almost caused two accidents in which i was able to avoid, both times my children were in the vehicle.spoke with kia as well and they stated they were unable to help with this issue and only suggested us to go to a dealership.We have taken the car to the dealership and to auto shop 3 times in the past 6 months no resolve.Just got an oil change again and did oil consumption test (result was .8 oil burned at 1,000 miles) ,now 2 weeks later no oil in car as oil light came on after it was filled back up at the oil consumption test ,engine is faulty and burns oil at alarming rates.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636269January 16, 2025
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
A crack on my dashboard by the airbag above glove box. I use a windshield screen and armor all it to protect it I’m afraid if there’s an accident the airbag will not work as designed and it could cause injury or death Kia said after 5 years it’s normal wear and tear I bought car new oct 2019
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634809January 8, 2025
ENGINE
Recently the 2019 Kia Sorento 3.3L V6 has had an intermittent Engine Oil Pressure Light. It will sometimes come on at low idle but not all the time. We did find a leak at the oil filter housing and repaired that, which did not solve the light issue. The vehicle has oil in it, thus not the problem. The vehicle was Manufactured in June of 2018 and there was a recall on the exact issue just prior to this for 2018's. Given the manufacture date and the fact this issue was not discovered until AFTER the vehicle were produced, I feel that given the timing it would be fair to say this vehicle would fall into the recall. I did have an independent shop diagnose this as a possible electrical short or part issue. I have spoken to Kia and they have provided no assistance on this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634853January 8, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The forward collision system warning system the warning that it's not working stays on for a couple of days then goes off but then it comes back on. My other problem is the Pearl White paint is peeling off the hood and roof of my Sorento. Kia said not their problem because it has 80,000 miles. I have read thousands of complaints about this problem. There seems to be a problem with the paint they are using.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634600January 7, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The vehicle (90k miles) has a check oil light on. When I took it to the dealer, they diagnosed the issue as a faulty oil pressure sensor (see attachment #1). The model year warranty is 10yr/100k for engine/powertrain, I was informed that since I am a second owner that they will only honor a 5yr/60k warranty. I then looked to see if there was an extended warranty on this component and there is on the nhtsa.gov site. A letter from Kia dated 4/6/2022 (WTY026) (attachment #2). Attached for you convenience shows an extension of the warranty of this component to 15yr/150k. The letter includes my vehicles make and model, but uses the model year 2014-2018 with a manufacturing date of 12/17/2012 - 3/7/2018. My vehicle was manufactured on 3/2/18 from the VIN plate attached to the vehicle (attachment #3). The dealership also refused to cover the warranty based on this letter because of the model year. My issue is this model year uses the same engine and components and was manufactured before the cut-off of the extended warranty. I would like to see the extended warranty extended to cover further model years as the component is still causing the same safety issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634492January 6, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I received a safety recall letter from Kia America July 2023 and Dec 2024 and called Jerry Seiner Kia Salt Lake City and they will not help me. I then called Kia customer care number on the recall letter 800-333-4542 and it goes to roadside assistance and they cannot help me. I then called the USGOV safety hotline listed on the recall letter 888-327-4236 and that goes to Coach Elkhart. So the Kia customer care number is incorrect and the USGOV safety hotline number is incorrect and no one except me knows this? Zombieland America. Anyone out their know why the USGOV safety hotline number lists Coach Elkhart phone number? I have had 3 other people look to see how crazy this all is.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11632284December 24, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Master warning, forward collision avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, and high beam assist warning lights on. Message boards mention similar problems and there have been front and rear camera recalls for Telluride and other models of Kia, but not for Sorento. Similar problem occurred a few months ago when car died while going at highway speeds. This resolved after cleaning radar cover, cameras and sensors, but are not resolving current problem. Lane assist and departure are not working. We have not taken it to dealer yet. Our 2019 Sorento has not been included in recalls for this specific problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11632185December 23, 2024
ENGINE
The engine blew up. I have all of my oil change receipts and gave them to West Herr Kia, and per Kia West Herr, Kia denied covering the blown engine because the piston went through the engine with great force. This happened at approximately 110,000 miles. West Herr Kia quoted 10,400 to replace the engine. Please let me know if you would like copies of the oil changes. I won't be able to upload all.of them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631513December 18, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
. In October 2023 (see KIA service ticket) my KIA was brought into Jackson KIA Cocoa, FL, for something not operating correctly. The vehicle periodically would hesitate when pressing the accelerator and other times when you had pressed the accelerator to go faster and removed your foot from the accelerator, the vehicle would not slow down, rather continue to speed up even if you tapped the brakes. The service technician had the vehicle for two days and confirmed during several of his test drives that the vehicle would hesitate and speed up with your foot off the accelerator. The service technician said the fuel pump was the issue; however, to cover it under our vehicle warranty, the vehicle would need to generate either a service code error or the indicator light would have to turn on. Neither of these happened during the service technician’s test drives. The service technician wanting to confirm his assessment that the fuel pump was faulty, replaced the fuel pump with a new one and test drove the vehicle. The issues of hesitation and acceleration didn’t happen as they did with old fuel pump. The service technician put the old fuel pump back in because I refused to accept a charge for replacing the fuel pump when it was under warranty. I made an appointment with Jackson Kia in August 2024, explaining that the vehicle had not improved and no error codes and no indication lights but the vehicle was accelerating and hesitating even more than it was almost a year ago when their service technician confirmed the issue with the fuel pump. I left the vehicle with Jackson KIA again for three days for them to diagnose the problem and confirm that the fuel pump was faulty. The service technician confirmed that the other service technician from a year ago diagnosed the problem correctly. It was in fact the fuel pump and is exhibiting the conditions as outlined in the KIA Motors Fuel Pump notice, except the vehicle did not have any diagnostic error codes nor any lights
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630983December 16, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Snow White Pearl Paint, there are several vehicles including mine that have peeling paint all over the vehicle, in both Kia and Hyundai vehicles, the paint peels when it rains or anything else! No one at the Corporate office or dealership will speak to this, and says that after 36 months it isn't their problem, I have been told that this is a wide spread issue and that it is on most of all vehicles that are this color.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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